May Days

May was just chock full of glorious weather and fun times with friends, in the midst of end-of-year busyness and celebration (too busy to write about it til now!)  Picture-summary post for you...

Celebrating Donna's birthday at a Guardians game.  If you have to go to a baseball game, a box suite with an open bar is the way to go.

West Shore Chorale spring concert.  Vivaldi Gloria and Haydn Theresienmasse.  It was wonderful.

Monday night dinner with our COC crew, because we miss seeing them every week at rehearsal.

Ivy's actual birthday! 

I love this age so much.  So independent and capable and worldly at times... yet she still likes to put her birthday bows  on her head.  :)

Ridng lessons continue...

... and the barn means more time with the baby goats!

Mother's Day celebration. My family spoiled me with really beautiful annuals for my planters.

And a trip to Holden Arboretum, which was perfect as always.

Ivy's present to me was the opporunity to ride Phoebe, her favorite horse.

I'm not sure horseback riding is for me, but my hour of walking this sweet girl around an arena really built my appreciation for what my kid can do (did I tell you she is starting to learn to jump?)

Kayaking season is here!  Lovely afternoon at Eldred Russel Park with Holly and Elissa and Jess. 

Ivy's final band concert.  Final-final as she's opted to not do band in high school. A sadness to me but I am working hard to appreciate who SHE wants to be, instead of insisting on her doing the things I value.  She wants to put her time into art classes and earning college credit through CCP, and that's awesome.

It was a lovely concert though, and I was so proud of her and all of her classmates up there...

Broadway series night at Company.  Of all the shows to see twice... this was not my favorite.  But I can't complain about a night out with the fam enjoying the creative staging from a different angle.

And then the very next night-- off to the Opera! Holly and Claudia and I took Holly's boss Nidhi and it was fun to watch her enjoy her very first opera experience. It was a womderful production and also pretty neat to see some of our chorus friends in action, from the other side of the stage.

The fun week continued with Cocktail Choir-  Adele night at the Cleveland Urban Winery.  We reconnected with friends and belted out tunes and had a marvelous time. 

Jack decided spontaneously that he wanted to run the Heights Tiger 5k.   The day before.  Without training for it.  Won his age group.  That kid, I tell ya.  (He also had hella shin splints for the next few days as a conseuquence of that no training thing, but still, impressive.)

The lake was frequently pretty. See exhibit A below.

Got to meet Holly's sister Kelly and host a brunch at the new place, which was lots of fun.

More kayaking.  Took our friend Kate out to the lake at Euclid beach and the water was so perfect that we floated and talked and enjoyed for long enough to get sunburned.

Lake, being pretty again.  This was a night that sesemed like it would be too cloudy for a good sunset. But we walked to the beach anyways and got this surprise. 

Look at my girl!  She has decided to learn to ride dressage and with weekly lessons and all of her determination, she is making great progress.  And also conquering her fear of cantering.

End of the year happy hour with my work besties. 

Ivy's final chorus concert.  I am sad she does not wish to continue onto Youth Chorus but I also respect the way she knows herself.  "mom, children's chorus was stressful for me and youth chorus will be even more."  I wish I was half as good at speaking my mind and setting boundaries as this kid.  She's my hero.

The concert was fabulous, showcasing our kiddos and several other phenomenal area groups. Plus it was free, and box seats were included in general admission and so you KNOW we were in that front box as fast as we could get there. 

Continued memorial day weekend with a karoake party for our Windsong director, Jess.  She's a force of nature.  I am so grateful for the energy she brings to our group, and the culture of celebration and inclusivity she creates. What a great human.

Next post will be for the conclusion of memorial day weekend- Cincinnati and Columbus trip with the kids. 

 

Fourteen

It seems impossible, doesn't it?  That this little imp with the sunshine smile and the white-blond hair, in the blink of an eye, is somehow taller than me, finishing up her 8th grade year, and turning fourteen?

When the kids were little I worried about how it would be to parent teenagers. Teens seemed inordinately tall, and rather unfathomable at the time.  

Well, here we are and I am here to say-  parenting teenagers is pretty much the bomb.  

Do I sometimes (often) miss those days of tiny hands in mine, soft round cheeks, naps and snacks and utter reliance on me?  Sure.  There is nothing quite like the way your tiny one needs you, to fill your heart. 

Do I miss the exhaustion and depletion and tiny frustrations of those years?  The waiting by they crib for baby to wake so we could go to the store, the 10 minutes of finagling in and out of carseats for every errand, the constant vigilance for their safety in each new environment.  Not so much.

Plus, my teenagers are not just (increasingly) independent- they are also really cool humans in their own right.  People I enjoy spending time with, funny and bright, who make me insanely proud every day.

Each stage has its own unique surprises and fulfillments, doesn't it? 

And my sunshine girl is as beautiful as ever.  Taller, and with more curls and less white-blond, but with that same fascinating combination of sweetness and tenacity that has been at her core from birth.

Ivy at fourteen is...

A lover of horses and her cat.  Her two happy places are the barn and snuggled with Sunny in her clothing-lined nest of a room.

An absolute introvert.  She draws energy from books (and animals) and solitude, and does not like to go anywhere that is crowded, including out to eat.  She has a small, close friend group and likes it that way, and sees no reason to talk to other people or go places outside of her comfort zone.  Which leads me to note that she is also...

Strong minded and tenacious in her opinions.  Once Ivy has decided (quickly and with certainty) that is the way it shall be and there is no changing her mind.  She knows herself and speaks her mind and does not tolerate fools. She does not believe in social smiling or hiding her thoughts to save other's feelings.  But in the midst of all that strength, she is also...

Deeply kind and loving.  Those perfectly customized gift bags for her friends.  The quiet way she seeks out her parents to watch TV and chat (her preferred way to spend time with us).  The care she puts in to her animals and her baking and her arts and crafts.  Acts of service and gifts are Ivy's love language instead of hugs.

She is also highly creative, always teaching herself new techniques.  Her favorite medium continues to be paint but she has added crochet (without a pattern!) to the list this year.  

She is a voarcious reader, going through up to 3 books per week.  Her favorite genres right now are young adult romance and fantasy.

She is a focused and accomplished student, finishing her 12th quarter on the Honor Roll in middle school.  She loves her MSSP classes and Project Lead the Way, does well in but does not like math, and makes no bones about her dislike for Social Studies.  Regardless you can count on her to be caught up on her work. She still eats lunch in the library -- a quiet place with books, another happy place for her.  Next week is her final band concert, as she has decided not to continue Tuba in highschool, in preference for art classes and CCP courses.  Ambitious girl.   She's also not going to conitnue with the COYC next year.  A disappointment to me, mainly because I know how much joy music and theater brought me in high school and I want those things for her.  But one of the fun things about motherhood is seeing how your kids turn out to be absoulutely themselves, from day one.  And it is ok if her Self is very different from me.  (As long as she still finds her joy)

I do miss the days of my sunshine girl snuggling for long hugs (remember how I thought she'd cosleep FOREVER) and asking for just one more song, one more book, one more air-kiss from the doorway at night... but I am so immensly proud of the independent, articulate, strong willed young adult that, at fourteen, she is just on the cusp of becoming. 

 

A backyard party for Ivy

This silly, smart, beautiful girl turns 14 in three days.  We celebrated her over the weekend with a lovely little backyard party for her closest friends.  It was a joy to watch these sweet young people talk and laugh and play hammock wars and get creative with glow sticks.  They are kind and accepting and creative and fun loving and I am so glad my girl has surrounded herself with this amazing group of humans.

As is the tradition for Ivy's party day, the weather held (except for a bit of drizzle) and we were able to be outside the whole time. And as is the new tradition for Ivy's party, she planned the whole day including food, activities and decorations (which she kindly let mom help with a little bit) and baked her own cake (strawberry shortcake this year).  I was most impressed with her exceedingly thoughtful goody bags- we ordered the inspirational totes and then she hand-embroidered each guests name before adding their favorite candy and a hand-crocheted octopus in their favorite color.  I am immeasurably proud of her kind heart.

Contrary to the gnomes you see everywhere, reader, there was no theme for this party... :)

The party was scheduled for 5 to 9 and we had girls at the house til 10.  Also they broke both the hammock and our decrepit old picnic table without anyone getting hurt.  So, a successful party by all measures.