He is no a good dirty thief!

My family has  nasty habit of stealing my pets. Inks was supposed to be my cat, but Issa snagged her. Neela is my dog, and Tora is now supposed to by my cat, but look at this no good dirty thief last night:

He took my dog and my cat!

And both animals look very happy about it.

We are officially less than a month away from the kids actually going back to school! They will be masked, but they will be in the building! Monday, we realized we were in need of some school supplies. We still are being really careful, and crowded back to school aisles sounded a little too risky, so we went with Amazon this year. Yesterday, the supplied arrived and the kids were anxious to pack their bags.

Evan is going with a black theme this year: 

Black backpack, binder, and lunch box. If it didn't come in black he got it in white. Plain and simple.

Issa started with a grey motif:

She then added some pinks and lavenders. She is most excited about her bento box lunch box:

And she carefully placed every pen in loops in her subdivided pencil pouch:

Evan threw everything in his pouch and put pencils on the loops intended for a binder:

These two absolutely crack me up. They could not be more different, but they are both ready for school!

Just Look at the Smile

About a month ago, Issa's dance studio did a photo shoot. The hope was to get some good pictures for the website, which they did. They also gave us access to all of the pictures. I cried my way through the folder yesterday. It is so, so wonderful to see Issa so happy and loving dance again:

She is getting stronger and more confident:

And this team has already bonded:

And is having fun along the way:

Just look at that smile:

And the way these teachers are pouring into their high school dancers:

They are growing their leadership skills and friendships:

This one undid me:

They are just too cute:

And I can't wait to see what this year brings:

And we are so very, very grateful for these women:

 

A Wonderful Weekend

We had a truly wonderful weekend! Friday and Saturday were big dance days! Friday afternoon, Issa got her second pair of pointe shoes:

Here first pair died, and she is thrilled about this pair. The shank is not so stiff, so she can move more easily. She has developed enough strength to keep herself up, and by Friday night she has sewn her elastics and ribbons in and was dancing around her room:

Saturday, we hosted a wedding party for our first big Monarch family celebration! Issa's tap teacher is getting married, and the team threw a great party! There was plenty of food--all gluten-free for Ms. Brooke (and half the team):

We had a scrapbook for everyone to sign with well-wishes and advice:

And one of the moms actually does wedding cakes, so we had a small cake for cutting:

We actually used the cake knife Brad and I did at our wedding, which made me very happy.

There were games and laughter and a lot of celebrating of Brooke and Vicki:

It was dreadfully hot, and we were all exhausted by the end, but it was worth every moment and drop of sweat.

Sunday, we got up and headed to the beach after a bit of a rocky start. It seems we bumped the dome light unloading from the party and we had a dead battery. But a quick jump later and we were on our way to out best beach day yet. We finally invested in a beach tent, and it was totally worth it:

We all enjoyed eating our picnic in the shade, especially since we now also have actual chairs and not just a blanket. We also let the kids go down to the water without one of us for the first time, and we actually say and read for a bit:

They thought they were pretty big stuff out there:

I did go out go out with them later on, but they can touch further than I can now. It was so odd to have them holding me down instead of the other way around.

We ended our trip at the aquarium:

We do love jellyfish! The otters were super cute, and more exhibits were open again. It was a truly perfect day.

And...

 

Brad got our new dishwasher installed! After seven weeks of handwashing, I am over the moon excited!

Not Everyone is Happy

We are spending more time in the out these days. The dojo is only doing face to face classes. Some of Issa's dance classes are face to face. I'm going back into the office more.

We also have people coming over more. Fully vaccinated friends are welcome again.

It is odd but feels lovely...for most of us.

 The pets are not liking this one bit. Look at that sad face. We are trying to be intentional about spending time with them when we are home, but when the kids go back to school we are going to have some literal sad puppies.

That Was Bizarre

 Yesterday, I actually drove to Charlotte for a face-to-face meeting of a state-wide board. It was utterly bizarre. I used to do this several times a semester, but I haven't made a drive that long alone for nearly two years--much less drive it twice in one day. It was great to see everyone, but it also felt like a tremendous time sink. We toured a new hotel for a possible future conference, but I have to think that everything else could have been discussed on Zoom and I could have saved five hours. We decided the next several meetings would be back on Zoom for that very reason.

This really is a whole new world, where some of the old normal seems odd and some of the new normal feels so much better. I can't wait to see what we build.

Sounds

I hadn't realized how much I had missed the sounds of other kids in my house. Issa's Pointe class is held out our house, and the other two dancers have been staying a bit after the lesson. This weekend, she had a friend over to spend the night.

So. Much. Giggling. I've missed that sound. I've missed having extra teenagers opening my pantry or sitting on my sofa. I love that they make themselves at home; I love that some of them call me Mama B. or just Mom.  It's lovely, and I'm so glad it's back in out life.

I Always Knew it Would Happen

 For a while now, I knew there would come a day when Evan would be significantly stronger than me. He's not a huge kid, but what is there is solid muscle. He's already taller than me by a few inches, and this morning I realized he is way, way stronger than I am.

After a lot of years of patching our fence together, we are finally getting it replaced. They can't do the work until October, but that gives us time to get the backyard cleaned up and sorted. This morning, I was going out to do more pruning and thinning of trees, and Evan offered to come with me. I have him the saw I usually use and pointed him towards a tree that would have taken me a chunk of time to fell. Before I blinked he had it down and to the curb. We worked for an hour, and we made more progress than I usually make in a week. He was just a tank.

It is so fun to watch the kids grow up, and I am so grateful for all that they are becoming--especially a son who offers to help and then is truly helpful.

Summer Moments

This year, we really didn't put any rules on summer. It's been a year, and it seemed like just letting everyone find their own rhythm was our best option. 

Brad and I have been pleasantly surprised. There has been plenty of binge watching and video gaming, but we have found the kids reading every day. They go outside and play with the dogs. Issa bakes and asks to take family walks. Evan has rediscovered a love of Lego:

He spends hours just building random things. That vehicle was yesterday's build.

It's lovely, and I'm glad that they are finding some time to just be and enjoy this summer.
 

Worth It

 Work this week has been a zoo. July is the throws of summer school and the reality of starting the next year. We are enrolling freshmen in classes and meeting with advisees. I've been on campus 12 hours every day this week. It's a lot.

But...I've also spoken with recent (and not to recent grads). I have attended a wedding and been texted baby pictures. We have lunches and coffees on the books.

This is the real privilege of this job. They may be my students for four years, but they become part of my life forever. Watching them become all that they will be--teachers, spouses, parents. It's a gift, and I'm so grateful to not miss it.

A Week in the Mountains

We just spent the most perfect week in the mountains. Mom, Shannon, and the four of us rented a house just outside of Boone, and after several trips we have finally got it down to a science. We planned meals and activities before we went, packed in everything we needed for the first 24 hours, and built in enough down time for people to actually relax and have a little space. Perfection.

We started our vacation on July 4th, and our back deck was just perfect:

Before we got to the house, we had lunch and spent some time shopping in Boone. Issa found some great new clothes, which was fun. We went back to the house to settle in, have dinner, and watch fireworks from the hot tub.

Monday, we went into Blowing Rock--starting with a trip to see the actual rock:

Evan is part mountain goat and really loves climbing rocks:

Nana and prefer him far away from edges:

We did some shopping in Blowing Rock and made our one grocery trip for the week, then we went back to the house for dinner and s'mores. Evan is getting great at starting camp fires:

Tuesday, we went to Grandfather Mountain. We started our day with the Woodlands Trail, which has activities along the way, including rock climbing:

And shelter building:

And exploring the woods:

We got to see the bears up close in the little nature preserve:

And the elk:

Before we did the hike up to the mile high bridge:

We all made it across, although Nana and I were not too sure:

And we made the hike back down:

On the way back to the house, we stopped at a fun antique shop, and Issa found a tiara:

And like pretty much every night, we ended it in the hot tub:

Wednesday, we went for a float down the river:

Which included going under a very low bridge:

I had a blast--clearly:

Thursday, we went gem mining and then watched the storms from our deck. Friday, we went on one last hike at Moses Cone National Park:

It was a bit longer than the kids bargained for, but the views were amazing. We also enjoyed the crafts in the house--especially the pottery. I have a lot of new inspiration for the studio.

Saturday, we packed up after a great week of making memories: