To my children

Dear Adelyn and Cameron-

To say that 2020 has been a challenging year is an understatement. None of us could have predicted the COVID-19 pandemic and the impact it would have on our day-to-day lives. I have tried so hard to find the silver linings of this and have been grateful for all it has taught me and especially the way you both have adjusted. It reminded me how resilient kids really are, and I am so proud of you both. You have found new ways to "choose happy" and that has filled my cup with joy. 

Now we are facing an entirely different crisis, but this one has been in front of us for hundreds and hundreds of years. This one leaves me feeling angry and helpless and ashamed and sad. My heart is broken. I am searching for the right words to talk to you about it and researching what I can do or say to you. I want to help stop the pattern of injustice that has existed my entire life and the life of your grandparents and great-grandparents and on and on. I want to live to see it end. 

We don't often talk about race as a family. We are a privileged family who has never had to experience the racism or injustice or discrimination that so many people have to fight every single day. I want to make sure that we are not contributing to this, and we don't accept that "this is just the way things are." I want to help you realize that things can change. Actions matter and it is possible to change a system that is not serving and protecting the people who need it most. Yes, our world feels broken right now but it doesn't have to stay that way. Maybe that is what it takes to actually rebuild it. I believe in hope, and I want you both to continue to believe that anything is possible. Not just for you but for everyone, regardless of the color of their skin. 

So my pledge to you is to not ignore this because it's uncomfortable or unfair. Let's take take this time to learn more and talk about how we feel and what we can do. I don't know how to do this but my promise to you is to do it anyway. We will fumble our way through together.  I hope we will look back and see this time as a true turning point and not another missed opportunity to make a difference. 

Love,
Mom

Adventure of Tiger, Pigeon and Komodo Dragon

Cameron had an assignment for school to write a story. He worked very hard on it so I wanted to share it here. I still can't believe my 7 year old wrote this.

       One day a tiger was in a forest. Now this wasn't any old forest, it was the Hyperion Forest, with the tallest tree (and living thing) in history. P.S. It's real. And at that same time, a pigeon was flying around San Fransisco. Meanwhile in a desert not far away from the forest there lived a Komodo dragon. Now all of these animals wanted a glimpse of the Hyperion Tree so... they were going to set off on a dangerous difficult journey.

       I'll start with, how about Tiger. Tiger was a nice-ish guy. Well, I wouldn't blame him, he's a carnivore. He hunts and kills animals. Oh sorry. Back to the story. Tiger set off on his very own journey. He walked for a long time not looking down where he was going, but looking up for the tree.  He finally saw one glimpse of the tree but then... HE FELL! Down, down, down he went. Finally he hit the bottom of a big hole. Then, as he stumbled onto his feet, he had a great idea. The great idea was to climb out of the big hole. So, he did. But, he slipped and fell again. Then, he had another great idea. This great idea was to tunnel his way out. So he dug and dug and dug some more. Finally he reached the top, and there it stood, the Hyperion Tree. It was way bigger than he thought. It was  absolutely gigantic. "I'm an ant," said Tiger.

      Now let's do Pigeon. Pigeon was a, well, sort of a nuisance because she steals food from humans. I mean, that's just what pigeons do, so you can't blame them. Oh, whoops I did it again. Back to the story. Now Pigeon, like Tiger before her, set off in her own journey to the Hyperion Tree. She started to fly, but as she did, like when she was about 15 feet in the air she saw hunters and they saw her. The  hunters aimed their guns at her. They fired like crazy. She dodged their fire until she was out of their range. Then, she got hit. She gave them somehow enough time for them to get their long-range gun out. She fell and fell until she hit a branch. She laid there for a couple minutes then she got back up and flew and flew and flew some more. Finally she reached the tree. She tried to fly as high as the tree but she couldn't, she lost her strength and fell, but she landed on Tiger. He was surprised but he was also happy. They became friends very quickly and then they wondered if anyone else was coming so they waited until somebody showed up.

       The Komodo dragon, remember him? "Yes." Okay good because that's what the next part is about. Komodo was an okay guy. He could scare people easily, and he did it a lot. He liked to be alone. But even more, he wanted to see the Hyperion Tree. So, he like Tiger and Pigeon before him set off on his own path to the tree. He had walked about a mile until he came across a giant crack. So, he tried to jump over it, but he missed by a lot. He fell and fell and fell. He tried to tunnel his way out but he ran into a rock and had to go back. Then he tried to climb. That worked. He finally reached the top. Then he went about a half mile and finally he reached the tree. Then he saw tiger and pigeon relaxing in the shade. He said "hi." They said "hi" back. He sat down to join them. They all became great friends. 

THE END. 

A Taste Test

We did some baking over the weekend as Addy wanted to make banana bread. Cameron loves banana bread so we decided to turn it into a taste test. Homemade vs. our favorite banana bread from Trader Joes. Addy, Cameron and Brian all participated and all of them easily identified the homemade and unanimously voted better bread! It was a fun test and now the kids want to know what's next. Of course Cameron proposed a candy taste test but I think I'll pass on that one.

My Super-Hero-Ninja-Jedi-Stormtrooper-Son

Cameron is obsessed with Star Wars. There is no denying it. He cannot help himself from talking about it. We joke that he can't go more than an hour without making a reference. I've also noticed that he can't help himself from pretending he is in the middle of a major battle or attack of some sort. It doesn't matter what he's supposed to be doing, he'll find a way to turn it into an epic scene. It also doesn't matter what "weapons" he has available. Cutting boards, marker holders, cherry pitters, a loaf of bread, tongs, he has used them all as part of his imaginary battles. See evidence below.

Lego Masters Creators

The lego alphabet creation from the kids impressed me so much that they've kept it going. For mother's day they made an adorable "I 💜  U MOM" out of legos.

Then Cameron repurposed the alphabet letters into something for his room with his name covered in mini figures. It looks awesome! 

I swear they would spend the entire day doing legos if they could. Whenever we ask them to put them away (which is basically every day) it turns into another build session and pleas to not put them away because they are "almost done, just one more thing." Cameron is constantly building new Star Wars creations and last week watched the new Star Wars movie while surrounded by every Star Wars mini figure that he owns. As each character appeared Cameron would pull out the corresponding mini hero and share some facts. I still have avoided watching the movies but can't get away from what feels like at least 100 references a day and Cameron still finds joy in my inability to remember the difference between the destroyers or droids or any really anything to do with Star Wars. 

Destruction Allowed!

We recently ordered new garage doors so on the last day of the old ones Brian thought it would be fun to let the kids destroy them. They LOVED it. They got to throw balls at them and we were both shocked that they were able to throw hard enough to make the balls go right through the doors. The kids loved getting permission to destroy something and I'm sure it felt great to release some of their stress and frustration from this time.

Chillax and Camp In

The kids had a great time enjoying the sunny weather and as Cameron said "Chillaxan" They finished their school work early on Friday and spent the afternoon outside. At one point I looked out the office window and saw this. It was just too good.

Then on Saturday it was "Scout Camp In Day" since camping isn't an option with their troops right now we set the tent up so they could camp in. They loved it of course and had a great time. We made s'mores and stayed up late, just like real camping! And I got to sleep in my own bed, what could be better?