making it up as i go along
Back in 1962, my grandparents held a family meeting to discuss the start of a construction company, what would become Pinkard Construction. 50 years later, the business is now owned by my mom, her brother and a few others who bought out my grandpa in the 1980s. It is where I have worked since moving back to CO in 2004. Continue reading “50 Years”
While I’ve been off working on the parties for our company’s 50th Anniversary (a big deal unto itself – more details tomorrow, hopefully), my kids have been having a banner week. Monday Ben started preschool at the same charming little school Tabby’s been attending for two and a half years.
It is only a 6 wk summer camp and he starts “real” preschool in the fall, but he is having a great time. He brought back glowing reports of his big day and the crafts he did and his one disappointment (he didn’t get to have a pony ride during recess because he didn’t know to get in line in time). He and Tabby are in the same class and she is loving showing him the ropes.
Tabby herself is having quite a big week. After making amazing progress last weekend while camping with her bike sensei, Uncle Mikey, she has been eager to ride again. They rode bikes on Tuesday night and she was doing well, but last night while they were at Uncle Mikey’s house while we were at the party, she went from 2 week balance bike to fully riding a “two wheeler WITH pedals” as she’ll proudly tell you.
This amazing transformation is wholly on Uncle Mikey helping her out and her absolutely amazing determination. I’m proud to say Matt and I had nothing to do with it! It is really cool to watch your kids just take flight on something completely separate from you.
Two days of parties starts tomorrow. I’m busy like no other. 1000 things are running around in my head making it impossible for me to sleep. Just a list of things to catch up on/resume when I finally surface … I mean besides the blog. Hopefully setting it all down in black and white will clear my mind so I can sleep.
Looking forward to all of this being done done done. Cheers!
There are lots of cool things happening this week. My father-in-law is having a birthday (Happy Birthday, Sandy!). My cousin Tana is graduating from high school (Congrats, T!). We are celebrating my mom’s birthday, though it was actually last week, and Tabby is starting her climbing class (charmingly called “Geckos”).
But the big world has a couple of neat events going on this week too. Today and tomorrow you can see an almost once-in-a-lifetime event, the Transit of Venus. This means that Earth’s and Venus’ orbits will overlap and for about 6 hours and you will be able to see Venus as a dark spot on the sun. Folks in CO will be able to see it starting around 4 PM today (using one of these safe methods or via a live webcast). Though it happened just 8 yrs ago, it will not happen again for another 117 years and while I’m planning to be around, I figure I better check it out this go around just in case.
So that’s today. Then there’s tomorrow. Tomorrow is National Running Day! Can I get a YAY??? It’s a day to celebrate the sport of running and encourage others to give it a try. Their campaign got me thinking about why it is that I run. It’s many reasons for me:
but it all boils down to one thing: I run to feel great! All of those reasons come together and makes me feel awesome! I never regret a run, even a “crappy” run. I am always glad I put in the effort. If you haven’t ever given running a fair shake before (think laps around the track in gym class – that’s no way to build enthusiasm for running, IMHO), I really encourage you to give it a try. Couch to 5K is a great place to start.
To celebrate National Running Day, I will be going for as long a run as I am able to fit in tomorrow morning before work. I would rather be doing a nice run date with Matt or a group run with my girlfriends or checking out a new trail, but Wednesdays are tricky and a solo treadmill run will have to do. It’s still a run!
It was a nice long weekend. The kids went to stay with my parents while Matt and I had a date. The kids missed their grandparents and had a great time hanging with them while Matt and I ran errands in peace and went to see American Reunion, which was fun … and as it’s at the bargain theatre, CHEAP. Yay.
In the morning we picked them up and went right to a birthday party at the train museum. They both had a wonderful time.
Ben in particular enjoyed the cupcakes. Continue reading “The Weekend”
Last Thursday, Miss Tabitha said bye bye to Preschool. She donned her homemade chaps (her preschool is a kids “ranch” and so there’s always a bit of a western theme there) and sang a bunch of fun songs about the farm/ranch and her days at her school. The last song was a “Happy Trails” and we were invited to sing along with the kids. It was almost as bad as Pomp and Circumstance for eliciting tears.
Then she was capped (with a cap made from a paper plate and paper bowl) graduate of preschool and handed a diploma. She, and all the other kids, told us what they wanted to be when they grow up. Tabby said “ballerina” which is the very same thing she’d told me a few days before when I’d asked. The answers were great, ranging from policeman (or “cop!” as said by one sweet looking little girl) to princess to wedding planner to super striker to mom.
She will actually be back at preschool in just a few weeks, this time with her sidekick Ben, to attend the daycamp program they have, but otherwise, preschool is done and before we know it she will be in Kindergarten officially. It was probably just because she graduated, but all weekend she’s looked bigger, older, more grownup to me. I miss her as the little girl who toddled around with her binky, but I love the big girl she’s become.
Today, I ran my slowest 5K ever, clocking in at right around 50 minutes. And I couldn’t be more proud. Today marks Tabby’s racing debut. She successfully completed the Rockie’s Homerun for the Homeless 5K. It wasn’t easy and we had to give lots of encouragement, water breaks and walk breaks along the way, but she started what she finished and completed all 3.1 miles under her own power. I’m so so proud of her!!
We got the whole family involved. Matt pushed Ben in the stroller and we all ran in a little pack with our friend and her son. It was a pretty hilly course and there was a fair bit of whining now and again, but she didn’t show signs of fatigue during or after the race and it seems to me that it’s mostly a mental fortitude thing right now – a lot to ask of a five year old, I know, but also a great skill to cultivate as she gets older. I’m sure it didn’t help that it wasn’t a fine sunny Colorado day like I ordered, but chilly and misty.
The race was really fun and really went by pretty fast. By the end Tabby was happy she completed it and chowed down on all the after-party offerings: bananas, granola bars, hotdogs and a rarely-allowed Sprite.
Ben got in on the action too. We signed him up for the kids fun-run (a 1K around the stadium) so he could have his very own bib like Tabby. When we asked him minutes before it started if he wanted to run, the answer was an enthusiastic YES!!! Matt took him over and he ran with the 5 and under crowd and had a great time.
When he came around the last curve, a bunch of little boys were up in the stands holding out their hand to him and he ran over to them, wanting to give them 5, but way too short to do so. So Matt picked him up and he was able to high-five the little boys – he told me all about it in great nonsensical detail later.
The race was a real winner and I’m so glad we did it. And we’ll get to go see a Rockies game later this summer as part of our race fee!
After showers, we joined some friends for brunch (my own mom is in Boston – we celebrated last week) and had a nice calm and quiet rest of our day. Hope you and all of yours had a wonderful Mothers’ Day!
Today my is my Matty’s birthday. I try my hardest to let him know each and everyday how awesome he is and how much he means to me, but today I will stop, make a special effort and write it down.
I had no idea how lucky I was when I met him 14 years ago at the cafeteria in Rand Hall at Vanderbilt. He is my very best friend in the world and the person I share virtually everything with. We make an awesome team and compliment each others’ strengths very well. He is an amazing husband and father and we are so so lucky to have him.
A few weeks before Ben’s 3rd Birthday, we got down to the potty training thing in earnest. With Tabby, we essentially laid down the law and she said okay and we have rarely had an accident since (3+ years). Ben was an entirely different proposition. He fought the whole process like you would not believe, particularly going #2. On the first real day of training, we had a 30 minute stand-off in which all I wanted him to do was TRY and he wouldn’t. He finally got sent to bed … it pretty much went against every instinct I had, but I was sick and tired of waiting for him to decide it was time to do this and decided I had to force the issue.
Happily, I think it was the right decision. Shortly after that, he finally went and it’s just gotten easier from there. I also found out the most effective method for training Ben: bribes (and I make no apologies on this account). He hasn’t been the same as Tabby, but who should expect that? We’ve had accidents and we’ve also had to remind him more that it’s time to go and force the issue when he doesn’t think it’s yet time. It’s been much slower and we’ve had fits and starts. Finally he is asking on his own to go pee. I wouldn’t say we’re 100% yet with #2 though and while it’s a bit frustrating, the fact that we can take him out of the house without a pull-up on is very very worthwhile. He is still wearing a pull-up at night though I think it’s more for our peace-of-mind (read: sleep!) than because it’s necessary and I do not plan to buy more pull-ups when these are gone. We won’t travel without extra pants for a while yet, but it’s so much an improvement that I’m delighted.
Though it’s been a bit more drawn out and frustrating, he’s doing really well and he’s as proud of himself as we are of him. He was very upset yesterday when he accidentally peed on his shorts and underwear (not an accident – overshot while on the toilet). He’s very excited that he will get to go to daycamp with Sissy and we can now register him for preschool in the fall with no reservations. He’s a real big boy now and it still feels kind of strange to pick him up and realize he doesn’t have a padded bottom anymore. Strange good though.
I want to know who the heck swooped in while I wasn’t looking and swapped that teeny tiny little baby for this big boy. *sigh*
The bad news? He’s just not so little anymore. The good news? He’s awesome. So let’s focus on that. I’m madly in love with that little boy. He’s funny and cute and smart and sassy and so very sweet. I don’t think in his three years he’s ever refused me a kiss and a hug. He loves snuggles more than almost anything. Even Buzz.
I could write a long rambling post, but Ben isn’t the kind of kid for long rambles.
What he loves: BUZZ! and blocks and tea parties and David Shannon’s books. Playing with other kids, his people. Trains, cars, anything that goes.
What he says: “It’s not my fault!” and “Just five more minutes!” and “No! I not talking to you. I talking to [whoever I think will do what I want]!” and “Aww Mama, don’t cry!” (if I give him a pouty look when he’s being ornery).
What he eats: loves fruit and most carbs … meat is kind of secondary but well received. Defaults to his favorites as chicken fingers and hot dogs but eats most of what the rest of the family eats.
What he does: he loves to play with other kids, be outside, sing with Tabby (loudly), snuggle, RUN
What he has accomplished recently: he is ALMOST potty trained (after such a rocky start I’m immensely relieved), he is also getting pretty good and quick about picking up (at least when it suits him), can buckle his own car seat (we check, tighten) and get the mail from the mailbox
What he’s looking forward to: camping, summer camp at Tabby’s preschool, big boy school in the fall
He is such a joy to have in our family. Never a day goes by that he doesn’t make me smile. He has a great sense of humor and is at his core a kind little guy. We all enjoy him so much it’s hard to miss him being little and we’re incredibly lucky to count him as part of our family. Happy third b’day, my Benji.