Hi friends! I miss you & I hope you know that :)
We are all officially settled here - each in their own routine - even Nava - who, like a newborn, spends her days asleep in various spots throughout the house only to come alive at night: feisty, barking, & eager to play!
Our week with mom & dad at the beginning of September was so special! You name it, we did it! I think we officially wore them out & sent them home to recover for weeks following. We all had so much fun & it was so special to share all our favorite places with them. We wish we had more time and look forward to when they visit again.
After Labor Day, the girls started school here in Portland.
Isla is in 6th grade and enjoying her first year of Middle School. There are nearly 1,000 students across 3 grades - it feels very much like a High School campus. Isla had a lot of nerves leading up to the first day of school. We continued to remind her of who she is and that she takes herself everywhere she goes & that making friends will take some effort, but she will do great :) She is happy, hilarious, helpful, and doesn't have any problem making good friends - she just needed a few reminders. I'm so very grateful for the (small) move across town we had back in the fall of 2020. Isla was heartbroken to leave her longtime best friends and was nervous about not knowing anyone at her new school. She started her 5th grade year at a new school & within a few weeks had more than tripled the size of her friend group. All while still staying very close to her 'old' friends. This time of change and forging new friendships was such a great instance for Isla to reflect on as we made our move to Portland. In much prayer and much encouragement, we knew she would do great. And she is! She is so responsible, works hard, & is silly, fun, & happy - thank you Lord. She did a scary thing & tried out for the Drama Production Crew - this is school wide, so all 3 grades had to try out and submit their applications. Isla submitted a sample of her work (creating a hairstyle) & waited a few weeks to see if she made the cut. Turns out, Isla is one of three that made the hair and makeup crew - out of all students, in all grades that applied! The production is set for December - we are excited to get to see her be a part of the team, prepare, & present her works of art!
Maven started Kindergarten this year. Let me tell you, she is thriving! She might be the most observant, studious, and sponge-like child I've ever met, next to her older sister ;) For example, she has a built in GPS - just shy of turning 2, she was pointing out Isla's soccer fields from afar (fields that we had only been to a few times). A few weeks ago, she gave Bryan turn-by-turn directions to her golf practice...that is 11 miles away from home! And did I tell you that, although sick, during our 3.5 day trek moving here, Maven insisted to see the car screen displaying apple maps as it plotted our entire course? All of that to say, Kindergarten is her jam. I think she spent the first week of school assisting her friends by getting their lunches opened so they could eat. I'm surprised that her teacher hasn't informed me that Maven's attempted to teach a few of the lesson plans! She comes home and sits with books, just like Isla used to do (and still does). I think we have another eager reader in the making. Maven is currently taking golf lessons - I call her "sporty spice" - she just might be the only one to have received her Daddy's golf skills - time will tell ;) She is also playing soccer, which turns out to be more of a social hour than honing any skills on the field. But hey, those are important skills to have, too!
Harlo started Pre-K a week after her sisters started school. She is attending a Mother's Day Out 4 days a week (her teacher is from Oklahoma!) If you've met Harlo (or even seen her pics on my stories) you know that Harlo is quite determined, persistent, and at times all-knowing. She insisted that she would NOT have any boy friends, boys are 'not nice' (I swear I have no idea where this came from!). Fast forward to the end of week 1, and all Harlo talks about is her new friends...who are...all boys! I can't tell if it's a budding romance, or if she gets to be 'in charge' with her fierce presence, but Harlo's new, best friend is Evan. She is obsessed with Evan. She colors Evan pictures and ends her school day by requesting a hug...from Evan. Evan's physical presence and demeanor remind me so much of my nephew, Wyatt. I can't help but think that's why Harlo really likes him. Evan aside, Harlo is doing so well in class. Full Transparency: I was *terrified* we would have behavior problems at school. I know the persistence and particularities over our littlest, little and I was very nervous. But after 5 short weeks and a big sigh of relief - I've not been pulled aside once by her teacher. In fact, the routine, structure, learning, & play has really done wonders for little Loie. She's hilarious. She's still ornery. And she still will give you a 'blue steel' face for pictures and insist, "this is my smile face". But she is happy & is having so much fun! Harlo's extracurricular activity is dance. She is with me all day on Fridays, so we sneak a pre-lunch break & go for a quick 30-minute dance class. She calls Fridays, "just you & me" days. What a great reminder that our babies still need us and our one-on-one time is so important and special to them...and us!
We are 13 days into October in the Pacific Northwest and instead of Fall, it has felt like Summer's second run. We are breaking quite a few records here in PDX for record warm days, and even warm lows. As one local meteorologist said, "We're smashing the record for # of 80-degree days." FALL - ARE YOU COMING?! Because this is my first Fall in the PNW and the ONE thing I've been so excited to experience is Fall and I cannot wait to walk in yellow and red trees shedding their leaves in anticipation of the next season to come. So, please. Don't do that thing you do in Oklahoma where you show up for a few days & then suddenly ghost us - leaving us in a deep freeze or several inches of snow! Bring the rain, I'm prepared - just please, don't forget us here! My approximately 25 variations of plants don't know what to do. They're shriveled and cold in the morning brisk 53 degrees but are tall and beautiful by the afternoon's high of 83. So, if there's a silver lining here - it's that my robust garden by way of deck rail planters is still producing buds and gorgeous blooms!
As for Bryan & I, we are doing well. We miss our family and miss our friends dearly. However, we are so very happy in this new place we are calling home. We continue to be reminded of the Goodness of the Lord and fruit of our obedience to this season. I'll have more to share on this later, when the time is right, but we're very much pressing into new and are currently embracing the presence of Being. We are excited for the days ahead, and while we don't see the full picture, know that God is up to something Good. We're praying for this season of growth, refining, being, enjoying, adventure and that we honor the now while holding onto hopeful and prayerful anticipation of what's to come.
I'd like to end on acknowledging the season we are entering into. A season of holidays, fun, and also - a season of grief being reminded of the great number of loved ones many of us lost two years ago - or some long before, and others more recent. My body is anticipating a new level of grief this year, as we are many miles away from our families. Thanksgiving also marks the two-year anniversary of when my Daddy entered the hospital with Covid, not knowing that is where he would take his last breath in early December. So, my request of you this year is - if you have the ability to be near and with loved ones this upcoming holiday season, be there. Be present. Who cares if there are 100 pictures to look back on - maybe you will, maybe you won't. But you will remember, in the years to come, the presence you brought to the space and shared with those around you. Hug your people tight. Don't forget about the ones who couldn't make the trip to physically be there with you - they love you and will greatly miss being there - so make sure if you reciprocate, that you reach out to tell them so. And for those, who like us, are mourning distance and the loss of loved ones - we share with you in joy, in pain, in sadness, in laughs, and in memory of the empty seat at your table. Hold space for that, give it a name, and let it be with you as you connect to the people and presence that is here now. It can be both....and. My prayer is that you have a soft space to land this upcoming holiday season. Press into those that you love and who love you back. The enemy wants us to disconnect, have broken relationship, and believe the lie that you are alone. You are not friend. You are loved. I'm sorry you are grieving. I am too. Holding space and so much love to you.
Sending hope & love from the most beautiful Pacific Northwest - until next time!
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