I am not a writer. I dabble in parenting, sport and making fun of myself. I'm good at coffee. I love where I live and the things I get to do.
Anja had a friend over to play today. Her friend was wearing her Terry Fox ribbon.
Anja: “Did you know? About the story of Terry Fox? He ran all the way across Candada (not a typo), all the way to the North. Then he broke his leg and died.”
Close.
I then explained the real story to her, but she made sure I started it with “Once upon a time, there was a boy with one leg…”
His precise, creative nature. His deep curiosity. His running stride.
His calculated fearlessness. His tough shell, soft interior. His physical strength.
Her gregarious, confident personality. Her trusting nature. Her seemingly boundless energy.
For the last few days, instead of playing Lego when he comes home from school, Will has been grabbing his art kit and working on his “series”. He’s decided to create a series of books based on “Super Chocolat”, his invented super hero. It’s pretty fascinating to watch him come up with ideas, characters and locations for his adventures. Sure, they’re phonetically written and sometimes I have to guess at what’s written, but it’s still pretty awesome.
I think the best part may be that he’s created his own logo.
Maybe someone in this family will be a writer, after all. Maybe we’ll have a guest post here soon.
Rory (5), asking about his sister.
“Do we have to pick Talky Talkerson up from daycare today or can we just leave her there overnight?”
That’s love, right there.
After school today.
Will: “Rory! Wanna play this awesome game? It’s called Pocket Checking. It’s this cool game where you go in closets and dig around in all the raincoat pockets and find really cool things. It’s like digging for gold. Rory, you never know. Hey look! Dad’s pocket. Oooh! Cool. ”
Rory: “Oh! Dad’s hoody. Dad always keeps cool stuff in his pockets. Oh look! A hair clip. Keep looking.”
I didn’t bother to go down to check what the “Oooh! Cool” led to.
33.3km separate me from the kids today. That, in and of itself, is not unusual. I go to work, they do their thing, and so it goes. Our little family has been spoiled of late as Jay hasn’t been on the road as much, my schedule has allowed for some flexibility and Ann is always in the background with a helping hand.
But today, as I dropped the boys off at school and Anja at daycare, it really hit me that once I head South on Highway 99, they are on their own in this little village until I come back at 5pm. Jay’s fall travel schedule has kicked in, Ann’s back at school. I’m 33.3 kms away.
The kids were fine as I waved goodbye and watched their little selves walk away. Nothing different in their worlds, really. Friends, puddles, activities… I, on the other hand, got hit with an overwhelming wave of separation anxiety that I just can’t seem to shake. I mean, what if they forget about their after school activity and stand in the school parking lot waiting for me for hours? What if the road gets closed? What if, what if, what if…
Surely, this too shall pass. I damn well hope so, otherwise it’s going to be a very long winter.
Walking home from the beach:
Me: “Come on, my love. This way.”
Anja: “Why do you call me my love?”
Me: “Well, because I love you more than anything in the world.”
Anja: “Even more than eating dinner?!”
Quite a few gems coming forth from this face lately. Here’s a few samples.
Scene: in the shower, losing her marbles because she thinks she’s meant to go straight to bed afterwards, thereby missing family TV night.
“Waaaaaaaaah! But I, I, I, wannna watch D-D-Deadliest Catch!” (you can send our parenting awards via the mail, we’ll accept all deliveries).
I half-laugh at her and ask if she even knows what she’s talking about. “Yeah, it’s about boys who go fishing for crabs and fishes. But no girls”. In the end, she settled for watching The Canada Awesome Race.
—
Buried in the sand up to her neck at the beach:
“MAKE ME SOME SAND BOOBIES!”
—
Packing her lunch for school: “Don’t give me the green bananas, they’re not stripe yet”.
—
And I learned last night that she’s very afraid of thumberstorms. Frankly, who isn’t?
Will, 7, in a discussion about marriage with Rory, 4.
“You have an easier life when you get married because you have more food.”
Unique perspective…
Has finally arrived in all its hot, sunny glory in Pemberton. Combine the fact that when possible, I choose to be outdoors rather than indoors with a self-imposed screen/virtual/social media/internet break on weekends, I’ve not got much time or inclination to write.
Simply summarized, life looks like this these days:
Coffee on the deck early in the mornings rather than bundled in a dark kitchen. Commuting to work by bike a few times a week in only a jersey and shorts. Fans in almost every room of the house. Pool or lake time instead of baths and showers. Lots and lots of time on bikes. Sunscreen. Hot, hot, hot trail runs (my favourite – except for when the sunscreen stings my eyes). Water bottles scattered everywhere. Entry way full of flip flops. Falling asleep when it’s still light out (I consider this a luxury while some consider it a weakness). Kids in swimsuits 24/7. Ice cream treats. Fresh local fruits. Gardens, sprinkler and trampolines.
Happy Summer, friends. Up next? Defeat the Duffey – a local event not to be missed!
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