Parenting is an extreme sport

When you get right down to it, parenting is an extreme sport.  Why?  Because parenting has the components of an extreme sport: endurance, love, challenge, achievement, survival, getting dirty, and fun.   

With most new things one can take the time to master it and then, well, it is mastered.  With parenting everything is always changing.  Just when you master it and get in a groove, things change, and then you are back to square one.  Getting discouraged is not the way to go, rather one needs to dig in and beg, buy, steal, barter, and invent anything that can help you survive and endure.  And, perhaps more importantly, the ever changing life of a parent needs to be embraced and relished - just as those climbing Mount Everest or swimming across the English Channel embrace their adventure and identify the tools they need to survive - and enjoy it.

In the extreme sport of parenting laughter is essential.   Last week I picked Oliver up from school and was pulled aside by his wonderful teacher who wanted to share with me "one of the most wonderful moments" she has had as a teacher.  Right now you are probably thinking Oliver stood up and shared the secrets of gravity with his friends.  Au contraire.  The friends were going around the circle and sharing their favorite songs - one child shared the "Itsy Bitsy Spider," another shared "The Wheels on the Bus."  My cherubic child?  He got up and - totally unabashed - belted out: "Whatcha gonna do with all that junk - all that junk inside your trunk."  Juliet said she almost wet her pants.  I am processing this news when Oliver stands up on the bench in the cubby room and belts out: "I'm on a role and it's time to go solo.  Rollin' in my 5.0 with my ragtop down so my hair can blow."  Really?! When your child is belting out Vanilla Ice (as an encoure performance to the Black Eyed Peas) the only thing that can be done is laugh.

And then there is the love.  After a day of challenges and feeling defeated, Oliver turned to me - half asleep and said: "Mommy, you have no idea how much you mean to me.  I love you more than anyone has ever loved anything."  Immediately nothing else matters.

Love and Friendship

Last weekend was an oh so special weekend.  For my birthday I got to watch one of my dearest friends get married, and then spend the evening celebrating with some of my closest friends - friends I never get to see.

Many of the guests were kids - most around the same ages as Oliver and Henni.  The kids had an incredible time together. 

Henni started the evening by saying she didn't want to party she wanted to "freak out" - she ended the evening with snuggles from Papa, LeLe and Quinn.

The weather was incredible the entire weekend and we managed to get in some time on the lake and the ocean.

Fashion Trends

Henni is a salve to fashion.  She puts her outfits together with precision, tests them for their spinning ability, re-evaluates, puts together another outfit with precision, tests it for spinning...and so it goes throughout the day.  She will, one day, likely be featured as an up and coming designer or a someone to watch for her trend setting style (or else she'll be stopped by the fashion police).

For now - capes (made by Davis) are all the rage.

Think capes are just for backyard play? No way.  Capes are the perfect accessory for the soccer fan.

And for the day at the beach?  A sunhat, bag, baby, and everything pink.

A night on the town?  A hat and sunglasses are essential.

And the must-have accessory - a pink Harley.

Wheels

I must admit the idea of becoming a soccer mom was not appealing.  Not only is there that image of the haggard mother driving the mini van, but there is the whole practice and game schedule that doesn't fit very neatly into our typical schedule.  The first practice - I was happy to ave the excuse of Lucy's birthday party so that I didn't have to go and fall off the precipice into soccer mom land.

Then, last weekend, was the first game - the Eagles vs. the Hawks after just one 45 minute practice.  From first kick I was hooked - I didn't fall off the precipice, I jumped.  Yes the game was hectic, silly at times, and often looked like a tumbleweed going up and down the field - but it was damn exciting.  The head coach is just plain amazing.  He and Oliver have really hit it off and Oliver thrives on the coach's praise.  Oliver, or "wheels," as his coach has taken to calling him - is super fast out there and is driven.  And he is fueled up.  The kid loves the water breaks and downs upwards of 40 ounces per hour game.

Today the future Beckham played the Rockets and scored 6 goals - all in the correct goal!  I tell you, I am hooked and will drive that kid to games and practices - albeit in my Pilot.

Henni takes being a spectator very seriously.  She likes to have a beverage in hand throughout the game and a food item of some sort in the other hand.  This morning Oliver and Henni polished of 25 pancakes and 6 pieces of bacon.  2 hours later, at the game, Henni consumed pretzels, goldfish, and an obscene amount of applesauce.

And worries that soccer would cut into our adventuring have gone away.  Despite the mid-day games, we have still managed to get out and enjoy the end of summer.

Firsts

Today was a crazy day of firsts.

Oliver and Henni both had their first back to school experience today.  I hesitate to say first day of school because it was orientation day and so Davis and I were with the kids as they got introduced (Henni) and reintroduced (Oliver) to their classrooms.  Although it wasn't a drop off day, both Oliver and Henni were eager to explore their classrooms and spend time with their friends and teachers.  I am hopeful that they will both be as enthusiastic for tomorrow's day of first - Oliver's first day of kindergarten and Henni's first drop off day of school.

I am still getting my head around the fact that activities need to be signed up for months in advance.  I feel like soccer sign-up should be in September and summer camps sign up should be in June.  The reality is that soccer sign-up in in April and summer camp sign up is in February.   Because I am not thinking soccer in April, I have missed sign-ups the past two years and Oliver has been devastated.  Thanks to the help of some friends, I managed sign up this year and tonight Oliver headed off to his first practice (mind you he has worn his soccer shirt almost everyday for the past two weeks in preparation for this day).

Davis took Oliver to practice and I am told Oliver loved it, was an amazing listener, and was actually quite good.  Thanks to the team's 45 minute practice tonight, they have their first game scheduled for Saturday.

While Oliver was at soccer, Henni and I went to Henni's best friend's house to help her celebrate her 3rd birthday.  Lucy and Henni are true friends and watching them give each other a kiss and hug good-bye and then plan their strategy for meeting up after school was just plain lovely.