a Smashing good time (3/2022)

Kindin caught wind of a Smash Room once and thought it sounded like a great time. For her birthday, she asked a few pals to join her. The girls were a bit hesitant at first but eventually warmed up and loved getting some aggression out. Afterwards, they repeated, "I feel so relaxed", "I'm tired", "I'm calm". 

... all good feelings for this NHS inductee, Leadership Academy nominee, and overall high achiever!

Oklahoma wind! (4/2022)

Dad's fancy enough at work now that he can slip away for a quick weekend during tax season (aka spring break)! With a chance to get away, mom quickly reaches for a map and consults Tripadvisor for a new destination to see. Oklahoma City was particularly enticing because it was a few short hours away and there is an olympic park on the river with high adventure opportunities. We invited grandma and grandpa and rented a van so we could all drive together. The National Memorial was a must see; Mom requested the lighthouse; we played in the underground; ate waffles for lunch, a fancy dinner at Vita & texas style phillies; took the water taxi; and shopped in Bricktown. We had a good time but were tortured by heavy winds throughout! 

Tortured by heavy winds! 

...Unfortunately, it ended up cutting our trip short because some must-sees were closed. 

mom @ 90 (12/2021)

We were able to participate in the Eichmann family Christmas exchange this year. Typically, we're out of town so we haven't been able to see some of these relatives for quite some time. The Eichmann crew isn't particularly tight either so it can be difficult to keep track of everyone. But, this year, all siblings were together with grandma... so I forced a family photo!   

Standing behind the lens, I was struck by the realization that I will likely look a lot like my grandmother when I age. Her height, knuckles, and quiet manner stuck out most. Luckily, I think she's pretty cute!

performing on a winning team (2/2022)

Kindin was part of a really dynamic diving team this year. She and her 3 varsity team members all placed within the top 15 at state! (Kindin, as the youngest, placing 15th and her teammate finishing as state diving champion.) It was a rewarding but challenging season. Diving is already a tough sport - with very few opportunities to practice outside of practice and associated safety risks that she's experienced and constantly worries about. On this particular team, Kindin felt a lot of pressure to perform with such powerhouse teammates and experienced it all with a brand, new coach. There were sometimes tears about giving up but she persevered. I'm proud of her for tackling the mental game of it all and I truly enjoyed watching her fly. 

Gratitude is the memory of the heart (12/2021)

Reviewing the highlights of our year for the annual Christmas card is a truly treasured practice of gratitude. (Along with the art of blogging - long after blogs are cool!) Most of the highlights are written in indecipherable code to a general audience; however, most Christmas card receivers were somehow intimately involved in one or two key phrases on the card and appreciate a nod to being an important part of our lives! The year in review is a priceless reminder of all that's good in our lives - particularly, the fun things we do when days feel mundane or ordinary and in highlighting the growth we see in ourselves over time.  

Dalia's in print! (3/2022)

We were caught off guard when Mom received an influx of texts about Dalia being spotted in the Friend magazine! A two year lag from submission to publication meant that it had long since dropped off our radar. In fact, we no longer subscribe to the magazine - now opting for the teen version with Dalia nearing the youth program. In addition, Dalia had gotten a formal rejection letter long ago so we had written it off entirely. It was a nice surprise and when you're published, you need the official copy so we asked Omi to scout some out in Utah. She came through with a few so Dalia could see her name in print!  

Here's the original content:

I was at recess playing when my friend asked when we could have a playdate. She suggested, “How about Thursday?” I said, “ I can’t, I have dance.” She then asked, “How about Sunday?” I said, “I am so sorry that does not work either, I have church.” Then my friend said, “Well then let’s go head and do Sunday.” I reminded my friend one more time that I had church and I could not get together on Sunday. My friend was familiar with church but she has a different religion. She then insisted, “After church we can get together!” I was getting pretty impatient with my friend so I took a second to think of how to say what I wanted to say in a nice way. Then, I calmly said to my friend, “My family believes that Sunday is a spiritual day to worship God and be with your family.” She said nothing after that and was ok with the way my family’s feelings about Sundays. That night her mom asked my mom if another day would work and it did! I still got to play with my friend but most importantly I could spend my Sunday spiritually and make it special. My friend also never asked about Sunday again. I felt warm inside after I had taught her about my sabbath day.

The condensed version:

My friend invited me to play on Sunday. I thought of a nice way to explain to her that Sunday is a spiritual day for me to worship God and spend time with my family. I felt warm inside after that.

Dalia P., age 9, Nebraska, USA

There's another household member who was in the Friend magazine. Mom can't find her official "Friends in the News" story but her photographic memory remembers the photo submitted:

trying track & his other past times (3/2022)

Jack made a last minute stab at running track after wrestling fizzled. He loved it. He loves speed. He did a fairly good job for a first attempt and even made it to districts for a race. 

In his free time, he plays basketball on the driveway for hours with his earbuds in jamming to music.

He also loves fitting into tight places for a good read

He eats bananas (which he loves) with a spoon when his mouth is sore

And he still enjoys looking for Pokemon (disguised as walking around the lake with mom.)

"highest quality" award (2/2022)

Dalia and Mom spent hours on her very last Valentine's Day box. Dolly is always up for zany, showy ideas and she was all in on Mom's overly thematic idea. She was awarded with the "highest quality" award. 

she plays doubles like a singles player (4/2022)

Kindin's second tennis season was a goofy one. Besides being an extremely windy and cold spring (every match with wind and layering blankets and one or two with 42 mph winds), her coach started playing her as doubles. Having started in the first singles spot, it was hard not to feel demoted to second doubles and she certainly felt handicapped in that spot with no experience or practice at the net. Her coach praised her for positivity but she was disappointed and didn't ever catch an enthusiasm for the quicker-hitting, more aggressive game. Her doubles partner was an experienced doubles player whose mother played college tennis - both were so forgiving and patient, joking that Kindin continued playing doubles "just like a singles player". Kindin did learn a lot, eventually left the baseline, and even got paired with one of her very best friends in a few matches! She still hopes to be placed as a singles player next season!

rolling out the red carpet for her 11th (4/2022)

Dalia loves the spotlight, dreams of being famous, is intrigued with glam, and has an affinity for fancy hors d'oeurves so a Hollywood affair was the perfect party for her!

Mom went all in because experience has told me that this was her last home- grown birthday party. It was quite an undertaking but well worth it! Of course, we had a red carpet:

All the games (celebrity guessing game, Grammy trivia, product endorsements, and Who Wore It Best?) were just icing on the proverbial cake. And it was fun to find out a bit about Dolly in the process as she filled in a 'would you rather' and awarded each friend with a personalized award.  

The girls loved creating their own silly glam looks.