Mary Cate is officially eight

 For most of her life, Kevin's sang a song to Mary that goes something like:

Mary Cate, Cate, Cate
She is so great, great, great
Even though, though, though
She was one week late, late, late!
Mary Cate, Cate, Cate
She is so great, great, great
And I can't wait, wait, wait
Until she's eight, eight, eight!

And she finally is!

We 💝 Kerry Carpenter

Presents around the campfire

Birthday decorations on vacation!

I can't think of another year in which a child changed quite so much. Mary's always been nervous to the extreme about trying new things or being without her family, and being nervous makes her MAD. Then all of a sudden, Mary got brave. She started piano lessons, soccer through LCS, basketball camp, spending the night with grandmas, and softball. She has always been (understandably, I suppose) terrified of being upside down but this year she learned how to do somersaults and tricks on the bars. I guess it was just a big year of growth! I also think that she came to the realization that if she can tough out life with two older brothers, the rest of the world is relatively kind and gentle. :) After her first night of softball practice, for example, she told me that she doesn't like playing outfield with her brothers because "she's the only one out there and they're really hard on her," but at softball "there are like three other girls playing outfield and everyone's nice! It's easy!"

 Mary loves 3rd grade, her after school dance class, playing outside, and chatting. Her birthday itself was a little rocky; it was the week Aunt Pam passed away and we spent the day out of town for Labor Day weekend then funeral preparations. But we made the most of it and it was fun to celebrate with all her Wernet cousins, aunts, and uncles. Mary is still just as much her spunky self and who knows what this year will bring?

How do you feel about being eight?  

Good! I feel like I've grown 5 inches but really it's only like 3 centimeters.

What kinds of new things do kids to when they're 8?   
I don't know...I'm not a regular kid, though. [Okay...what do YOU think you'll be able to do now that you're eight?] Actually be able to reach that branch when I climb the tree next to our house. Now I actually want privacy sometimes, I don't want to be around everyone all the time. Especially when I'm outside. I'm an outdoor person.

What are you most excited about for the next year?
Playing ukulele in music. Learning and doing more advanced stuff.

Who are your best friends?

Hannah and Emma, Abigail, Julianna, Elliot, Kenzie.

Who are your favorite people to play with?
Eddie, actually. All my friends, Charlotte, Alexa.

What kinds of things are you pretty good at?

Piano, math, writing (my hand never gets tired), rollerblading, running, sports, reading, including people, being funny, kayaking.

What do you want to be when you grow up?
Astronomy scientist, teacher, be a good mom. 

Why are you interested in those things?
Well I want to be a mom because I want to take care of people. For astronomy I love to learn about space and I did a project on Neil Armstrong. I like the idea of teaching.

What’s your favorite song?   
Rewrite the Stars from The Greatest Showman, and any songs from The Greatest Showman.

What's your favorite food?
Pesto pasta or Swedish meatballs.

Favorite movie?   
The Greatest Showman

Favorite book?   

The Chronicles of Narnia or the Penderwicks series.

Favorite color?   
Blue

Favorite place to be?

At home, Fun Tyme, or Impression 5. Papa John's house in Sault Ste. Marie or Grandma's in Petoskey. Also Florida.

What are your favorite things to do?   
Math, music, playing outside, read (especially learning, so nonfiction), hiking.

What was your favorite birthday present?

The Kerry Carpenter poster

Is there anything else you want us to know about you?   
Strangely, my favorite planet is Mercury.

Our most devoted cheerleader

It's been over a week since we got the news that Aunt Pam had passed away unexpectedly. For a variety of reasons, I couldn't put "pen to paper" until today, sitting in her house among her things with the morning sun shining in (finding it rather rude that the sun has the nerve to shine so bright today). It's hard to explain why the loss of my aunt-in-law is so great, though if you're a faithful reader I'm sure you've heard Pam's name showered throughout our memories. Pam was our close friend, first and foremost. She was our most devoted cheerleader, our caregiver, our reluctant matriarch. She was our host for countless summer days, winter weekends, wedding showers, baby showers, and so many birthdays. She was there for us with wedding planning, hospital visits to meet new babies, sporting events, and concerts. She was our link to the past.

Pam saw us at our best and our absolute worst (oh the stories I could share) and loved us all the more. She was there for nearly all the big moments in our lives and infinitely many small ones. She was a solid presence, and I think what struck me this week was how much joy she brought us simply because she delighted so greatly in who we are.

Because of all that, we have so many memories and I wish I could write them all down. But here are just a few.

• I met Pam on a late evening in May when Kevin suggested at the last minute we drive over from WMU's campus. Because that's what college students do, I guess! She was wearing her bathrobe (long-sleeved and floor-length, always) drinking Pepsi in the kitchen, and I was a little embarrassed to show up unannounced. I didn't know then that Kevin was as much at home at their house as his own. Pam welcomed me like I was family that night and every day since.

• In the last months before our wedding, I student taught at a rural school about 40 minutes from campus but a relatively short drive from Pam's. To save some driving time, I would stay overnight with Pam on Wednesdays. I had never watched The Bachelor in my life, but there was a girl on that year from Kalamazoo so we decided to watch until she was kicked off. She was one of the two finalists (if that's what you call it - it's been awhile) so we ended up watching the whole season. There was a lot of deep analysis of relationships and a lot of laughter.

• The first Thanksgiving after we moved to Grand Ledge, we attempted to host dinner for both our families and Pam stayed with us for a couple of days. The night before Thanksgiving, probably around midnight, I went to take the turkey out of the fridge and discovered it was still partially frozen. And also that I knew nothing about raw turkeys. I just remember Pam and John falling out of their seats laughing while I tried to thaw it, remove the neck and whatnot (I nearly fainted), and figure out with some difficulty which end was which.

• A favorite memory for me as I reflected this week has been Christmas a couple of years ago. Pam was planning to stay Christmas Eve night, but we were watching a big snowstorm forecast and Kevin convinced her to come a few days early. She got to be there for cookie baking and decorating, gift wrapping, and the general frenzy of Christmas at the Wernet house. She was our first real guest in the office bedroom (that we set up when Nellie broke her leg the second time). The storm did hit, so Pam ended up staying through Christmas and several days past. When she was finally able to go home, I remember how, after all the craziness of the week, and regardless of the fact that our house was still full of people, it seemed a little empty without Pam there. She'd stayed much longer than anyone had planned, and we missed her.

And although we can rejoice that we will see Pam again, we miss her now, and I am sure we always will. 

Some favorite photos, in no particular order:

Nellie, age 17

 

Big cousin, little cousin

Some things never change...Nellie with a tiny toad!

Storytime with Nellie...in German

That one time we dropped off Nellie to tour Europe

First day of school

How Nellie will live in my memory for a long time!

Between band, working at the Sun Theater, a vibrant social life (including a regular Dungeons and Dragons night with friends?!), flute lessons, and kicking off summer with a trip to Germany, I felt like I never saw Nellie this spring! We even started joking about our "rare Nellie sightings." So a long vacation up north and a quieter month of July with some one-on-one hikes and a concert has been a great chance to reconnect and spend lots of quality time together. 

During last year's interview, Nellie focused on the upcoming junior year, which is known to be tough. She handled it like a pro, though, one day at a time. She successfully navigated two AP classes and continued to grow in maturity and independence as she increasingly managed her own time and responsibilities. Though I did get to witness one particular moment when she ripped up her Precalculus homework and had to tape it back together later. It's hard to believe Nellie is officially a senior (and we're senior parents). But at the same time, she was sort of born ready, running full-tilt toward adulthood, whether we're ready or not! We're hoping for a slightly quieter year as we prioritize fewer activities so we can spend as much time together as possible. I know this year will be exciting, and a little terrifying, and we will all learn a lot.

Here's a fun fact - I had to go back and look, but this is Nellie's 15th birthday interview. We started this when Nellie was 3, which makes sense because Annie was a baby and I'd given up on the idea of a baby book. We're nearing the end of this birthday interview journey!

Annie, age 15

The official Tigers photographer captured this picture and sent it to Kevin!

Annie and her birthday present

My new normal view of Annie

A great moment this year!

We kicked off Annie's birthday with a trail run!

What a year it's been for Annie as she started high school! She learned the ropes of high school coursework, ran cross country, played basketball, made new friends and deepened old friendships, was in two musicals, and successfully completed drivers training. I love spending time with her, and for better or worse (for her), there's a lot of that! We have long car rides to and from school made longer by construction are the best time to chat and debrief. And now she can drive us around...which may be the first major source of conflict in our mother/daughter relationship. Annie is a girl who stops in to see me between classes or at lunch just to say 'hi.' She continues to be my "right-hand girl" in helping keep life more organized and running more smoothly.

We're excited to see what the next year holds as Annie moves on to sophomore year!

4th of July week 2024 - Days 7 and 8

All good things must come to an end! Yesterday we said goodbye to Ethan, though Annie and I got him to go for a run with us first. It was rainy most of the day, so we did some chores (washed windows, returned cans to the store and restocked some essentials in the condo) and took one more leisurely drive to Dancing Crane. We hung out for awhile before one more trip into town for final souvenir and gift shopping, then met John, Sue, and Sally at Lockview for dinner. I finally got to have some whitefish - a favorite!

This morning, Annie and I went for one more up north run/walk. That is, we ran to the coffee shop and shared an iced latte as we walked back. We packed and cleaned up, which, as usual, was quite an affair. The littles really wanted one more stop at Sherman Park, so they played on the playground while Annie, Nellie, and I sat on the beach for a few more minutes.

Then we drove home, and it is good to be home.

Waiting for a table at Lockview

The Flinstone car still works! They weren't sure it would hold five kids, but there were five cavepeople and a dinosaur riding it in the picture, so...

This freighter came by right before we left, and we loved the painted mural of runners on it!

Fourth of July Week 2024 - Day 6

 Finally the 4th! I'm still getting used to the idea of not all being together at Gull Lake, but we did have a great day. It started early, because some people wanted to get up for the sunrise. Those people were able to fall right back to sleep...but not all of us. It wasn't much of a sunrise because it was very foggy, but seeing the sun slowly break through the mist was lovely.

I got in a quick solo walk before everyone was up, got a few groceries, then we were off on our Soo Locks boat tour! The weather was perfect and the passengers were in a holiday mood. Eddie and Mary got to go through the locks for the first time and everyone learned a lot.

We spent the afternoon at Sherman Park - we hadn't been in many years but it's a great place to go swimming, or as the kids told me, playing Ninja Warrior. After the park, we headed into town for the parade. It was our first evening parade, which was kind of nice! We ate hot dogs with all the best sides, the kids did poppers and sparklers, and then we got to watch another dazzling fireworks display. Happy 4th of July!

Setting out

Swimming with freighters

Waiting...and waiting...for the parade to start

Sparklers!

Fourth of July Week 2024 - Day 5

 We were all over today to ! We tried to get up extra early-ish, and packed up to go on the road. After much discussion and debate, our first stop was Dancing Crane for sustenance, then Upper and Lower Falls at Tahquamenon Falls (we'd never been to Lower Falls together, Bark Dock beach, Iroquois Point, and Monocle Lake. We decided on ice cream before supper because it was a long day! 

It was raining when we woke up, and although it sprinkled on and off, by the time we got to the beach it was sunny and warm. Nellie and Annie did all the driving, partly because it's a fun drive, and partly so that someone could sit in back to manage the conflict. 😬 I think we'll sleep well tonight!