just a quick note to say I really missed my dad this weekend

 My dad died seven years ago next week (on take your kid to work day, a day that the kids and I had so much fun celebrating on campus while Harry went to the capitol with Ben who worked for the governor at that moment), and Jack has recently started wearing his cologne (not, like, my dad's actual bottle, but Obsession, the scent my dad always wore). We traveled as a whole family this last weekend, and I kept getting little whiffs of Obsession and missing my dad so much. 

(Also Jack wore a windbreaker pullover that zips into a pouch which was classic my dad as well, and he brought a man purse/camera bag full of random chargers. AND HIS CAMERA. Like, seriously, you guys. Jack was 11 when my dad died, so how much of this behavior is just INBORN? He also wears a chain necklace. I MEAN.)

At one point mid dance comp in the hotel lobby after a really hectic hair and makeup  before the dressing rooms officially opened for the day, I was waiting for Ben's folks to get back from the bathroom so I could show them wear to sit for Dorothy's dances, and I was simultaneously so happy they were there to witness the madness of a dance competition up close and also newly bereft that my dad would never find us in a crowded hotel lobby again.

It went on like that all weekend. Being so proud of Coop for his double regional champ status after 2 awesome days of diving at Northwestern and remembering the one time my dad saw him dive during summer league when he was an actual baby whom we were convinced was a phenom.

Or standing in the hour-long (ALWAYS AN HOUR LONG THE WHOLE WEEKEND) lobby Starbucks line and remembering being a freshman in college at a the brand new Peoria Starbucks with my dad and being so embarrassed when he ordered us EXpressos.

Being the slowest member of our party at the mall and being accused of "Gar walking." Buying Dorothy everything she wanted at Aritzia and Minnie all of the KPOP Demon Hunters stuff at Zara Kids because it's fun to be unexpectedly generous. (My dad was reliably generous, but I am not always a soft touch). Ordering the deep dish pizza even though it took 30 extra minutes (my dad was the king of doing this when the  kids were little-- always the the dutch baby pancakes and the prime rib while toddlers lost their ever loving shit).

ANWAY. More weekend dispatches later (we had tons of fun even though we had to leave a bit early the last day because BOTH GIRLS got sick)-- just a quick note to say I really missed my dad this weekend.

Briefly coming up for air

 WOW these past few weeks have been a lot. I have no idea how we survived all those years of travel hockey my goodness. IT IS SO HARD TO BE GONE EVERY WEEKEND.

So far, I am relying on coffee and pattern mixing to get me through.

Also! I am doing TWO buddy reads: Kin with Engie and Yesteryear with another friend, and I LOVE the buddy read! My Yesteryear friend and I are doing Whistler in June, and I really want someone to read Famesick with, too.

(Other than those books, though, it has been hard ot even find time to read. Because all I have is time confetti, and it is hard to not get stuck in the scroll).

Other things lately:

Minnie got a terrible (but quick!) norovirus that wiped her out for nearly 48 hours. Ben was a WAY BETTER caretaker than I was-- I just cleaned her up and put her back to bed every hour between 1-4 am. Seriously, I wiped her face, changed whatever bedding needed it, and handed her a bowl and stumbled back to bed. After 3 rounds, Ben slept on the floor of her room for the the last couple hours (but saved all the clean up for morning, which was gross and involved lots of towels. Dads, amiright.) But! I think Minnie felt more cared for and supported, even if she was less clean. The next day, Ben stole Cooper's TV, and Minnie just laid in her bed and drank water and threw it up. ALL DAY LONG. SO BRUTAL. SO many sheets changes.

Dorothy had another dance comp the same days Cooper had a dive meet (I have no pictures of the dive meet-- this is just bad communication from Ben and me.) Cooper won all 3 events and nearly topped all his PRs. He scored 9.5, 9, 9.5 on this dive and was beyond jazzed (or as the WI governor would say, "jazzed as hell")

Minnie went along to diving on Friday (because Jack was at the state speech tourney, so the choice was either dive or dance, and dive was more sedentary) because she had been puke free for more than 12 hours by that point, but she was still just a puddle of humanity.  Friday night was just trio for Dorothy-- it's super cute (I mean tough-- they are tough, not cute)

Saturday Minnie felt much better-ish, so she came to dance.

Dorothy only had 4 dances on Saturday (very spread out comp), and the day flew by for Minnie and me

And for Dorothy!

Jazz:

Hip hop large group

Hip hop super geoup

(Dorothy definitely lost those glases on stage and then they got trampled. Oops.)

Lyrical (this dance is really pretty and also really fast, so it is hard to get a good pic of anyone)

Everything won. Well, not everything because lyrical and jazz were competing against each other (jazz won overall, and lyrical was 4th). Hip hop won overall in its category, and so did super group. The kids were thrilled.

Meanwhile, in Neenah, WI, Jack finished an excellent high school speech career with another state final round!!!!

Sunday meant MORE DANCE AND DIVING. Also! Harry and his girlfriend were in town for a College Democrats conference, so Ben got to have breakfast with them. Jack slept in (earned it!) and Minnie was LOCKED IN as a dance supporter, even repping her studio on her shirt. She also had a little bit of an appetite.

Dorothy had only 2 dances on Sunday, but that made the day feel longer, if I am being honest.

Commercial:

And tap (she hates the costume but I think it is the cutest ever)

She had a total blast!

Ok-- I am off to do one more 20-minute upper body strength workout for the week, run, get everyone off to school, grade a million essay exams, got to an undergrad research symposium, and drive to the Chicago burbs for MOAR dance and dive. **gulp**

Happy birthday JACK!!!

 Jack Leonard Jedd, the baby whose pregnancy inspired my Listen to Your Mother act, whose birth let me know I could do it unmedicated and live to tell the tale, whose colicky babyhood did not deter us from having 3 more kids because he was so darn sweet right form the jump-- Jack the lifeguard and speech whiz and soon-to-be Bradley Brave-- Jack the excellent and responsible big brother, the kid who takes Annabelle out every night even though he doesn't really like her very much and drives his siblings wherever they have to go and pays for his own gas, even-- Jack with the same loyal friend group for a decade, with political aspirations and law school on the distant horizon and plans to be an AP history teacher first-- that Jack is eighteen years old today!

So, um, what are we wearing right now?

 I know I said the other day that I was shopping for t-shirts, but who even cares because it will be winter here forever, probably.

Here is Minnie at her rainbow loom with Santa over her shoulder and honestly? He should just stay there forever, probably.

Hello from my April Uggs

And my April tights.

And my APRIL FUCKING PARKA

Also my April puffer coat.

**sob**

In other news, I am thinking of trying THESE Quince jeans and maybe hacking off a couple inches for a raw hem. Anyone have them?

Also, how are we feeling about the ballet sneaker trend? I am feeling good but also cannot find anything I like for under $200. Except at Old Navy where they are under $20 and come in lots of colors. Maybe I'll try those first? Anyone have cute ballet sneakers you love? I'd really like silver or pink...

For like 15 years, I was in a FB rgoup called Skirtathon where a bunch of academics across the country wore dresses every April and took pics of ourselves every day. But the group disbanded, and now my spring wardrobe is silly-- all skirts and no cute jeans. NO t-shirts. I must shop, you guys.

Unforch, the only thing I have bought lately (besides books and those Old Navy sneaks in beige just now) is a NEW PHONE and case (as long as I was dealing with Dorothy's, I decided to get one, too). (also pictured: my favorite sweatshirt. That I am still wearing in mid-April because the weather sucks)

.

ANYWAY. Tell me what you're wearing right now and if you're shopping or just making old stuff new again (and if it's the latter, HOW are you doing it?).