Dear Ryan, We're So Proud of You

Dear Ryan,

Tomorrow morning, you'll begin a new chapter: Elementary School, Part One: Kindergarten. The most important thing you should know is: We are so proud of you.

You'll meet new friends and learn new concepts (including Chinese!). Your teachers will explain new rules and routines. You'll use a new lunchbox, wear your new shoes and spend time at your new daycare before and after school. It's a lot of change for a little person, but we know you'll do extremely well.

Because even though you'll face a lot of new things, some things remain the same. You'll still be the smart, inquisitive kid we've always known. You'll still be sensitive and thoughtful as you and your new friends navigate this journey together. You'll still be kind to others, patient and supportive like you are with your little sister. You'll still have our love and attention every morning as you get ready to start the day, and every night as you share with us what you learned at school.

You'll still be shy and cautious, but that's OK. In the end, courage always seems to prevail for you. Remember that. Some things seem scary when they're new and unfamiliar (swimming pools, bicycles, tube slides), but once your courage kicks in all those things turn out to be really fun and exciting.

We will relish every moment of this journey with you - and even though we can't wait to see what type of young man you become, this is our promise: We won't rush things along.

Enjoy the freedom that comes with being a kid. Learn as much as you can each day, but play, too. Get involved in projects that excite you. Be silly. Speak up when you know the answers, but don't ever be afraid to ask for help.

Remember: We are so proud of you. Embrace the newness tomorrow brings, but stay true to who you are. Follow that simple advice and this will be the beginning of something wonderful.

Love,
Mom and Dad

A New Era for Penn State

Original publishing date: April 20, 2012

I remember thinking when we went on this trip that writing the blog post to go with it would be difficult. Though it was a great trip and we had a lot of fun - the atmosphere in Happy Valley has changed dramatically since our last visit. 

There was a scandal. There were stories of horrible things happening to children. There was the end of JoePa - figuratively and literally. I remember the day he died, how sad Ryan was. I think it was more of an empathic sadness, but that almost makes it more heartbreaking. 

I don't think Nate ever really thought JoePa would still be coaching by the time Ryan or Lindsey were able to go to Penn State, but I know he thought the tradition and reputation of both the school and the man would outlive us all. 
 
Things have certainly changed, but what this weekend - and the subsequent football season showed us and others is that even if the catalyst is unimaginably awful, the actual change can be good.

For the rundown of the weekend: We got there late on Friday and made our traditional first stop to the Lion. 

On game day, the weather was questionable, but actually held out pretty well. The kids hijacked someones tailgate bean bag game.

 And Lindsey finally made it in to Beaver Stadium!

More importantly - she got to go down to the tunnel and meet the players :)

The kids had a blast - making new friends, eating popcorn and joining along for the Penn State chant.

Inside the stadium, it was like old times. Only a few subtle sign of things that changed...

Oh - and Ryan's highlight? Ryan got to touch the Lion (but guess who was more excited when they ran back to tell us all about it?)
 

That night, Nate and I took Crystal and Greg out on the town for some drinks. The crowds were mellow - but there was still plenty to see. With my new job starting the next week, I used this picture as an opportunity to test out my twitter skills. Tweeted it out to the real Kevin Bacon to see if it was a legit tag. He never wrote back - I'm sure it's cause he's modest.

Apparently Lindsey might have a place to call her own if she ever makes it up to State College.

On Sunday, the grandparents hit the road early, but we stuck around for a 5K run/walk. Not only did it help burn off some of the food and drinks from the day before, but gave us an opportunity to get onto the field!

Though things were different in Happy Valley that weekend, much had stayed the same. People still proudly took pictures with the lion, strangers were still kind enough to share their food and games while tailgating (and to pick up your kid so they could high five a player in the tunnel) and the Bachman kids experienced a ton of love and attention.

So much love and fun that when we finally pulled out to head home - they fell asleep faster than you could say, "We Are..."

Easter 2012

Original publishing date: April 8, 2012

Easter came a little earlier this year - arriving right after Ryan's birthday. So while it certainly makes for busy weekends, the bonus is we have more opportunities to hang out with family!  

We painted lots of eggs.
 

 

 

And then hunted them down.

 

 

And when all was said and done, we indulged with some sweet treats. It was a pretty typical Easter holiday.

 

 

Oh - and speaking of typical Easter traditions - the Bachman kids were "ham"ing it up at Poppy and Grams this year. This is probably the best shot (out of 21 - I counted) we could get of them that day. While it's disappointing we can't get a "nice" picture, it absolutely warms my heart to know they get along so well (and crack each other up).

The fast lane to four

Original publishing date: March 24, 2012

For Ryan's second birthday - we went with a train theme. He liked trains well enough, but, honestly, I really liked the train ticket invitations I found at the party supply store. So even if he had never even heard of a train before, he was having a train-themed birthday party.

To go along with the theme, I bought a train cake mold and made a pretty sad looking version of a train. And even though I said I'd buy a cake the next year, Ryan was so excited with his cake that a tradition was born and I was on the the hook to make a cake each year.

This year, Ryan wanted a Lightning McQueen themed birthday. Considering how the train cake went (even with a mold), I decided to keep it simple - made a cake with a oreo cookie paved road and plopped his toy car on top. Judging by his reaction during the reveal, taking the simplistic approach was a success.

 

The party went well, with lots of food, friends and awesome gifts (including a Lightning McQueen acoustic guitar - seriously...they think of everything).

And then it was time for the big reveal.

When you officially become a parent, you often think about your childhood - good memories, like going to the zoo; traumatic events, like walking down the hall at school with your skirt tucked in your underwear (yep...that happened); and - most importantly - all the cool gifts you wanted as a kid that your parents didn't get you.

Top on the list for Nate and I (one of the reasons we get along so well) was a Power Wheels car. Neither one of us ever had one and both of us vowed our kids would. So this was the year we did it. And what better car to get than McQueen himself.

I'm not sure if it was the overly excited adults in the room, who were living vicariously through him, or the crash from the sugar rush, but Ryan wasn't as happy as we thought he'd be about his car. It took some coaxing to even get him to sit in it. And he only made it half way around the cul de sac before he called it a day.

Of course, he was equally cranky when we let other kids drive it too.

So Ryan's birthday provided us with several insights. We realized why we never had one of those cars growing up (they're stupid expensive); we learned just because it was exciting for us - doesn't mean it's exciting for our kids; and even though Ryan is in the the fast lane to four, it's important to slow down and enjoy each moment as it comes.

Happy Birthday, Ryebread.

'Twas the Night Before Christmas

‘Twas the night before Christmas, when I finally admitted

It had been nine long months since a post was submitted.

People visited often – they really did care

If I had something new about the Bachman’s to share.

The reason for the absence was a family decision

That included me taking a more demanding position.

And though I thoroughly enjoy writing these posts,

With limited free time, I enjoy time with the kids most.

But this blog was started with an end-goal in mind

To create a “baby book” that was one of a kind.

Document the happenings of Ryan and Lou

With the hope that – one day – they’d want to read these posts too.

And so – with only a week left in the year,

It’s time to play catch-up and put things in high gear.

A month (or two) a day I must relive and rehash

So 2012 doesn’t disappear in a flash.

From baseball, to field trips and trips to the beach

To parties and holidays – we’ll cover them each.

The posts may not be as lengthy, but you’ll get the gist

Of what we’ve been up to and what you have missed.

I’ll spring to the folders, the pictures I’ll review

And in a weeks time, the blog will be anew.

But for now I’ll exclaim, as I hold my kids tight

Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good night.

If you give a boy a tool

He'll want a project to go with it. You'll ask him to tighten up the dining room chairs.

He'll ask his daddy for help.



Having his daddy help him will remind him how much he's loved. He'll start thinking of other things he loves. Thinking of other things he loves, he'll remember his beloved race car still needs new batteries.

He'll want to change the batteries. And chances are, when he goes to change the batteries, he'll need a tool to fix it. 

Perks of parenting

I bought a purse the other day. It's big, it's orange, it's awesome. When I got home, the kids were in a (typical) rambunctious mood. And often times - their rambunctiousness combined with our end-of-the-work-day exhaustion can result in lots of yelling, crying and (admittedly over-exaggerated) discipline.

But one of the many perks of parenting? Ultimately, we call the shots. We get to decide if today is going to be a good day or a bad day because our reactions, our tone, our attitude sets the mood. You learn pretty early on in this parenting gig that your kids feed off of you, good or bad. If you worry about something, they'll sense that and get anxious. If you're laid back, they're more apt to go with the flow.

And though they were rambunctious, and we were exhausted, I was excited because I had a brand new purse. And it was big. And orange. And awesome. But, like all new purses, mine was filled with a bunch of stuffing.

So I looked at my purse. And looked at my rammy kids. And decided I was ready to set the tone for the night. I took a handful of purse stuffing and bounced it off of Ryan's head. Then took another handful and spiked it in Lidnsey's direction. When they looked at me, stunned, I laughed and yelled, "It's snowing!" and threw the rest of the stuffing their way. They picked up what I was putting down (literally and figuratively).
 

Lindsey even made a snow angel.

After the blizzard had passed, they even helped clean up the mess. And I got to fill my big, organge, awesome purse with something other than tissue paper. Clearly, a win-win parenting moment.