Some Words Come to Mind: delighted, content, happy, grateful, satisfied, disappointed, anxious, uncertain, sad

Zach of Note

• He loves his Lego construction workers. I named them after my Lions and LensCrafters peeps: Dave, Bill, Dick (Richard), and Mark. Zach thought I meant Bill of Bill and Austin, so we've got Austin too. Molly and Maria (just random). We spent a lot of nights carefully putting them to bed. Very sweet. 
• We slurp, like Ana Freya drinking coffee, which is also the universal sound for something scrumptious
• Another new playground in Herndon got some love
• The sound walk on several spring afternoons and Meadowlark gardens. We love Barry (turtle), Dude (chameleon), and Sweetie (dragon lizard)

• We're in for Bridge to Kindergarten in July. I can't believe we're almost through this time with Zach. Sniff! :(
• Moved the watermelon plant outside!
  
• Another garden visit with Logan and Cora; Zach got one of their strawberries!
  
  
  
• Zach plays with Hot Wheels cars like it’s Rocket League. 
• He loves is STEAM Lego toy (He and Frank made a cat! and two of the Lego robots are Ian and Barley from Onward). Quote from Zach: I love what Daddy gets me every time. He gets me the best toys.
  
  
  
• Some Wildcraft and an odd game of Briscola and checkers
• Trying to ensure he knows the basics: full name, birthdate, where he lives, and a phone number (I made up a catchy tune for learning it and a dance!)
• The pool! I did some diving too off the diving board!
• It's been hot and Zach and I have both had trouble sleeping. We wet a wash cloth for Zach and wipe his feet before bed. He sometimes wakes up and uses it multiple times overnight. 

Emotions/Empathy Corner

• Lots of big emotions and me feeling like I have to stay on top of everything or we'll slide down a slippery slope that will be so hard or too hard to come back from.
• He has recently been asking about others. How's Uncle Jeff's toe? How's Baxter?
• He is excited to see family and especially friends, as we have started to see folks again in person. He loved visits from Adrienne and Kathleen. He can't wait to visit Katie and Suji. He holds hands. 
• What is something to move us out of a funk? The silly shake and/or quoting the Creepy Weepy dollhouse episode, "Can you say, 'Wanna be best friends?'"
• Scones to Charlotte for Mother's Day
• I was upset one day and cried. Zach came over to hug me and said, "I love you, Mommy."

Zach's Words and Songs and Curious Questions

• Lots of "I love you"!
• Reading Binny books and listening to Rebecca Stead books: Liar and Spy and When You Reach Me
• We have all the Lulu books now. I love how much he loves them! The stories brought up the meaning of an "icy blue glare" and how that contrasts with "warm" expressions. 
• Zach says, “May you go get it for me,” instead of “Will you” or “Would you” go get it for me…
• We have talked about shrugging and how it can mean, noncommittal. 
• The cicadas are here. We uploaded a photo to Cicada Safari. Walk boldly!
  
• Books on Paul Bunyan continue to be fun, curious constructions, and the pool
• Listened to some Dolly Parton one morning
• Zach enjoys the Beatles song, Yellow Submarine. He asks Auntie Em to play it when we visit!
• Zach said this month, "I want to be either a firefighter or police officer." I asked why. He said: 
• F: ride in ladder truck and slide down the pole
• P: chase people
• Neither about helping people

Sleep Update

• Pretty much the same old, same old!
• I am in my summer solstice sleep pattern. I am waking up early and in the middle of the night.

Good Food

• Nordic Knot chocolate croissants!
• Garlic fries and Senor Ramon's tacos
• Feta and tomato dish a couple times
• Italian wafer waffles (pizzelles) from Mary
  
• Delicious treats from Raleigh bakery
• Watermelon hops kombucha and the Mobtown Fermentation saga 
• Ice cream with Auntie Em and ice cream sandwiches with Kathleen
• Thompson Italian comes through again! (See Mother's Day)
• Ramen and miso broth from Green Grocer
• Faux burgers. Yum!

Connection

• Need to remember: "how's your mental health," what's on your mind, 
• Sofia and Baby James. She has "mommy hand." What is that?!
• A winery date and hike up to Bear's Den with Kathleen. Also, Kathleen lost her dad and came for a visit
• Emily R.
• An evening with Katie, Suji, and Vero and Katie and Vero
• Another visit with Adrienne. Meadlowlark Gardens and brunch outside at Lake Anne
• Zach visited Woodstock, and accolades for Daddy Bob as "the best cook"
• Sacha, Agathe, and Saul brought us strawberries from Great Country

Family Fun

• Mother's Day: I got a wonderful Thompson Italian meal: crepes with chocolate and strawberries, decadent yogurt (like cheesecake), quiche, focaccia, and offered up mimosas to the block!
• Great Falls (including swift water rescue exercises), Banshee Reeks on the north side, Meadowlark Gardens, the pump track
• Great Country and Dirt Farm with Grandad a couple times
• Watched Onward (great!) and watched again with Auntie Em
• Cleaning

Fun and Not So Fun Stuff 

• Still complicated and complex. I worked through some challenges for sure of all varieties (coming out of the pandemic, weird interactions, unsettling feelings), flexed some techniques, used pillow potion, released my stress cycle, as well as perspective-taking and loving kindness meditation
• Excursion to Rappahannock County
• Read: Ghost, Summer of Sloane, Kindred, and You Are Your Best Thing
• Reading bits of: Hold Me Tight, Broken Open, and Dolly Parton's Songteller book, and just started Ade by Rebecca Walker
• Watching: Into the Beat, Finished Zero Chill and The Good Place
• Listening to Inferior on Audible
  
• Writing Project: I started reading my journals from Belgium and imagining what it might be. What I have learned: communicate understanding and ask for what you need, more love and connection, accepting who I am/I'm not flawed. If I ask for what I need and I don't get it, it doesn't mean I don't deserve it. My journey and/or writing a novel. Given the window into my 17-year old self, YA might be right. Emotions are okay; they are data; don't be afraid of them
• Podcasts I've loved: 
• Michael Bungay Stanier episode, and there were some good coaching questions. I used “What’s on your mind?” https://brenebrown.com/podcast/brene-with-michael-bungay-stanier-on-the-advice-trap-and-staying-curious-just-a-little-longer/
• Good Ancestor with Christine Platt, Angela Saini, and Robert Jones Jr. who wrote The Prophets, and the episode with Dawnie Walton who wrote The Final Revival of Opal and Nev
• Priya Parker and the Art of Gathering. I especially appreciate what she said about getting the vaccine is a common experience that binds us
• Good ol' Simon Sinek. He said that putting the economy before human life is like putting profit over people. Excellent point. 
• Ashley C. Ford on Unlocking Us (also good for my writing project)
• #GoodAncestors ​Rebecca Walker & Lily Diamond on ‘What's Your Story?’

Professional

• Change is a constant continues: Goodbye Amanda and so sad to be saying goodbye to Chris B. It's been great working with him! :(
• DISC, DISC, and more DISC. In Leadership Institute, my fellow S's (Kevin, Cory, Kate) said: harmony, our slide manifested. Teehee. 
• Getting spun up over some comments and interactions
• Finished Just Work and started listening to Thinking Fast and Slow and The Coaching Habit
• Leadership Communities of Practice Slack Channel got traction with coaching

Health Corner

• Cold/allergies descended upon us; felt very strange to be sick after 14 months
• Stopped wearing my sport watch. I was exhausting myself!
• Frank and I are fully vaccinated

It's Still Complicated and Complex

Zach of Note

• He love, love, love, LOVES his Lego fire station and all accoutrements! Jimmy and Gina, Duke, Rookie, and Daisy. 
• Teeth and a visit from the tooth fairy
• Visits to a new playground in Herndon and Frying Pan Park
• Airplane fleet in Legos
  
• Painting al fresco and nature art
• Ellen Reid soundwalk at Wolf Trap (https://www.wolftrap.org/calendar/performance/soundwalk.aspx) on my own and with Zach!
  
• Researched gun play and got some good insight and tips
  
• Running on Auntie Em's treadmill
  
• Kindergarten Orientation
  

Emotions/Empathy Corner

• We tried to get him to spell curious and he got frustrated that we didn't let him spell. We weren't patient enough.
• He chased me as a "bad guy" and I came up with the story behind the bad guys and he had empathy.
• Zach was upset that I wasn't spending time with him one morning, and I explained that we all need quiet time.
• We also all need to agree on what we do together. 
• Tried to help Logan, Cora, and Zach through a disagreement. Cora told Zach she was part of a gymnastics club that was girls only, but Logan could join because he was the best brother. Zach felt left out and then told Cora and Logan they couldn't join his gardening club. All misunderstanding and pain not acknowledged. I tried to help Logan and Cora understand Zach's point of view. :)

Zach's Words and Songs and Curious Questions

• More Hilary McKay and Binny series. Zach got Lulu books and Ana and Andrew for Easter. 
• He is also loving the book about the origin of the teddy bear, "Teddy's Bear," and we read about Paul Bunyan, which was pretty entrancing!
• We talked about the cicadas that are coming
• Purple question: Would all the trees on the earth blot out the sun? No.  
• We learned from Wow in the World that the air around a lightning strike is 5x hotter than the sun. It's true! https://www.weather.gov/safety/lightning-temperature#:~:text=Air%20is%20a%20very%20poor,the%20surface%20of%20the%20sun).
• Spelling "curious," because we've been reading a lot of Curious George.
• We talked about cosmic karma
• We read Under the Ramadan Moon. I wish there were more books on Ramadan!
• Showed Zach pics of Grand Teton, and he said we weren't safe rollerblading without our helmets. True.
• Overheard Zach bark and tell Tigey, “Tigey, get off of your brother,” referring to Huskey. He loves Huskey so much. Thank you, Charlotte!
• Zach told the people at the garden center, “Our backyard looks terrible.” Teehee!
  
• Zach said, “Am I in Spanish immersion?” Yes, so now it’s out there. Then he asked if he would speak better than me, and I said, “yes.”

Sleep Update

• He's a solid 10-10.5 hours. Some good nights. Some short ones. Some short naps. He comes in my room sometimes, but not too bad. 
• We lost power for the first time in his life, and he was pretty freaked out. Makes sense if it's never happened. It seems scary for sure!
• I sleep weirdly now. I don't know if it's taking estrogen or just age, but if I drink, I don't sleep very well. :( I have insomnia more often....
  

Good Food

• Thompson Italian Easter food and the Women in Wine dinner
• Milk shakes and ice cream!
• Tried out Caboose Brewing for coffee/breakfast, and it was not that good, but fun!
• Watermelon hops kombucha and watermelon sprouting! (Thanks, Rachel.)
• Green Grocer ramen, miso broth, baby chard, and other veggies. Delicious!
• Sour cherries from last summer! Yum!
• The tomato and feta cheese recipe
  

Connection

• Uber Ladies
• Jaclyn, Julia over email and text
• Some good "how's your mental health" conversations (Rae, Sofia)
• Sofia and Baby James :)
• Kathleen
• Emily R.
• Greer
• Hiking with Jenifer at Banshee Reeks and learned that her mom passed away in January: https://jewishobservernashville.org/2021/01/30/obituary-joyce-dubrov-fox/   
• Meeting up with Mom and Dad and Emily and Jeff at Norther Fauquier Community Park with a picnic from Red Truck. Beautiful! 
• An evening with Katie and Suji. Zach rode in Katie's Jeep to see a nest of horned owls. The Lego box at their house was by the far the most awesome part. 
• Adrienne met Zach. We walked and had Lake Anne Coffee House breakfast outside at Lake Anne on a beautiful morning
• Therapists = great. One bought and read Marrow and wanted to know what resonated. The other can be there for me when others aren't able! What?! Wow!
• Beautiful Friday night at Bear Chase with Mom and Dad and Emily. Emily rode with us, which Zach loved. They were playing great 80's Hits: I Can't Fight This Feeling, Glory of Love, etc.
  

Family Fun

• Easter egg hunts, candy to Charlotte, and watermelon seeds!
• Visits to Frying Pan Park. Baby goats and pigs. Baaahhh. An amazing peacock. Friends and a giant frisbee.
  
  
  
• Great Falls on a foggy day and a booming rock climbing day
  
• Hiking on the AT (very briefly); the 4-H Center is in a beautiful valley/hollow
  
• Games: Forbidden Island and Castle Panic are my favorite

Fun and Not So Fun Stuff 

Personal 

• A rough month for sure. I definitely had to release my stress cycle and work through some challenges! Pillow Potion. Amazing.
  
• Finished Virgin River and have had trouble finding the next series. Watching Zero Chill. Watch the Fat episode of Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat
• Reading All the Days Past, All the Days to Come by Mildred D. Taylor
• Watched part of The Bourne Legacy, so good.
• Introduced to the music of Raye Zaragoza
• Awesome journaling and connecting the dots day on 4/18!
• Podcasts I've loved: 
• Teaching Hard History from Mar 16, Malcolm X Beyond the Mythology w/ Clarence King. https://www.learningforjustice.org/podcasts/teaching-hard-history/civil-rights-movement/malcolm-x-beyond-the-mythology 
• https://brenebrown.com/podcast/brene-with-dr-angela-duckworth-on-grit-and-the-importance-of-trying-new-things/ 
• https://brenebrown.com/podcast/brene-with-dr-pippa-grange-on-fearing-less/ 
• https://brenebrown.com/podcast/brene-with-jason-karlawish-m-d-on-the-problem-of-alzheimers/ 
• https://brenebrown.com/podcast/brene-with-samin-nosrat-on-grief-gratitude-and-connection/ 
• https://brenebrown.com/podcast/brene-with-dr-angus-fletcher-on-life-changing-inventions-in-literature/ - I loved the thought-provoking comments about memoir and Maya Angelou
• http://laylafsaad.com/good-ancestor-podcast/ep050-diego-perez 
• http://laylafsaad.com/good-ancestor-podcast/ep025-sarah-jones 
• PUBLIC HEALTH ON CALL294 - Dr. Michael Osterholm on the Race Between COVID-19 Variants and Vaccines... | https://www.jhsph.edu/podcasts/public-health-on-call/ 

Professional

• I won the empathy rockstar award! Felipe called me the goat (greatest of all time) and Geoff messaged me directly! Cool. 
• Viyas referenced how I was crushing them all in the fitness challenge! Won the steps week of the fitness challenge. Yay! Starbucks gift card!
• Culture Onboarding! Always good and Rae joined on 4/23!
• I've had a lot of fun with recognition this month and have given out lots of badges and shared with team members and team leads. Reinforced by Radical Candor and Eric Mosley podcasts! Chris Bryant mentioned that my kudos to Charlie "mean a lot coming from you." Awwww. I am so lucky!
• Bye, bye Amanda. :( 
• HBR article on mental health shared the question: how's your mental health?

Health Corner

• Thanking my feet. They are SO BEAT up. Poor feet. Rubbed and lotioned.
• The vaccine for me and Frank
• Mary didn’t seem to think variants would be too bad for kids as long as they still wear masks and distance.
• The virus came to our neighbors :( brought them Chick-fil-A, and I've never seen so much animation and excitement from TK

What I'm pondering

• 1.) Notice it 2.) Sit with it 3.) Put it in perspective
• There are two kinds of people

1.) People who experience pain and struggle and get help. 

2.) People who experience pain and struggle and work it out on themselves or others.

• Getting out on the water this summer (kayak, canoe?)
• Writing memoir
  

From Winter to Spring

Zach of Note

• Games: Wildcraft, Forbidden Island, Flashpoint Fire Rescue, and on a rainy Sunday: Castle Panic
• We also listened to Kate Rusby while playing Wildcraft (Yarrow and Fairest of All Yarrow)
• Tom Thomas' helicopter comes in to lift us all out at the end of Forbidden Island
• Banshee Reeks: How many ways can you visit the barns?
• Great Falls
  
• Sunday mornings playing with Logan and Cora, and we went with them to their garden plot and helped collect wood chips and plant carrots! :)
  
• Registered Zach for Kindergarten and entered him in the Spanish immersion lottery and he got in! So did Cora! But it's not a big deal. For him, it's just Kindergarten. :)
• We watched Soul and made popcorn the day I was recovering from my colonoscopy
• He loves Anna Freya’s coffee cup and slurping coffee! :) 
• He melts down sometimes putting his water cannon Lego figure in place. I keep reminding that he's done it a trillion times, but I should take a page from Amanda and remind that he knows how to do hard things!
• Gravity marble game is fun!
• Listening to Zach laugh when he's tickled. Amazing! Lots of tickling this month!
• Have we been found out? We went to fight Klaw one day to our same parking garage, and there was a police car in the parking garage. Waiting for us? We fought elsewhere in the office park!
• Back to Great Country!

Zach's Words and Songs

• Still Loving: Lulu by Hilary McKay, Ana and Andrew and "wiggle dance" and belting out "Take Me Out to Ballgame"
• We love The Cat in the Bag and the biffing paw! :)
• We learned that the High Five was first “performed” by Glenn Burke and Dusty Baker in 1977. 
• He's loving Reading Eggs
• Podcasts: Story Pirates and Wow in the World
• Purple question: Are there more languages in the world or bones in the human body? Yes! I think it's 9000+ languages to 200+ bones
• Zach said, "I'm glad to be with you, Mommy."
• Spelling: gate, hike, car, and goggle (has two “g”’s like “wiggle," Suez
• Words/Phrases: 
• “There’s a fire on the printer.”
• Zach said, “You’ll find this annoying, but peaches are boring.” Good for him rhyming, but he got pretty obsessed! :) 
• Sometimes his lays in bed before going to sleep at night laughing and cracking himself up. 
• Zach likes to recite: 
• "Bump, bump, bump down the road on an emergency expedition to save Mellie from despair," from Lulu's The Dog from the Sea (I have an audio file)
• He also loves "No matter what you may have done wrong today, you didn't get your boat stuck in the Suez canal," or something like that. The Godzilla and King Kong meme made him laugh
  
• Baskin Robbins and Jackie Robinson mixed up somehow when describing where we should go for ice cream
• Listened to The Amber Cat by Hilary McKay
• Read a book about Tammy Duckworth for Women's History Month, and her birthday is 3/12, so we sang Happy Birthday to her for a few days since that's a good way to ensure Zach brushes his teeth for long enough
• One morning Zach got into Reading Eggs and didn’t come down to breakfast, and when I let him know it was almost time for me to go to work, he teared up and said something like, “I should have come down earlier; I didn’t want to miss breakfast with you.” He was so upset. It was cute and also heart wrenching. 

Sleep Update

• Zach puts his firefighters to bed, and some days he says the number is "too many"
• He has been waking up a lot and coming into my room

Good Food

• Toaster oven s'mores
• Ice cream with Auntie Em and Uncle Jeff at Great Falls Creamery and at Baskin Robbins on the first warm days of spring!
• Enjoyed Caesar salad and apps from NYAJ even though they are outrageously expensive
• Irish bakery box, esp the strawberry shortbread
• Wine and cheese on Auntie Em's porch
• Surprisingly good: Sparkling Ginger Lemon Apple Cider Vinegar beverage from Trader Joe's
  

Connection

• Almost daily breakfast calls and one day where we shared stories to make each other laugh! (Gib and Deb's Prius in Olympic National Park, Clay and Annelle's car at a family reunion, and Auntie Em velcroed herself and fell over!)
• Auntie Em!
• Talks with Emily R., Katie, Kathleen, Greer
• Checking in on Sofia! Baby arrived during the crazy cold winter weather that Texas experienced when they were being told to boil water! 
• Good to hear Mary's story
• Zach visits Gamma and Daddy Bob!
  

Family Fun

• Remembering Uncle Jim on his birthday
• Auntie Em and Uncle Jeff have their first shots!
• HH with Mom and Dad when I picked Zach up after his first visit to Gamma and Daddy Bob's in a long time!
• Family picnic at Norther Fauquier Community Park with goodies from the Red Truck Rural Bakery
• Family hikes
  
  

Fun and Not So Fun Stuff (Personal and Professional)

• Reading: Malcolm X, Mom and Me and Mom by May Angelou, Wintering, King and the Dragonflies
• Podcasts: Dare to Lead, Unlocking Us, Good Ancestor, Anti-Racism Daily episodes: Advocating for Climate Justice: Nicole Cardoza in Conversation with Mary Annaïse Hegla‪r‬ and particularly enjoyed Rewriting our Songs: Nicole Cardoza in conversation with Raye Zaragoza‪.‬
  
• Re-listened to Brené with Priya Parker on The Art of Gathering
• Enjoyed episodes with Dr. Susan David on emotional agility. Try these words: I see you. This is hard. This is tough. 
• Remember to always re-listen to the best! Sonya Renee Taylor and the Nagoski sisters on Unlocking Us. For, SRT, remember: "My body is my ally."
• Awww Heartland and Virgin River; OMG Georgia and Ginny, not a fan. I stopped watching after Ep. 4.
• Watched about 1/2 of the third Bourne movie! I love the Bourne movies!
• Watched some ice skating! The Brown siblings ice dancing and Paul Wiley's Why God Why :)
• Don't forget to be generous!

Health corner: 

• Tired for so many reasons. Again, how could I forget about my need to complete my stress cycle!
• Colonoscopy :( Routine and expected, but anxiety-inducing; Zach said it best, "Mommy is sad about her colonoscopy."
• Emily R. brought me a care package. So touched. Pretzel Brownies and the book Wintering.
  

What I'm pondering: 

• A trip somewhere amazing for 3-4 weeks: walking, reflection, friends and family, good food, dancing
• A tiny house with separate spaces for three+
• Writing memoir and Angus Fletcher's comment re: Maya Angelou's technique in writing I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings. She writes about the event and what she learned from it. I like that idea. 

Good work stuff:

• New CEO and getting up to speed on Radical Candor and Kim Scott's new book, Just Work. Anxiety for sure, but different doesn't necessarily mean worse!
• Radical Candor #2: We need a basis of trust and friendship in order to get the best work from one another. We need to be able to give caring and honest feedback, and that can only be done with a foundation of trust. Caring personally builds trust!
• PT1 & PT2, culture onboarding - always good
• Love Loathe exercise mentioned by JQ!
• Authentic Me slides! :) My legacy
• CSAT score has really improved!
• Really great feedback from Amanda on L&D and instructional design work
• Really good DISC webinar

  

  Frogs making noise
  at Great Falls

Winter Vacation 2021

Mixing Up the Routine

• Old Ox on a cold night (pizza and beer in the greenhouse)! Really reminded me of Great Lakes winter
  
• Skiing for Zach at Whitetail and Canaan
• Spa treatment: visit to the podiatrist also = pedicure :)
• Hike on the W&OD
• Hiking and baseball at Banshee
  
• Quattro picnic on a 60 degree day
• Hiking at Great Falls
  
• Snow picnic at Whitegrass
  
• Zach’s goggles and me being mistaken for a snowboarder
  

Fun w/ Zach

• Talullah book about a mermaid for the Great Lakes :) + Lulu reading
• Briscola and Wildcraft
• 20 Questions: the moon, the AT, the beach, Lake Charlevoix

Good Food

• Brunch from Founding Farmers cacio e pepe (eggs), sausages, donuts, chocolate chip pancakes
• Mexican pizza from Senor Ramon’s
• Ice cream at Canaan

Memorable Stuff

• Walk near a snowy stream
• Research into reading and literacy learning - talking to Zach about spelling words (gate, hike, car, goggles, wiggle-dance)
• Xmas tree research on Etsy
• Thinking of Marney and Jim
• Caught up on Anti Racism reading (Daily and 28 Days of Black History) and Malcolm X 
• Hold Me Tight and Julia’s book. Really centering!
• Podcasts galore
• Emily R. and ARC/strengths work
  

Winter

Zach of Note

• Ice and snow has been a theme. All the sledding ahs been around here. I went on a sledding run with Zach!
• We're still working on the allowance and chores. We did decide that he needs to give away part of his allowance, so he's designated funds to Fairfax County Parks, Banshee Reek, Great Falls, and the AT. 
• Husky and Tigey are beloved and sometimes I call them Tusky and Higey! 
• Zach toys are rotating and coming around. The school bus, play-doh, roller coasters, trains, Legos, the Mighty Tower, Tom Thomas' helicopter and on and on! 
• Games: Briscola, Spoons, and Wildcraft are played most often. 
• Video games Viva Pinata and Toy Story. He and Frank get time together, but I do not like to be in the house when they play. Zach gets frustrated :(
• Back to Bear's Den on the AT, regular excursions to Banshee Reeks (on Saturdays for me and Zach) and to Great Falls (me and Zach and Zach with Frank and Grandad), Scott's Run with Grandad
• Banshee Reeks: the train stick, exploring barns, snack at the barn, all trails to the barn, new trails ("Mommy, I've to a surprise for you!"), frozen ponds, skating on the trail
• Great Falls: Galloping NP Law Enforcement rangers on horseback; we watched as they put the horses in the trailer and followed them as they left the park. Running into our neighbor!
  
• Filling the bird feeder all by himself; he even showed Cora one day! 
• Dancing! Zumba radio and dancing with Buzz, cutting a rug; dinosaur dance party, the family Zumba dancing
• Puzzles
• Sunday mornings playing with Logan and Cora
• Balloon badminton and listening to Alan Doyle
• I laid Zach out playing soccer. Fell on top of him! "We're okay!"
• One Saturday morning Zach “made Daddy’s breakfast.” He took him his part of the Panera cookie and made him toast with jam. :)
• While working on science experiments, Zach used a pipet!
• Zach as been calling his friends (on the phone he created out of Legos)
• Registered Zach for Kindergarten and entered him in the Spanish immersion lottery. At registration, they commented: “He’s really ready for Kindergarten isn’t he!?” Yes, he is! I read him the rules at Lake Anne and we talked about how he needed to walk down the right side of the hallway and that he should “admire with his eyes” instead of touching things. At the end, he told me he admired something with his eyes, and he’s practicing, or something like that.
• He got enough funds to buy his fire boat this month!
  

Zach's Words and Songs

• Zach told me he didn't like it when I told him he fell on the ice because he wasn't being careful. He's right. It was his choice to be bold and adventurous, and yes, he fell a few times. :)
  
• He loves to identify "wiggle-dance" from the Ana and Andrew books. Andrew does a wiggle-dance 2-3 times per book. :)
• One day Zach got frustrated and said he wouldn't go for a hike with me. The next day we went off hiking, of course, and he was happy and excited to go with me. On the trail he mentioned it; his way of apologizing!
• We're enjoying NKOTB, especially, "We Own Tonight"
• Still Loving: Ribsy, Purple People
• Purple Questions: 
• Hot lava or the sun, which is hotter? 
• Can you do complete rotations on monkey bars? We watched gymnastics videos: parallel bars, high bar, and uneven bars. He said, “I guess the answer is ‘yes,’" and he was AMAZED! 
• New books: Ana and Andrew series (6 early reader books), When Charley Met Emma, and a book on Ghandi, Be the Change. This one is deep and thought-provoking.
• We learned that pirates are not always bad. They helped slaves in Savannah build a Black church in the 17/1800's. We also learned about the slave castle in Cape Coast, Ghana 
• He loves the Lulu series and Flicka, Ricka, and Dicka are somewhat surprising hits. 
• Reading Alphabugs and laughing in bed at night
• Podcasts are still a hit, especially as part of the Saturday morning ritual of driving to Banshee Reeks. We listen to Wow in the World!
• We still enjoy Amazon's animation adaptation of The Snowy Day on snowy days, and he loves the Boyz II Men song :)
• Words: retrieve, age-appropriate, and playability
• Zach got into writing for a few days. 
  

Sleep Update

• He puts his toys to bed. 
• He yells out, "You can turn down my light." He has created a phone out of Legos and calls Frank to tell him to turn down his light, and sometimes he yells. :)
• We are doing a lot of tucking in. 
• He spent quite a few days going to bed at 9pm and waking close to 7am, but it was not a trend!

Good Food

• Nordic Knot's pretzel chocolate croissants
• Nice dinner of wild rice, cherries, walnuts, salmon, and live kale salad.
• Panera's broccoli cheddar soup
• Clarity's Indian lentils
• Bagel, egg, and cream cheese sandwiches
• Chai w/ honey!
• Super Bowl box from Thompson Italian
• Winter milk shakes!
• Passion Fish Restaurant Week meals
• Heart-shaped Brownies

Connection

• Almost daily breakfast calls
• Auntie Em!
• Talks with Emily R., Katie, Kathleen, Greer, and the Uber Ladies
• Visits to drop food to Charlotte: Panera and Chick-fil-A
• Sofia's virtual baby shower and her baby's arrival in San Antonio during a state of emergency on 2/19/21

Family Fun

• Mom (Pfizer) and Dad (Moderna) are fully vaccinated!!!
• Because of the Banshee Reeks winter bingo, I learned the difference between a red oak (spike-y) and white oak (curved). 
• Matching shirts for Inauguration Day, a peaceful transfer of power, a Fort/Edwards Zoom call, and Founding Farmers' cocktails 3 @ $4.60 for the 46th president!
• Zach started wearing the "Darn Tough" socks! 
• Zach and I went for a walk one evening, and it was nice! I told him how much I loved walking with him. :) He got up and went for a walk with me the next morning too. Aww!
• Zach and Frank bought me some nice earrings for Valentine's Day
• Zach loved his cards from Charlotte and his chocolates from Gamma and Daddy Bob. We wrote a haiku and I created Valentine's Lite Brite art inspired by the haiku!

I go to pizza
For you. Coming to Woodstock 
Is so fun. Love, Zach

• Zach acted out a bit for a few days in mid-Feb, and it's a good thing vacation was planned. He wanted to spend more time with all three of us together, and we all need a change up in the schedule, so it's vacation from 2/20-2/28!

Fun and Not So Fun Stuff (Personal and Professional)

• Reading: The Truth About Awiti, I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou, Autobiography of Malcom X
• Finished The Stars and the Blackness Between Them. Need to have a difficult conversation? Check out this book. They do that dialogue well!!
• Listened to Triggers by David Richo, the How to Be an Adult author
• Podcasts: listened to the FSP Attachment podcast again, Dare to Lead has provided nice content related to work, Good Ancestor with Christine Platt, Ebony Janice Moore, Angela Saini, and Nels Abbey
• Listening to Dare to Lead interview with Chad re: Black Magic and  Aiko Bethea - great. Unlocking Us and Uncomfortable Conversations with a Black Man (Emmanuel Acho), which led me to Beyoncé, Alicia Keys, and Erika Badu  
• Finished Offspring and started Seasons 12-13 of Heartland
• Give yourself permission to feel. 
• I am now supporting Good Ancestor and the Anti-Racism Daily. 
• Marc Goldberg reached out! Awww!
• ARC thoughts with Emily R. especially and Katie's reference

Health comer: 

Pernio diagnosis, clear mammogram, Fairfax Radiology images (finally!), podiatrist, thinking about embracing my upcoming colonoscopy: look forward to binge watching something and eat Miso broth! :) In the week ahead, plan to eat bacon, mac & cheese, broccoli and cheddar soup, scones, etc. Paperwork. Ugh!

What I'm pondering: 

• Instead of self-criticism, self-compassion! That’s it! Turn toward yourself with kindness and compassion. Don’t jump to the need to tell others how they’ve hurt you! Feel compassion for your caring, for your commitment to emotional richness, to caring deeply for others, people who matter and introspection. 
• We are emotional beings. You think you’re rational, but you need to work on your emotional intelligence and connect with people, share your feelings. Own the research and the arguments. Don’t argue. It’s there, and you can confirm it yourself if you need to, but I’m convinced, and I know this will help the world! 
• Being a good friend, supporting what I believe it. Bringing people together. Travel place for long periods of time
• The Anti-Racism Daily podcast on Curating Black History: Nicole Cardoza in Conversation with Tyree Boyd-Pates. Keep something from this time to curate history. A mask for example. The parallels for a renaissance coming out the pandemic and social unrest are strong. We are on an inspiring trajectory! 

Good work stuff:

• Rae's the GoCanvas Way content for Black History Month is GREAT! 
• Humor webinar that provided content for the support team and spoke to our Cheeky, Empathy, and Authenticity values. Listened to the author's interview on a podcast. All good. 
• Disrupt Yourself podcast re Humor Seriously (https://whitneyjohnson.com/jenniferaaker-naomibagdonas/) takeaways: Track 3 things to make you laugh per day. Laugh, not just “have more fun.” Live life with the promise of a smile. Consider three events that are meaningful to you. How do you see your strengths, values. How could this be a drama instead of a comedy. Different kinds of humor can be used at different times with different groups of people. But the rule of three. Throw in something unexpected that speaks to truth. Just something to consider. 
• Product Training Level 2 (PT2) Beta #2 is going well. Adjustments are working well. Joe B. said, "Tutorials are decent." Wow! Apparently, high praise coming from him.
• People (PT2 and leadership) enjoy the team building. Yay!
• Leadership Institute 2.0 kicked off again, and that was a lift as well! Breakout rooms, telling your story and sharing values! Chris Ma and Eric met! So funny!
• Nice connecting with Julie for Cornerstone. She's really helped!
• Kudos for PT2 and Leadership and ARC (Zoe, Judie, Joy, Charlie!) 
• Kind words from Amanda: I'm creative and a creative problem solver.
• A raise and a bonus that seem very generous! How can I be generous?
• From Dare to Lead with Aiko Bethea: Good stuff on action bias and the reframing: I am being action-oriented by taking the time to get this right and not just “do something.” I loved the information on the importance of teaching leaders to be empathetic and coaching them to confront feelings and fears to get to the root of issues. Aiko suggests that “Communities of Practice” are good for leaders to be a part of of and to share their challenges around learning and growing and being committed to getting this stuff right - Diversity Equity Inclusion and Belonging (DEIB). We should not expect to be perfect, but to learn and grow through our commitment to DEIB.  
• Thanks, Amanda, for the help with the desk!