how to summer

 

You know it's a good summer so far when you open the back of the car and find the following:

* camping blankets

* stadium chair for baseball games

* golf clubs

* kayak, paddle & life preserver

saying goodbye

What an incredible experience - for everyone who got to know these two!

Lea was also an exchange student this year (from Northern Italy!) and she and John-Jefferson bonded over shared experiences. And both of them became beautifully a part of the friend group and our families.

It was several days of goodbyes... a gathering at the park with cake and a piñata, a final JV baseball game, hugs from everyone stopping by for the last time, and of course an emotional scene at the airport!

If you ever wonder how Hamp & Sam handle emotional situations, here is the the perfect example:

at the airport for John-Jefferson, Sam goes in for the big hug.... so his older brother seizes the opportunity to give him a wedgie. Sigh... if for no other reason, we will miss John-Jefferson in this house as the buffer between Hamp & Sam! But for sure, Hamp will miss having someone to match his brand of funny.

All kidding aside, John-Jefferson (and Lea!) were very much a part of our family - from holiday celebrations, family vacations, and Sunday night dinners to parental lectures, household chores and forced family fun. It was an amazing year sharing our lives with one another and I know that friendships were made for life. Love these guys!

baseball

Ahhhhh.... baseball!

The year ended strong with a great baseball season! 

Hamp played varsity in right field, 1st base and relief pitcher and proved to be a really great teammate both on the diamond and off...

John-Jefferson chose to go out for yet another new sport - America's pastime! - and his athleticism and positive attitude made him a great junior varsity teammate.

photo credit: Bobby Gutierrez

photo credit: Bobby Gutierrez

photo credit: Ben Quinn

what we've learned

 I dropped John-Jefferson at the Grand Junction airport for a weekend trip to L.A. to visit a dear friend of his family. As he walked through security I realized that in less than a week he would be doing the exact same walk to end his stay in the United States... and it made me think about how precious our time together has been and how much we have all grown.

As a parent, having a third teenage boy in my home tested my patience and my parenting abilities... and I admit there were some days I did not pass the test! The boys were like true siblings - they picked on each other and wrestled and their dirty clothes and dishes and bathroom was exponentially worse. But they also danced and laughed and took care of each other and I felt privileged to witness and help foster their relationship.

In order to keep our minds open, our household adopted a motto for our year together:

~ Just because it's different, doesn't make it wrong ~

This phrase kept all four of us connected on many occasions when it would have been easy to judge or condemn one another for the slightest differences in taste, opinion or style. It turns out cultural differences are much deeper than just language and regional cuisine. I discovered that the nuances of a home's culture include where you sit on the couch or what you talk about at the dinner table or when you prefer to shower or what you put on your toast!

This is where the learning truly stemmed - from putting aside personal preferences and allowing for something different to become possible. Clearly, John had it the hardest... being comfortable in a new home where there were different foods, habits, language, music and customs. As a 16 year old boy, I imagine it requires a great deal of confidence to accept this and adjust accordingly! However, Hamp and Sam were not exempt from learning - they shared their once private and personal space with a veritable stranger who brought new habits, language, music and customs. They graciously accepted his idiosyncrasies and realized that at the end of the day we are all family and nothing else really matters. And beyond that, I saw them deepen their understanding of and appreciation for their own customs and way of life.

I hope that all three boys take this lesson, bury it deep in their souls and let it grow into a major character trait for each of them: 

to know that our differences are many but small, and to be patient and kind with one another... after all,

just because it's different, doesn't make it wrong!

first year of track...

Sam found a new passion this year.... track & field!

He ended his regular gymnastics trainings in December (his choice) and I was sad that he was no longer part of a team. But then track season began and he found a way to channel his strength, flexibility and power from years in the gym onto the field.

He really enjoyed jumping - including long jump, triple jump, high jump and pole vault - but also proved to be pretty fast so he got to be on a relay team. While it was a short and intense season with only 4 meets, he managed to rank first in the region for triple jump!

Looks like there may be a few years ahead of time on the track....

photo credit: Bobby Gutierrez