It was a big year for the family, full of growth for all of us.
This time last year, Travis was still in kindergarten. He had been put through a few aptitude tests at Kelly and my insistence, as we knew he wasn’t being challenged by the coursework. Then one afternoon last December, we got called in to meet with the school staff to review Travis’s results.
We’d been told again and again that grade promotion was extremely rare and not to get our hopes up, so Kelly and I weren’t fully expecting a change. Instead, we heard from wide-eyed teachers that Travis was not only performing above a first grade level, he was even above-average for second grade! I don’t know who was more astonished, them or us!
After much serious thought and discussion, Kelly and I decided it was best for Travis to advance a grade. Thus, Travis started kindergarten in the fall of 2010 and jumped into the second half of first grade in January 2011. He had a little adjusting to do but he caught on quickly and is now thriving in his new grade!
I got to spend more time with Travis as an assistant coach on his T-ball team in the spring. I wasn’t expecting to step into that role, but the coach saw us idle dads and put us to work! Fortunately for us he had professional experience coaching kids, so we were all in good hands.
As for the games, they were as much fun for me as they were for Travis, and that’s saying a lot! The boy continues to claim baseball as his favorite sport to play. As for me, I had a blast helping the kids have a good time.
Travis wasn’t the only recipient of good Daddy time, either. I went to many of Hallie’s soccer practices as well as her games. I was the guy frequently seen on the sidelines taking pictures of the action. At the end of the season I passed out DVDs of photos to the other parents.
On a more spontaneous move, we packed up our camping gear and spent a wet weekend at Virginias Grayson Highlands State Park. In spite of the chilly weather we had the best camping trip we’ve ever had, and spent a few gleeful hours racing down the Virginia Creeper trail.
The family got in another cherished visit to Orcas Island in late summer. It was amusing to compare the kids’ growth in the time that it took us to return. They were tykes on their first trip and now they were self-sufficient, hardy hikers! We also met up with a high school friend and her family and spent time visiting with them during our stay. We also met up with my friend Ron, who lives there full-time and graciously accompanied us on a sailing trip and a hike to his private waterfall. It was our best trip yet!
There was all this, and yet there were so many other little moments which add up to so much. It was a year full of family time, creating memories which will last forever. All in all, not a bad way to spend a year!