July – Sept. 2014

This was quite a busy summer for the Kindem clan. July started off with a family vacation week at the Watauga Lake House for the 4th of July. It was a packed house with both sets of grandparents, Paul, Kat, Pete, Sase, Doug, & Vanessa, plus a whole slew of children: John, Larkin, Reagan, Baby Aiden, Lindsay, and Anna Katherine. The kids loved jumping in the lake countless times, swimming circles around us adults, going out on the boat, going out on the inner tube (yes, Larkin Lu went out on the inner tube ALONE more than a few times, and LOVED every minute of it), watching World Cup soccer and cheering for the USA, doting on little Baby Aiden, taking walks along the lake, going in the hot tube (aka a luke warm bath, in their case), and much more. It wasn’t the most relaxing vacation ever (shocking, not-so-much), but everyone had a wonderful time being together as a family, waking up in the morning and having nowhere to be, swimming with the kiddos, going out on the boat, staying up late, talking and looking out at the lake in the evenings, and consuming a few beers or glasses of wine here and there. There is no hiding from the awful reality that Jamie is not there with us, and every great moment we have together or with the kids, is that much harder without her, but there’s something special about being surrounded by family who understand that very specific pain.

Another exciting getaway was a trip to Aunt Sase’s beach house for a weekend with Uncle Pete, Paul, Kat, and Grandma & Grandpa. John, Larkin, and Reagan ran along the waves, buried their feet in the sand, looked for shells, and yes, went in the ocean, albeit a bit begrudgingly at first, but they enjoyed it once they were out there. Larkin loved crouching down low, then popping up real fast just a second before a wave came “crashing” on us. Her facial expressions and excitement as the wave would get closer and closer, and then her bellowing laugh as we popped up just as it hit – well, it was just a great moment. That weekend John and Larkin also got to visit Lindsay and Anna Katherine at Camp Seafare with Daddy, Uncle Pete, and Aunt Sase. They had a blast going across the ferry, riding a golf cart, jumping on the “blob,” and thoroughly enjoyed being treated like honored guests and being announced and welcomed over the intercom at lunch with the entire camp.

On July 31st Paul, Kat, Dan and Maureen spent the day together in Durham to celebrate Jamie’s life together. They ate lunch at an excellent tapas restaurant and had a nice family dinner with the kids that night, along with some pink champagne (J’s favorite). It will forever be a difficult day for all of those close to Jamie, but we will do our best to celebrate Jamie’s life and the beautiful children she brought to this world.

The following weekend, we had a birthday party for Reagan’s 2nd birthday. It was a little rainy at first, but we still managed to pull off a successful birthday celebration and she was quite excited to have all the attention on her. She, as well as Larkin and John, were obviously very excited about the sugary treats that accompanied her birthday party as well.

As the summer was winding down, Reagan started at Primrose, first just a few days a week, then, in September, she started full time! She loves going to school every day and all the teachers say that she is so sweet and listens very well. Reagan has also begun potty training! At school, she gets skittles every time she goes pee in the potty and she saves them all so that at the end of the day she has a bunch and shares some with her brother and sister. This is just one of the many reasons John and Larkin are so excited to have Reagan at school with them. They love to go to her room with Daddy at the end of the day to pick her up. And of course make the rounds giving all her teachers hugs.

In late August Paul and the three kiddos visited their cousins Ben, Alex, and Brooklyn over the summer in Fairfax, VA for Brooklyn’s birthday and to have some fun in D.C.. Everyone rode the metro to the city, visited the Air and Space Museum, and had lunch in one of the big courtyards. Brooklyn’s 2nd birthday party was lots of fun and the kids enjoyed jumping in the bounce house, throwing water balloons, and eating pizza. Having cousins close in age makes it especially fun to watch the kids play. It’s very interesting to observe they play as they grow in age. It’s so busy that it’s difficult to appreciate these moments, but they are very special times.

John and Larkin started their second season of soccer in September! John is very into it and gets so proud when he scores a goal. He runs up to us to get high fives after each one. Larkin is excited about soccer when at home, but she’s not so interested in the games quite yet. Also with the end of summer comes the start of the football tailgate season! The kids love going to Chapel Hill to tailgate with the family. They love throwing the football with people, riding scooters, chasing each other around, and of course, devouring all the tasty snacks and delicious meals that Uncle Pete creates.