June 2020 Family Update

Half of the Wyers family is officially another year older. Archer celebrated his 6^th birthday, and I turned another year older, rolling in 30 years ahead of my oldest.

[Closer to 40 in age than I am to 30 … but I’m fine. It’s fiiiiiiine. Fine.]

We had a great time celebrating, more below, and trying our best to keep busy as a family. We put our tax return to good use this year and bought three new bicycles, and a carrier seat for Maverick, too! That has probably been the biggest highlight of my month, to be honest. The promise of something to do, together, outdoors, that doesn’t involve lining up or fighting for parking to get a socially distant spot at the beach. Yes please! We’ve already been out a few times and it’s a great feeling to be more active, together.

June 2020 was a pretty big month for me. Aside from my birthday, even! I officially finished my creative writing program, The Writer’s Studio Online through SFU. I have grown so much as a writer, and Romi has grown with me, since the beginning of the program last September. Read more about my reflections on my latest experience at school here. I am so proud of myself!

Shortly after submitting my final portfolio for school, we started executing the design of my new office in the old nursery. We started rooming the kids together in Archer’s room earlier in June—more on that below—and since it was going pretty well (other than yesterday morning … don’t get me started) I took over Maverick’s old room for my new office! I am so lucky and excited to have this new space to call my own. Somewhere to shut the door and get some writing done. It’s truly my idea of perfection.

Pajama Brad got dressed up for work—and left the house—more than once this month!

[Don’t kill me, pajama Brad!!]

Brad took the first week of June as holidays … to take over hanging out with the kids so I could get some writing done. It was much different than the typical use of his vacation days, but we spent a lot of time together and I was very happy for the reprieve. There are big things on the horizon for Brad and his job, I’m so proud of how hard he works. Even if he can’t put away his emails …

Ahhhhh Maniac Maverick. He has now started referring to himself as that now, by the way. HA. Maverick is also growing like crazy, trying to keep up with his brother at every turn and talking about anything and everything. Both kids have been repeating all the things—especially the ones they’re not supposed to be repeating—but the fact that Maverick doesn’t understand most of the words he repeats makes him that much more innocent and squishier and I just want to hold onto this part of him forever.

This youngest child of mine is the sole reason why we are not going camping this summer. And while our friends try to convince us that there will be other adults and bigger kids around to help out, I just can’t do it. It won’t be relaxing knowing that he gets into everything—this month’s incidents include:

• Food colouring for an art project that I had placed at the back of the counter out of reach. He climbed up onto the counter using his step stool to grab the green food colouring, to which he said “what’s this mama” just as he squeezed it all over the kitchen floor.
• His desire to be a traffic flagger. Whenever we tell him to look both ways before crossing the street, he runs out into the road with his arms stretched to either side, like he’s ready to stop traffic that would surely run him over if we weren’t watching out for him.
• The tantrums. Ohhhh the tantrums. I can see glimpses of him starting to understand when he’s having one and recognize that he needs to calm down. He is learning to seek comfort in our arms, which is hard to accept after he slaps/hits/bites/kicks you, but makes for a smoother transition to an unprovoked apology.
• Do you think he’d look good in stripes for Halloween? Just kidding!