It was Thursday morning. The phone rang. It was a potential new client. I had to take it. I had been trying to get a hold of this person for the last 24 hours. As the phone continued to ring, I dashed into the living room and said to Kenna; “Can you please keep the baby and Elle quiet?  I have to take this call. It’s super important”

I then ran upstairs, not waiting for an answer from Kenna, shut myself in the bathroom and answered the call. 

The call took longer than I had expected. I was on the phone with this potential client for 35 minutes. It was excruciatingly stressful. I was expecting the baby to come walking up and bang on the door, crying at any moment — but it never happened.

When the call ended, I went down stairs and was completely amazed.  Kenna was standing in front of the TV with a book open, facing Ava and Elle as she read it like a teacher would. Elle and Ava were on the floor watching intently.  In front of Elle and Ava were empty plates of waffles.  It was unbelievable. Kenna had taken care of EVERYTHING.

After I had run upstairs Kenna settled the girls down, made them waffles, syrup, butter and all, then entertained them with a book. She had complete control of the situation. There had been no fighting, no crying babies banging on the door, no complaining, no mess, nothing. Everything was completely under control. It was impressive.

I am so proud of Kenna. She is a special 6 year old girl. Yes, I said 6.

Kenna has a special leadership quality that came out big time the other day. She knew what to do and just set out to do it. She was super sister, and super daughter to the rescue.

I still have the vision of coming around the corner and seeing Kenna standing there reading a book, with Elle and Ava glued to her every word. It was amazing. I wish I had taken a picture.

Kenna, I am so proud of you. You are an impressive leader and a fantastic sister. You have a talent for leading people and responding to group situations. You have a keen eye for what the group needs and you set out to do it. Keep working on it. It’s going to serve you well as you get older.

Thank you very much for your help Kenna. You saved the day.  You are . . . SUPER SISTER!!!!

I love you . . . Daddy!

One of the family principles is never quit.

Elle wanted to climb to the top of the swing set. Her friend Evelyn could do it and so Elle wanted to. Her first try was a struggle, she could barely get traction with her feet, never mind actually move up the pole. Despite the lack of traction, she kept trying.

After about 5 or 6 tries she figured out how to get traction and she started to make progress. Up the pole she went. It wasn’t pretty. For every few feet she made up, she slid down almost as many. It was clearly a gain some, lose some effort. Despite her perseverance, you could tell she was getting frustrated.

After a few minutes, she dropped down and said she was done. She didn’t make it to the top. She went and played with her friends. Then, as if something inside was nagging at her, she came back and started again. She made a little progress, but not much more than she had before. Regardless, she kept trying. After a few more minutes and a bit more practice she asked for some help. I put my hands on the pole and she pushed off and made it to the top.

After enjoying her view, Elle slid down, took a break and then started up again. This time however she didn’t want my help. After about 5 minutes she could almost reach the top, but the last push to get over the edge of the cross bar proved to be tough. She got tired and slipped down.

Undaunted, Elle took a quick break and started up again. This time she looked at me and said, “Dad, I’m not quitting.”

No, she wasn’t!

Elle kept pushing herself and after 10 or 15 minutes of pure perseverance and commitment not to quit, Elle made it to the top all by herself.

She was so proud. What was special about her pride however, was it wasn’t about making it up the pole, which she was clearly happy about, but rather the fact that she didn’t quit. You could see it in here eyes. It clicked. She realized that she made it to the top because she didn’t quit when she wanted to. It was awesome to see.

Elle climbed the pole a few more times to prove to herself she could do it and then tried to help her friend Mariah. What do you think her advice to Mariah was?

Yup, you guessed it. “Don’t quit!”

I am so proud of you Elle. You keep that spirit and you will be wildly successful.

How’s the view up there baby girl?  :)

(Side note Elle for when you get older, this better be the ONLY pole your ever climb. )

I love you!

Dad!

Kenna, Elle and Ava,

Your Mom and I are no longer together. We have gotten divorced. It has been coming and you have all been so brave and strong through out this entire process. I am so proud of you. It’s been hard on you I know. You only want your parents to be together. You ask often when Mommy and Daddy are going to be together again. It pains me to have to tell you we won’t be.

I know you will not be able to read this right now, but someday you will have questions and I wanted to answer them now.

What is most important for you to know is that Mom and Dad’s divorce has nothing to do with you. Your mother and I love you very much and want you to know that you will always be the most important thing in our lives.

Even more important I want you to know that I love you more than anything else in the world and that in spite of our divorce, NOTHING has changed.

• I will always love you
• You will always be the most important thing in my life
• I will always want to wrestle with you
• I will always be the loudest fan on the sidelines of your soccer games
• I won’t like your first boyfriend or your second at that matter
• I WILL walk you down the aisle on your wedding day
• I expect you to live up to your potential
• I’m gonna be scared shitless the first night you have your drivers liscense
• I’m gonna tell you to clean your dirty room
• I’m going to ground you when don’t follow the rules
• I will never stop wanting to hold your hand
• I will never stop trying to kiss you, even in public
• I’m not going to like the short skirt or the tight shirt, so don’t even wear it
• You will always need to know and live by the Family Principles
• I’m going to expect you to use your brain, ALWAYS!
• We will ski together until I am 100 or dead, what ever comes first
• . . . and I will always ski your ass into the ground
• I will always want to cuddle on the couch, watch a movie and eat popcorn and milk duds with you.
• You will never be too old to sit on my lap
• We will do Sunday Tea at whatever place has them until I’m too old to pick up the tea cup
• I will expect you to know your greatness
• I will never tell you it’s OK to rely on a man
• Yes, I will always tickle your leg, your arm or your cheek
• I will always lay with you at bedtime
• I will always expect you to manage your money well
• Saying I love you will always be a part of our day
• I will never get used to being away from you
• You will get mad at me, I’ll frustrate you, you’ll think I’m crazy, but I won’t care. I’m still going to love you
• I’ll always get pedicures with you
• There will never, ever, ever, ever be anything you can do that will make me stop loving you
• You will always have all of my heart

None of these things will ever change because I am your Dad and love you more than any Dad can ever love his daughters.

Kenna, Elle and Ava, I love you and that will NEVER, EVER CHANGE!

No need for words here.  The girls skiing will speak for itself.

Out of no where Ava started to count the other day. I was giving her a countdown for some reason and after I got to 3 she just kept going. I don’t think she cared too much that she was past the deadline and in trouble.

Ava is only 22 months old. As you can tell, she can barely talk, but she clearly knows how to count. I couldn’t get the video started fast enough, but I got her from 3 on.

Proud of you Ava girl!

Although they appear to be a seemingly ordinary pair of sneakers, they are far from it. These Junior, black, Converse One Star, Chuck Taylors, in a size 1 are anything buy ordinary. Yes, these sneakers are hip. They are cool. But, they carry an even greater value than their hipness. These are no ordinary Chuck Taylors. These are one of a kind Chuck T’s.  They are extremely valuable, as this is the only pair like them in the world. Despite their rarity, they will not fetch a high-price on eBay. They are not in high-demand.

What make these Chuck Taylors so valuable? What makes them so special?  These Chuck Taylors are the first shoes Kenna learned to tie!

Kenna was fanatical in trying to tie her own shoes last night. She tried at the dinner table, rather than eating. She tried while she watched TV. She tried before she went to bed.  She wouldn’t quit (another family principle) and her perseverance paid off. Kenna can now tie her own shoes.

These Chuck Taylors are special. They represent hard work and perseverance.

WAY TO GO KENNA!!!!!

Oh yea, they look good on her too!

Elle getting the money from her Piggy Bank!

When we got home from school today, Elle asked me a very interesting question. She asked if she could take some money out of her piggy bank and give it to some of the people living on the streets?

Of course, my answer was yes.  I was very impressed with her generosity! Elle came to that decision all on her own. We hadn’t talked about the homeless recently. I don’t know how Elle came up with the idea, but I was awfully proud.

We got out Elle’s piggy bank and she carefully sifted through her stash to determine how much she had and how much she wanted to give.  Elle was adamant she had at least one of all the denominations; pennies, nickels, dimes, quarters and dollar bills.  Once she had what she felt was enough, she asked for a plastic bag. I don’t know how much she put in the bag. However much it was, it worked for her.

When then hit the streets in search of the worthy and down and out. Just outside our door, the first candidate appeared. After careful reflection, Elle decided this person was not the right initial recipient. We moved on.  A little further down the street Elle stopped and watched a young man and his dog.  The dog laid on his back with a sign asking for money.  Elle stood and stared for a good minute, not saying anything.  I’m not sure what she was thinking.  I don’t know what was being mulled in her head, but she was clearly evaluating her decision.  Then, like a savvy gambler, Elle decided to place her bet on this beleaguered soul. She walked up and handed him 50 cents.

One of the Keenan Principles is:

Giving and Sharing;

We share our good fortunes with others, always remembering we are very lucky

I think Elle get’s this principle.

Elle's first donation

Not content with her first gift, we continued down the 16th St mall looking for the next recipient. In spite of a down economy, we were unfortunate enough not to find another person in need. We decide to head back, at which time we come across a Salvation Army bell ringer.

I ask Elle if she wanted to put anything in the bucket.  At fist she says no.  I tell her that the Salvation Army helps more than one person. That by donating to them, she can help a lot of people. Her look tells me she is not convinced. I prod her just a bit and she says ok.

She reaches into her bag and gets out a penny. I say is that it?  She says yes. I prod her into a quarter and she reluctantly abides. It’s clear Elle aligns with the studies on giving. People like to know or see the people they are affecting. It was obvious Elle didn’t see putting change into the red kettle as the same as giving to the person sitting on the street.

As we walk away, the bell ringer says thank you and Elle say your welcome. Elle then turns to me and says she’s tired and wants to go home.

We start to head home with money still in her bag.  I guess Elle felt that was enough for the day.

I’m proud of Elle.  She spent her afternoon thinking about other people and not just herself. I think we will all take Elle’s lead and do this more often. Rather than go for walks to get ice cream or a smoothie, we’ll take walks and give to others.  It’s the least we can do.

We’re pretty darn lucky to have what we have.

Thanks Elle!

I love you — Daddy!!!

One of our Family Principles is a Culture of Intellectualism:

We embrace intellectual curiosity and the pursuit of knowledge.  We celebrate education, educational achievement and the expansion of the mind

It’s with great pride and excitement I announce that Kenna is embracing our family principles with vigor.  Kenna made honor roll in her first semester in school.

Here she is accepting her honor roll certificate.  Kenna got all A’s.

Kenna worked extremely hard (another family principle) to make honor roll. She did homework every night.  She asked to do extra work and extra credit.  She studied her site words, traced extra letters, read on her own and even played teacher to get better.  Kenna also is great a sounding out words.  Kenna is always hungry and excited to sound out new words and learn to read more.

Kenna we are very proud of you.  You worked hard to make honor roll. Congratulations!!!!

Kenna took this picture with my Iphone.  I love it.  I call it “High Heels”

I’m going to frame it.  Copies can be order here.  :)

Well, Kenna lost her first tooth tonight.  It was exciting. It’s been loose for a while. She’s been wanting it to go. So, tonight Jeffrey yanked it out. No crying, no whining.  Kenna is a tough little chick, as tough as nails.

Notice the gap on the bottom row.  It matches the one on the top now.

UPDATE: The Tooth Fairy left two dollars. She’s gonna make a killing with that mouth.  Congrats Kenna.

Let’s see if we can put a dime in that slot.

Love you babe!