Well, It’s been awhile. And while so many (big) things have changed since I last sat down to type a blog post, so many things are still the same.
We’ll start with the big one -- Darnell and I are currently separated and living in separate homes. While many of our family and close friends know, we haven’t made an official “announcement” on social media - so, I suppose this counts. It’s been a whirlwind of emotions (sadness, anger, confusion, vulnerability, but at times peace) but we’ve also had the good (but hard) conversations, and I’m hopeful we will end up with us in a better place -- whether that is together as a married couple or not.
I moved into our former rental home, and have had fun making it my own. The girls got to decorate their rooms. Daisy chose a “space” theme, Eleanor’s room is filled with things she loves (Super Mario, cats, Among Us...). I get to make color and design choices without conferring with anybody else :) So, I suppose there are perks. I’m still working from home, so the days I don’t see the girls gets a little lonesome. But, it’s also nice to have the quiet time at the same time. We don’t really have designated “days”, and it’s actually been pretty rare to go more than 1-2 days without us all hanging out together. I've been trying to be better about letting other people in, and also making a concerted effort to get out of the house. COVID precautions obviously doesn’t make it ideal, but it’s manageable.
The girls have adapted pretty well. Eleanor has a hard time being away from me (she does regardless, for any pockets of time) but with school and activities underway it has helped tremendously. They are still going to their schools, just where they sleep on some nights is different. With afterschool activities, we end up doing family dinners together more often than not.
Speaking of school, our Daisy started Middle school this year - crazy! The six years at Seven Oaks Elementary seriously flew by...I can imagine how fast the next 7 years will go. She’s officially a 6th grader at Eagle Middle, and I think she’s adjusted well to the big change. I have to pull information out of her, but a peek at her grades shows she’s adapting just fine academically. She’s making new friends and also solidifying current friendships so I’m hopeful this new stage in life is off to a good start. We are extremely grateful that her BFF (and neighbor) is a 7th grader at EMS, and she helped show Daisy the ropes and where to find the bus stop (our first time riding the bus, since the Elementary school is ridiculously close to the house).
Daisy made the company team again, and is dancing with 3 other returning dancers from her team last year and 3 new girls. It is shaping up to be a really fun season! She also decided she wants to perform a solo this year, a big step for our girl! So she gets to have 1-1 time with a teacher/choreographer once a week and I think it’ll really help stretch her skills and boost her confidence.
Eleanor is a full-fledged 1st grader and now the only Weightman at Seven Oaks :). Her teacher this year is Daisy’s all-time favorite teacher (we like her a lot too!) and she seems to be thriving. She’s our little social butterfly, and I think she likes being back in the classroom (although, she calls is “boring”). She’s still fiercely competitive, but I do think her sportsmanship has improved a bit (she doesn’t cry when she loses anymore). We doubled up on Fall activities, continuing with Chicas soccer M/W and dance on Friday. We added a second dance class (making it 2 hours) and watching little 6-7 year old's do hip-hop is the cutest thing I’ve ever seen. I love watching her love for life.
That really touches the highlights of our life updates. Obviously, they are big.