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When shopping for the boys for Christmas this past year, I struggled a bit. They are getting older, they aren't really into 'toys' like when they were little boys. Steve and I opted to give them a few gifts, but the 'big' gift was an overnight trip to learn how to snowboard. They have each talked about learning at one point in time or another. We booked a package at Shawnee Mountain that was part of an attempt to break a Guiness Book World Record for the largest group attempting to learn a snow sport. We stayed at the Hampton Inn and Suites in Stroudsburg, PA. We all enjoyed the pool/hot tub after a day on the slopes. After a nice visit with Steve's friend Will and his family (he and Steve met when he attended East Stroudsburg University), we returned to the hotel. *Fun fact: They both made the Instagram page for Shawnee Mountain! The boys thanked us more than once for the wonderful weekend getaway. Thank you to my parents for watching our girls so we could have some family time. xoxo Traci I have come to have a love/hate relationship with this sport.
What I LOVE: It is building character in our boys. They win some, they lose some, and it teaches them to remain humble regardless. Failing 'safely' over and over again. We realize the importance in our children needing to learn how to handle failure at an early age so they can utilize their supports and learn from their mistakes. Wrestling is for everyone: girl, boy, little, big, young, old. It doesn't matter. Wrestling is a team sport with an individual aspect. I love this about the sport. This sport is what you make of it. If you work hard, you will see progress. If you don't, you won't. Bottom line. What I REALLY DISLIKE about this sport: Our boys get hurt. Nobody wants to see their kids eyes filled with tears and bruised up and down. Our boys fail over and over again. I know it is good, but I still really dislike it. I mentioned it above as one of the things I LOVE about the sport, but boy it stinks to watch your kids fail over and over again. The LOVE of this sport outweighs the DISLIKE. And so we continue . . . #wrestling #boymom #lifewithboys William celebrated his 14th birthday on Sunday, January 6, 2019. It is still hard to believe that our first born is fourteen. He chose Jake's Burgers for dinner and is excited about his gift! We even watched the #Eagles secure a spot in the playoffs after dinner.
Cheers to fourteen years, kid! In September 2018, we were given an assignment to describe our child in one million words or less for our son's 8th grade Language Arts class. I felt it appropriate to share as we prepare to celebrate his 14th birthday!
Our first born, William Chandler will turn fourteen this January. As an infant, he was curious and often given the descriptive quality of being an ‘old soul.’ He was a talker at the age of eighteen months and hasn’t stopped since. Often times his deep and loud voice could be heard above all others. To this day, that has not changed, especially when he is excited about something. He gets it honestly, as his father is the same way. Quiet our house is not! At the age of three, a doctor at DuPont hypothesized that he was “going to be an engineer,” as he observed William exam the mechanics of the swing door in the exam room as we awaited the results of his allergy testing. As of today if you were to ask what career field he would like to go into, it is engineering, perhaps mechanical or electrical, he’ll tell you. He still continues to tinker with circuits and machines and is my ‘Go To Guy’ for fixing my broken sewing machines. Academically, it has been wonderful to watch him grow. He is on track to exceed both my husband and my academic achievements. He has a work ethic like nothing I have seen in a child before. He has learned to effectively manage his time in order to allow for homework completion and studying. Many nights he forgoes playing games or enjoying an episode of The Goldberg’s with the family in an effort to stay on top of his studies. If we travel on the weekend, he packs his backpack. I’d like to think it has something to do with being extremely consistent when he was young, but truth be told, it is just who he is. He prides himself on being neat and organized. He likes his belongings a certain way. He pays very close attention to detail, has common sense, and an intuition that is not typical for a young boy his age. He is sensitive; sometimes too sensitive. He is not afraid to face consequences when he makes a mistake. These are just a few of the personality traits we see William exhibit as he continues on his journey. Socially, he marches to his own beat. Up until this point, he hasn’t gotten too wrapped up in much of the social drama that teenagers can be distracted by. Part of that is we don’t allow it, in particular, snapchat, and he reminds us of this every chance he gets. He was able to make a case for Instagram, of which we approved. Yet, with as much as he is told no, he still shows respect. He has friends, both in school and out of school. He participates on the KMS football and wrestling teams. Overall, he is a likable kid that cares about people. Through the years, we have consistently preached the same phrase to William, and his younger brother, Benjamin. Before boarding the bus each day, we tell them, “Make good choices and be a good person.” I hope that you have the opportunity to observe him making good choices and being a good person in your class this year. Sincerely, Steve and Traci Chandler Continue being you, William! You make us proud each and every day! xoxo Mom & Dad |
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AuthorTraci, a wife, mother of two boys, Special Education teacher, and sole proprietor of Eco Alternatives LLC. Archives
September 2021
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