Annual Holiday Newsletter 2014

West Coast Cronin Clan – Annual Holiday Newsletter 2014

Welcome to another rendition of our annual newsletter. We’ve finally surrendered to the digital revolution and are posting this to our family blog (which has now been running intermittently for six years!). It pains us to do it, but it is SO much easier to post photos and save on paper. Plus, now family and friends beyond our core snail mail list will be able to read this greeting! 

In many ways 2014 has been about building a firmer family foundation while trying to find the right balance managing the hectic schedules of three kids, working parents, and community commitments. Looking back, it’s also been another life-packed year of new experiences and learning for each of us.

Teagan is enjoying her youngest sibling status raking in the adoration and attention. Her amazing smile and array of facial expressions has all of us enamored with her personality. Although not sleeping through the night on a regular basis, she surprised us by starting to use the potty a few times a day before she turned a year. As with her brother and sister, Teagan is learning sign language and loves communicating with us (check out her adorable video!). It’s a lot of fun teaching her and she gets so much back in return. Teagan has a voracious appetite for books so each time you think you’re sitting down to relax to read the paper she scoots in next to you with her latest collection from the library, gives an eager wistful smile, and expects you to read all afternoon. The highlight of our Memorial Day weekend was celebrating Teagan’s baptism at Grace Memorial, where she was a pure angel. 

   

Makenna leading the Grace Art Camp song :-)

Makenna is thriving in her Kindergarten class at Irvington School with Ms. Robyn - the same teacher Kieran had – in her last year of teaching. She adjusted (almost!) seamlessly from a social standpoint making new friends, getting lots of sleep, and loving homework. Her daily reports at the dinner table are filled with accounts of classroom projects, field trips, exploits on the playground, and after school yoga and belly dancing classes. Makenna also completed her first year of soccer playing for our local club. Unfortunately, Saturday games overlapped with Kieran’s creating a split household, but thankfully Darcy’s loves biking with girls in tow.     

Kieran at the beach in November.

Kieran is a 3^rd grader in Ms. Cheri and Ms. Jennifer’s class. Over the summer, Kieran was a very reluctant reader, but when Darcy started reading Harry Potter to him, he suddenly got excited about reading (They’re currently devouring the fourth years’ adventure in the Goblet of Fire...snuggie time is now "Potter Time"). Now he’s competing with friends to read the whole “Magic Tree House” series, plus several other graphic novel series. Kieran continues to excel in math, but is really excited about a new program “Learning in Depth” that empowers him to research and explore a randomly selected subject: writing systems. Kieran finished another fun filled season of baseball and soccer. Kieran played catcher, first time goalie and is blossoming into an on field leader. Kieran is in his second year of the Chess/Go Club, helping his school take 1^st place in both at a recent tournament.  

Teagan and Darcy at Edgefield concert

Darcy has been one busy mama, essentially creating several part time gigs for herself. She went through Mama Bliss Coaching School last spring, and has loved honing her new craft and serving bliss-seeking mamas (Watch out 2015!). After barely two years in business with the family beach cabins, she and Miel have taken over the management together. She’s almost reached her fifth year of blogging for Sustainable Family Finances, and added on a new gig as a monthly columnist for Metro Parent. Darcy and Miel’s connection is legendary, so when Miel's family decided to relocate to Portland in September Darcy was beyond thrilled to have her soul sister a 15 minute walk away. They are sharing a nanny (Kensey who is like a welcomed new family member) and supporting each other every step of the way. It’s apparent that juggling the needs of start-up ventures and keeping our ankle biters at bay requires infinite energy and ambition. Throw in volunteering to organize a second annual street painting, hosting a Olivia Beach HOA picnic, celebrating sculpture installations at Pittman Addition, and serving through Rotary...the days go by way too fast.

Kevin with colleagues working in Lents.

Kevin is still working at PDC helping to revitalize local neighborhood business districts. One highlight was opening a new, all weather youth soccer field in North Portland through a partnership with the Timbers Army. His coaching habit has been hard to kick, managing a 14 player U9 team, but it’s been one of the most rewarding experiences imaginable. However, any high from youth coaching has been counteracted by this old house projects: a new roof, basement waterproofing for a man cave, two industrious and madly in love squirrels in the crawlspace doing the tango every night, yard & garden fever, and various other inexhaustible honey do list items. Needless to say, another hobby is desperately in order.     

Our family travels started at spring break this year, with an epic east coast adventure for our nephew's bar mitzvah and Miel's baby shower. The top highlight of our summer camping season was spending two weeks in British Columbia in August with the Higgs Family and friends. We experienced incredible weather, Canadian hospitality, explored Tolfino on the West Coast and Pacific Rim National Park, and stayed a few nights in Vancouver visiting Granville Market, Stanley Park, multiple breweries, and the coolest city in Cascadia. Kieran and Kevin were stationed at Fort Stevens State Park for Man Camp 2014: camping, biking, kayaking, swimming, hiking, beach combing, exploring WWII batteries, concrete bunkers, and Fort Clatsop, all topped off with World Cup soccer in Astoria at Fort George Brewery with a platoon of Sweeney boys visiting for the day. Meanwhile Darcy took the girls to an amazing Michael Franti/Brett Dennen concert with yoga at Edgefield and camping at Dodge Park.

Family road trips included a gorgeous 4^th of July weekend at Olivia Beach to “check on the cabins,” a reunion of former AmeriCorps members outside Eugene, our favorite camp spot on the Central Oregon coast at Tillicum Beach for Labor Day weekend, and an overnight stay at Mazama Lodge on Mount Hood. Finally, Kevin was able to fly solo in October to visit the East Coast Clan for Pop Pop’s 79^th surprise birthday bash. The clan was all present and accounted for with bells on and bottles in hand.

For the most part, our summer was spent in Portland attending street festivals, riding our bikes at Sunday Parkways, and enjoying outdoor cinema under the stars at our local city park. In the fall we made hiking our priority, and went on a long family hike every weekend. Yet, spending this holiday season hunkered down at home is always an end of the year tradition we look forward to and reminds us of just how blessed we are with our family, friends and community. Thank you for being in our lives.

We hope you enjoyed our 2014 rewind and that you get a chance to see our clan in 2015. We wish you a very Merry Christmas and a healthy and prosperous New Year. Keep in touch with us, ideally over dinner, drinks, or a weekend at Olivia Beach, but you can intermittently keep tabs via our family blog. Despite its recent hiatus, it’s still the best way to find the latest photos and family stories throughout the year. Here’s to planning for a fantastic 2015!

The “West Coast” Cronin Clan:

Kevin, Darcy, Kieran, Makenna & Teagan