Koyer's Here!!!
This has been quite the week. Hank spent time away from me for 5 whole days. That’s a hard adjustment to make when it’s just been him and I for the last 7 weeks, day in and day out. I had all these grand plans for hikes and various things I wanted to do that are challenging for someone his age, so this was my moment to do them. The first day he was gone, I thought “This is the day! I’m going to get up early, go hiking, clean my house, stack up on groceries, and maybe even do a little shopping” 👏👏
👀 Didn’t happen 🤦♀️ Day two, same thing 🤷♀️ By day three, I started to really listen to my body and what it needed; and what it needed was rest. I slept. A lot. We have gone hard the last several weeks and I simply needed a reprieve. What I learned is that it’s OK to slow down 💜
I picked Hank up on Sunday and it was so sweet 🥰 I opened the truck door from the opposite side he was on, and there was his little head peeking over his bags and toys, and he goes “Oh! There she is!!! That’s Hank’s mom!! Hi, Mom 💗 Let’s go get in the SUV!!” It was the sweetest greeting I’ve ever had. I wish I had it recorded. I’d listen to it everyday. So precious 🥰
Then, who shows up a day earlier than he was supposed to… Koyer Petrich 👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏
Of all the adventures I’ve been on and all the people we’ve been around, there’s still no one better than Koyer 💗💗💗 He drove down with my brother Noah Wille and their two friends, John and Ben (jie 😉). These kids brought the remainder of my stuff down and helped me pack, rearrange , and reload. They wouldn’t take any money for all their help 🥹 All it cost me was their gas money, which is a small price to pay for the help of 4 young men!! I am so grateful for these boys!!
The next morning, I dropped Koyer off at school… 🤦♀️ Hank!!! I dropped HANK off at school (do other parents do this too 😂😂) and Koyer and I drove up to MT Lemmon to spend the day out of the heat 🥵 (it was 104 👎).
This place is so cool (literally 20 degrees less than the desert, thank God 😅) and pretty. It starts out Cactus, moves into bushes and shrubs, and ends up pine trees 🌲 🤷♀️ Pretty crazy!! It’s about 30 minutes from my home and it even gets snow 🤯
We did a little hiking and rode the ski lift. After awhile, Koyer drove us down the windy mountain 🫣😅 where we picked up Hank. We ended the day at the arcade and with Mexican cuisine for dinner. Koyer even appeased his “ma” and played some Scattergories 🥰🥰🥰 Then he really blew my mind and opted to sleep on my couch instead of going back to the hotel with the other boys 🤯🤯😍 He left this morning, headed to Vegas 🎰😬😅😂 and then Salt Lake for a concert 🎶.
Sure do miss him already. He is such a good kid. Sweet, kind, considerate… but he does have a mouth like a sailor 🤦♀️ and some questionable movie choices 🙄 (Good boys or something, which I would never watch 😳, let alone with my mother 🫣, but explains his mouth 🤦♀️😂).
The thing is, no one ever tells you about the part of parenting that is the absolute hardest - after they leave. You are left with this huge absence of energy that has been the reason for every decision you’ve made for the last 18 years. They are making decisions that you have zero say in and they are their own person, making their own choices. You literally watch your heart walking around out in the world. It’s crazy hard.
Koyer is the most amazing kid. I’m not just saying that because I’m his mom either!! He’s so much fun to be around. We can laugh and be silly, and then there are times when we can have really long, deep conversations. We can hash out the mistakes I’ve made and his hopes and his dreams. This kid is everything to me. I am so thankful to be his mom, and as he gets older and matures, his friend 💙💖
I’m sad to see him go, but I’m thankful for the time we’ve had and looking forward to the holidays 🫶