This is the “celebrate Hayley” post that a proud dad gets to write. I told you I don’t play favorites with my kids, so I’m sure before too long an Aubrey-centric post will come. But tonight is Hayley!
Each year every fifth grader from every public school in Newberg heads to the high school for a track and field day. Hayley wasn’t too excited about it ahead of time; she didn’t want to come in last. But she decided to run the 100 meters and do the long jump. She asked her mom to coach her on the long jump, out in our sand pit that will become our pool (if it ever decides to get over 60 degrees around here).
At the meet, her first two jumps were in the 9 foot range, and she was leading the pack. Elaine was excited for her (I couldn’t get away from work), but then watched some other girl jump 11 feet, one inch- a huge lead. Hayley took off for her last jump:
It looked good, but when she landed, she fell back a little bit:
“Oh well,” Elaine thought. “That was a great jump! If she just could have fallen forward, she might have gotten first.” But when they measured, the tape came up 11 feet, 3 inches…Hayley got the blue ribbon!
But she’s not a one-dimensional girl, let me tell you. Today, we got a call from the school that we might want to show up at the awards assembly; sure enough, Hayley got recognized with a President’s Award for Educational Excellence!
I’m always glad when others realize and recognize Hayley’s accomplishments. What I wish even more is that everyone got the chance to see the Hayley I know: a loyal girl with an impish sense of humor, infinitely creative and experimental, with a mind that has an incredible ability to discover and problem solve.
Since I’ve proclaimed this Hayley day (always present tense, as in, if you’re reading this, it’s Hayley day 🙂 ), you may have something you’ve noticed about Hayley that you’d like to tell her directly!
So Great!! Thank you for sharing about Hayley’s recent accomplishments. You took awesome pictures! She is one special girl-and God has given you 3 amazing daughters.
We are very thrilled with and appreciative of Hayley’s remarkable accomplishments. As grandparents we love and cherish all three of your girls, but on “Hayley Day” it’s worth noting that we especially appreciate Hayley’s kind spirit that is complemented by an intense desire for knowledge and understanding. She is a real treasure, and we love her dearly. -Grandma & Grandpa Koskela