April 2024 Family Spotlight:
World Travelers Setting Roots in Pittsburgh
Hi, Children's School Family! We are the Spradlings - Kyle (dad), Michelle (mom), Dane (7), Everett (4), and Vera (1)! We are recent transplants to Pittsburgh and moved here to the Squirrel Hill neighborhood last August. Before that, we lived in Baltimore for one year; and before that, we lived in Northern California for 6 years. We have moved around a lot, but now we feel like we are setting down roots here in Pittsburgh. We love living here!
Our family enjoys going on hikes, swimming, grandparent visits, and traveling. Dane, Everett, and Vera are excellent world travelers! Whether it be flying to Thailand to visit Michelle's family, biking the streets of Amsterdam to visit Kyle's family, or taking trains and boats across Norway to sightsee some fjords, our kids have had some adventurous journeys and made some wonderful memories along the way. In fact, 4-year-old Everett has already swum in 4 of the world's oceans (although he did find the Pacific and Arctic Oceans much too cold for his liking)!
When we aren't traveling, the Spradling family enjoys exploring our new home of Pittsburgh! We particularly enjoy the Squirrel Hill library, Children’s Museum, farmers markets, and learning about the great Pittsburgh sports teams. Older brother Dane, who is a 1st grader at Falk, is an all-sports enthusiast and enjoys staying up to date on scores, records, and sports news. More recently, he has become a basketball player, flag-football teammate, and dabbles in some backyard soccer matches as well. Dane's true passion, however, is reading, and he can be found at all hours of the day enjoying a good book. His appetite for reading has become so voracious that trips to the library for a new book are now a daily event.
Everett's interests include biking, play dates, playgrounds, play dates at playgrounds, and helping with house repairs and cooking. He also has recently developed a strong interest in music, in large part because of his exposure to music at Children's School! Everett has been very motivated to learn how to play guitar and is taking lessons now! Impromptu jam sessions with brother Dane (on piano) are now frequent occurrences at the Spradling home, which baby sister Vera enjoys to a great degree. Vera's favorite activities include crawling, putting objects in and out of containers, and clapping and laughing when her brothers do something funny.
We are so fortunate and happy to have found the Children's School! From our first moments during the school tour, we could tell that this is a special place where children can explore, grow, practice their independence and creativity, and develop wonderful relationships with the teachers and other friends! Everett is absolutely loving his year as a Green Room friend, and we've witnessed tremendous growth in his confidence, communication and curiosity since joining the Children's School. Every day after school, we love hearing him describe his adventures, and his excitement is palpable and contagious! We are so grateful to be in the Children's School Family and to share in this adventure with all of you!
