We have coined this past week "The week from hell" or "Hell week" in our home. It was honestly a jam packed full of events sort of week. Our two year-round / spring activities (track and dance) wrapped up and our summer activity (fastpitch) is gearing up. Let’s quickly be reminded that this little boy goes with the flow better than anyone else I know. Our vehicles have boxes of cars for the dirt, along with balls and his bike. But most importantly, he is so cute and everyone loves to have him around!
We had two double headers early in the week, two track meets mid-week, 3 softball practices sprinkled throughout and then came the weekend....4 dance recitals and a 5 game softball tournament. Before I get to the weekend, let's back up and re-cap the wild week.
Regan's team played in a very wet double header, where they battled hard and ended up with a win and a tie. We were cold and tired and very very wet!
The very next day after school, she headed with her track team over to a nearby "away" meet while Sidney played in her own double header. Regan was not too happy with me, as it was hot and she was sweaty and rather would have packed up after her first event. Instead, I made her run the next event (mile) and she ended up finishing her best time to date- 6:52! Wowzas were were proud :) That same night, Sidney had an opportunity to shine on the pitching mound where she had her best games to date, striking out 8 or 9 batters (we lost count!). Whoo whoo!
Regan then wrapped up the week with her final track meet, joined by her whole family as spectators (up to this point, I was the only one who had come to watch). It was a fun experience for all of us and she did great again. Lincoln spent most of the meet running around with her teammates who treated him like their own. That boy is pretty popular around the older kiddos.
And then we entered the weekend of hell week, which I should coin something more dramatic. Because oh my goodness was it a crazy one! Friday night, each girl had their own hour or two of dress rehearsal, where we realized we hadn't purchased matching tshirts for the Sisters Dance costume. A run to Target, and then another Target solved that problem. The night ended with yours truly staying up late packing food and bags and extra clothing for the following day: softball tournament day one and recital day, which were conveniently stretched across the metro. Ryan and I had run through the day multiple times, so we could plan out who needed to be in which car, where all the correct bags needed to be and ensuring we had food for the full day.
We had to be at the fields by 7am sharp, which meant leaving by 6:20am. With a first win in the books, we flew out of the dugout to get to dance. Regan changed into her first dance costume while I sped through the cities to the first dance recital (both girls danced, but Regan was out on stage first; Sidney had time to change when we arrived). She made it with a few dances to spare, and we got to our seats just before her first dance started. Tears slid down my face watching our girls out there. They shined on stage and danced their little hearts out! It was so much fun to see how far they had come these past 9 months.
At the end of the show, Lincoln was in dire need of a nap, and the girls went backstage to reset themselves for the next show. Unfortunately, Regan had to miss her 2nd game during that first show and we then had to skip the 2nd recital to make it to her 3rd game. Once again, she changed in the car as we headed back down to the fields. Thankfully my mom was able to wait around for Sidney and then meet up with us for the game. Regan's dance bun changed again to a ponytail. They won the game which meant they were 3-0 on day 1 and heading to the Gold bracket Sunday.
This wasn't the end of our crazy day, it was only mid way through! As we were taking our time walking back to the car, we realized if we hurried, Regan might just make it to part of the 3rd dance recital. A fire was lit underneath her and she wanted us to h-u-r-r-y! Which is exactly what we did. This wasn't part of the run-down that Ryan and I had reviewed the day prior, and I landed with all 3 kids in my car speeding my way back to the recital. In the dash to toss everything into the car and leave the parking lot, all of the costumes were in my trunk and Regan was half naked in the front seat looking for her costumes. Since we were stopped at a red light, I did what any crazy mom would do: tossed my car into park and dug through my trunk, quickly grabbing her costume and dance bag. She got herself dressed, re-did her bun (again) and we started texting a parent at the recital to see if we were going to make it in time. It was a just in the nick of time sort of ending and she was so glad to have made it! Stressed does not begin to describe how I (we) felt that day.
And then this group text with her coaches/team manager really made me laugh! Yes, I did in fact feel a little crazy :)
We finished the night off with a quick dinner and her final recital, where she was able to relax backstage and hang out with her dance buddies knowing her next destination was her bed! My mom sat through that recital with me and both of us were also ready for bedtime :)
The next morning we all headed back down to the ball fields prepared for more games and hoping for a little warm sun. Regan's team played hard, dug deep for strength and pulled off 2 more wins for the Gold Bracket Championship! Proud mama tears rolled down me face. And then the coach was brought to tears as she awarded Regan one of the game balls, telling everyone how proud she was of her dedication not only to ball and the fields, but also Dance. I’m pretty sure coach T understood the lengths we went to make that weekend happen for Regan; I appreciated her words more than ever. We were exhausted and happy and excited for all of Regan’s team's hard work.
Her biggest littlest fan....
Congrats to this team earning First Place Gold Bracket on their first tournament of the season and a berth to Nationals!
