Life Lately and Christmas prep

 It's a little challenging to prep for Christmas with all the chasing kids around that we do each week. But we're squeaking in a little cookie baking, tree decorating, present wrapping and just days before Christmas, we finally added lights to the house (perhaps with a lot of begging on my part). You see, these kiddos of ours are in love with their activities and sports, tugging us in every direction 6 (sometimes 7) days/week. We put on at least 150 miles each week driving them to practices, games, lessons and training.  Sometimes I manage to run in/out of stores during their longer 3 hour trainings, or shop online from the comfort of my car during their shorter 1 hour trainings. I search Pinterest for the latest Elf happenings and set reminders on my phone to be sure the sneaky thing has moved when I finally crawl into the house at night, often after 10:30pm. I turned my car into a "carfice", in other words my car office. 

And in between all of those sports and activities, we are sledding and crafting (more like science-kit building) and trying to find a good Hallmark show. 

It doesn't quite feel like Christmas to me yet, maybe it's because I haven't had a chance to slow down. We have one more day of school/work this week, and then we'll take a breather and try to enjoy the season, because at this point, I kind of feel like Ellie our Elf! 

Thanksgiving Eve

 As I seek to find gratitude and teach the kiddos the same, I know we have so very much to be thankful for. Even when we weren't living through a pandemic, the hospital setting where I work is a constant reality of how much we should all appreciate our health, our families and our lives each and every day. It is never lost on me just how grateful I am for all that we have. This week we tend to express that even more, and I found myself in a constant state of 'thanks'. 

A bit of thanks in the form of photos 

Our favorite fur-neighbor. She holds your arms when you pet her and makes it incredibly challenging to get any yardwork finished.

My amazing suite-mates/team at Abbott. I only get to see the other 2/3 of my team in a virtual platform most of the time, but I'm grateful for this amazing group! They are dedicated and work tirelessly but most of all, make work more enjoyable.

My favorite 4 legged suite-mate that I get to dog-sit every once in a while. 

A new team for Sidney that she has embraced and loved and they have welcomed her with open arms. These girls are fantastic and just what she needed

My AMAZING mom who is there for me every morning when I call; and who loves up on the kiddos with all of her heart. 

This group of friends from freshman year in the dorms at SCSU. We created a bond that we never have let go and the memories just keep coming. 

Lincoln's gathering his own group of buddies, and though they are l-o-u-d and crazy, they are a fun group of boys! 

I am forever grateful that Sidney has finally found a love for reading books. Her dear friends introduced her to a romance author and she is hooked. 

Bonus, she puts her phone down for hours at a time when she gets going on a new book. 

We are all thankful for Regan's friend group. She is in the midst of some challenging years and making the safe choices can sometimes be hard. So so grateful for that head on her shoulders. 

Much of those good decisions are influenced by Regan's strong desire to play softball at a higher level. I am grateful for the opportunity to chase her around the state as she attends prospect camps and tours colleges, searching for the perfect fit. 

But I am even more grateful to that woman on the bucket below, and the countless hours spent together.

 Coach Becky loves seeing Regan's passion to put in extra work and is always willing to stay late after practice whacking balls at her, or giving Regan private lessons.

They spend hours together and never tire, and I'm so thankful that she shares her talents.

We thought we were going to lose her at the end of the last season, and man were there tears! Lucky for us, we're still together :) 

But most of all, I'm thankful for each and every one in this picture. 

Yes, we have our moments. And yes, occasionally we need a break from one another. But they are my everything and I love them to pieces. 

Find ways to give thanks and wishing all a Happy Thanksgiving! 

Happy 8th Birthday!

 Our favorite little boy turned EIGHT last month, and I honestly can hardly believe it. How in the world is he growing up so fast, right before our eyes. It honestly feels faster with him than with the girls. Maybe it's because we are busier these days and have fewer days to lounge and 'play'; moving from field to rink, one school to the next. 

He's just so grown up 

Eight things I love about him: 

            * He is incredibly loud, talking non-stop, about absolutely nothing relevant. Literally, it can make your head spin, he talks so much. But I hope he never stops telling me about his days. 

            * He also loves to run and climb and jump and often makes my heart stop when he says "watch this!" from a structure far too high as he leaps to the ground. 

            * He is so so so social, loving up on everyone he meets (maybe because it's someone new for him to talk to!). He easily talks with adults and kids alike. 

            * Linc loves when anyone will wrestle, tickle, or play tag with him. Large muscle activities is where he lives. 

           * He eats more fruit than anyone I know. And will compliment his fruit with a snack of pickle chips. 

          * Daily will tell me that he loves me, and mean it. Random times throughout the day he will stop what he is doing and holler out "Love you mom!". Melts. My. Heart. 

          * He loves to learn and experiment, play sports and fly his new drone that takes those lovely pictures (thanks Grandma Jan). His newest favorite books are the Who Will Win books, so much so that we bought all 45 of them! He loves learning about which animal will win the battle. 

          * He speaks the truth. Good or bad, he's going to tell it like it is! 

The cake he insisted on decorating himself

We were so excited to celebrate him turning 8! With a Halloween birthday, it's fun to incorporate the holiday into his birthday. This year we went to the pumpkin event at the zoo and he had a B-L-A-S-T!

Happy Birthday buddy! 

Labor Day Weekend 2021

Labor Day weekend is one that our kids always look forward to. It has changed over the last 15 years, with sports impacting attendance at the annual cabin retreat. But we keep up the tradition, no matter how tricky it gets. And this year was no different. 

Ryan and Regan once again had to stay back for a tournament. They were both sad to miss out on the fun, and we sure missed them! 

We found lots of fun to keep us busy. Lincoln never stops moving and adores every second of lake life. He sure lived his best life this year! Sidney had a blast driving the jet ski (escorted by Dave of course), tubing behind both the boat and jet ski, because "mom, the jet ski whips faster in a circle", and hanging out with her cousins that she only sees once/year. 

Lincoln took me kayaking

Late night lessons teaching Hope to play Super Smash Bros on his switch

I mastered driving the pontoon without much fear this year. I don't mind driving it, it's parking it on the lift that has always concerned me. This year I didn't even get nervous, despite the waves earlier in the day.

Lincoln loves going "full rottle" on the pontoon. I taught him not to start and stop so abruptly and we all had a much more enjoyable ride :) 

Dave took Linc/Sid out on the jet ski each day both to drive it and to be towed. He has the patience of a saint and I'm so thankful for him. 

Each night, Lincoln and Lila would go frog hunting while the rest of us sat next to the campfire. They'd come back with this tote filled with frogs. It was seriously shocking how many frogs they could catch in just a few minutes. 

And what's a campfire without s'mores! 

Lincoln fished everyday, catching mostly seaweed. 

He and Grandma Jan love this bench. 

Our little daredevil had to jump off the pontoon any chance he could. It wasn't until after he was in the water did we realize there wasn't a ladder to climb back up :) 

Olivia, Sidney, Lila and Lincoln 

(missing Regan)

Sidney was not interested in her photo being taken this year. You should've seen the face she made until I told her this was going on the blog. Thanks for smiling! 

Shane and Lila took Lincoln out on their boat a few times to fish. I'm not sure who talks more out there: Lila or Lincoln. Poor Shane had to listen to all of it :) 

Early morning fishing, with bedhead and squinty eyes. 

Thankful for Grandma Jan for pulling us together every year, even if we had to leave 2 behind. 

Just a boy and his rod/reel

We have the ultimate swimming set up with a slide, lilypad and diving dock. The kids love it! 

Their expressions and looks just before the tube took off. I think they were plotting how to intentionally fall off! 

Hope was able to drive 2 days all the way from California to spend a night with us; and we are soooooo happy to see her! It's been 1.5 years since we've seen the whites of her eyes. 

Sidney stayed up until midnight soaking in all of her advice and stories. 

That's a wrap! 

 

Great Lakes Nationals-Peoria, IL 2021

We lucked out in that our girls' teams ended up both attending the same National tournament this summer: Great Lakes Nationals in Peoria, IL. The complex is impressive, and with all games being played at the same location, we jumped from field to field watching game after game after game. 

Over the course of 5 days, we watched approximately 20 games. 

We went through a lot of sunscreen, water, and money for concession stand food! 

Peoria doesn't have a lot to offer beyond the fields, but we checked out the local Bass Pro Shop which Lincoln found to be quite entertaining! 

And always a playground nearby to get out those mid-day wiggles. It was so dreadfully hot several days, he found himself just needing to take a break. 

Sidney had a night out with her team/coaches where they dressed up "fancy" and hit up Olive Garden. 

They clean up nicely, I hardly recognize these girls without any dirt on their clothes. 

We absolutely love watching the girls in their element. And both of them seemed to have peeked just at the right time. 

Sidney has had a great season, she is so fun to watch both offensively and defensively. I love seeing her Hit and quickly scoot around the bases. She's a sneaky one on base and so quick! 

Sidney's team struggled to pull off many wins at Nationals. They had a good run for a couple of games, but in the end, were eliminated. 

Regan's bat was on FIRE as she hit singles, doubles and triples scoring plenty of RBI's.

Her team took 3rd place  at National's to finish out the season. We are so proud of her persistence in working hard and battling through her broken hand this spring. 

Saying goodbye to a great group of coaches brought some tears. 

Turns out she made their team again for next year and will be joining them back on the field once again!