Truth

Zach took Briggs to see a movie in the movie theater yesterday.  As they were getting ready to leave, Briggs told me, "I need to go to the bathroom before we leave because if you have to go to the bathroom during the movie, they don't even pause it."

#truth

Cross Country

There are many things that I have always loved about fall.  The changing colors.  Wearing boots and sweatshirts.  Football games.  Pumpkin farms.  And cross country.  Cross country is my favorite sport and fall to me isn't complete without cross country.  As a 7th grader, Staley was so excited for her chance to start on her cross country journey.

Staley LOVED being a part of this team.

Staley and I had cross country practice or a cross country meet 5 days/week from the beginning of August through last weekend.

Staley's time at the first meet of the year (which was also the first meet of her cross country career) was 16:28 for 2 miles.

Staley got her final PR of the season at the State Cross Country Championships where she ran a 14:09.  A more than 2 minute improvement from the start of the season to the end of the season is pretty impressive!

Staley worked hard in the summer and throughout the season.  She earned a spot on the varsity squad (top 7 runners) for the first meet and never relinquished her spot.  She was typically the #5 or #6 runner for her team throughout the year.

I really enjoyed many aspects of helping coach this team, but getting to spend so much time with Staley and watch her work hard, improve, and love this sport that I love was by far the best part.

The team was filled with many of Staley's closest friends, and she grew closer to other teammates throughout the year.  Some of the highlights of the season included...

Going to Wally's for dinner and fun after the meet in Pontiac

The girls' 3rd place finish at the Trojan Invite

All the Homecoming festivities like making shirts, decorating the float, and representing the cross country team in the parade

The muddy, messy chaos that is the EPG Invite (where the girls again got 3rd place)

Seeing friends from other schools at various meets, including NTA friends, Penguin friends, and church friends...

and cousins too!

A girl's first place team finish at the Conference meet

Team lunch and movie day before Sectionals...

where the kids watched 'McFarland, USA' and then got to have a Zoom talk with Thomas Valles, one of the runners highlighted in the movie.

The biggest season highlight...a 2nd place team finish at Sectionals, meaning that the girl's team qualified for State!  Even more impressive, all 7 of the varsity girls plus the 3 alternates were all 7th graders.

Qualifying for State was a huge accomplishment for the team.

State prep week was just full of fun!  We took a fieldtrip to Maxwell Park to run on the state course...

followed by dinner at Core Life Eatery.

There was soccer for practice day, State signs, the State send-off at school, State goody bags, State shirts...

and a night before State team dinner and movie night at our house for the boy's and girl's sectional runners.

The State meet day was chilly and misty/overcast, but the excitement about being there was enough to overcome the weather.

Staley was the only runner from our team who got a PR that day, but the girls still finished 15th as a team and hopefully got a taste for what they could accomplish next year as 8th graders.

So many team members, friends from school, and families came to support the state runners.

Although Grammie and Grandpa were out of town, Uma and Papa braved the cold to cheer on Staley...

as did Liam, Caroline, and Lucy (and their parents).

It was a great day and a great end to a great season!

Cross country was a full family affair this year.  Zach, Adelie, and Briggs were at almost every meet.  Zach was the ultimate supporter of the team, while Adelie and Briggs liked hanging out with their friends, getting to know kids on the team, and eating Kona Ice.

I learned a lot through helping coach this year.  I really enjoyed the kids, the families, the head coach, and the whole experience.

I'm really proud of Staley and all she accomplished this year.

Hooray for cross country!!

Accusations

I was gone last night, and the kids were asking Zach about having ice cream before bed.  Zach said, "Why don't we wait and have it another night when Mom is home so we can do it as a family."  Adelie replied, "She probably has ice cream behind our backs every night."  Then, turning to Staley and Briggs she added, "They sit down there after we are in bed and eat snacks, party, and have cereal."

There may be nuggets of truth to some of those accusations.  However, I do not have ice cream behind their backs every night and rarely have late-night cereal.  On the other hand, partying in the living room after the kids are in bed?  Absolutely.

Question of the Day

Adelie just started 5th grade band.  She is playing the clarinet.  She is very excited about it!!  My question is:  At what point in the clarinet playing does it begin to sound more like music and less like a dying goose?

Soccer

 Briggs just finished his fall season of 2nd and 3rd grade soccer.

He had nice coaches and some friends on his team.

Briggs really enjoyed soccer this year, more than any other season he has played.

Although still not super aggressive, he was definitely in the mix more.

He did a lot of running, made a few nice saves when he played goalie, and had more than a few occasions where he ran and kicked the ball all the way down the field.

He took a few shots on goal throughout the season, but never made a goal.

I was proud of his hustle, his improvement, and the fact that he didn't often throw a fit about going.

It was a good season.

I'm proud of my little soccer player!

Transitioning to Fall

Fall has officially descended upon us.  In the last week, temperatures have dropped substantially, and I've been embracing my sweatshirts and leggings and fuzzy socks.  Even with the change in temperatures, Briggs has still been wearing shorts and t-shirts while Adelie has been continuing on with her sleeveless dresses and sandals.  

On days that I work, I leave before anyone else in the house is awake.  If there are reminders that I need to share with the kids, I just write them on the whiteboard on the fridge.  On Monday the temperatures were in the 50's.  I came home from work to find Briggs playing outside in his shorts and t-shirt while Adelie was wearing a sleeveless dress and sandals.  So before I left for work yesterday, I put this reminder on the whiteboard...

Sometimes seasonal transitions can be hard.

It's a mom's duty to help make them easier.

Or at least to remind my kids how to dress.

They Say...

On the way to church this morning, Adelie asked how long trick or treating goes for.  I said, "It usually starts at 5:00 and ends at 8:00.  So if you just find the difference between 5 and 8, you'll know how long trick or treating goes."  In response, Adelie said, "This is a long weekend.  I'm not going to do math!"

Staley generally gets a ride home from her singing group with 2 boys from Eureka.  One is a senior and his brother is in 8th grade.  I was telling Staley today that she would be riding home again with them.  She sighed and said she didn't like riding with them.  I asked why and she said, "It's just awkward.  We just ride home the whole way in silence."  I responded, "You could ask questions or start a conversation.  It's a life skill to know how to start a conversation."  Staley replied, "I think I'd rather just ride in silence."

Oh, these girls!  I hope they are learning the skills they need to succeed in life.  Otherwise we'll have a life filled with unanswered applied math questions and awkward silences.

Labor Day

In the midst of all our early school year craziness, we had a nice 3 day Labor Day weekend.  No school.  No middle school cross country.  No theater activities.  Zach was going to be out of town for most of the weekend, so I asked the kids what they wanted to do.  Adelie answered, "Go to the beach with the Hostetlers."

So we did!

My initial search for Air Bnbs or hotels near the beach in Michigan proved less than fruitful.  (I guess most people don't wait until the week before to plan their Labor Day trip.)  Luckily, we knew someone who had a vacation cabin near Lake Michigan that they weren't using for the weekend.

It was small, but really cute and walking distance to a private beach.  It was perfect for our little week-end getaway.

We left right after school on Friday, and I drove up with my 3 kids and the Hostetler girls.  We stopped for a quick car dinner and got up to the cabin right around bedtime.

The weather for the week-end was warm and perfect for the beach.  We were the first group to make it down to the beach on Saturday morning and spent our entire day at the beach.

The kids played and played and played in the water.  When they got cold, they played and played and played in the sand.  Briggs was more of a sand guy while the girls spent way more time in the water.

I was more of a read-my-book-under-the-umbrella kinda gal.

Stella and Oliva's mom and big sister met us at the beach in the late afternoon.  We had taco salad for dinner, got them settled in, and then headed back to the beach for the sunset.

It was a perfect Michigan sunset.

After breakfast and a run, we headed back to the beach the next morning.  We were again the first group there.

We spent the entire day enjoying the sand and the surf.

The friends we were renting the beach house from have another house across the street where their daughter (a high school acquaintance) and her family were staying.  Briggs had the best time playing with their 4th grader, Emeri.  They spent so much time together digging and exploring and playing on the beach.  This gigantic hole, which also included steps, a seat, and a water slide, was the culmination of a few hours of their hard work.

After another full beach day, we loaded up, cleaned the cabin, and headed for home.

Our dinner stop at Culver's revealed sun-drenched, beach-tired kids.  I'm so glad we decided to go back on Sunday night rather than Monday morning as Briggs got sick with a stomach virus just a few short hours after we were home...that lasted for 4 LONG days.

Adelie had a great idea for this quick little beach vacation with friends.  We had perfect weather, a great little place to stay, and a fun few days with friends.  I'm so glad it worked out and am already thinking about a repeat for next year!