Summer Snapshots, Part 1

Well, it's the official "last weekend of summer."  Of course, school started here two weeks ago, so that seems a bit of a misnomer at the moment, but it's still a great excuse to post a few random notes about our summer adventures.

We kept it low-key, with as much outdoor time as possible.  I struggled with some light-sensitive headaches which sometimes kept us all inside, but we still managed quite a bit of active fun in the sun.

I finished off the last school year by running a 10K with my sister (her first!) and watching lots of soccer.

Aimee and Sara

Carsten and Random Opponent

There were school awards.

Megan and BFF Kinslee

And...we bought a new car!  I was a little nervous about the downsize, but I have not once regretted the decision.  I love being able to park wherever and I am so thrilled to be back in a Honda.

There were chess games over breakfast.

And swimming.  Lots of swimming.  Austin learned to jump off the diving board and he spent many happy hours doing just that.

Austin demonstrating proper goggle wear.  "They need to push down my ears, Mom."

We explored nature.

Boys looking at something very interesting.

 And we went to the beach!

Which child did NOT understand the point of the picture?

The three sand castle building kiddos.

Sunrise walk.  Note absence of teenagers.

Have a great week!  More summer adventure recaps to come.

And...Three Months Later

So I originally entitled this "Two Months Later" and then I counted.  Three months!  Where did the time go?  Here's a little of what we've been up to since the last time I checked in....

Back to School

"Back to school" for us this year should really be called "To School for the First Time."  All of five of my school age kids started public school this year!  Four are at our local elementary school (Megan- 6th grade; Evan- 4th; Justin- 3rd; Carsten-1st), and Nathan (7th grade) had the adventure of starting out in middle school.

I made the decision to send them to public school after trying and considering different options.  I sought the Lord's guidance and got advice from wise people.  The fact is, for a single mom with seven children, public school is a blessing.  It's "free," it's local, and an overworked single parent is not an anomaly.

And I'm happy to report that my kiddos aren't just enduring their new schools, they're LOVING them.  They're challenged, but not stressed; busy, but not overwhelmed.  They've made friends who live close enough to play with after school.  Their teachers are loving and encouraging.  Each one of my children has become more independent and responsible and confident.  I get to focus on mothering without the pressure of being teacher and principal and school counselor too.  We feel so blessed to live in a community that can produce high quality schools, because, of course, public schools are just a reflection of the values and standards of the majority of the people in the district.

Both younger boys are in preschool part-time while I work.  Next year, Stefan will start kindergarten and Austin will continue preschool.  I can't believe how quickly my little brood is growing up.

Backpack is slightly smaller than child

Running and Running and Running

I've kept up with my half marathon training.  (I'll be running the San Antonio Rock n Roll Half, Lord willing, THIS WEEKEND- on December 7th.  It's odd to type "Rock n Roll" and "Lord willing" in the same sentence.)  Thank you so much to everyone who supported me in my Leukemia Lymphoma Society Team in Training fundraising quest.  You're the best!

I've enjoyed the training, and the increasing distances haven't been as insurmountable as I'd imagined.  I guess you never know until you try!  I am looking forward to having the race DONE so that I can carve out a little time to get back on my bike.  I love running, but I miss my weekend rides.

Thanksgiving morning run

Chaos and Order

Conquering chaos is an ongoing order of business around here.  I'm working hard at it, and I think I might be making progress.  Of course, perhaps "conquering" is the wrong word.  It might be better to say "managing" or "taming" the chaos.  As long as I'm this outnumbered, chaos will be an ever-present reality.

Fun!  And messy...always messy

Sports

Speaking of chaos, I'd be remiss if I didn't mention the REAL reasons that the blog has been so quiet.  Here they are, in no particular order:  Cross country (Nathan), soccer (Justin, Carsten, Stefan), gymnastics (Megan), and swim (Evan).  Only Austin was sports-free in September through November.  Unless, of course, sharpie-ing the couch is an athletic endeavor.  He's set a PR there.  We all love the activity, but with so many doing so much, it did make the evenings and weekends a little hectic.  We're all enjoying having a bit of a break.

Top of the podium is a great place to be!

That's a grimace of triumph.

The REAL post-race pic.
That's not a "finisher" medal- it's an actual hard-won medal.

So. many. soccer. games

Randomness #2

Here are a few random things from the last few weeks:

Swimming

It is hot, hot, hot.  Swimming is about the only outdoor activity that's possible after noon around here.

Magic

Our fridge FINALLY got fixed.  (At least, I think it's fixed.  It's still freezing stuff in the back.  I really hate my GE fridge and dealing with GE.  The repairmen they send are friendly and probably competent, but the company is not endearing itself to me.  Fortunately, I have a second fridge in the garage which incidentally cost less than the repair on the less than two year old GE fridge.)  Anyway...after two weeks of making trips to the garage every time we needed something cold, we finally had an indoor fridge again.

And I saw Justin standing in front of it in the kitchen.

"Justin, what are you doing?"

"I am standing in front of the fridge hoping that something good will magically appear."

"It won't.  Shut the door."  Can't blame a guy for trying.

Weekend

Last Saturday as I was taking Megan to her gymnastics practice, I saw that the fountain in the town square was FILLED with foam.  After I dropped Megan off, the boys and I headed out to investigate.

It took about two minutes for this to happen.

Yep, he fell in the fountain head first.  After a quick change of clothes for Austin, we headed out to the green belt for some nature exploration.  (When I got the Ergo out for Austin, he said, "Oh, THANK YOU, Mommy!" like I had just given him the best gift in the world.  So cute.)

There were ducklings.

And walls to climb.

 And Austin found two feathers and flapped his arms, "I'm flying!  I'm flying!"

It was a delightful way to spend a Saturday morning.

Rhetoric

Austin's rhetoric skills are improving.  Just the other day, he anticipated an argument.

He was playing with a metal stick (yeah, I know, I'm a great mom), and he narrowly missed whacking me in the head with it.  

Just as I was getting ready to launch into a "and this is why you shouldn't play with sticks" lecture, he said, "It's not dange-wus, Mom.  Look! (He pats my head.)  You's head still all better."

Elvis

Finally, I got running shoe advice from Elvis at the Leukemia Lymphoma Society Team in Training event. More on that exciting development to come...

Randomness

I started this blog primarily as a way to keep grandparents and other scattered family members updated on the kids as they grew.  Lately, that's been a bit of a bust, hasn't it?

Some of it is because I'm busy, but a lot of it is because I tend to post things that have a theme or a point.  But most of life is pointless.  Not really.  But seemingly.  There are so many random things that happen that are funny, aggravating, and just, well, life.

So enter Randomness posts.  At some predetermined interval (I refuse to commit to a specific time period), I will post little things that have happened, probably accompanied by mediocre pictures taken on my phone.  (I rarely have the big camera handy.)  The grandparents will love it.  Everyone else?  Who knows?  If you prefer posts with meaning, feel free to skip over the Randomness posts and wait for something better to come along.

With that introduction, Randomness #1:

We went to Enchanted Rock.

This was supposed to be my Mother's Day, but life intervened, and this got pushed to July.  We went early to beat the heat.

Nathan, Evan, and Carsten RAN up to the top.  The rest of us resolutely followed along behind.  I learned something from our trip last year and put Austin in the FRONT pack on the way up and switched him to the back on the way down.  (I'm still rocking the Ergo with 2 1/2 year old Austin. It is by far the best baby accessory ever made, and if I had to pick just two new parent products, I'd say the Ergo and the Boppy.  All else, including the crib, is really optional.)  It made balancing on the steep climb sooo much easier.  And the view is certainly worth the climb!

"Someone" ate the last piece of banana cake.

Notice the tipped cake carrier on the top shelf. And the black bar stools used in the commission of the crime.  I was planning on sneaking that piece myself.  Oh well.  Food doesn't last long in our house.

I went for a ride with these folks.

My dad, Mark, and my brother, Sam.  They (and the 30 hilly miles) nearly killed me.  It was the most fun I've had in ages.

Bluetooth can make you look crazy.

We were in the grocery store, and all of a sudden, Evan whispered, "Mom, who is that lady talking to?"

"I guess she's on the phone."

"But I don't see any phone.  Or cord.  Or anything."

And he was right.  There she was, in the middle of the aisle, gesticulating with her hands and talking in a normal tone of voice- to nobody.  "The problem is, it's 16 by 30.  That's just not a standard size.  I'm really not sure what to do..."

Then Evan just dissolved into a complete laughing fit.  "Maybe she's crazy!"

Maybe she is.

Austin found his dream car.

We were on our way into the pool when Austin saw this.  He LOVES Spiderman right now.

He said, "This is my car!"

Then he walked around and pointed back toward our van, "I don't like that car now.  I like this car."

 So there you have it: Randomness.

Until next time!