Sportsin'. It's what we do.

So lately we've been spending a lot of time running around. Literally running. And biking.  And swimming. And lots and lots of spectating. Cause we love it.  And when we're done, we're ready to start over the next day. And then we do.

The XC team. At o'dark thirty.

The 6th graders at their very first meet ever!

Watching volleyball...and studying.  We do a whole lot of that, too!

 

 

After the first race, the kids were pretty excited to jump in the water and throw mud at each other.

Pizza at Costco with the kids.

And the two littles left early so they could catch the annual Sprint Triathlon.

Medals!!  How cool!

Party Weekend!

My sweet cousin Amy up and got married the other weekend, and I had the honor of being her bridesmaid!  Which meant road trip!  My very favorite!

The open road:

 

And then I got to Portland, which was a whole 'nother kind of road.  2:30 rush hour?  Crazy!! 

 

Spent the night at my aunt Becky's sipping wine and wrapping up candy in tulle.  And then we woke up to this:

After a night of thunder and pouring rain, the air was clear and windy.  Not so good for an outdoor wedding, but after a day spiffing up the little chapel, we were ready for the big event!

Cousin Jesus.

The girls came over with my parents....a little family shot with Grandma.

My pretty girls!

Sara was this close!!

The happy couple!

I love hanging with my cousins and my aunt. No matter how long it's been it's just like before.  I love that.

Country Road.

So every once in a while, and I'm pretty sure almost always in September, I get really sentimental and nostalgic about my hometown. And when flying down the road the other day, when I really had nowhere important to be, I got caught back here:

I just love love love this town. Even the harvest-time, slow-moving vehicles.

The first day of School!!

Ok. A bit of a crazy morning.  Started with the dawn and a XC jog.  Then it was back to the house for a speedy military type morning routine.  And then the picture.  Which I always just love.

As the kids get a bit older....

....the pics start to get a little less formal....

...and a mom gets a bit sly....

....and then by the end, when they head off to junior high, it's more of just shoving your arm through the door as the teacher is closing it and snapping whatever your phone is pointed at.  Kayte is there...just.... yep, right there on the far right.  With her back to me.

Oh well.

You just never know what you're gonna get.

In this little college town, you know that every August, mid-month, you're gonna start seeing some things that are a little out of the ordinary. And while some things are a given (such as the annual report of the next drunk rookie that fell out of an upper-story window)...this one was new:

Aww...these kids.

So the biggest boys were out fishing this morning, and I took the opportunity to plug the rest of the kids in so I could sleep for-ever!  It was awesome!! 

Sara finally comes in and begs me to take her to the market...well...ok!  It was really smoky out so I told her we couldn't stay long but we decided to go for a bit.  I was surprised Ben and Kayte didn't want to come along.  Kayte especially hates to miss the market.  But I figured she was off writing a story or something, and I was happy to take Sara up on a little one-on-one time.  We doodled for longer than I meant to, and when we got home, all the kids ran out to the car with a bowl of my very favorite chocolate chip cookies and the sweetest note ever.

I think they are trying to kill me with sweetness before they head off for another year!

Ben's take on "the skinny pant".

First, I'd like to say I ordered Ben three different sizes of pants before I finally landed on this one.  The exact same size he was wearing last year, before the obvious multi-launderings.  I mean, really.  And today, the last possible day to arrive before school starts, this pair arrives.

I try them on him.  They fit him perfectly.  And yeah, they're a bit of a slim cut.  It might take a bit of a tug to get them over his heels. 

He scrunches up his nose.  "I don't like these." he says. "They feel weird."  I can see Joe looking at me through the corner of his slit eye.  Totally agreeing with Ben, of course.

"What do you mean?" says I.  "They fit perfectly!"

"Yay!" I add, with enthusiasm.

"No.  I don't like them." says he. "They feel like someone puked on me."

Yuck face.

"What are you talking about??" says I.  "They look great!"

"You know...." says he. "Like when your pants get all wet and then dry on you? Yuck."

And oh my goodness I know that feeling, yuck!

"Well," says I, cause I know his weak spot. "You look really handsome in them.  Yeah, you look good!"

"Mmm." his mouth twist sideways, and then he tosses his head. "OK! Yes!" Sold.

It's so easy to charm a charmer.

But he does look good.



Last official Day of SummeR!!!

Oh my, we had grand and awesome plans for this day...but well, we didn't get it all done.  But we did hit some of the most important things: library, pizza, and obviously, ice cream.

Ferdinands, no less.

Road trip!!

So, my cousin had a baby shower last weekend, so we suddenly ditched all our weekend responsibilities, packed our bags, and headed to my aunt's ever-accommodating home for a little pre-shower sleep-over.  Dinner at Bardenay's was the obvious fuelling choice.

We made it back to the house just in time for a little jaunt with the horses.

It was donut holes on the deck the next morning, a visit to the local church, and then some cousin time.  What a fun fun weekend with my girls!!

Cross Country!!!

For the first time ever, Will and Kayte actually get to compete in the same sport at the exact same time for the same team...this is legendary!  Kayte took off a month of running after track and then was highly motivated to get back into shape for the upcoming cross country season.  It took Will a little more convincing to get out there, he prefers to roll out of bed and just be awesome.  But, with a little help from his friends, he laced up those shoes and hit the road.

Pre-season:

With Jas.

...and then Kenny, Jas, and Jackson P.

Last year, when Kayte showed up to the first official cross-country practice, she was the only lonely junior high soul there.  This year, we showed up to this:

Nineteen.  Nineteen junior high kids!!  With the sudden influx of interest, they needed another coach, and they picked me!!  I shook out those long-neglected big-girl pants, and jumped headfirst into the deep end.  Thanks to Allison, the head coach, we've already survived the first week!

These kids are all just pretty awesome.  I'm so excited for the season!!

We called in the whole team for a movie night to kick off the new school year!  McFarland, USA.  I'm gonna have to watch that one again!  So exciting!!  I'm so pumped!

The annual summer cousin-switch-up sleepover.

And we scored these little cuties:

It was the new Panda Express, a jeep ride, an American girl movie on the sleeping porch, and a night out on the trampoline in sleeping bags.

And it was a whole lot of this:

It doesn't get better than that.

High and tight.

We'd been invited to dinner, so it was time to put on something other than flip-flops and a swimsuit.  A rare occasion in the summer.  I asked the kids to you-know, put on something nice.  I could see Ben's little wheels turning...this was just his kind of challenge.  He came down looking quite spiffy:

He even did his own hair!

This girl is a knitting ma-CHINE!

Wrapping it up!

The lacrosse tournament was very exciting this year!  Ben's team came in third, but then he got to play a second game as a fill-in and that team won!  Will's team also won in a real nail-biter.  This is his last summer season before he gets to play with all of his friends finally!! for Logos!  I cannot wait, it's gonna be epic!!  Will walked away with not only a team trophy but also his first ever Sidney cup!  Well-deserved.  So proud of my guys!!