Clever Ella

Every Friday, Ella's 5th grade teacher sends out a digital newsletter for the parents to read.  One of the sections in this newsletter is titled, "Kids Being Hilarious," and she always includes one or two stories from the week of when a student has said something funny.  Ella was featured in today's newsletter and I just wanted to include it in our blog so that she can remember this cute story forever.

Seeing Imagine Dragons at The Gorge

Lia and I have both been fans of the band, Imagine Dragons, for several years now.  When they came to Seattle in March 2022, Lia and I went to see them with her good friend, Elle, and her mom, Renee.  They put on an amazing show and we had a great time.  However, it has been 2.5 years since Imagine Dragons has come back to Washington to perform.  When I found out last spring that they would be returning again in the fall, I immediately got online and learned that they are performing only in outdoor venues while on their LOOM tour.  As a result, they would be performing at The Gorge in the middle of nowhere in Central Washington instead of at a venue in Seattle.  Although this concert venue is ranked in the top 5 in the country due to its stunning setting and views, it is almost three hours away and is not close to any town with hotels to stay at.  So, needless to say, it is not a convenient place to go to for a concert.  After learning this, I decided that it would be too much for Lia and me to travel here for a concert and I sadly put the idea to rest.  However, that evening, Lia informed me that Elle was planning on going with both of their parents and that they would be camping in an adjacent campground to the concert venue.  So, I quickly got on the phone with her dad the next day and confirmed that this was all true.  He then invited the two of us to join them which made the situation so much more do-able for me.  As a result, we both bought tickets within the next hour and our trip was planned!  Elle's mom made reservations for the campground and I offered to provide our 10-person tent for all five of us to sleep in since they don't own a tent big enough.  We were all so excited that this concert would work out for all of us to go to together!

Fast forward five months when we learned that the fall play Lia is planning on participating in at NWTL (Beauty and the Beast) would be holding call-backs in addition to the auditions.  These call-backs were scheduled for the afternoon of September 28th which would be when we should be driving to The Gorge in order to set up our campsite and make/eat dinner before walking over to venue to claim our spot on the grassy hill to watch the concert.  Since I knew that this would be a problem, I drove down to the theater a few weeks ago to talk to the director about Lia missing call-backs.  The director basically told me in so many words that it would hurt Lia's chances of getting a good role if she missed these call-backs.  So, after thinking it over and talking to Elle's parents, we decided to forgo the camping and just drive out to The Gorge after Lia attended half of her three hour call-back.  It was the best compromise that we could make.  So we picked her up at the theater yesterday at 2 pm and hopped right on the freeway.  After driving three hours due to some traffic, we arrived at The Gorge at 5 p.m.  After parking our car and walking quite some distance, going through security and walking through the vendors, we came over the rise to see one of the most stunning sights in my life.  It was rather amazing to see this outdoor stage set up in front of the cliffs overlooking the Columbia River.  It honestly looked like a gigantic painting set up behind the stage.  

Since it had only been about an half hour since they had opened the gates, we were able to claim a spot on the hill large enough to fit all five of us near the top.  We then enjoyed eating dinner while looking at this amazing view as the sun set.  Since the long, summer evenings are a thing of the past, it was completely dark a little after 7 p.m.  We then waited for the opening band to start 45 minutes late at 7:45 due to technical issues.  After they finished around 8:30, we waited, and waited, and waited for Imagine Dragons to come on the stage.  Some time after 9 o'clock, Renee noticed four police cars driving towards the stage with their lights flashing.  We immediately wondered if there was some sort of emergency that would delay or cancel the concert.  Finally, at 9:30 on the dot, the band walked out onto the stage and began their show.  After singing their opening song, the lead singer, Dan Reynolds, thanked the audience for our patients and then went on to briefly explain that they had thought this concert was going to be cancelled due to mechanical issues their plane had while flying here.  In fact, he went on to admit, that the issues with the plane were so severe that they thought their plane was going to crash and that they were going to die.  It was rather crazy to be hearing this from the lead singer.  Rene immediately wondered if they had been driven to the concert venue in a police escort from the airport in order to get to their concert before it was too late.  So, although the lead singer did not admit this, we think that was why we saw the police cars driving up to the stage a few minutes before the band came out to play.  Regardless of their delayed start, the five of us had a great time watching them perform for about 1 hour and 45 minutes.  Just like last time, they put on an incredible concert and we had so much fun singing and dancing to our favorite songs while standing on a hillside outdoors.  It was a once-in-a-lifetime experience and I am so glad that I was able to share it with Lia.  The only downside was having to drive home in the middle of the night since we were no longer camping there.  It took us almost an hour to walk to our car with the huge crowds and another hour to drive out of the parking lot.  So, we officially started driving home at 1 a.m. and pulled up into our driveway at 3:30 in the morning.  I have not done something like this since my single days in my twenties.  Needless to say, I was so grateful for Elle's dad for staying awake and for safely driving us home that night.  Until next time, Imagine Dragons!  And, please do us all a favor, and come back to Seattle on your next tour!

Lia and I standing near our spot on the hillside with the beautiful view behind us.

Our entire group:

Noel, Renee, Ella, Lia, and me

The girls before they bought their concert shirts.

And afterwards.

Ella and Lia waiting for the show to begin.

Dan Reynolds on the big screen.

A shot of the stage while they performed one of my favorite songs, "Demons."

A shot of the stage with "The Gorge" sign illuminated as the band sang their final song.

What a night!

Lia's goes to Mormon HOCO

Although Mormon Prom has been a big deal in our area for many years, a Mormon Homecoming dance is a pretty new thing.  In fact, Lia and I had never heard about it until this year, so we are not sure how long it has been going on.  Regardless, it is for youth ages 16 to 18 years old, so this is the first year that Lia could have gone.  Although she was already planning on going with a group of LDS girls from her high school, her friend, Jared, asked her a little over a week ago to go with him.  Lia met Jared last spring while participating in the one-act plays at her high school.  A few weeks before they performed, Lia went to Mormon Prom and saw Jared there and discovered that he was LDS.  Since there are zero boys in our ward that are Lia's age (or a year older or younger than her), I was thrilled when I found out that Lia finally had an LDS friend who is a boy!  Lia and Jared are now really close friends and are enjoying being in their school's musical, Mama Mia, this fall.  So, after Jared asked Lia to the dance, we quickly found a dress, a mask (since it was a masquerade ball), and a matching corsage and boutonniere set on Amazon.  Luckily, everything arrived before the dance yesterday.  Jared came at 7 pm to pick up Lia from our house, and they both looked so darling all dressed up.  The kids and I got a kick out of taking a few pictures of them before they left for the evening.  They first went to McDonald's for dinner before heading to the dance for the rest of the evening.  Since lots of friends were there, they had a good time.  They then came back to our house afterwards to watch a movie before ending the evening.  

Lia attempting to pin the boutonniere on Jared before I had to step in and help her out.

Jared putting on Lia's corsage on her wrist.

The darling couple in the front yard.

A cute pose that I asked them to do for a picture.

Lia and Jared and all of the kiddos!  Logan, Ella, and Emmett then proceeded to chase them down to the end of our street as the happy couple drove off for the evening.

Lia at the dance with some of her friends from church.

Logan's 1st XC Meet

Just like Lia, Logan wrapped up his soccer career after the fall season of 6th grade and replaced it with cross country this year.  Since our school district is ridiculous and only allows girls to run XC in the 7th and 8th grade, I had to pay for Logan to join the running club that he ran track with last spring to have his first cross country experience.  He now practices twice a week in the evenings and competes in a high school, XC invitational most Saturday mornings.  Luckily, he has a few friends from his elementary school/junior high school who are also long-distance runners and who are on this same team with him.  I have been so pleased to see how quickly Logan has taken to long-distance running.  He comes home from practice so happy and positive and proudly announces how many miles they ran that evening at practice.  Two days ago, his club did a practice, timed mile for the first time at Bradley Lake Park and Logan ran it in 6:28.  Already at 12-years old, he beat his older sister's PR, which Lia couldn't believe.  

Logan and I left home early this morning at 7:30 to get to Bellarmine Prep High School in Tacoma by 8 a.m. for his 8:50 run.  It felt so strange to be walking up to a high school, XC invitational to cheer on Logan, and not Lia.  Logan was just a little bit nervous and bravely went and found his friends to warm up with them before his 1-mile race.  During Logan's race, I was able to watch him take off from the starting line, run by me at one point in the middle of the race, and then again at the finish line.  I noticed as he approached the finish line that his time was about a minute slower than his timed run two days earlier.  After he finished his run at 7 minutes, 30 seconds, I quickly learned from Logan that he did not think to re-tie his shoe laces after he quickly slipped on his sneakers as we were heading out the door this morning.  As a result, he discovered within the first few seconds of his race that one of his shoes was too loose.  He then ran the entire mile with his shoe slipping on and off his foot.  When he tried to sprint at the end of his race, it was completely coming off!  Luckily, he had a positive attitude about it and didn't seem too disappointed that his first XC meet was a bit of a bust.  I was just proud of him for not giving up and grateful that he learned this importance of tightly tying your shoelaces before each race at the beginning of his XC career.

Logan approaching me during the middle of his 1-mile race.

A great action shot of my boy as he ran past me.

Logan pushing it hard as he approached the finish line with his shoe slipping off!

Logan about to the cross the finish line at 7 minutes, 30 seconds.

First Day of School

After another whirlwind summer, we started off another school year this past week.  Lia, Logan, and Ella all went to their first day of school last Wednesday, September 4th.  After spending a few more days at home with me, Emmett went off to his first day of Kindergarten this morning.  It was very surreal sending my last child off to school after having at least one little person home with me full-time for the past 16.5 years.  Luckily, we started off the school year pretty smoothly.  

Lia was happy to return to her high school where she finally has a decent amount of friends after going to school there for a year.  She was happy to report that she had at least one friend in five of her six classes and four, close running friends to eat lunch with every day.  This was a huge relief to me.

Although he has never liked change, Logan came home after his first day of junior high school completely happy and at ease with all of the changes.  I couldn't believe it and am still trying to figure it out.  Since he qualified for the PAGE (honors) class for all four of his core subjects, he had friends from his 6th grade class in all of his classes, including his two electives.  He also found a few friends from his elementary school to eat lunch with and got a kick out of seeing his dad throughout the day.  I think it will be a fun experience for him to be at the same school with Ron for the next three years.

Ella waltzed off to school on her first day and never looked back.  She got put in the class with Logan's former, 5th grade teacher who has been our all-time favorite at this school.  Ella has hoped and prayed for two years that she would be lucky enough to have Mrs. Lindner as her 5th grade teacher, and was so thrilled when she found out last week that her dream had come true.  And, although Ella only had one friend in this class, she didn't even mind since she was so excited to have Mrs. Linder as her teacher.

After watching his three older siblings go off to school day after day for several years, Emmett was more than ready to start Kindergarten today.  Since his first day of school fell on a Monday, which is our late-start day of the week, Emmett asked me over and over again this morning when he could leave for school.  After getting him all ready to go, we climbed into the van and headed off to school for the 10:30 start time.  Emmett was so excited to walk through the school gate that he barely let me take a picture and a quick video of him after getting out of the car.  He found his friend, Raylan, waiting at the gate and happily walked with him and Ella across the field and through the school doors.  I couldn't get over how little he looked compared to all of the other students.  I stood at the fence the entire time and watched my sweet boy walk across the field towards his new school.  There was definitely a part of me that was sad to see him go, but we both are so ready for this next chapter of his life to begin.  I know that he will do so well in school as he is so ready, emotionally, physically, and academically.  As a result, it was no surprise to find one very happy boy get off the bus today, eager to tell me all about his first day of Kindergarten.  Well done, Emmett.  You are going to do great this year!

Lia

11th grade

Logan

7th grade

Ella

5th grade

Emmett

Kindergarten

Although Logan is catching a ride to school with Ron each morning at 6:30, he is taking the bus home each day to a different stop in our friend, Heather's, neighborhood.

Ella running to me after getting dropped off from the bus after her first day of school.

Ella and Emmett outside of their school before Emmett's first day of Kindergarten.

A happy Emmett running towards me after finishing his first day of school.

Emmett's 1st Soccer Game of the Season

After watching Emmett dominate in two different, indoor soccer seasons at our rec center last school year, Ron and I decided that he was ready to move to a "real" soccer league played outside through RSA, the organization that our three older children played with when they were older.  Unfortunately, we found out after I registered him that they really do not have a legitimate rec team until kids are 7 years old.  As a result, Emmett was placed on a micro team with other children, ranging in age from 3 to 6 years old.  After attending four weeks of Monday night practices in August, Emmett's first game was today.  He was so excited!  While Ella was at gymnastics practice and Lia was sleeping in, Logan, Ron, and I accompanied Emmett to cheer him on from the sidelines.  And, just like last school year, Emmett dominated.  He seriously made a goal within the first ten seconds of being put on the field.  He then went on to score a total of six goals by the end of the game.  Since most of the children are younger, smaller, and less aggressive than Emmett, he just ruled the game whenever he was on the field.  He has a natural, athletic gift with soccer and is a marvel to watch.  It is like nothing Ron and I have ever seen before with our children.  Needless to say, the three of us had a great time cheering him on and Ron and I have already decided that I need to look elsewhere to see if I can find a more skill-appropriate league for Emmett to play with the rest of the school year.

Emmett scoring one of his six goals.

Emmett running up to the ball to kick it.

Scoring another goal.

Fighting for the ball against an opponent.

Kicking another goal.

Emmett running next to a teammate.

A very happy Emmett smiling for me after his first game.  Needless to say, he was super excited to get the Frosty from McDonalds that Ron always promises our children after any game where a goal or basket is made.

Logan joining Emmett for a darling, brothers' picture.

Labor Day Weekend on Blake Island

For the 15th year in a row, I headed out to Blake Island with the four kids to spend Labor Day weekend camping with some of my family.  I know that I say this every year, but this is one of my all-time, favorite traditions and my favorite way to wrap up our busy summer break.  This year, Chris came with Riley and Trenton, and Eric and Rebecca brought Vivian and four of her counselor friends who she has worked with this summer at her Y summer camp.  In addition, my parents came out to spend the morning and afternoon with us on Saturday.  The weather was warm and sunny all Saturday and Sunday, but was cool and a little rainy on Monday morning.  Like always, we spent a wonderful weekend out there enjoying all of our favorite activities.  We loved spending these final days of summer with family and are always so grateful to Chris for making this annual trip possible.

August 31st:

After driving to Port Orchard after Ella's morning gymnastics practice on Saturday, we finally made it out to the island around 3 p.m. after waiting an hour or so for Chris to launch the boat and make a first trip out there with Eric and Rebecca.  By the time we finished setting up camp, it was time for dinner.  Here are Riley and Trenton enjoying dinner with us in our campsite.

After dinner, I asked Vivi to take some family photos of us on the beach as the sun was setting.

I rounded up all of the cousins who were there (7 out of the 14) for a cousin photo on the beach with Mount Rainier in the background.

We then enjoyed playing 500 and some baseball in the field for the rest of the evening and headed back to our tents for bedtime once it got dark.

September 1st:

We woke up to a low tide the next day and enjoyed spending a few hours playing on the beach after breakfast.

A mommy and kids picture that I had Riley take of us.

Riley started a project that all of the boys really got into and entertained them for a few hours.  He blocked off one of the little streams heading out to the ocean and created a pool that they enlarged and maintained for many hours.  They even put some wild life in the pool (including a large crab that Eric found in the water).  It was so fun watching Logan and Emmett get so involved in this.

The boys working on the pool while the girls chatted in the background.

A picture of all of the grandkids with grandma and grandpa.

After lunch, we headed to the other side of the island to spend the afternoon.  Eric and Chris got a big game of ultimate frisbee going with all of the kids, including Emmett.  It was so fun to watch them playing with the Seattle skyline in the background.

We came back to the camp for a few hours before heading off to Bainbridge Island to pick up dinner.  I played hide-and-go-seek in the tall grass and logs for over an hour to keep some of the kids occupied until it was time to leave.  Here is a picture of all four siblings sitting on the massive, fallen tree near our campsite.

We enjoyed a beautiful, sunset cruise to Bainbridge Island and back to pick up pizzas for dinner.  After returning back to Blake Island, we ate our pizza dinner and waited for the sun to set so that we could begin playing "Capture the Flag" which is one of the highlights of the weekend.  All four of Vivian's friends really got into this game and so we played several intense rounds in the dark.  Sadly, Emmett got hurt at the beginning of the game and cried by my side for the next 30 minutes until I finally got him happy.  Within a minute or two of Emmet cheering up, Eric and Ella colliding while running at a full sprint, which sent Ella flying to the ground.  As a result, Ella and I had to quit the game early since she was in so much pain from hitting the ground so hard.  Regardless, we all climbed into our sleeping bags that night pretty tired from a long day of playing in the sun.  And although we woke up to rain on Monday morning, we still enjoyed our last few hours on the island before packing up and heading back to Port Orchard around lunch time.  As always, it was the perfect way to finish off our summer vacation!