Logan's Start of the Soccer Season

Just like Ella, Logan started practices with his soccer team back in mid July with his same coach and team that he played with last year.  Logan has loved being on this team since he two closest friends, Bennett and Benton, play on it and Bennett's dad is the coach.  In addition, they practice weekly at our elementary school which is super helpful as it is only four minutes from our house and I can easily zip down there to drop him off or pick him up.  Since I went to Lia's XC meets in Olympia and at PLU on September 10th and 17th, I missed watching Logan's first and second soccer games.  Luckily, he was super understanding and didn't seem to mind.  Since Lia's XC meet was in Portland today (which she actually didn't end up going to due to hip pain), I always planned on going to Logan's third game.  Just like his practices, this game was at Logan's school and so it was fun to cheer him on with Ron while he played on his home turf.  Although he didn't make any goals, it was just nice to watch Logan play soccer with the rest of his team.  I love watching him run, kick, and pass and admire how much his skills have improved over the years.  I hope that he has the opportunity to continue playing on this team for a few more years!  Here are some of my favorite pictures that I took of Logan playing today.

Logan kicking the ball with an opponent right at his side.

An action shot of Logan kicking the ball in the air.

Cheering his teammates on from the sidelines.

A great profile shot of Logan waiting for the game to start back up again.

Going after the ball...

and falling on the ground after colliding with some players.

Getting ready to kick the ball again.

Another great action shot of Logan chasing down the ball.

Logan getting ready to throw the ball back into the game.

Passing the ball to a teammate.

Running after the ball again.

My cute player smiling for me at the end of the game.  Good job, Logan!  I always love watching you play and cheering you on from the sidelines!

Emmett's 1st Day of Preschool

After literally waiting nine months (after I first registered him), Emmett was able to finally go off to his first day of preschool today.  Although I always did a co-op with other moms from church with my three older children for their first year of preschool, I was unable to organize one for this year since there literally were not enough moms to recruit.  And to be completely honest, I was actually relieved as I am so burned out with so many different things, that it was a total relief to walk into Celebration Preschool last January and sign Emmett up for his first of two years of school there.  Although all of the former teachers from my three older kids' years there left during the pandemic, a wonderful new staff replaced them.  Emmett was assigned a lovely and warm young teacher named Miss Sammi who we were able to meet last Thursday at the Back-to-School open house.  In addition, Ron's assistant principal's son was also placed in his same class.  So although these boys have only met in person a handful of times, they are already best friends and are very excited to be in the same class.

Emmett was so excited all this week whenever I would remind him that preschool was about to start.  His only concerns were that the teacher wouldn't help him and that the other children would look at him.  After reassuring him several times that his teacher would indeed help him and that the other children would not be focused on him, Emmett set his little fears aside and headed off to preschool with a huge smile on his face.  Since Ella's and Logan's elementary school now starts 20 minutes later than it used to during all of the other years when I had a child at Celebration, the three of us now get to drop Emmett off at preschool first every Tuesday and Thursday before heading down the hill to the elementary school.  It was fun to have Ella and Logan get out of the car and wait with Emmett and me for his teacher to open the front doors and welcome him inside.  Emmett barely let me half hug him before he was off following the rest of the kids inside the church.  He waved to me once and flashed me a huge smile before disappearing into the crowd.  When I picked him up 2.5 hours later, he was in such a great mood and had such a fun time coloring, playing with the toys, singing songs, listening to a story, running around on the playground, and eating cupcakes as the snack since it was s little girl's birthday today.  Overall, I would call his first day a big success and I am just so grateful that my little guy is ready and excited to head off to this next chapter of his life!

Emmett posing for his annual, first day of school picture on the front steps with Ella and Logan at his side.

A close-up of my darling preschooler.  Oh, how I love this little guy.

Emmett and his siblings standing in front of the preschool door.

Silly Emmett giving me a "smile."

And he's off!  Emmett walking up the steps (with his blue, Thomas the Train backpack on) with Ella looking on.

Logan and His Bookmarks

Ever since Logan became an avid reader in 3rd grade, a very funny and strange habit emerged.  We learned rather quickly that Logan has a very difficult time keeping track of his bookmarks.  As a result, he always loses them while reading and really never bothers to look for them.  Instead, he just uses whatever object happens to be laying around him at that moment which normally ends up being a really unexpected bookmark.  After he started doing this, I quickly noticed how funny this was as I would find things like a Lego piece, a crayon, a blanket, a pillow, another book, or a remote control tucked carefully inside the pages of his book.  It always was something different and it always was equally funny.  Whenever we would point this out to Logan and tease him about it, he would just look at us like this was the logical thing to do.  Two years later, Logan is still losing his bookmarks and still finding random items around the house to use and it never stops being entertaining to me.  However, today, I stumbled across the funniest "bookmark" of all as I was walking up the stairs and noticed that Logan decided to use one of the posts on the railing to mark his current page.  I thought it was so hilarious that I had to run and grab my camera to take a picture of it.  So, apparently, if you ever find yourself in need of a bookmark and you have a set of stairs nearby, Logan has already solved the problem for you.  Oh, that boy...

Ella's First Soccer Game of the Season

Well, soccer season is upon us again!  After Logan and Ella both started practicing with Coach Ben again (the father of both of their closest friends, Benton and Elise) in the middle of July, their first games finally arrived today.  The only problem was that Lia had her first, big XC invitational race 45 minutes away in Olympia at the same time as Logan's first game on Vashon Island which involved taking a ferry there and back.  Since Ron and I both really wanted to watch Lia run in her first invitational, we asked Logan if he would be okay catching a ride with his coach and going on this six hour adventure without us.  Although we missed Logan's game, we were still able to go and cheer on Ella at her first game which wasn't until 4 o'clock in the afternoon.  The only problem with this later time was that it gave the smoke from a nearby forest fire enough time to fully settle into our valley.  So although Lia was able to run in her meet and Logan was able to play soccer under beautiful, blue skies and cooler weather this morning, Ella was forced to play soccer during a very hot and smoky afternoon.  It was pretty miserable playing conditions.  And to top it all off, Ella fell two times, got scratched in the eye, lost her shoe, and had a player step on her bad ankle.  So, although she fought a very good fight and hustled back and forth on the field like no one else on her team, Ella wasn't able to make a goal and was pretty upset when it was over.  But after some love and attention and a good icing of her ankle, Ella perked up within an hour or two.  Way to be tough, Ellie!

Ella chasing after her teammate, Dillon.

Ella pointing as she runs down the field.  I just love this picture.

Ella going after the ball.

Ella running hard towards the ball.

Trying to take the ball away from the opponent.

Ella waving her arms on the field.

Ella and her good friend, Elise, fighting for the ball.

Ella kicking the ball out of the group of girls.

A very sad, hot, and miserable Ella humoring me for a group picture with her good friends, Elise and Madelyn, after the game was over.  And please notice the sky in the background that is covered 100% with a smoky haze!

First Day of School 2022!

After a glorious summer, the kids all turned in their swimsuits and flip flops for backpacks and sneakers and headed off to school today.  Lia had to be dropped off at her school almost an hour early at 6:30 to help welcome the new students as part of being a member of the POWER team (student leadership).  It was so nice to see her head off to school happy and confident in comparison to the girl who left last year nervous and barely knowing anyone at all.  As always, Ella was so excited to go to school that she could barely contain herself and Logan wanted absolutely nothing to do with any part of it.  I walked Ella and Logan to their entrance of school and they both barely looked back at me.  It is so nice to know that my children have always been blessed to attend a wonderful elementary school full of wonderful teachers and wonderful friends.  I let Emmett play on the playground for a few minutes before I told him that it was time to go home.  Luckily, he has his preschool open house tomorrow and officially begins class next Tuesday.

After school, Lia walked home and had about 20 minutes to tell me about the day, eat a snack, and change into workout clothes before her carpool picked her up to take her to the high school where she now will practice every day from 3 to 5 p.m. (with the exception of meet days).  Logan's and Ella's bus arrived 20 minutes late which was a total stress for me since Ella is supposed to leave on Mondays and Wednesdays for gymnastics at 4:05 and her bus didn't come until 4:15!  I had to race her home and help get her ready in three minutes as her carpool ride arrived right after we pulled into our garage.  After I got Ella on her way, I was so pleasantly surprised to talk to a happy Logan who was smiling from ear to ear about his new teacher who is the "coolest teacher ever."  Although Logan has always done really well in school, it just isn't his favorite place to be.  He would spend every day at home curled up in a blanket reading a book, so it was such a surprise to hear these words come out of his mouth.  He was so excited about his new teacher, Mrs. Lindner, and all of the cool rewards and incentives she has in place.  In addition, even though his three closest friends are now in the Quest class, Logan said that about a third of his 4th grade class is in his current class, so he automatically felt at home from the very beginning which is such a help for him.  After Ella came home at 8:30 p.m. (after being gone for almost 12 hours straight), she happily told me about her day and how much she loves her new teacher, Mrs. Bower, and how excited she is about her new class.  Although her two closest friends also switched to the Quest class this year, she has one friend from last year and has already made another one.  So, she doesn't even seemed phased by the fact that her best buddies are no longer in her class.  So, overall, the first day of school went super well for all three of my older children which is such a blessing and relief to me as I know that this isn't always the case every year.  I am so grateful that they are all in a comfortable spot and can learn, grow, and progress this year with friends at their side!

Lia's smiling for me with the porch light on (due to how early it was) on her first day of 9th grade.

A tan Logan posing for me on his first day of 5th grade.

Ella bursting with excitement on her first day of 3rd grade.  

I cannot believe grown up Ella looks these days!  She is no longer my little girl.  Sniff.

Ella, Logan, and Emmett taking one last picture on the porch before driving to school.

Logan and Ella quickly posing with Emmett before heading into the side gate of their school at 9:05.

Ella found her two closest friends, Elise and Madelyn. on the way into school.  They stopped for a quick picture for me before walking through the doors.

Logan and Ella getting off at their bus stop after their first day of school was over.

Lia's 1st High School XC Meet

Lia just competed in her first, high school cross country meet the afternoon before the first day of school.  It was a busy evening for us as the three younger kids and I met Ron at MaryMount in Tacoma to cheer her on.  After her meet was over, Ron took Lia home for dinner and a quick change before heading off to her first play practice for the "Descendants" theatrical production she is in while I took the three other children to the elementary school for Ella's and Logan's Back to School night.  We were so grateful that Lia's meet was at 4 p.m. and that she was in the first race so that we could all attend and cheer her on!  Lia said that she was nervous in the morning, but didn't show it at all.  She ran in the first race with all of the other 9th and 10th grade girls.  Although the race went through the woods for a portion of it, she had to run past us four times in the scorching heat on a dry, hot field.  She did a great job and ran the 2-mile route in 15:12 and came in 7th out of 19 girls.  She also placed #5 out of all of the girls on her high school's team which is amazing for a freshman.  I am so grateful that she discovered her love of running last fall and has found a new team of supportive girls and boys to run with at her new high school.  I know that I have said this before, but I can't wait to watch her run many miles and to cheer her on from the sidelines for many years to come!

Lia taking off at the starting line with two of her teammates, Patyon and Erika, in front of her.

Besides the starting point and finish, Lia ran past us two different times.  The first time, she was running along side her teammate, Payton.

Lia and Payton running together.

The second time Lia ran past us, she was alone.

The backside of Lia.

Lia running down the course.

Lia pushing it hard before the finish line.

Lia running right past us as before finishing the race.  She was so hot and tired, but pushed it until the very end.

A happy, but exhausted, Lia posing with her siblings after the race was over.

Good job, Lia!  You did it!  We are so proud of you.

Lia as Evie in The Descendants!

Lia has loved performing in three, theatrical performances during 2022 both at the old and new children's theater in town.  She was fortunate enough to be assigned one of the leads in the summer production of "Seussical," but has yet to be given a lead role in a full-length musical production.  As a result, she was so excited when she auditioned for her theater's fall production of Disney's Descendants the other week.  She had to sing, dance, and act for three directors of the play over the course of three hours along with 25 other children.  When I picked her up at the end of the audition, she felt pretty confident about her performance and was pretty optimistic that she would get one of the leads.  After ten long days of waiting, she showed up for her first rehearsal tonight after running in her first cross country meet in Tacoma.  Lia was so pleased to learn that she was given the role of Evie, the daughter of The Evil Queen, who is one of the leads in the show.  The theater sent out an email about 30 minutes after their 2.5 hour practice began and I was so excited when I read over the cast list.  Our family had a little celebration without Lia even being here!  It's going to be a very busy 2.5 months as Lia juggles early morning seminary, school, daily cross country practices after school, and play rehearsal three times a week; however, I know that she is up for this challenge and I can't wait to watch her perform in this show the middle of November!

Labor Day Camping on Blake Island

The three older kids and I just returned from our annual camping trip to Blake Island with Chris and his family.  This was our smallest group yet as Eric's family no longer comes and Callie had just left for her freshman year of college.  However, I secretly love it as it is just my kids with Chris and Natalee and their two children who are the closest to mine.  Although it was a bummer to have Riley stuck in a chair all weekend long (due to breaking his foot a few weeks ago), we still managed to have a great time.  The weather was wonderful and we all enjoyed being on this beautiful island for two days and two nights.  We enjoyed building fairy houses on the beach, playing hide-and-go-seek in the driftwood and "Ghosts in the Graveyard" late at night, eating meals around the picnic table, sleeping in the tent, and going on a boat ride along the Seattle waterfront and right into the port where we got to see cranes loading container boxes on massive cargo ships right before of our eyes!  We even finished off the evening driving the boat over to Bainbridge Island to pick up pizza that we had delivered right to the marina.  It was sad to pack up and leave this morning as this camping trip always marks the end of our summer, but as always, I am so grateful for this summer tradition and can't wait to return next year.

The kids and I enjoying dinner on our first evening there on Sept. 2nd.

Ella, Trenton, and Logan looking for cool pieces of driftwood to bring back to the campground on the morning of September 3rd.

The three kiddos standing on top of a massive fallen log on the beach.

Ella holding up the "Malificent staff" that she found.

All five cousins lined up in a row, including Riley with his blue cast and crutches.

Ella revealing herself after hiding in the tall grass during hide-and-go-seek.

Chris, Ella, Lia, and me playing Spikeball.

Natalee and I made a scavenger hunt for the kids to go on Saturday afternoon where they had to find ten various items on the island.  Here are Lia and Ella looking for one of them on the beach.

A close-up of my girls.

Ella, Logan, and Trenton had a great time riding in the bow during our boat ride to Seattle and Bainbridge Island.  Here they are posing with the Seattle skyline in the background.

Riley and Lia riding in the back of the boat.

While cruising along the waterfront of Seattle, a massive, Norwegian cruise line ship sailed past us on its way to Alaska.  Since the ship had just left, a large group of people were standing on the top of the ship watching it set sail.  After Ella, Trenton, and Logan starting waving to them, a bunch of people waved back.  The kids ended up doing this several times with other boats and ships in the Puget Sound that evening, but this one was the coolest by far.

My kiddos and me back on Blake Island at sunset after returning from our boat ride to Seattle.  I know I have said it before, but I will say it again...I heart Blake Island!  It's just one of my favorite spots in the whole wide world and I love being able to share it with my children every summer.