Time Marches On

Well .. there went March. Ours was busy!

Early in the month, we had a few of the coldest days we'd had all winter. Morning carpool in 20 degrees is its own kind of fun ... but I really couldn't complain much since MN kept getting so much snow! Just before spring break, we had open house at school. Steve took the girls to theirs while I was at mine. I feel bad always missing these types of events, but it's good daddy/daughter time. This art display is up in the girls' school.

 That weekend, our Kansas cousins came to town! They were on their way to Waco for their spring break, but they stopped for a night of hot-tubbing, pizza eating, and fort-making.  It was fun for the girls to be together.

Then the girls and I headed to Florida for our spring break. It was hard to pick just a handful of pictures for this post ... it's easy to take tons of pictures when everyone is just relaxed and happy. This pic, one of my favorites, pretty much sums up our trip. It was just what we needed!

We arrived in the afternoon, but there was still plenty of sunlight so we headed to nearby Cape Coral Beach for some fun. We were all itching for some sun.

Beach Emma

 Beach Sara

We had the most beautiful day at Lover's Key. We all got too much sun, but it was so worth it! Clear blue sky, calm waters, a short walk to ice cream ...

When we got there, this snowman was already built. We felt like it was calling our names, and we set up camp for the day right behind it.

I loved having some quality time with my sister. We went old school and rode our boogie boards from 1996. Those things have stood the test of time!

 Beach babes!

We danced the night away at the Monkey Bar one night ...

... and at Scotty's, while the Tap Monkey's played, the next.

 

We got in plenty of pool time, too.

 Sun, surf, and quality time with these people are just what the doctor ordered!

 Once we got home, it was right back to busy. Even though we'd just been in Florida, G & G came to town the following weekend so they could watch a cheer competition and soccer games. I spent most of the day last Saturday at the competition, and Steve made trips back and forth so my parents could see all the events. It was a busy, but very successful day!

 We all collapsed early Saturday night, and we were glad to wake up to a beautiful day Sunday. We rode bikes, spent time at the park (which Sara enjoyed, despite this picture), played bags in the backyard, and watched plenty of NCAA basketball.

Of course their trip wouldn't have been complete without some margs and enchiladas at Ojeda's!

 Also since spring break, both girls have had field trips: Emma to the Outdoor Learning Center, and Sara to the symphony and to an old fashioned farm/school place. One of the moms on that trip sent me this picture!

 These pictures of the girls arrived. Just when I think we've got plenty of time, I get these reminders of how fast it's going.

 We're staring down another super busy month, but it's busy for all the right reasons and I sure wouldn't trade it. Time marches on!

February Fun

 It's been another whirlwind month! Steve is in week two of a new job. After nine years at his last job, this was a big, but necessary, change. There's a learning curve, of course, but so far it's going well. 

To start the month, I lucked out with a Saturday birthday, and we spent the day checking out Tupp's Brewery, which I'd wanted to try for a while. It's a family-friendly brewery with live music and food trucks on Saturdays, along with lots of indoor/outdoor space. They even had the Cyclones on TV and a variety of other vendors set up on the day we went, so everyone had a good time relaxing, playing bags, and checking out the various booths. It was a great birthday (even if one of my kids looks a little crazy in this picture)!

 We miraculously ended up with a free Saturday afternoon, so we joined the DFW Cyclones at a game watch. We hadn't been to one since football season. Always a good time. This Saturday, we are *skipping sports* and heading to Fort Worth to see our favorite team play at TCU. Can't wait!

Sara's cheer team took 1st place in their competition. She was so excited, and I was so proud of her! Many of the girls on the team are older and more experienced; she still has a lot of learning to do, but she's throwing herself into learning and improving. It was so fun to see her perform.

"Spring" soccer has started. Last weekend was freezing - 30 degrees, windy, and misty during this game. Didn't seem to bother Emma. She has been practicing four times a week the past few weeks, and is loving it!

I'm at soccer practice right now. The bad news is that our February weather, overall, has been crummy. The silver lining is that practice has primarily been inside as a result of the weather ... and inside has wifi ... so all the work (and blogging) I haven't had time to do can get done while I watch practice. Sometimes I think we are too busy and need to slow down. It's hard to know how I'll look back on this time years from now. Maybe I'll wish we had not been so overbooked, working so hard (or so long) - it's hard to say. Right now I'm just trying to enjoy what we are doing. I tell myself that I minimize other things (no netflix addictions for me, very few social events, etc.) so the time I have is spent on worthwhile endeavors. I'm having a harder time with a work/home balance this year, but I'm aware of it and trying to be present in both places. Always a work in progress ... and really looking forward to our spring break Florida get-away in just a couple of weeks!

Sports

I look back and think about when my kids were in diapers and using formula, and I remember thinking how much less money we'd spend when those things were finished. I had similar thoughts about daycare. The reality is that now the payments just go into different pots.

Emma just finished her final season with her beloved #sassy coach and friends, some of whom had been on her same team since they were three years old. They had a great run, and the team is going to continue playing together. However, Emma is moving on to an academy team. This spring, she'll play in an academy league with both the 2012 and 2011 girls. She has the potential to practice up to four times per week, with games on the weekends. It sounds crazy, but she is so excited. She's been practicing and playing with both teams for a few weeks (while also finishing with her rec team), and she has loved the higher caliber of play. When I pick her up from school and it's not a practice evening, she is so disappointed. This kid is so highly motivated by soccer, and even when she's not listening to anyone else, she'll listen to her coaches.

 Sara has fallen in love with her cheer team. It's been just over a year since she started tumbling at the gym, and about six months with the cheer team. Their first competition is tomorrow, and I know she's nervous. Many girls on the team are older than she is and have competed before, so this is new territory for her. She has been spending 6+ hours per week at the gym, and then comes home and practices some more. The mat she got for her birthday has taken up permanent residency in our living room, and she never stops tumbling on it. It's hard to know what this will turn into for her, but she loves it and she's connected, and she's getting better all the time. I love seeing Sara work hard at something she enjoys, and I appreciate that on this team, she has lots of older girls to look up to and learn from.

Right now, sports are taking up most of our time, lots of gas, and even more money. I can't predict where these sports will take my girls in the future, but for now, it's all worth it.  I was given the same foundation and opportunity growing up, and I feel like it was so critical in shaping the adult I became. During my skating years, I was never headed to the Olympics or anything like that, but I worked hard and learned lots of lessons ... and down the road I even turned it into a coaching opportunity for a number of years. I love this sentiment (below) that has floated around social media for a while. It so perfectly sums up my feelings about the stage of life we're in: 

One of my friends asked "Why do you pay so much money for your kids to do all their sports”? Well I have a confession to make; I don't pay for my kids to to do sports. Personally, I couldn't care less about what sport they do.

 So, if I am not paying for sports what am I paying for?

 - I pay for those moments when my kids become so tired they want to quit but don't.

 - I pay for those days when my kids come home from school and are "too tired" to go to their training but they go anyway.

 - I pay for my kids to learn to be disciplined, focused and dedicated.

 - I pay for my kids to learn to take care of their body and equipment.

 - I pay for my kids to learn to work with others and to be good team mates, gracious in defeat and humble in success.

 - I pay for my kids to learn to deal with disappointment, when they don't get that placing or title they'd hoped for, but still they go back week after week giving it their best shot.

 - I pay for my kids to learn to make and accomplish goals.

 - I pay for my kids to respect, not only themselves, but other athletes, officials and coaches.

 - I pay for my kids to learn that it takes hours and hours, years and years of hard work and practice to create a champion and that success does not happen overnight.

 - I pay for my kids to be proud of small achievements, and to work towards long term goals.

 - I pay for the opportunity my kids have and will have to make life-long friendships, create lifelong memories, to be as proud of their achievements as I am.

 - I pay so that my kids can be out on the field or in the gym instead of in front of a screen...

 ...I could go on but, to be short, I don't pay for sports; I pay for the opportunities that sports provides my kids with to develop attributes that will serve them well throughout their lives and give them the opportunity to bless the lives of others. From what I have seen so far I think it is a great investment!

 ~Unknown

STARS!

We had gotten Steve tickets to a Stars game for his birthday, and the game was last night. It was appropriate that, on the day we were headed to a hockey game, we woke up to *snow*! See that little layer across the grass? The real feel temp was around 20, and it was the most wintry day we've had this season.

 After a full day of cheer and two soccer games, we headed downtown to the AAC. Everyone was excited!

 The was the girls' first time to attend a professional hockey game. They asked lots of good questions before the game started and throughout, including whether there would be refs (Emma's question) and whether there was any shot ever worth more than one point (Sara's question).

 They each only got up once to go to the bathroom, and otherwise had their eyes glued to the ice.

 I love hockey and it made me so happy that the girls loved it, too. The arena was full and very festive.

 Silly kid. This is the face I got when I said we should take a selfie.

 Sara kept her coat on for most of the game. We were by ice, after all. 

The Stars got the win and it was just a really fun night. After a long and stressful week, this was the quality time our family needed. Lots of cheering, some booing, and plenty of laughter!

Big Day

It's BRACES OFF day for this cool kid, who is a believer that sometimes, you just need a slice of gas station pizza.

I'm excited to see her beautiful metal-free smile this afternoon!

***UPDATE...

January 2018 vs. January 2019

busy new year

It's been quite a month already! We celebrated Steve's birthday with two 1/2 pies because we couldn't decide on just one. Market Street sells halves, which is awesome. We had 1/2 cherry and 1/2 lemon. Not the right number of candles, but they did the trick. I would like to say we had a nice evening of celebration, but really we went to soccer practice and then picked up burgers. His present was tickets for an upcoming Stars game, which we're all excited to attend! 

 We had a work day before the start of the semester, and the girls had to come hang out with me for a while at school so Steve could run to a meeting at work. They kept themselves busy wandering around, and I was shocked to see this picture of Sara with Striker! He lives in 5th grade, and I don't mind him in his cage, but I usually keep my distance. I am proud of this brave girl!

This picture of Emma barely shows the bright red, sweaty face that came off the soccer field after three back-to-back games last weekend. We've decided it's time for her to join an academy team. She went to an eval one night last week, and was asked to play in two games on Saturday (on top of her already scheduled rec game). She played so well ... three games, three goals. I'm so proud of her focus and her work ethic. It'll be fun to watch her continue to improve with great coaching.

 Between an exhausting week, then all the soccer, a full morning of cheer practice, and a baby shower on Saturday, I was feeling beat and behind yesterday. As I was doing load after load of laundry, I realized it had been a while since I'd done any ... that stuff piles up! You would think with a mostly free Sunday I would have made it to the grocery store, but it was cold and gloomy, so the best I could do was order for pick-up tonight. Nobody was disappointed that we had to go out for pizza last night. Sara has been working hard on her two Harry Potter sets.

Tonight I'm blogging from soccer practice while Sara is at cheer ... and I'll be back in these bleachers again tomorrow night.  These are the days! 

The Best Break

It has been so nice to have winter break continue for a few days into the new year. We have really been able to relax!  During the day on New Year's Eve, we went to Six Flags. It was crowded, but we still got on tons of rides, and enjoyed the beautiful day, which was sandwiched between many cold and rainy ones.  This is the only picture I took - Emma enjoying rainbow Dippin' Dots after we rode the antique cars and waited for Steve and Sara to finish a huge roller coaster.

Both girls got Lego sets for Christmas. Emma was proud of this nearly 600-piece resort she put together. This came on the heels of completing a smaller burger stand set. Sara's Harry Potter castle set is still a work in progress. I enjoy watching them both work through the building process; it's often harder than it looks and takes lots of concentration.

 Emma has been in an afternoon soccer camp this week with a couple of her teammates, which has been great. She was ready for some structure back in her routine, and of course soccer is always the answer for her. Before camp started on Wednesday, we had to go get her new shoes. When we were at Six Flags, I noticed that her toes were nearly about to pop out of the front of her running shoes!  We decided to get actual turf shoes since her team is in the middle of the winter indoor season anyway. While she was at camp, Sara and I went to the mall so she could use her Justice gift card (and then some...). Then we went to Country Burger for lunch. She's been craving it for ages and was thrilled when I pulled into the parking lot!

 Yesterday while Emma was at camp, and it was super cold and rainy, Sara and I did yoga. We first did a thirty-minute yoga workout, and then completed yoga challenge poses. Lots of fun for us and good times for our muscles! It was clearly different than my usual gym workouts because I'm good-sore today!

 We had to use up the last of our Christmas Rice Krispies (about two cups worth), so we made RK treats in these cute individual bread pans my mom gave me. Perfect single servings.

 Emma has also been into drawing portraits this week. She's super proud of her work! She'll disappear into her room for a while and emerge with new drawings. Everyone wheres stripes.

Today while Emma was at camp, Sara and I went to Target. We picked out some modest make-up for her upcoming cheer competitions, and just enjoyed slowly browsing the various sections. We only bought a *few* extra things. Sara was super excited to have lunch in the Target cafe, and I reminisced about how we always bought a sleeve of popcorn during our Target trips growing up (don't you all remember the white paper sleeve-bag that was like fifty cents? The best!).  I've been very thankful for my quality time with Sara this week during soccer camp hours. We've had some great conversations and lots of laughs together.

This afternoon was nice outside finally, so I worked on cleaning up the back porch/pool area and the girls rode their scooters on the path behind our house.  As we wind down to prepare to get back to reality, life winds up: tomorrow is cheer, soccer game, a birthday party, big Cyclones game versus KU, and a Cowboys play-off game. I also need to run to Sam's to get some items for my staff for Monday morning. I'm ready to go back to work (the girls aren't quite ready to go back to school), but it sure has been a great winter break. Feeling very fulfilled and ready for the new year!