Christmas is coming

Soccer and volleyball have ended and basketball is well underway here.
I don't have any pictures of basketball yet, but there has been plenty of action.
I am coaching Maria's 5th grade team and even though it is painful at times, it is very entertaining. Many on the team walked into the gym not knowing the difference between offense and defense and knowing very few of the rules. We've come a long way. Maria is a great little point guard and can handle the ball quite well.  We score often off a pick to her and a layup.
Brandon is playing for the freshman team and Anika is on the varsity. Jessica starts in January and I am coaching her team as well. I am quite sure this will be my last year coaching. Younger people with more energy than I need to take this over!
A few pics from the past weeks:

 This is the 11th grade powder puff team. They only had these 5 girls show up! Our high school has kids from all over, and one of the girls that signed up lived 45 minutes away and couldn't get a ride home, so she had to leave, another girl was sick, and another girl was gone - so they played with the five of them.  They beat the freshman but lost to the sophomores.  She always has fun and these are some of her best friends.

Her group of friends also went to the fall dance as Snow White and the seven dwarves - so fun!

This is the varsity girls basketball team!

This is a 'punishement' Thanksgiving weekend. They had sat in the house on screens for far too long so they were banished to outside. They decided to play croquet.  I made cookies!

I took the kids to Les Miserables in Grand Rapids. I was afraid they would think it was a let down after Wicked, but they loved it. Brandon wasn't as impressed, but they all enjoyed it!

This is Brandon's wood shop project. Its a jewelry organizer. If someone wants it, let me know. We are trying to figure out what to do with it!

Tonight, Aunt Kathy, Aunt Mary, Holly and I went to Lessons and Carols at LaGrave church. Such a beautiful church. We identified the stories portrayed with stained glass and enjoyed organ, instruments, piano and voices. Over 500 people singing O Come all Ye Faithful is quite amazing.

And with an amazing Thanksgiving day spent at our friends, we got to enjoy another gorgeous sunset!

More of the Same

Volleyball and soccer are finished for the fall. Somehow we still managed to be busy every night for at least 10 nights straight.  I'm happy to be home sitting on the couch, its a rare pleasure.

Maria and I celebrated her birthday in Indianapolis. Her team went for a tournament there. I really don't like out of town tournaments, but we went anyway. We left early Saturday morning and drove straight to her first game, then to the hotel, then another game. All the parents brought food for a taco dinner so we ate at the hotel. Maria got to swim and we took some time to relax and watch HGTV. Her team did not do well AT ALL, but they aren't all that great. It was COLD all weekend, so we did a lot of dancing on the sidelines to stay warm. Maria plays the whole game almost every game. She sat a few minutes one of the three games. Maria plays well and still seems to enjoy it.

We arrived home and we set up her scavenger hunt. She wanted Toms shoes, so we had ordered a pair for her. We had birthday supper later that week, a friend came over to celebrate. She chose mashed potatoes and meat loaf with green beans!  And for dessert - marshmallow brownies.  We also had a chocolate bundt cake everyone likes with ice cream another night.

She was also the only one that wanted to Trick or Treat this year, so off she and I went. The others actually did hand out candy instead of turning off the lights and hiding in the back room like they have the other years we have lived here.  Jessica went to a friends and they handed out candy at her house.

Jessica had a choir concert one night. She much prefers choir to band and is already mad at me that she can't be in choir in high school.  Middle school and emotions are so much fun.

Another night there was a band concert, both the high school and the middle school bands played. Jessica is a trumpet, Anika a French Horn, and Brandon is percussion. 

The highlight of the last few weeks was probably our trip to Wicked. I thought by going I would get it out of my system, but now I just want to go again. It was amazing. Aunt Kathy, Aunt Mary, and our friend Dr. Connie came with us.

Brandon and I head out on the road every so often. He is only at 12 hours - we are not close to 50 but we have until August. It works out to one hour a week, but we don't keep up with that. Hopefully he will drive some extra time over Christmas break to get him caught up.

He, Anika and Maria have all started basketball. I am coaching Maria's team and will be coaching Jessica's team in January and February.  It makes for a busy week and kids all over the place. 

Anika, Brandon and Jessica just finished their first trimester, had exams this week, and start their new trimester next week.

Fall is here

I love fall. This picture doesn't do it justice, but I drove to Ludington last weekend for Anika's volleyball tournament. It was a sunny, beautiful, colorful drive.

The hot weather stayed with us for quite awhile, but it is quite chilly out today.  

Anika has had volleyball tournaments every weekend. One tournament was in Detroit and we shared a hotel room with friends.She has played some, but more the last two games as two of the seniors were in a car crash and have pretty bad whiplash. They are recovering and expected to play in the district game next Thursday. Scary for all of them, but they are ok.

Anika is on the left

We have had many games, practices etc over the last few weeks. Brandon's soccer is finished and the basketball team has started workouts. Jessica is finished with both cross country and volleyball.

 

And while I am driving around to all these various games and practices, I often have a side kick sticking her head out the window. Of course, whoever I am picking up thinks its quite fun to do this.

our pet 'elephant'

Jessica, Maria, Anika, a friend and I went to Camp Pendalouan - the camp I work for - and played in the lake one evening with the paddle boards, four square, beach volleyball. It is so peaceful and it was so hot and it felt so good!

Friends invited Matt and I to go to a Joe Bonamassa concert... who you might ask? so did I.  This is what our friend wanted for his birthday - his wife didn't know who it was either. But we went. He is a very talented guitarist. I expected laid back jazz festival, it was much more like a loud rock concert, but I still enjoyed it. Although, I showed my age and wished I had brought ear plugs.

The next day, I met a friend in Grand Rapids and we walked the streets for a few hours looking at Art Prize. Its an art festival which has become quite the thing. Artists from all over come and display one piece and the visitors vote on which one they think is best.  This isn't the coolest one we saw but I took a picture of it to show to Anika. The faces on the wall are made of pennies. The mural on the side wall is made by putting small pieces of duct tape together. CRAZY. The artist ruined 6 scissors making the mural.

close up of the duct tape pieces

To add to the fun, we dog sit. One weekend we had two dachshunds, the next weekend a sheltie and two labs. Always a good time.  The owner of the dachshunds is a 'family' for some of the local USHL players. Hunter, one of the players, is pictured here in the suit with Brandon and some of Brandon's friends. We get tickets to the games for taking care of their dogs. 

Maggie and Marley and Maria

Maggie

Chip and Peanut

Charlie

It was also grandparents day, which means a few things at our house: grandparents visit, pumpkins come, Maria begins to celebrate her birthday. This year she received a Vikings shirt (that's my girl) and her treat was Swiss Cake Rolls (because I refuse to buy them). 

Serious game of Dutch Blitz - Aunt Kathy and Holly joined in the weekend for a few hours!

It was also the chili cookoff at church. Jessica has won the white chili for two years, but we messed up the recipe this year, so she took home second place. This year there were 13 different chilis. You get a voting card and take little bowls of each of the chilis, then vote for the best white and the best red.

And Brandon continues to grow - or at least his feet do. I am still an inch taller than him - but this is my bare foot next to his basketball shoe - a size 15 - I have no idea how he is able to run.

Anika and Brandon were chose to be a part of Calvin College's high school honors band. The concert was last night and it was good. The first words they both told me - separately - was how hard the music was. They are both section leaders in the high school band here, so they both get the hard music. In the honors band, they both received the lowest music and they both said it was harder than their first chair music at school.  I love that.  A coworker always says, If you are the smartest person in the room, you are in the wrong room. I love it that this challenged them and showed them how really good someone else could be. They were both a bit disappointed to go back to their own band this morning. =)

And tonight, Maria had a pumpkin carving contest at GEMS. Matt went to help. She did not win, but they got to carve a HUGE pumpkin and had a great time. Maria's is a ghost if you can't tell.

It's HOT!!

We have set records the last three days for heat and will probably set two more on Monday and Tuesday. We were told it was because of the hurricanes coming from the east - it has stalled our weather.  Its nice to have sunshine in fall, but man is it hot.  We even had to turn the air on!

We had visitors twice this week!
Last Sunday, Aunt Kathy and Holly came to visit for church and for lunch. It was great to just hang out and talk - and it was sunny and warm!

Our friends from MN, Dave and Ronda, were driving through to meet their family in Maine, and stopped here for lunch on Thursday. It was great to show them around and just to catch up a bit!

Last weekend was Warrior Weekend. A Homecoming of sorts. True Homecoming is during basketball season, but they have this - which really is another homecoming - during soccer.  Lots of crazy stuff goes on, including dress up days which I did not take any pictures of this year.  They had dress like a farmer day, green and white day, sports jersey day, denim day and one other one I can't remember. Anika always gets very into these things. I guess Jessica was called up to represent the 7th grade class in a dance off, and she didn't know the song, so it didn't go so well, but she did it!

Anika is SOOO excited for pep band, can you tell.  Yes, pep band for a soccer game, soccer is a BIG deal out here.

Brandon playing in the JV game before the varsity

Jessica and Maria have been making all sorts of slime. There are many different ways to make it - but they prefer to use glue, tide, shaving cream and many other random ingredients. I guess its a big deal in the 5th grade girl circles right now. Maria said girls on her soccer team buy and sell it. Whatever works.

This Saturday Jessica had a first - first cross country meet. She isn't sure she wants to be a volleyball player so for junior high she is trying both. She ran 2 miles in 17:14 so she did pretty well considering it was almost 90 and the due points were in the upper 60's!

Brandon had to ref three soccer games - Jessica was supposed to, but the cross country meet conflicted so we made Brandon do it for her. He was overjoyed at the idea of blowing a whistle at 6 year olds. It was a long morning.

And finally, Brandon had to work Saturday night, Matt was reffing, so Anika, a friend, Jessica, Maria and I went to camp to play in the lake.  Did I mention its hot here?

We love to play there - paddle board, kayak, basketball, beach volleyball, four square - always something to do!

What's New

Whenever I am asked the question 'What's new?', I'm never sure how to answer. I feel like we do the same thing most days, over and over. Not quite like Ground Hog Day, but you get the idea.
So, today, I tried to think of things that were different:
-I still got a good workout in, but being old, I twisted my ankle
-I helped mow the lawn, and Jessica finished; typically I make someone else take that job
-our ice maker broke; I feel like such a privileged white snob saying that; then the kids didn't know the word for ice cube tray - which we don't even own anymore; anyway, its back up and running again.
-Anika and Brandon had pep band for the varsity soccer game; It was Warrior Weekend, which is sort of like homecoming, except in the fall, they have their real homecoming in the winter over basketball;
-There were LOTS of fans at the girls volleyball game; lots of excitement; and even though Anika didn't play, she was the first person to jump up and cheer and encourage her teammates - which I thought was very cool! She enjoys her team, and she supports them no matter what
-Brandon's team has had 3 wins and 1 loss I believe, and he has scored 3 goals in the last two games
-Jessica now is on the middle school volleyball team and the middle school cross country team, she had her first volleyball game this week

-Last week Sunday evening, youth group started up again. Anika's group won the Amazing Race game

-There was a full cup of pop spilled at supper tonight
-Anika and Brandon played piano together, not totally unusual, but different for today

-Jessica, Maria and I went to the sunset; we don't go to the beach nearly enough, I feel like living here we should be there every night, but I also realize that just isn't possible; we went to the dog beach this time and took Midge; we all jumped in. I'm not sure we've ever gone swimming this late in September, but it was great.
-All six beds are clean, I finished today; this includes pillow case covers, all the blankets - and if you saw their beds you would know how insanely out of control my kids are on blankets, mattress pads, etc., washed inside, dried outside in the sun!
-We got our new family pictures printed, its always fun to look through the years

high fives to the parents after the game

And finally, last week we said goodbye to a dear friend at our church. She has been sick for 18 months; she lost so much weight so quickly and had several misdiagnoses.  Not many weeks ago, she finally had a CAT scan and stomach cancer which has spread everywhere was discovered. She lived a beautiful testimony of living life to the end and finding joy in the little things.  Someone told me at her funeral you couldn't know Paula without knowing her Savior.  

She had her whole funeral planned - including the catering from Lee's Chicken!