October

This has been a weird month, I think because we have been working so much on projects with the "new" house, and moving in and getting the hang of a new room.

 The first night I didn't sleep well because there were new smells and sounds. It's so quiet down here - I'm used to a massively creaky floor (upstairs). Up there I know every move of every person because the floor gives them away. Down here: silence. no foot steps. no doors. 

There has been a lot of soccer this month, obviously. I'm laying here in my new living room, watching the World Series after a Saturday of soccer games. Today was our last games!

These pictures are from the beginning of the season. We are still fresh and eager. 

One Sunday we had a fire at Frank's. We messed around on the bicycle built for two. 

This month, every Friday we would celebrate a week well done by going out to eat good food at a restaurant while Hudson was at football practice. It was a great Fall ritual. 

Then at 7:00 we would head to the High School lights. I mostly just watched Evan do his thing. 

We found a snake during a family forest walk.

Avery is almost finished with her Junior year of soccer. We head into district games this week. 

This is the first year she hasn't been "over it". She hasn't complained about soccer at all! 

It's also been a rough season. (I'm "over it")

This trail was covered in dry crunchy leaves. We could barely hear each other talk over the crunch. 

Last week soccer was crazy. Can you tell the amount of downpour going on? 

The second game right after this was even WORSE. 

We all hated it. I really thought they were going to cancel. But nope, we slurped through it. 

I love our new TV room. 

Ichabod.

This year I told the kids they can come to the thrift store and find a costume -

Andrew found Link! Exactly what he was looking for!

The Trunk or Treat was so super fun as always...

Arhaan, the sweet Indian boy there is really good at soccer. 

Today after the game he told me he won't be playing in the spring because 

"I need to focus on my studies".

I laughed out loud. He's in 5th grade.

I told him a little sports would actually help him with academics. But I'm not his boss, so. 

During the second game we were covered in a rainbow! 

It was amazing!

Also we won! It was a fun way to end the season. 

They are dousing Noah in water because he scores 90% of our goals. Hat trick today. 

I kind of have a lot to say about coaching, but I don't know if all the words are formed in my head. 

I just really like it. I think it scratches the itch to be a teacher - relationships, teaching, leading a team.

I love seeing progress. There was leaps of progress this season! 

Andrew has become so good! He really controls the ball and delivers it. 

Miguel - the kid who complained all practice is now a key winger, taking the ball down and doing stuff with it. 

It's just so satisfying. It's like a puzzle to solve and we are ongoing solving it. 

 

Construction Complete

Where have I been? Haven't posted in a while?

I've been moving into our new house. 

They finished up construction and suddenly this house went from construction chaos to moving/project chaos. 

Here is the last of the "in progress" pictures, right up until the end. 

Joe came and helped Jim add wood feature to the outside of the shower.

The last few days, when we were so close, 

I went down to the bathroom when the workers went to lunch and saw this checklist. 

Yay so close!! This checklist was the best thing ever. I was so ready to move in. 

Tools, caulk, garbage everywhere.

Then one day they packed it all up and moved out and we took a few days and moved in. 

We are still in the process of finalizing IKEA furniture, shutters, picking couches, hanging TVs, designing closet storage, 

plus moving our stuff from room to room, getting rid of stuff, vacumming places that hasn't been vaccuumed in forever. The upstairs is the kids' domain now. 

This is a sample platter of what our entire house looks like:

tools, Halloween, stuff out of place. 

It's a process, but currently we are all in our own new rooms and new bathrooms and I love it. It feels like I'm in a luxury hotel. 

 

Roof Dinner

Last Sunday I made roast and mashed potatoes and carrots and gravy.

You know how the house smelled when we walked in the door after church. 

Bonafasio was in the addition painting trim. He would have been staring at us while we ate, which is awkward right?

So I hollered at the kids to put some blankets on the roof and grab a pot, and here we are. 

It's a little bit my favorite thing. 

But also what a weird time of life we are in right now. I swear we are so so close to moving in. 

They are in the middle of creating the shower, the carpet is coming tomorrow. 

Maybe one more week? I'm a big dummy for thinking that optimistically. 

Please please one more week. 

Last week Jim installed a new door. 

It looks awesome. We are going to add frost to the clear windows, don't worry. 

There are just so many projects going on all over this house. 

Beyond house construction, we are in the very thick of soccer season. 

Team dinner at the mall.

The other day Avery had a break away, but no goal.

She also has a mild concussion. blah blah blah, hope that is done tomorrow when she revisits the trainer to see if her brain is good to go. 

I am coaching Andrew's team. 

This is my third year with these kids, and wowee wow do you remember the first year? We lost all games by large amounts of goals.

This year we are winners. Not undefeated, but we have won half the games and almost won the other half. 

They have improved so so much. Also we are one giant team - all the talent pooled into one great whole. But then on Saturdays we split into two teams and I coach two games. It is tiring and so fun. 

This is my women's league team from the summer: Purple Reign. 

This was our last game, and I am so bummed I missed the team picture. 

I got hit directly in the face with a ball, then had to hurry off the field to pick up Andrew from something. 

We are good. Second place.

Let's see...what else. 

Mushrooms, forests. 

Avery drives herself and the kids around to things and I LOVE IT. I didn't realize how much it would up my parenting game. 

Here's the new mural painted in downtown Blaine. 

I love our little town, it is the best. The other day between activities I was walking up and down the street and it was just beautiful. It has come such a long way from when we first moved here. It used to be clap board shut and deserted. Now it is beautified and has so many great places to eat. Come visit. 

OH MY GOSH THIS! 

This is the top best thing of this fall: Evan playing in the band at home games. 

Remember he was for sure going to go to the councilor tomorrow and drop out of band? And then he didn't, and admitted "band is ok"?

Then our football team is actually winning this year, and every time they make a touchdown the band strikes up with On Wisconsin?

Me and Jim went to the last home game (first time!) and it was SUCH A BLAST. Watching Avery and Evan do their high school thing...I just had the biggest smile on my face. 

Evan is on cymbals and he's such a stud over there clashing them together right on beat and right at the correct crescendo. 

I can't believe he almost opted out of this. 

There are a few things as parents we have not allowed our children to quit. 

Avery soccer, Evan band. Both they begged us to quit. 

There was an intuition about it - our adult brains knew the benefit/consequence of letting something go - It would have changed their whole teenage experience. They would have missed out on so many opportunities and lessons. 

Also did you know Avery is a junior and she is almost done with this whole scene. Ugg. I cannot even.

Also, if they don't finish our new house soon she won't even get to enjoy her new upgraded room for very long. That keeps me up at night. lol

And lastly, this is us every night reading scriptures on my bed. 

We set a timer for 10 minutes and they read on their own. It's also my favorite. 

Remember all the ways we have tried to read scriptures together? I've read to them in the early morning, in the evening. Now we have evolved to this level. 

Koda is always smack in the middle of it all, in everyone's way and we love her.