October

He's a big kid with big beefy legs. He is lazer focused on getting and keepings straight A's. 

He's lost some of his time management. Sad about that. He's in the thick of it when it comes to being middle school, bruh. Bruh. 

Adventure Dan and Adventure Dave. 

They have been planning this costume since last Halloween. 

The herd of kids running up and down the streets has evolved. Now it's the kids Andrew's age. 

It's so sad when they get too old and too busy for this. And it's sad when your best friends move out of the neighborhood. How could they. 

He has one more soccer game this Saturday. 

Last week, we got beat pretty badly. I was so frustrated. We got in the car and Andrew said "man this season of soccer has been so fun!" 

Haha I laughed out loud. But for real, this team is so bonded and have so much fun together. That is the most important thing I suppose. Also Andrew is becoming a great little player! Most improved, for sure. 

We are into district playoffs this week. 

This is when we should be the most focused and intense, but it also happens to be when we (Avery) are siiiick of it.

It's been a great season, but also a rough season. 

Avery has regressed and it kills me. Her confidence is so low. I don't know. We are going to work in the off season and try again next year. Lot's of feelings! 

This is why we do sports though. This is the manufactured hard thing we have chosen. 

Just be happy we don't live in the Middle East. 

All my friends are so busy lately, there's no time to hang out. 

Dinner in a pumpkin! We had to wait until Jim got home, and Evan almost died of hunger. 

My forest shows off all these neat little treats just for me. 

I can't not take pictures. Trust me this is only one of a trillion pictures that I take while walking through.

There was sunshine today! 

 Big and normal things are happening in our family life - sports and school and field trips. 

Jim is adding woodwork to our living room, sanding, painting, making things look pretty. 

Soccer, always soccer. Teenagers and devices and learning to manage emotions. 

But then spiritually everything feels big as well. So many friends and people I know are leaving the church. 

I think a lot about why and how that happens. It makes me lean into it all more and more to figure out why. The God I know is not the same God they are describing. The theology I know is expanding and beautiful and the more I read and listen and study, the better it gets. And the more I know, the more I realize I don't know. But I feel so defensive about the things people say (like on social media)...It is difficult to navigate religion when it is so demonized. 

A few weeks ago, our friend Das went to HOCO with a big group, and right off the bat someone said "I hope none of you are mormon. We hate mormons." And Das was like..."uhh...I'm mormon." They were like, "oh un...yeah you're cool". 

???

I am working so hard at being ok with it when people get me/it wrong. 

And then world wide, we have this topsy turvy thing going on where we are on WW3's doorstep, no big deal. We always knew that good would be called evil and evil would be called good,

and you see it everywhere in sneaky, ambiguous ways. 

But then out of nowhere there is a killing of mass amounts of Jews and people are ok with it! Again! How did we get here? Microaggressions and words are violence, but actual violence is virtuous? 

Hello children, this is the world you live in. Step right up. 

It's just a lot. And I can't not fill my days reading about it and listening about it. It's contradictory and confusing and angry. 

Then I flip over to reading and listening to/about spiritual things. And it's so rich and full and good. The deeper I dig, the more beauty I find. Goodness and building and raising and filling. 

And then I go to soccer and teach kids how to do the sports, and then I walk through the forest and find so many little worlds of mushrooms. 

What a world. 

The Return of Stoney Ridge Farm

When we first moved here, this pumpkin patch was one of my favorite things about living here. The vibe and the atmosphere was so amazing. 

We went to it for about 5 years, and then they shut down. 

Now they are back in business, but only about half of the farm is accessible. 

One Saturday, all our friends were gone for Canada Thanksgiving, and Jim had to work all day, and the kids by chance had the whole afternoon free of sports (baseball and soccer games were both in the morning). So we decided to go to Stoney Ridge and pick some pumpkins.

It could not be more of a different experience now than what it was when we came with babies. 

Also it was literally 80 degrees, so yeah, we were cooking hot. 

How can this be. Literally I don't understand this. 

Corn maze. This time we TRIED to get lost, or lose each other. 

donuts

At this point I was sweaty hot. 

We got four giant pumpkins. Evan tried to push the wheelbarrow, but then it tipped over and we had to heft them back into the wheelbarrow. 

Sweaty. 

Here is some other FALL stuff going on:

Some of our top favorite family games are: Boggle, Chicken Foot, Skyjo.

This was us playing Trivial Persuit. We just ask the trivia, we don't mess around with the board nonsense. 

When I took this picture from a summer adventure, I said "I have a puzzle of this exact scene."

So I found the puzzle, and look at how it's basically the same. 

Rock, lake, mountain, dog. 

Mushroom season is so exciting. 

They sprout and decay within about a week span, so every encounter is different. 

It's always something new that surprises me. 

All these were found in my forest, plus one million more. 

This one is so cool, just growing out of bark the size of a toilet paper roll. 

I came around the corner and found this downed tree covered! Absolutely covered. 

Our neighbors are so fun. Andrew joined them for an outdoor movie night,

while the big kids were at the homecoming game. 

We won by one point! It was so exciting. And also rare for us to win. 

Avery didn't go to the dance this year. She and her friends came to our house and watched a movie instead. 

They all regretted not going. For sure they will go next year. 

Caramel apples! 

Carmel apples are like s'mores: 

so messy, not very delicious, mandatory per tradition. 

Sports Sports Sports

Ok here we go with the fall sports sports sports everyone. 

It's a lot, and I love it. It also gives me so many butterflies. 

Avery called me a "soccer mom" the other day, and I was like: girl no, I am a soccer COACH. There's a difference. A soccer mom gets to enjoy the show from afar. I get to/have to participate in the things, mentally, physically.  

I "volunteer" with the high school team, which means I go to practices when I can. I sit on the bench with the team during games and support the girls, but also let Gio bounce ideas around as I stand there and nod and give my two cents. 

I am learning a lot about coaching. I have gained an appreciation for our different coaching styles, and specifically a confidence in my own style.  

Lots of pregame nerves going on here. 

Out of nowhere, Evan joined the cross country team. He has so much fun with his team. He also leads the pack (of the Blaine kids). 

We also signed up for Fall Baseball since he didn't get a chance to play spring ball. 

This involves a lot driving. The whole sports season is driving kids around and around: but even more difficult than driving is:

Listening to my kids complain that they don't want to go - dragging feet, grumbling, moaning. There is a lot of mental load going on with listening to children not want to do the sports.

It gives me butterflies. 

I just have to trust the process. 

So often when the practice/game is over they are amped! also sometimes they are dejected and disappointed. 

Either way they come back with a load of emotions to sift through, good and bad. 

Like today I was subbing, and after school Avery begged me to not make her go to practice, and my battery was too low to give a crap, so I let her skip and she came home and slept for 4 hours. 

Just whatever. 

I don't own children that love to do the sports after practice is over. They never do the sports on their own for pleasure. Does everyone else's children out there come home and enthusiastically continue to "play" the sport? 

Well, this makes it sound like the sports is all negative, and why do we do it. But this is just a little cubed root of venting about the overload of the season, but the majority of sports is exciting and good. 

The absence of sports makes us pine to be in the sports. It's just a study in "doing hard things is so good". It makes the grass greener. 

Plus the friendships, the muscles, the triumphs, the after game snacks...

Baseball costumes are the cutest of all sports costumes. 

I am also coaching Andrew's team. It is so hard because those boys are in a scattered state of soccer execution. There is so much to learn and teach. They get beat more often than not, so there's a lot of "sometimes you win, and sometimes you learn" mentality. 

Why are they SO hard to teach? I have been doing this for 20 years, and I have never had this level of confusion about a simple drill. 

They can not listen. The most simple drills are above their heads. I have said "this drill isn't rocket science" so many times, it's now an inside joke. If the drill has more than one or two components, they turn into big giant dummies. 

BUT also, we are starting to bond and have fun together. Today was picture day, so it was a little bit of behind the scenes silliness and camaraderie. They are actually having fun, which is the whole point I guess.

This is the only picture I have of Andrew soccer because I am too busy with my clipboard to take pics. But this Saturday we were losing by one million, so I was just sitting on the bench letting go of control, and took a picture of Andrew being an awesome goalie. He's so good at pouncing on the ball! You would be surprised at how many goalies forget to use their hands/full body. 

Evan: "Look mom, I found the center of mass."

I had to stop in the middle of this blog post to help Avery edit an essay that's due tomorrow. 

"When Imagination Takes Over Logic" is the topic. 

I remember I used to have to stop mid blog post to like, change diapers or keep babies alive. 

I have a "friend" who always lists off how busy she is and details every move she has to make to get her kids to places, and I die inside as I'm nodding because I don't totally care, and we all are busy,

 BUT I'm going to copy her and tell my blog about how busy Wednesday October 11 2023 is:

At 4:00, go watch Evan run in his cross country meet at Hovander. 

When he's done, take him and Logan to get some dinner, then drop them off at Joe Martin stadium for baseball practice at 6:00 (ps he loves that field bc it's the semi-pro stadium and is so cool.)

Drive to Meridian HS for Avery's soccer game at 7:00. 

Ooh I hope Lindsay can give her a ride to the bus at 5:00 bc I will be gone. 

Maybe Jim will be home by then. He's been away all week for his biyearly proficiency check in Vegas. He passed, of course, because he's the best pilot. 

Heidi will bring the baseball boys home at 8:00

Andrew has activity days 6:30 at Jamie's house. Lisa might have to take him and pick him up. I'll ask her. 

Depending on when Jim gets home, he will either go to the young men's activity or come watch Avery's game with me. Hopefully he comes with me because I haven't talked to him in days. We have lots to catch up on. 

After the game is over, drive to the school and wait for the bus of soccer to drop Avery off. Take Bea home. Taking Bea home used to be so easy. Now it's an extra step - how dare they move to a new neighborhood. 

This busy Wednesday sounds so fun! I don't have to be in charge of ANYTHING, I just get to watch and support and drive. It gives me good excited butterflies. Also thank goodness for friends and carpools. 

Around 9:00 we will all reconvene at our house (which will be a mess from all the coming and going). We will be reunited as a family after a major scattering. 

PS there is a giant war going on in Israel.