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.

First Day of School

You have to do SOMETHING fun on the last day of summer. 

The high schoolers went to orientation for FOUR hours. Avery is a team leader, so that's cool.

Then we met in Blaine for some Marine Park and Edaleen and wandering around. 

Earlier in the day Andrew was brainstorming fun ideas. 

He mentioned "pic nic on the roof"? and I was like: no I don't think so. 

But then when it was dinner time, and our kitchen/dining table looked like this...

So I whispered to Andrew: let's surprise everyone with dinner on the roof!

So he helped me set this up and it was so fun. 

We spent most of the meal trying to convince Evan not to drop out of band. 

It's been a hot topic in our house for a few days. Just suddenly he doesn't want to be a cool drummer. 

He said he was going to go to the councilor first thing in the morning and change his schedule to art. 

We told him all the reasons for why that's a terrible idea. 

Then they set out their new clothes and Jim gave them each a blessing, and then we went to bed.

The first day was on a late start Wednesday this year, and it has been the best, gentlest start.

Evan said all his teachers are "goated" (that means they are greatest of all time).

He had a great day. AND he is sticking with band. He said it wasn't so bad. 

Andrew has the dream team Higgins/Minkler. YESSSS

Avery is just an old pro. She had to wear this ugly LINK CREW shirt on the first day so that people know she is there to help and give advice. But she also carried around her lanyard with car keys and license. 

Seriously I don't have to manage any part of her life. She has it all under control. 

And she drives them all to school.

This is the first time (besides stupid covid days) that I didn't take them to school on the first day. 

I just waved goodbye from the driveway in my pajamas. 

Avery sent this to me. Eeek! High School is so fun.

I Cheerfully Accept

Well the school year is ending, so lets review some of the good things happening around here before we plunge into summer:

Evan had his last band concert and I am telling you they have gotten SO GOOD. Compared to the beginning of the year...wow. It was such a fun concert. 

Andrew's last practice was super fun. We had pizza and pictures and a "parents v kids" scrimmage. 

Like I said, the triathlon is fast approaching. I ran a 6 miler the other day while Jim mountain biked. It was hard. 

I feel ready. My goal is always to finish before the 3 hour cut off time. I don't even care about pr's anymore. Just finishing before they end, pack up, and leave me on the course. 

We have had such a mix of great weather and rainy weather. I guess that's what spring is all about.

One night we had a weenie roast. 

It was the prettiest.

Us moms sat on this bench and watched the colors change around us as the sun set. 

We tried to figure out life when hard things happen. 

Our children disappeared while we were sitting there trying to nail down solutions.

They all returned to the fire pit around the time when it got dark and cold.

Andrew's last game was so crazy. The other team was rude and pushy. 

Moms stepped onto the field to yell across the way at each other. 

The other coach walked right into the middle of the field to protest a call the teenager ref made. 

Nikki went to fetch some officials to come maintain order on the field before someone got hurt. They had to get involved multiple times before they finally called the game early before real fights broke out. 

All in the name of rec league. 

They only lost one game all season. By one point. 

We eat a lot of Boomers after a day at Galbraith. 

Hey it's cubing season! I taught the boys how to solve a 3x3, and then I learned how to solve the dodecahedran. It's so fun! They like to speed cube, breaking their previous record.

I like to leisurely turn the chaos into order, taking my time putting the disorder back into place. 

My brain thinks and thinks and feels wonderful once all is returned to it's proper slot. 

Evan "graduated" from middle school. 

Wowee I have two high schoolers. What a fun time to be a mom.

Andrew is nervous to enter the middle school world. I think he thinks it will be worse than it actually is. 

The after party with his buds.

I'm so proud of Evan. He works so hard and gets straight As and has fabulous friends.

He treats his teachers with respect and wants to do the right thing always. 

Also he's so handsome. He is really tall, but standing next to Christopher, you can't even tell. He has a lot of tall friends. 

Also puberty is crazy. 

I have spent years and years lifting weights almost every day. You can barely tell about my muscles.

Then Evan goes ahead and goes through puberty and that earns him some giant arm, leg and shoulder muscles. For no reason at all, his body turns into lean muscle. 

What a thing. 

I'm so thankful for men and muscles. I can't lift heavy things so I'm glad I live in a world where men can lift all the heavies. 

Lots of Galbraith this week!

Ok, I've never been to a book signing, but Friday me and Lisa went to meet Leif Enger, the author of the book I just read and loved,

 "I Cheerfully Refuse". 

It is a five star book and I am currently on my second reading of it because that is how much I love to have the words from this book rolling around in my brain. 

He wrote "Peach Like a River" another 5 star book I read way back in 2012. 

Then Jim and Joe met up with us and we had an awesome dinner with this awesome view. 

It was such a fun night. I can't stop thinking about it. 

The restaurant had license plates on the ceiling. The book takes place in Minnesota,

 so yeah. 

Last night,

Up and over the mountain, six miles, sunset, sore legs. 

Eat at Boomers of course. 

I Cheerfully Accept.