Sports, Sports, Sports

 We spent our late summer on through to the fall watching Cai excel on the field, both for soccer and cross country. 

He had a new soccer coach this year which we sure didn't mind. Over 80 boys tried out so we were super excited that he made the JV team. He started most games and played in every game. He even scored 2 goals! We are so proud of his perseverance and hard work.

The cross country coach approached Cai and asked if he'd come run for their team as well. He had already cleared it with the soccer coach, and as long as it didn't interfere with the soccer season he was free to join practices and meets with he cross country team. He found a community he loved and another sport he is really good at! He began the season PRing nearly every early meet. By the end of the season his time made hime eligible for regionals and he came in second on his team! His PR for the 5K is 20.0006 min.

When Poppee came in a few weeks ago he started showing Cai some wrestling moves and is trying to talk him into trying out for that team...we shall see, ha!

May - Endings and Beginnings

 I'm sitting here writing this at my desk. Right above my desk is my calendar. It is open to June and June is LOVELY! There is so much open space on my calendar that it makes me shoulders relax and my inhales deep and my exhales long.

But that is NOT what my calendar looked like in May. I hardly have any photos to recap May so the quantity of pictures don't give justice to the month we lived. But I've also been trying to get better and just being in the moment without my phone all the time, which I consider a win.

Highlights:

Josh ran his beast with his brother to complete his Spartan Trifecta.

I was asked to speak for the New Sandy Creek's Seniors group. It was like a family reunion. (You can click THIS LINK to read the talk I gave that I rewrote as a blog.)

Our church released the first volume of our Living Room Sessions. We recorded these in our living room during COVID and it feels so redemptive to have these moments captured live and now out in the world on all major music platforms. (Search "Seven Marks Worship")

Cai finished up his club soccer season with the rec cup. No I did not pay $35 for the picture! Goodness. But I did grab a screenshot just to document his team. They really pulled it together toward the end of the season after a rough start. We have loved the coach that he's had with NCFC for the past few years. 

One of our bass players on the team helped open up an Argentinian bakery and we went to show him some love after opening day. We are SO excited for them!  If you are ever in the Raleigh area, make sure you stop by Milonga and try something. I promise you'll love every bite.

My grandmother made a family history book for each of her grandchildren before she passed away. It is for sure a treasure. Some of the pictures date back to the 1800's! After watching A Small Light, a Prime Video series based on the perspective on Miep Gies, a Dutch woman who helped Anne Frank and her family, we began talking about our own family and where they were during that time. Which brought out the book. I captured Jude's curiosity as Josh went through some of the history with him.

And last, but not least...we finished up another year of Homeschool. Goodbye 7th, 9th and 11th grade!

Cai has two days of exams next week and we are all officially into summer. And we have a FUN summer ahead!

April

As we look back in the rearview mirror of april we see an end to Cai's track season, Jude's last soccer game, beautiful sunsets, and Rainy's Earth Day Festival gig, as we welcome lazy Sabbath days coming back into view!

 

Permits, Birthday Parties and The Kitchen Sink

January was full of adventure. A mission trip, a successful DMV appointment, a birthday, indoor soccer, and lots of togetherness. It was cold and cloudy but we did have some warmer, sunnier days that were so good for the soul. 

Rainy is always bringing home fun circus toys to play with. It always makes for a very entertaining afternoon, lol.

Alethia was invited to a fancy 15th birthday party. It was so sweet to watch Rainy help her get all dolled up. She was gorgeous, but alas, she didn't want me to get a picture. You'll just have to take my word for it.

I've decided that my favorite sport to watch is indoor soccer. It's like a mix of hockey and soccer. It is super fast-paced, no off sides and no out of bounds so they play off the wall and it is SO intense.  This is Cai's first time playing indoor but I'm pretty sure he's hooked!

Alethia got her level 1 permit! Now to clock those hours to get her on the road to independence.

This was the view for a week without Jude in the house. He and Josh headed to Guatemala on a mission trip and the whole house felt empty. Nobody to play hockey or keep conversation going non-stop! Even Berkley missed him.

I celebrated my 45th birthday and Josh took me to Crawford and Sons restaurant downtown Raleigh. It is the second time we've gone and it does NOT disappoint! They even reserved the window seat for us since it was my birthday. Rainy continues to bring fun circus toys to learn and practice. 

So this happened. Our sink completely came unglued and without the supports underneath (which were actually never installed) and without the proper instructions from the installer not to use the sink for at least 24 hours after installation (they said nothing after it was installed last year, so it was just a matter of time) the sink just fell through. I ran to the sink to hold it up off of the plumbing underneath, yelled to Zeke to go run out to the shed and grab a big bucket from the shed to prop it up on while we figure out what to do. So I did what every normal person does when their spouse is out of the country and a catastrophe happens...I call my friends who are pros at all the house things to come and save the day! I literally don't know what I'd do without Paul and Martha. We were back in running water order within just a couple of days.

While the boys were in Guatemala we got addicted to this fun HGTV show called Styled. It's fun to watch them transform spaces. Before and afters are our favorite and it even got our own minds thinking creatively about our own space as we learn from Nicole and Caffery.

October

 October, the middle of my FAVORITE season. 

The past four-five years have not allowed reflection or presence. It has been several years of what has felt more like survival, sifting and just keeping my head above the crashing waves than actually living in the moment and basking in the beauty that I love so much about this season. But this year I got to have it and it has been such a sweet season.

It started off with a beautiful wedding. We did no music. No officiating. No premarital counseling. We just got to show up and be supportive friends and it was awesome!

Alethia got to start science with my dad. A highlight for our family for sure.

Josh arranged for me to get away for a couple days at a friend's little beach place. Just me and my thoughts and it was glorious!

Zeke FINALLY got his license. The DMV issues since Covid have been down right maddening, but we are making our way through it. Alethia took her Driver's Ed so we are in the queue for the next step for her now.

Cai finished his soccer season

Rainy had more circus-ing...

And the rest of the month was for being creative and being together. (Josh did squeeze in a trip to Argentina somewhere in the month too!)