When I say that I am ready to slow down ... that's an understatement!!! We have been going and going as a family and after I flopped down on a chair last night, I said, "OK, I am ready for a big snow storm!" Something to slow me down!!! I did say a while later that I was really was kidding about the snow storm but I would really like to make an effort to slow down. So, with that said, I said no to going to yet another soccer game today. Only because it was far and because Matthew has another game tomorrow that I plan to go to!!!
Soccer and volleyball games have been demanding so much of our time lately!!! But the kids are loving it and I am mostly enjoying it!!! :) When the younger kiddoes are happy and willing to enjoy the games, then our afternoons are much more pleasant!!!
Matthew had a soccer tournament on Friday night at Conestoga Christian. His first game started at 5 PM, so it gave us only a short amount of time at home after school before needing to head for Morgantown. I never would have dreamt that we would go this way so often! With church being in Honeybrook, the Yukon goes on alto pilot when we set sails that way! :) Matthew asked me on Thursday evening, "Mom, if you are not too busy tomorrow can you make our team some snacks?" He was so sincere and cute about and with me loving my kitchen, I smiled and said yes!!!
So, this is what I did. Apple slices dipped in caramel and then I put toppings on each piece. They looked really nice at first but for some reason the caramel got runny by the time the boys ate them. I think next time I will have apples at room temperature instead of being cold.!.
I also made a double batch of fiber balls.
When we arrived for the soccer game the weather was decent. The sky was so blue. The view from the back part of Conestoga is so amazing!!! It is so pretty looking out over farm land and trees and mountains. I thought I had enough of warm clothes for me and the kids but when it got dark, we were cold. Mike showed up after the first game and was cold too. I love these clear blue sky days but it really does chill down at night.
The field was big and a lot of running for the boys!!! They worked hard but lost both games.
Jr and Lorene brought the boys some chicken and they feasted a bit before their last game.
I really wished that they could have won at least one of their games but everyone else seemed to be taller and bigger. :) Next year, we should have some more eighth graders and more experience. :)
We went home tired and cold. Hot showers felt so good and we all snuggled down right away because we had another day of sports on Saturday.
We (Hadassah, Ashlyn and I) left the house bright and early Saturday morning. We picked up Anna by 7:15 AM and we headed for Daniel Boone High School to compete in volleyball. The Linville Hill High School girls did a great job!!! They played so well and finished in third place!!! I'm not stretching it when I say that we were all fired up by the last game!!! We cheered loud and hit the bleachers and made lots of noise!!! Only to cheer the girls on! They were smacking the ball hard and playing great!!! They won six and lost only two. That put them in the semi finals by one by. Mike was at home with the boys but they quickly packed it up and came to watch the last two games!!! He was so glad to see the girls play!!!
Ashlyn was with us all day and I should have explained the game plan for the day before taking her along. By the second game, she was in tears and wanted to go home. Sigh. I did grab some crayons and a coloring book before leaving home and that seemed to help a little.
After the first set, some of us moms went to a nearby market for some chicken and fruits. It was a fun, quick trip. I loved that we could get some of John and Jane's BBQ Chicken. For lunch, we put down a blanket and set the food on top. The weather was so gorgeous outside!!!
This girl loves mushrooms.
There was this upper deck that the girls could hang out at in between games.
They spread out blankets and pillows and waited for their next competition.
Views from the upper deck.
Practicing before game time.
Here's she's going hard!!! Hadassah is a great spiker and a hard server!!!
Couch Drew Wingard. He is great for the girls. He played lots of volleyball himself and tons of beach volleyball. He knows the drills and skills. The ins and outs. He was so happy on how the girls played at this tournament!!!
You can tell Mr. Wingard and is pleased.
"Little Man" showed up at the end of the day and cheered too!!!
It was down to the nitty gritty. The last two games were against Fleetwood and they were tough. The Linville girls played hard but lost both games. That gave them third place.
Our sports schedule can be stressful at times and it really does depend on well this little guy does to determine the level of stress. :)
Hadassah was killing the ball in the last game. They were down by a lot and she served seven hard serves in a row!!! So proud of her skills and determination!!!
Even though they didn't make it to the final game, the Linville Hill Volleyball Team did fantastic!!! Good job girls!
We didn't get home till 7:30 PM. It was a long day and we were ready for baths and bed. Except that we were invited to Jonathon's for some Acquire. I told Mike to just go alone. I just didn't have the energy to do something else yet that night!!!
Sunday we had another packed full day!!! We started with going to church and I just love the studies in Genesis right now!!! The story of Joseph always seems to amaze me and teaches me new things! After church, all the bikers from church were invited to go to Jr and Lorene's house for lunch. The guys biked while us moms and children went for lunch awhile. We served the kids and by the time the husbands arrived on their bikes, the children were finishing up and made room for the next group. :) The guys had three flat tires but most of them finished well. :)
After lunch, the guys relaxed and watched some football. The kids played outside and in. The afternoon was gorgeous and fun! We left there and made a quick stop at home before heading to one more place!!! (Am I making you tired just reading this???) We could barely catch our breath before heading out the door again. This time for Campfire Chili!!! John and Kathy invited us over for homemade chili that John stirs and cooks over an open campfire! It was so tasty!!! Suz made delicious corn bread to add to it and Sonia baked us some yummy cookies!!! It was relaxing watching the fire burn and eat chili and drink hot cider!!! Thanks John and Kathy for hosting us!
To say that I was so ready for a morning/day at home would be an understatement!!! I got the kids off to work. Mike was out of the house early and off to his job! I got the laundry started and the little kids some breakfast. It is a Monday and so that means Bible Study time for us too. We headed off for more lessons with Beth Moore and again I was blessed!!! Ashlyn and Austin are doing great with staying in the basement while us moms drink in some of God's word!!! It was another gorgeous day. Warmer than usual tempts for October. We stopped for some quick groceries on the way back home mostly because we were out of diapers and we sure still need some of those! Austin took a good nap. Ashlyn rode her bike and played a lot with baby Kate. I whipped together some pumpkin scones to take along to buddy day tomorrow. The laundry got finished up. The weather was so nice and perfect for Matthew's soccer game but I decided to stay home this time. Sometimes I just have to say no to some things. :)
Austin is saying some words and we are totally loving this stage!!! He is so cute and is obsessed with shoes. He loves to wear shoes!!! He loves my pumpkin muffins!!! He is still our blond haired baby boy and our little charmer!!! His drive for life is real and he has enough energy for us all! He will keep us young for a long time!!! :)))
Fall time is busy for us but the sports are finishing up and the daylight times are getting shorter and shorter. I love the fall weather and all the spices and smells!!!
Enjoy your day! Be a light to someone in need! Jesus cares for you and me!!!
Happy fall!!!
