We Got the Honey Crisp!

That's a Honey Crisp!

I think every year we miss the short window for the Honey Crisp apples. This year by some miracle of schedules, we were able to get to Michigan just in time for the tail end of the Honey Crisp picking season. And boy, take a bite of a Honey Crisp apple and you really know why you don't want to miss that window. Hailey especially is a connoisseur of apples and requests them daily in her lunch. It's her favorite fruit. 

So in our short trek to Michigan this past weekend (in between soccer practice and cheerleading and soccer games as well as a charity soccer tennis tournament), we squeezed in some apple picking at our favorite Crane's Orchards. Kind of like our tree cutting tradition, Tom and I have been going to Crane's since before our kids were born. We've enjoyed picking a wide variety of apples, having our kids ride the cow tractor (I'm glad they are too big for that now as it was a bumpy ride for the adults when they were too small to go by themselves) and feasting on apple cider donuts and fresh pressed apple cider. 

As our kids have gotten older, we've enjoyed the corn maze. This year was a bit tougher of a maze to figure out. Per usual there were 10 marker posts that you must find by answering the questions correctly. Number 8 is always so hard to find - we have no problem completing the first half of the maze in 15-20 minutes but it's the second half that we get stuck on. And of course there's always a few antics like hiding in the tall corn stalks and jumping out and scaring the other siblings or parent and then seeing who is going to take charge and be the leader (we found this year that Austen is a terrible follower - he likes to take the lead even when it's not his turn!). 

But it was a gorgeous day, we got in our Honey Crisp apples and picked some Jonathan apples for pie baking before taking on the corn maze and then enjoying the donuts and cider. 

After, we ventured to Big Lakes Brewing Company in Holland for some food and a cool flight of beers. It's going to be quick weekends when we go up to Michigan now because of fall sports but I'm sure glad we got our Honey Crisp apple picking in!

So much taller than last year!

Parents have fun too!

Hailey always with a stuffed animal in hand

We need Hailey to reach the high ones

Trying to figure out how to get out of the maze

A moment of getting along

Big Lakes Brewing flight of beers

Last Day of Summer!

Fall is almost officially here and today there's been some nice respite from our hot weather. I love hot weather but I love fall more. To celebrate the end of summer, we've been doing some fun summer things:

- We made a trip to Rainbow Cone. At first the kids didn't want to try it. They are stuck on getting DQ Blizzards, McDonald's shakes or their real favorite -Andy's Custard. But they opened a few Rainbow Cones by us and so we decided to check it out. And, despite their protests, the kids actually enjoyed all of the flavors and were glad they actually tried it. 

- End of the summer also means lots of summer things go on sale. One was a giant "Lily Pad" that you can use at the beach or off a boat as a floating dock. We bought one and decided to try it out on a super windy day at the beach. Not advisable. It definitely elicited some laughs but not good for windy days. We are excited to use it next year even more, especially when we rent our usual pontoon boat. 

- We played a lot of golf and tennis. Austen and Tom got in more than a few rounds of golf this summer and are cramming even more in before October/November. They even got to golf with Papa a bunch. Austen wishes he could golf more and Tom's already played more golf this year than he probably has the last five years! Tennis was also a fun addition to the summer. Hailey took lessons. Austen and I played a ton after I took a course in May, and sometimes Tom would play with us too. 

I'm said to say goodbye to the beach and the summer days in Michigan but I'm ready to welcome the fall hues, go apple picking, have bonfires and do all the warm, cozy and colorful things that makes the fall the best season of all! 

This is High School Soccer

There's so much to be said for being involved in your high school. Whether that is drama, band, sports or some other club or extracurricular activity it gives you a sense of belonging especially when you are coming in as a freshman. I'm a big fan of getting involved and that's one of the reasons why I was not interested in Austen ever trying out for an Academy soccer team and guided him away from that type of club as it would have prevented him from playing any type of high school sport. They own you. Now maybe from an Academy team, (if you're lucky) you go on to play at a big time college and it pays off for you but for me I thought the price was too high. As much as I love soccer and I love watching Austen play, there is more to life than soccer and I tell him that often. There's balance - between school and sports and being a kid and having a social life. I want him to go to Friday night football games with his friends who are not soccer players (he hasn't missed one yet and most of his good friends do not play soccer - they are football players, golfers and cross country runners). I want him to go to Homecoming (he is). I want him to get involved in his school and enjoy these four years which will go by so fast (he knows). So far he's having a blast. He's excited about school. Thinks some of his classes are too easy (just wait, Austen, you will be wishing they were easy once you get a little deeper in). He loves going to any game and often calls me to tell me after getting off the bus from his away game or after a practice that he's going to watch the Varsity soccer match. He volunteers to be ball boy even when he's already done his shift (and overhears his coach who is attending the Varsity game say to an opposing coach on the bench that he wishes he had 10 other Austens). He's impressed that the assistant varsity coach knows his name when he enters the stadium for the Varsity match and approaches him. Austen asks how he knows his name and the coach says, coaches talk. Austen likes that and uses that as fuel to keep him going because it hasn't been an easy transition for him from club to high school soccer. Did he want to quit high school soccer? Yes. Did he wish he went out for the golf team instead? Sometimes (they play at really cool courses). But with our encouragement and the reality that he can't not touch the soccer ball for three months and come back strong for club season if he wanted to play another sport, he stuck with it. 

In June, he came into the summer high school soccer camp telling me that most of the players were not good. Tryouts rolled around in August and one of the other better freshman players decided to go play Academy soccer which really bummed Austen out as another one of his friends who would have played with him in high school also decided to play Academy instead of high school. Then there was him. Tryouts ended and they told the players congrats you made the freshmen team. That was a gut punch as Austen truly was vying for at least JV1 and honestly thought he could be top 5 on JV1. But they don't move freshmen up. So he would have to wait to have a chance at a higher level next year. It was disappointing but after some discussion he realized there were things he could work on during this high school season. He could develop his leadership. Many of the kids on his team were a much lower level or hadn't played at all. He could work hard, teach and encourage. Show his leadership even though he's a competitor. That's proven to be a very tough challenge when you're matched up with a strong Naperville team and the coach puts all the "B" players in with you and one other "A" player. Boy are you tested. Every goal that goes into the net is a character building goal. How do you lead? How do you rally your team? How do you teach? How do you keep going? I see what the coach is doing. He's told Austen that he doesn't care about the non-conference games. He's going to play everyone. And he wants him to lead. It's an internal struggle but he's doing it. He's learning and he'll be better for it at the end of the season. Meanwhile he's working on his physicality and using his body more in the game to shield the ball. I see improvement every game. And I know the lessons he's being taught right now are going to be the ones he's going to carry with him forever. 

After a victory!

New teammates and one old one

Cheerleaders x 2!

After a year hiatus, cheerleading has finally returned! Peyton continues to like cheerleading especially stunting and the high school girl cheerleading coaches! Hailey has decided to follow in her footsteps for now and seems to also enjoy trying a new sport this year. 

Peyton's kicks have improved a lot in 2 years and she is working on being LOUD and making her movements very stiff. Smiling is also something that she has to remember to do often but she's come a long way since she started in the 3rd grade.

Hailey too is having a lot of fun and really enjoys stunting. She's a base and is proud of her strength as she lifts another cheerleader in the air. She especially wants the spirit stick which they hand out each week to the cheerleader with the most spirit (and the best listener). 

Peyton has cheered in a few games this year already with Hailey following close behind. Each will have at least one competition cheerleading event later this fall. So for now it's just practice, practice, practice and games! 

Hailey is the base on the left

Peyton cheering on the big field

Peyton's Cheer Team 

Hailey's Cheer Team