Xmas 2021

Unlike last Christmas, this Christmas we were able to gather with family to celebrate and share in good food too. It wasn’t much better as the COVID cases are rising rapidly again and test appointments and self-tests were hard to come by to ensure a safe and healthy holiday, but we made it - and hopefully with no positive future tests. 

Christmas Eve was rather low key. A walk with Sadie and some food at home as well as some prep for the busy Christmas Day and last minute holiday shopping. The kids exchanged presents and Sadie got a few treats but it was early to bed in anticipation for our busy next day. 

Christmas morning we woke at 7:30am to bake the French toast casserole and open presents before walking Sadie and getting all five of us showered and out the door by 10am.

This year, we decided to spend more money on our upcoming trips and go w/ less presents for the kids which meant less stuff and also less wrapping. Hailey still got a little more but her stuff costs less. Hailey’s favorite gift from us was probably her Squashville Lion set or her story writing books. Peyton loved all of her Lululemon outfits and her high school sweatshirts (that’s what the middle schoolers wear now). Austen hit a new virtual reality game that is so real it’s scary. I’m sure we’ll all have fun playing that. 

Then it was off to our first party at Grandma Lou’s House. We ate a big brunch, opened a lot less presents than last year (which was so much better) and headed home to host 17 people for Christmas dinner for Tom’s side. 

We had an hour in between for last minute prep and to walk Sadie before starting with drinks and appetizers and then partaking in a great meal. After that it was more presents and drinks and by then it was almost 11pm. All were tired especially us after a long full day. It took all day today to recover and clean up our house as well as put away our new gifts (less presents also means less stuff to put away). 

Can’t believe we survived another COVID Christmas. Glad to have been able to gather again in person and for everyone of our family members’ health this year. Merry Christmas! 

Caption: Present opening (Christmas morning and Eve):

Celebrating the Season

We really try to make the season fun for the kids not just by buying them presents but spending time together as a family doing seasonal things. 

This past weekend, we went up to Michigan for 24 hours (Austen had to be home for drivers ed on Sunday morning) so we ventured out to Gull Lake to tour the Kellogg's (think cereal guy) summer mansion on the lake as well as the Gilmore Car Museum which was also close by. The mansion was amazing as well as the volunteers who loved telling us stories about the house and Mr. Kellogg. The top part of the house was a holiday market too so the kids shopped for small gifts there to give to each other at Xmas. 

After the Kellogg house, we ventured over to the car museum where we took in old as well as new cars. It was quite an impressive space/campus where they housed all these cars and they had the whole place decked out in trees as well as holiday lights inside and out. We walked the campus where they had blow ups and hot cocoa as well as adult beverages and cozy bonfires. We finished up the evening at the car museum by partaking in the driving tour of lights through their campus and then hit up a brewery for dinner. It was a great way to celebrate the season complete with our Michigan (and CH) neighbors/friends. 

It's getting close now to Xmas and Hailey is having fun with our elves. She asked me today if Santa would bring her any presents because he happened to mention in a note he sent her that she was having difficulty getting off her iPad after her allotted time (weekends and winter breaks only for a maximum of 2 hours per day). She was very worried about this and said she'd try to do better but that she helped someone yesterday in her online game and always helps the children who need help in her class. I told her that she needed to do these good things throughout the year instead of right before Xmas to which she responded - "Why didn't anyone tell me that before?!" 

I'm sure she'll be a perfect angel next year now that she knows Santa's rules but for now I'm enjoying her very good behavior leading up to Xmas!

Car Museum

Kellogg Mansion 

Swim Meet Time

This past weekend, I spent hours in a natatorium. At least it was a really nice pool but it was 4-5 hours on Saturday and Sunday spent watching Peyton compete. It was the first time since COVID hit (and she started swimmingly competitively) that we were allowed to watch. 

I'm learning how to be a swim mom. It's definitely a change from being a soccer mom. You have to bring your chair (even though there are bleachers). Their goggles need some extra ties called bungees so they don't break. Their suits need to be tight so they don't create drag. Luckily, I have some friends who have been around it for a number of years to show me the ropes including how to track your kids' swimming events and times on an app.

Anyway, it's a whole new experience. So Saturday, Hailey and I were at the pool before 8am to watch Peyton compete. (Austen was competing in Indiana on Saturday for soccer so Tom took him and Hailey drew the mom straw.) Peyton had some solid performances shaving some milliseconds off of her times. Of course at her age she is still all about the place she comes in but I'm trying to encourage her to look at her times more since that's what really matters. Sunday, I went again solo to the meet so Tom could take Austen to drivers ed (and Hailey could get a break). Peyton did really well in 200 backstroke shaving a whole 10 seconds off her time. Kicking and counting the flags,  and working on those backstroke flip turns really make a huge difference. She ended up coming in 1st too in her heat and looked really strong. See video below. 

She petered out after that as she had been swimming some distances and only ate a bowl of oatmeal for breakfast and no refueling snacks in between. She looked tired and spent so we need to get on the refueling kick. She doesn't like to eat in the morning or in between because she has some nerves but the reality is her body needs it so she has energy. Working on that in future meets for her. But overall she did great swimming in 8 events over the course of two days with most being 100s or more. It was fun to see her so confident and in her element. I'm so glad she loves to swim and found what makes her happy. 

200 Backstroke - Peyton in Lane 1 (closest to camera)

First Lane - Breast Stroke

A Florida Soccer Getaway

A foggy first morning - Austen #48

Last weekend, Austen and I got to leave the cold weather in Chicago behind to head to Florida for a soccer tournament. He had an early game on Friday so we flew out late afternoon on Thursday, arriving with just enough time to pick up our rental car and grab dinner before heading to the hotel to get some rest. When booking our rental car, I noticed that the prices for a regular car and a convertible were pretty much the same so I took the liberty of booking the convertible. The prices must have been really good because when we got to the airport all they had left was a Mazda Miata convertible. We could only fit one of our small suitcases in the trunk with no backseat space so we obviously couldn't take that one but after about 20 minutes of searching and various options given, they found us a black Camaro convertible. Austen was thrilled with that choice even though it was so low that I barely could see over the front hood! Still when in Florida and you have 80 degree weather, you need to go with the convertible. 

First game was early morning with Galaxy going up 1-0 in the first half on a goal by Austen. The subs needed to play at least half time in this tournament so with that being said and the fact that we were missing our two center backs, we ended the game with a 3-1 loss. A beatable team but not with our second best team. The boys quickly shrugged off the lost and were looking forward to some team bonding at Busch Gardens complete with a zoo roaming with giraffe and flamingos as well as a very scary roller coaster (Shakeara). I was one of the only parents willing to ride the roller coasters so inadvertently I got placed in in the first car and Austen and his teammates were in the second and third cars. They took you up and then dangled you over the 90 degree drop for 10 seconds before free falling downward. The boys had fun all together and we ended the night with a team dinner at Ford's Garage. 

Saturday was a later morning game so it was nice to sleep in for a bit. This was going to be a much tougher game and I could see that right away. They were pretty evenly matched with a lot of physical play. We ended up losing 1-0 (again the subs must play 50 percent) but our goalie made such a great save on a PK that it felt like a win to us! After the game, the boys headed to the beach at Siesta Key where they played beach soccer and took their ice baths in the salty ocean. We ended the evening with food/drinks at a nearby outdoor Daquiri bar and the boys went back to the hotel for more pool time and pizza.

Sunday was the earliest game of all and we ended on a high note. We won 2-1 with Austen contributing a goal and an assist. After getting some food in us, we put the top down and drove back to the airport to catch our flight home to rainy and cold weather. 

Not a great performance from a soccer standpoint but understandable given the parameters that the subs needed to play 50%. Austen enjoyed himself though and was happy with all the hang out time with his teammates which is what you really remember and enjoy about club soccer - the tournaments and the time spent away with your teammates who will likely become some lifelong friends. 

Team dinner

Sweaty!

Siesta Key

Ready for takeoff/Florida here we come!

Our wheels!

Busch Gardens