Peyton Turns 15!

Well, she passed her permit test so she now officially has her permit and can drive! Look out! (Austen is none too thrilled that she'll be practicing on "their" car  - he thinks it's his and has declared if she crashes it then we need to buy him another car.) Let's hope neither of those happen!

Cheers to 15 Years!

Anyway, Peyton turned 15 on our vacation in Hawaii. She actually likes to plan her whole birthday day if she can when she is on vacation and one of those things is going shopping to pick out more presents for her. She also picks the restaurant for dinner and what else she would like to do that day. In Hawaii, her day also included surfing lessons and a trip to get acai bowls. However, we found out pretty early on that the only day that Trilogy Boat Tours was doing an excursion to the Island of Lanai the whole time we were there was on her actual birthday. So for a few months the whole family had to convince her that that trip would be worth it. Eventually, she agreed so we were off bright and early (6:30am) that morning to the Island of Lanai on a beautiful catamaran, eating fresh fruit and cinnamon rolls while washing it down with Bog Juice. 

We arrived in Lanai and walked to the private beach that Trilogy occupies to get ready to go snorkeling. Then we walked a trail to take in the beautiful views. Time for lunch after that which was delicious and then back on the boat for ice cream sundaes and our trip back to the Island of Maui. We saw whales and dolphins along the way too. It was a really great excursion and Peyton was glad that we did it on her birthday.

We got home in enough time to relax for a bit, open the presents we brought with us for her (more ALO) and then get ready for dinner. She had to have dinner at MonkeyPod so we had a late reservation there for dinner in Whaler's Village (too crowded for my liking) so Peyton was happy. Since our reservation was later, she was able to shop before dinner too.

She did continue celebrating the next day with surfing lessons, shopping in Wailea at Lululemon (think Maui decal on their gear) and also got a new swimsuit she wanted. 

She got lots of texts and "Snaps" from her friends and family wishing her a very happy birthday too. What a lucky girl to get to spend her bday always on a vacation! Happy Birthday to our P! 

Happy Birthday! Early Morning!

Happier and Awake, Embarking on her 15th Year of Life

Xmas 2024

The Xmas season went by so fast. Three weeks from Thanksgiving to Xmas is definitely not enough time to enjoy the season so we tried to squeeze in as much as possible (in between weekends away in Arizona and Kansas City for Austen's soccer games). 

Cantigny Lights

We tried out a new light display this year at Cantigny. Despite living in Wheaton growing up, I had never ever been to Cantigny so I definitely enjoyed learning about the history of its founders and touring the mansion as well as seeing its unique light displays. 

We also opened stockings each week (Santa delivers one present per week to each of us in our stockings but we never know when he'll show up). Peyton got lots of jewelry, Austen much needed socks (Nike and his soccer grip socks) while Hailey got a set of learning chopsticks, more toppers for her Stanley, a book light and lots of other things. Sadie got a lot of treats while Tom and I got some sheets for our bed and hats, jewelry and seasoning rubs. 

We spent Xmas Eve at Grandma Lou's feasting on all things that scream Italian Xmas Eve including the fake meatballs. On Xmas Day, we hosted Tom's side of the family and enjoyed catching up with everyone. The kids received everything they wanted (well, maybe except for Peyton who got a lot of things but still seemed to want more! She told me she has a long list of things she didn't get that she's buying after Xmas and her bday). Austen got a new phone. Peyton got tons of her new favorite brand - ALO (stand for Air, Land, Ocean) and Hailey requested a lot of high school apparel (even though she has like 3.5 more years til she actually gets there) and a Chicago Blackhawks stocking cap which she's worn a lot already. 

I'd say it was a good Xmas for everyone and we enjoyed catching up with family. 

Cantigny Mansion

Hot Cocoa Break

Santa Came

Opening Presents 

Peyton's Not Sure What This Is

Hailey Got AirPods!

Our Xmas Table

Cousins on Xmas Eve

Busy Xmas Season

Hailey Shooting in a Game

I've been gone the past two weekends with Austen for club soccer games in Arizona and in Kansas City so the weeks have flown by and my to do list has grown. 

I did get to see Peyton cheer on Friday night at a basketball game before I had to leave but I missed two of Hailey's travel basketball games. Excited to see her play in 2025. She traded her three times a week soccer practices for three times a week basketball practices and really seems to be enjoying playing as well as learning the game better. 

Hailey has also been my busiest right now with Girl Scout Meetings (cookie sales coming soon!) and her school's Battle of the Books program - which she is doing for the second straight year. In fact, on Tuesdays she stays after school for Battle of the Books, then I pick her up at 4pm to go to Religious Ed and then at 5:15pm, I run her straight to basketball practice so she can catch the last 50 minutes of it. Then she's home by 7pm. Good thing these 5th graders don't have a ton of homework! 

Peyton's cheer has been very manageable as they don't practice every day after school. She has added 1-2 tumbling classes a week to her schedule so she can get better faster too. She has shown a lot of improvement and will start getting more serious in early 2025 as spring cheer tryouts approach. Right now she is focused on her freshman year, first semester finals. It's been an experience for her but one I'm sure she'll learn from. I told her they aren't going away - you will have them in college too so get used to them and make sure your grades are solid beforehand so you don't need to rely on a final to bring up your grade or if you do poorly, it doesn't affect your grade. 

Austen is on a two to three week break from soccer right now which is good timing so he can focus on finals and securing solid first semester grades Senior year. He decided to take so many AP/Honors classes this first semester and it's been anything but easy for him with a full high school and then club soccer schedule. But there's one thing about that kid - he really tries and puts in the effort. My other two, I'm willing to bet if they took an IQ test are much smarter than he is but the effort he puts in is bar none to those two. He just wants to do well in everything. 

Anyway, we all are really looking forward to having some time off during this holiday break with our whole family to just connect and enjoy each other's company.  Maybe throw a little sunshine in there too (wink, wink). 

Austen's All State Game and Honors Ceremony

My last post on Austen's high school soccer season (well, really his high school soccer career). It's been a very long high school season this time around (grateful!) but today marks the end with a private ceremony for the program since Varsity went so late in the season and the banquet was literally the day after the state championship/3rd place game (see below video of coach talking about Austen). 

First, Austen was honored in mid November at the Illinois High School Athletic Association ceremony for being an All State player this year. What an honor - and it was also very special that Uncle Mark was there too (as a coach he goes every year). 

Then Austen got to play in the All State game for high school players (although this was more of a recruiting thing and he wasn't happy with me that I signed him up) and thought it would be fun to end his high school soccer career with this game. Turns out it was a total bust - kids were not very talented and Austen's team ended up getting walloped like 7-1. Of course, Austen didn't care who was in the stands since he wasn't playing college soccer so he volunteered to play outside back - which I don't think I've seen him play since he was a little kid. 

But today was the day when the high school soccer program gave out the individual awards and released its storied 52-year book of statistics which chronicles all the player data since soccer began at their school. 

He came home with an armful of awards and accolades. Austen clearly left his mark on the program and his name in the record books. Not only was he named MVP by his coaches/teammates, he was: 

- only the 21st player in the history of HCHS to be named an All State Player in 2024

- selected as an all conference player in 2024

- top scorer for 2024 season

- 8th all time in career points (goals and assists) for the Red Devils with 61

- 10th all time for most points (goals and assists) for the Red Devils in a season with 37

- 10th all time for most goals in a season with 13 (remember he's a midfielder too - not a forward whose job is to score the goals)

- 4th all time for most career (2022-2024) assists for the Red Devils with 20 

- 5th all time for most assists in a season with 11

Not even mentioning his athletic academic accomplishments and honors here (which he received too) but just feeling grateful that he chose to play high school soccer and got to have an amazing Senior Year (even after a rough start to the season) where he was recognized for his leadership and his soccer skills. 

Beyond proud of him. I told him that he can add his MVP plaque next to mine from my Senior Year in high school. He said, "Okay, but I was a better player than you, right?" "Yes, for sure," I said. And he is. A way better player than me - except when he plays the "6" (defense) then I can still take him! 

Peyton Working Hard on Her Tumbling

I've been so impressed with Peyton's desire to be a better cheerleader and her dedication to improving all of her skills from basing, jumps and then to tumbling. Once we signed her up in a semi-private session with a recommended instructor by the Varsity cheer coach, she learned how to do a back handspring in like two weeks. And while still not as perfect as she would want, she ended up performing this in a halftime routine during the last football game after only learning how to do it the week before. Impressive. 

She's working hard on her running round off into a back handspring (which she just did at the first basketball game of the season on the hard wood floor) and then also doing the two back handsprings in a row as well as a back tuck. She's semi annoying with how obsessive she is with going to these semi private sessions and then wants to start group classes again too so she can get it all much faster. Slow down, I told her, it takes time and she has time before the next cheer tryouts in May. But she really wants to make Varsity next year as a sophomore so thinks she really needs to get that tumbling down. I told her it's still awesome if she makes JV as a sophomore and gets to cheer for the guys in her grade at games. 

But, honestly, it is nice to see her want to work hard at something - anything. Remember, this was the girl who wanted to quit cheer going into 8th grade and I wouldn't let her. Now she's obsessed. Hoping this hard work and dedication starts to show in other areas of her life too like cleaning her room and getting all As! Ha! 

Anyway, take a look at her working hard! We couldn't be prouder of how far she's come....

Working with her tumbling coach - round off double back handspring

She actually did a running round off back handspring in her first basketball game on the hard floor. You can see her in the middle right side of the screen (and hear Hailey's comments that she can't land that! Ha! but she did!)

Working on that back tuck!

Thanksgiving 2024

Thanksgiving started early this year with the generous offer of four skybox tickets to the Blackhawks game on Wednesday night from one of Tom's vendors. So the kids all went with Tom and I stayed home and got things done. 

We hosted 10 family members for Thanksgiving which is pretty easy given the fact that we are used to hosting entire weekends at our beach house and have that down to a science. Hosting holiday dinners is easy in comparison. So easy in fact that we volunteered to host Xmas this year too! (All for the Szurgot side - my mom still refuses to relinquish a holiday but I'm going to tell all my kids that they are more than welcome to do all the work when they are ready!). 

Tom made a great turkey (made even easier by the ready to cook prep that our club did) and insisted on making his own stuffing and some special carrots (of varying colors which the kids did not like). His pumpkin pie was very good too even though he kept going to the store and buying evaporated milk when I kept telling him it was sweetened condensed milk he needed. But he pulled it out and whipped up a great pie. 

The day after Thanksgiving we headed to Michigan later in preparation for our annual cutting down of our Xmas tree on Saturday. After some debate last year, we decided to choose a new place this year. I was pretty adamant that we switch after two years of really poor options for our tree. I mean it was very difficult to even find a tree that looked healthy and was tall enough without getting a type that you really didn't even want. I found a place a bit closer to our house (Tall Timbers Tree Farm) in Michigan (but further from our friends in IL) but everyone was in agreement that we needed to switch and we weren't disappointed. The place was less crowded, had a great gift shop and free hot chocolate! Plus, their trees were outstanding and there were too many good ones to pick from - win! We enjoyed our time with friends and then all went to The Strand (owners of Firewater Barbecue and our friends) in Dowagiac, MI, for a late lunch and some drinks. 

On Sunday, we participated in our club's annual gingerbread decorating lunch. The food is great and usually Tom and I team up with one of the kids to create a house. This year, Hailey and I were partners and after some online research decided to do an IU Gingerbread House in honor of IU's historic football season. Tom and Peyton's house didn't have a theme but looked pretty until Peyton just started randomly adding things to Tom's creation! (Austen never participates in this tradition and is more than happy to stay home and sleep in.)

It was a very full but fun weekend and we were reminded of all things that we have to be grateful for this holiday season - starting with family and then good friends, our health and good fortune. Lucky. And grateful. 

Skybox at Blackhawks game - first skybox for the kids

Thanksgiving dinner (w/ Sadie)

Sadie keeping warm at the tree farm

The gang!

IU House!

Tom and Peyton's house

Our tree - very skinny this year so Sadie has lots of room to walk around it!