HoCo 2026

Junior year homecoming is in the books for Peyton. These high school years are just flying by for Peyton but not fast enough as she still can't wait til she gets to college. 

Peyton & Luke

Still, she was able to enjoy a fun week of HoCo prep with her friends - spray tan, nails, football game. Finally, it was Saturday and the Homecoming parade was canceled due to the rainy weather we were having. Then pictures at the club were canceled due to flooding so they had to pivot. Luckily, one of my friends offered for all the kids and parents to come to her house. That doesn't seem like much but there were like 40 kids in the group plus parents! We all sprang into action to help her host that many people in a short amount of time. 

Luckily, we had a little break in the downpour so we were able to get some pictures outside. The kids then got into their limos to take them to Capri for dinner. Peyton said she was so full but the food was really good. They then went to the dance for about an hour (I'm surprised they still went to the dance since so many don't go after freshman year). They then headed back to houses to change for the after part(ies). But she was home just before 1pm and said it was really fun. 

Meanwhile, we Door Dashed Hailey some food (I almost had her Cane's go to Austen's fraternity since our Door Dash app is set to him) and went to our club for dinner with our friends (who were at the pictures). Fun night for parents and kids alike. (Hailey was even happy because she got her favorite home and the Blackhawks were on TV for their first preseason game.)

One more HoCo to go til Peyton graduates! Then we'll run it back for the next four years for Hailey! 

Cheer friends

One more pic!

Picture party!

All the kids

P&H

            The girls

Peyton & Luke

FamILLy Weekend

Austen's Room

Last weekend, we went to U of I to visit Austen for his sophomore year family weekend. We left early Saturday because Peyton wanted to go to the high school football game on Friday night (against their rivals - always a big game) and Hailey had her first drills and skills ice hockey practice of the season. 

We arrived about 11am. Austen gave us a tour of his fraternity (Peyton was not impressed!) and then we hit the bookstore (figured out that Hailey did not have one piece of U of I gear). Then it was off to his fraternity tailgate. We met some of his fraternity brothers and their parents. We played Jenga, did shots off a hockey stick and played some game with a hammer and a nail (slightly dangerous). The girls were bored and it was really, really hot.  So we decided to head into the football game. They were playing Duke and we were excited to see the world's largest scoreboard in their stadium. 

It was hotter in the stadium with the sun beating down on us for all of the first quarter. Everyone sought refuge in the tunnels after the 1st quarter. Well, everyone except for Tom. We didn't even come back in until the end of the 2nd quarter, and then everyone was ready to go at halftime including Austen and his friends. The game was close, and we would have liked to stay and watch but that heat really got the better of most of us and we were already in the sun by this time for over 3 hours. 

We checked into the hotel, watched the end of the game (they lost) and then got ready to head to dinner with the boys. After dinner, I walked back to the hotel. Tom dropped the boys back at the fraternity and took the girls to get cookies. We were meeting up with friends for a little pre-party before the bars and the girls were going to hang out in the hotel room. 

The night had cooled the air temps so it was a lot more enjoyable. We hit Red Lion and then at 12am, the moms headed back to the hotel while the Dads stayed out a little later with the boys. 

Everyone was a little slow moving on Sunday but we made it to breakfast at our favorite place in Champaign - Maple & Yolk. After, we dropped Austen off at the fraternity so he could watch the Bears game and do some homework, and we headed home.

Year two of FamILLy weekend under our belt. I don't think we'll be doing this next year. Football games are way too hot in September. It felt like he just left home, and really there's not much else to do in Champaign besides games, bars, eat. Maybe next year, we'll come down for a basketball game or just for the day. Tom will be back in November for Dad's weekend and then I'll be there in April for Mom's Weekend. That's probably good enough!

On our way to the tailgate

Found an old soccer friend @ the bars

Matcha!

Red Lion

Tom's Garden

Zucchini bigger than Hailey

Tom said in our old house there were too many trees impacting the growth of his garden so despite a lot of efforts he didn't really have much produce to show for it. Our new house has good sunlight and a little area at the back of the house where it makes more sense to grow some food. 

So one of the first things he did this summer was order some raised boxes for his new garden. He then picked a bunch of vegetables and fruits that no one in our house will eat. Kale, tomatoes, peppers, zucchini and cucumbers. I used to eat kale in a smoothie and don't mind it in salads but that's what's grown the most and no one eats it. He doesn't even like kale. Little tomatoes - he eats but no one else likes tomatoes. Peyton has started eating peppers this year but they are coming in small and so far he's only gotten one. Same with the cucumbers and most of us will eat those. I like zucchini but our kids do not (Tom apparently forgets or doesn't really know what our kids like and don't like - ha!). The first one he grew was gigantic. It might have taken us 5 meals to get through this and the kids could barely stomach eating it one time although he made it into zucchini fritters which they liked better. Good thing Austen wasn't home because it's his least favorite vegetable!

Next summer, we'll have to have more input into what he picks to grow!

 

Hailey Begins her XC Season

About 1/4 mile in (blue shirt)

Now that the kids are back in school, the sports have started too including Hailey's cross country season. Now that she's in 7th grade, she can actually join more than just cross country but she said she's only going to do cross country and track this year. She doesn't want to try out for the middle school basketball team because boys come to those games and she doesn't want them watching her! Ha!  

The heat has been brutal since the start of the school year so they actually have canceled a few of her meets and practices. But, she still got one under her belt so far and looked pretty strong earning 16th place out of almost 100 kids. 

She's got some tough ones to run coming up including one that has a big hill that she must run twice. Not a favorite as she prefers to run on a paved path rather than anyplace that has hills and different terrain. It's all a learning process though and wish she had a longer season to train how to run. She's lucky that she has a friend's mom who is a sponsored marathon runner helping out and offering some great insight to the kids. 

Her ability to go the distance might be less strong than her sprinting skills but I've never seen her actually sprint so will be interesting to see if she has more endurance or she's a quick short distance runner - we'll have to wait for spring to determine that one. 

For now, she's just jogging along because she knows it gives her good endurance for hockey! 

Here she comes!