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!

I'm So Not a Hockey Mom

So Hailey has been learning to skate and practicing Hockey for almost about 9 months now. She's progressed from skating classes and an Intro to Hockey class at one rink to doing drills and skills at a more advanced rink. 

That's her closest to camera in white

She's done a great job of learning how to skate. Her coaches can't believe she just learned less than a year ago. She's really improved all of her skills quickly too - shooting and handling the puck; her balance and more. She doesn't care that she's one of usually 1-2 girls out there. She absolutely loves it and wants more. 

I on the other hand find myself wishing she would have just stuck with a sport like soccer (age group just changed back this year) or softball for many reasons! I have to take her into the smelly locker room with no windows and help her get on so much gear. I literally gag when I walk into the closed room with no air circulation. At least now she can do most of it herself except for her skates. Every week I break nails trying to tighten the skates for her and loosen them when she takes them off. Good thing I don't really care about my nails. Every week, I freeze at the rink (although this new rink is much warmer thankfully). I do it for her because I can see that she loves it and I didn't want to not give her the opportunity. 

She's starting in a rec league in a few weeks that is coed. But she is a 2013 birth year and this is a huge disadvantage in hockey as 2012 and 2013s play together so she's one of the younger ones and late starting this sport. As part of the rec league she will go from practice once a week to practices, drills and games on Friday, Saturday and Sunday from mid September through December with only 3 weeks off! I don't think even Austen's schedule was that bad every week!

We'll see where this goes. We'll let her play but I wish she would have found this love when she was much younger. She would have had more opportunity. For now, we'll just let her have fun and someday when she's older she will be one of the only ones who really knows how to skate. 

Back to School - Sophomore, Junior & 7th Grader

Finally, they are all back in school. There's structure. There's a schedule. There's things to do and things to be done.

Last Dinner Together before Austen Left

Peyton went back first followed the next week by Austen's drop off (he doesn't start school until Monday) and then finally, Hailey.

Peyton has been inundated with lots of homework. Two plus hours each night. Junior year is for real. Add ACT prep on top of that and joining the Women in Business Club again and maybe one more club and she has no time. She does head to her core power yoga class three times a week though - sometimes with friends and sometimes she just goes solo to get her work out in. She is still working a few times a week too until the pool closes on Labor Day. 

I dropped Austen off at school on Monday. The drive is the best thing about him going to U of I. It's so easy and close - two hours and then you are there. We unloaded and trekked his stuff up four flights of stairs (with the help of his roommate and his roommate's dad). I got the bed made and he organized a few things and then thinking he'd want to grab a quick bite to eat and then I'd leave. But, he wanted to do a sit down meal so I suggested our old favorite - Chilis, and he agreed saying it's just like old times. (We used to go every time he and I flew in somewhere for a soccer tournament. We'd eat at Chilis - Arizona, Florida, etc. right after we got off the plane - no matter the time.)

Did I mention that he moved into his fraternity. Not impressed with the living space there but at least his room is pretty big and he has a common area and big bathroom he shares with his roommate and just two other kids. He probably has one of the better rooms in the house aside from maybe the single rooms. He's had a lot to do since I dropped him off with rush activities and on Monday he starts school and tryouts for the club soccer team. Excited to hear his updates - when he actually calls us. 

Austen's Room (Illinois pillow is his side)

Hailey has adjusted nicely to 7th grade. She loves all her teachers and still declares social studies and advanced language arts as her her favorite classes. She has one of Austen's old soccer teammates' uncles as her advanced math and advisory teacher. Kinda fun. So did Peyton actually. He only had Austen as one of his 7th grade cross country runners (and that's when his team won the conference). We met his nephew after Austen ran cross country - when Austen and him joined Galaxy going into 8th grade. The nephew is from Plainfield and Austen was playing for a Naperville club and the dad and I happened to sit next to each other on the sidelines of one of our very first games in Muscatine, Iowa (coming out of COVID so we all had to wear masks). He asked where we were from and then said his brother taught at our middle school. I certainly made the connection since he was Austen's coach. Well, we've been connected for years now even though Austen and his nephew are no longer soccer teammates. 

Anyway, glad everyone is back and we're heading into another school year! Go Illini, Go Red Devils and Go Eagles!

The Phi Psi House

Peyton's ready in pink (Link Crew member shirt)

Hailey can't wait to see her friends!

Last Days of Summer

We are soaking up these last days of summer. Honestly, I'm torn on it all coming to an end here pretty quickly. My kids (mainly Hailey) need to get back to some structure on a daily basis and that means school. 

I'm ready to have my days back where I'm not running kids around 24-7 or am without a car because someone needs it. Or figuring out some activity to do with Hailey because she has no plans and needs to be kept off her phone. I'm tired of the summer storms (and the flooding) and no power for hours on end. 

I'm ready for fall (it is my favorite season). But, I know that with it comes Austen's return to school as well. It's been sort of nice having him home all summer when he's been home. I say sort of because even he needs to get back to some structure where he's really busy again. 

We are all ready, I think. Peyton actually started today (more on that in a future post) and Hailey goes back early next week. Peyton won't be doing cheer this year but is part of the Link Crew Team orienting new students and freshman. Maybe she'll go out for track in the spring but she has a busy academic year ahead of her as well as preparing for the ACT. Hailey will do cross country in middle school and then continue with hockey. Maybe she'll continue in basketball this year but she said she's not trying out for the middle school team. Austen is doing school, the fraternity and trying out for the club soccer team (he says). 

I think Tom and I will have a lot more free time at night and on the weekends now than in previous years. Our kids are growing up and our lives aren't revolving around them so much anymore. So time to make our own plans! 

But first here's a recap of our last days of summer...

Peyton in the water soaking up the last rays of summer w/ friends

Hailey golfing

Austen unclogging the sewers on our street due to the crazy storms

More mini golf at Lost Mountain

Lavender Lemonades at Captain Lou's

Sunset dinners in Michigan

Girl Dinner - caesar salad, fries and a Diet Coke!

Summertime in Chicago is the Best

Hailey has fallen in love with the city of Chicago. She wants to go every chance she gets. I think it's because she's secretly hoping she'll run into Connor Bedard - her longtime Chicago Blackhawks crush. But, I'm not kidding when I say that every weekend she's asking us to go to Chicago. 

Sox game with city views

I loved Chicago...and I lived there for 17 years. Until I did not. I can't say I miss it with three kids. Definitely not the life I wanted my kids to have - growing up in the city. So I was glad we moved when we did. Maybe at one point we talked about going back and living there as empty nesters but I think that was very short-lived. I never want to go back and live there. 

Don't get me wrong, it's nice to visit for a bit and reminisce. All the bars and restaurants we used to go to. The parks we used to play all of our coed sports at. The places by my work I used to frequent. My doctor. My dentist. The places we used to live. The church we got married in and the place we had our reception. Our apartments and then condos. Our neighborhood. Our kids' school. Where their friends lived. The sidewalks where we walked a thousand times with our kids and Adler. The benches Adler would jump over. So many memories in Chicago for us but I don't want to go back. 

Hailey does though so we indulge her every once in a while. We went to a restaurant a few weeks ago in our old neighborhood and took just Hailey (the other two were working). We saw an old neighbor whose family lived and owned all the houses on the opposite side of the block from us. They've been there for 50 plus years. We got to catch up. It was nice. But I still don't wish we stayed. 

There's another restaurant right on the river that's a hot spot for teens so I stalked Open Table to get a reservation one Monday night for dinner so we all could go to Pizzeria Portofino. It was every bit as good as everyone said and the views were amazing (although we didn't get to sit outside). 

We also have gotten to attend a few Sox games this summer. There's nothing like a baseball game in the city in the summer. In fact, recently a friend said to me, I thought you were a Cubs fan, you always went to Cubs games. We did both in our 20s. My friends and I would frequent both parks. Oh to be young and in your 20s in the city again. There's nothing quite like it - especially when it's summertime in the city. 

Peyton was working

River view

Pizzeria Portofino

Brassero in West Town w/ just Hailey