School and Soccer

We've been in school about 9 weeks now.  Our first quarter finishes next week.  That seems so crazy fast to me!  It feels like it was just yesterday that we were going back to school shopping, laying clothes out for the first day of school, and taking first day of school pictures.  Time is going by so quickly.

First Day of School

Simon, First Day of First Grade

Sam, First Day of Third Grade

One fun thing the boys have been involved in this first quarter is soccer.  Simon is on a soccer team with other first and second graders.  He plays against other kids at the school.  Sam and Daniel are on a third through fifth grade team.  They play against other schools.  They have had fun.  It will end in about a week, then we will be moving on to basketball.

Sam, Soccer

Daniel, Soccer

Simon with a Friend, Soccer

Hood to Coast 2016

This year, our team got another spot for the Hood to Coast Relay.  It's a 12-person relay that starts at the top of Mt. Hood.  Each team member runs various lengths of miles, anywhere from 3-7 miles.  They take turns running from Mt. Hood to Seaside, OR.  We started Friday morning.  It was a beautiful day.  In fact, the weather was really warm that day.  By the time our last runners were finished, the weather was in the 70's to 80's.  When we passed off to the other team, it was getting close to the 90's.  The other van had to run in the hotter hours.  But they did great and got through it.  After our first set of legs, we stopped at Jeff's parent's house for rest, food and showers.  Then we were on our way to meet up with Van 2 for our second set of legs.  This year I ran leg 3.  The first leg wasn't too bad, but my second leg was over 7 miles.  I knew that one would be tough.  I was glad when it was over.  When our van was done with our second set of legs, we drove to the next major exchange and got a couple hours of sleep.  Then we all got up, met Van 2 and started running our 3rd legs.  It's always such a good feeling to get the 3rd legs over with and know you are done!  But when our last runner finished his last leg, we looked around and Van 2 was no where to be found.  And we had no cell reception, so we couldn't call them to ask where they were.  So we just waited.  And we ended up waiting an hour!  That was a bit frustrating.  They apparently had not allowed enough time to get to the major exchange point and had been stuck in traffic.  After we passed off to Van 2, we drove into Seaside and ate breakfast.  Then we drove to the finish line and waited for Van 2 to arrive.  While waiting, we walked around a bit.  Once Van 2 arrived, we crossed the finish line together.  We all were so happy to be done.  It's a long haul, yet we all love doing it, and we will definitely try to get a team for next year!

Decorating the Van

Our Van at the top of the Mountain

Jeff and I After Leg 1 is Completed

Renee and I After Leg 1

Jeff and Brandon (from Van 2)

Our Names Posted on a Board at Seaside 

Jeff and I at the Finish

Lake Cushman

In late August, we went with our friends, The Andersons, on a long weekend vacation to a house on a lake called Lake Cushman.  Lake Cushman is located on the southern end of the Olympic National Park.  We drove up on Friday, and the kids immediately got on their suits and started playing in the water.  They had a paddle board, a kayak, a small boat and some other floatie devices to play on.  The kids had fun.  We spent Saturday on the water too.  On Sunday, I had to drive back home, but Jeff and the boys stayed till Monday.  They went hiking on a nearby trail and spent more time out on the lake.  It was a fun vacation!

Simon Turns 6!

Back in August, Simon had his 6th birthday.  We did a couple of things to celebrate.  First, the family met for dinner at Aunt Debbie and Uncle Todd's house.  We had a nice dinner, he had cake, and he opened his presents.  This year he asked for an orange cake.  No surprise there.  The one he picked out is actually used for Halloween time, but it worked for his birthday too.

On the actual day of his birthday, we were at Lake Cushman with our friends, the Andersons.  I made cupcakes, and we all sang and wished him a happy birthday.  We had a great time!