Friday, November 25, 2022

Detroit, Birthday Guy, and Number 4!


In the D for some pizza and Pistons with the Cosbeys and Joey!

Uncle Chaddy took Harlow and Ellie to Harlow's 1st movie! 


Sometimes, I catch these two snuggling and loving on each other. It makes me so happy.
Haunted house with buddies!

Luke finished 3 nights of tryouts and made Hart Middle School 7th grade basketball team! We weren't for sure how it would all unfold. 73 boys tried out. 73!!! That is crazy and only 17 kids made it. Luke we are SO, so proud of you for your hard work, grit, and positive attitude that you brought each day during tryout week!! There was nothing we could really do to help. You walked in there each day trying something and giving it your all!! Keep going, Luke!!
Luke holding his evaluation form that was given to each kiddo who tried out for the team!
Luke and I walking in through the door to surprise Ben, Elle and Drew with the good news!
GO, #4!!
Ben and I walking in the park with all our deer friends.
This guy, my Benny-boos, is 41!!! Happy, happy birthday to the guy that make life so fun!!! WE love you, Ben! (The kids made birthday pancakes for all of us!)

All the love for Dad!!!




Elle and Drew also started basketball this week with their evaluations for our church program, Upward!

Drew's 2nd grade class put on a Wax Museum of their informational (All About) writing unit. Drew chose All About America. The chapters were highways, Hershey, PA, license plates and states! If you need to read up on any of those topics, Drew has just the right book for you! He also made a flag to go with it!


We love Ms. Jordan! She makes learning so much fun! And if you ask Drew, he will tell you his favorite subject is writing!
Drew and crew for snow football!
Our boys. 💜

Saturday, November 5, 2022

Fall 2022

A glimpse into our Fall 2022!!
Baseball for Drew!
Biking and geocaching with Aunt Cathy!

Reading in all the between.

Wednesday night youth group at our church!




Ben and a few of his guys are starting a hybrid Little League that also plays travel baseball! They are called the Rochester Raptors and Ben is coaching Drew's team! Here they are at tryouts.
Elle and Drew at their school Fun Run!! 
Ellie and her bestie Riley...
Ellie nailed it and ran the entire 20 minutes. Her last year's teacher jumped in and finished running with her. 💜
We knew it was going to happen...These two would have to verse each other sooner or later. Rochester Magic and Rochester Lightening are rivals for sure. Sprinkle in 2 bffs and here we go! They even started the game guarding each other. When Ellie got to the field Riley came running over yelling, "Ellie, I'm so nervous!" I love them and their friendship!! And just if you're curious, we won 3-0 😉
Drew at his last fall ball practice with his Cubs team.
Working in a different district sometimes means I just have to take a day off when our kids don't have school. I LOVE IT!!
Today, we headed to West Bloomfield to Marvin's Marvelous Mechanical Museum!





My work family: Maureen, Rita, & Steph. Us in just the last 2 years... We've lived and worked remotely in a global pandemic. We worked face to face in the pandemic when it still felt scary and no other schools were back in person. We all stepped into different jobs back and forth during these last few years. We've interviewed for other jobs and have interviewed for the same job. We've endured loss and sadness and still swim in the grief of a horrific school shooting. We've supported each other through a divorce and celebrated a new marriage. We find the joy in our everyday and remind each other of this joy when we need reminding. We have cried many tears of both sadness and over hysterical laughter. And here at dinner we are loving on our very own as she steps into a double mastectomy on Tuesday and faces breast cancer with courage and bravery. Love your people, we need them. 
All in for the Wings!
My girl.
Ellie was so inspired from the Encanto camp in the summer, Uncle Tom and Aunt Cathy surprised her with weekly acting classes for the full play of Encanto! She practiced every Thursday from 6:30-8:00 for the last few months. She was part of the featured ensemble with parts of being the young Maribel, Abuela Guzman, and donkey delivery guy (LOVE!).




Great job, Ellie!! We are so, SO very proud of you!! Keep reaching for the stars!
I surprised Ben with an early birthday gift to see Nate Bargatze, one of our favorite comedians! I had gotten tickets back in June and so of course, Elle and Luke both had a soccer tournament in Monroe the same weekend. But nothing to fear because Uncle Tom and Aunt Cathy did what very little people can do!! They took Luke and Ellie home to Ann Arbor after Elle's Encanto play and from there made sure both of our kiddos got to and from Ann Arbor to Monroe on time to all their games on Sat. and Sun. WAHOO!!!! Uncle Tom and Aunt Cathy for the WIN!!!
They even made sure they were fed! :) 
And took the best pics! Finally, we have some soccer pics of the season! We don't have a lot of pics from the season so I'm posting them all. Thank you UT and AC for taking them!!

Ellie has grown a ton as a player this season!! She worked so hard, is a starter in every game, plays most of the game, and there have been a few games Coach Jason left her in the entire game with no break at all!
She is pretty much always the smallest player yet she is a fierce defender. She is so fast and coordinated that she doesn't let the bigger players past her!


















We are so proud of our Magic team!!!
Luke is still rocking it too on his Magic team!





They won the tourney!!



So proud of these boys!!

We are so proud of you, Luke!!
Meanwhile we were in Grand Rapids having so much too!!
Drew did not want to play soccer (which we loved he just says what he wants!) and instead really wanted to play flag football! Of course, you can play Drew! You do you, kiddo!! And he rocked it!!
Go, Bengals!
Each Sunday they would practice an hour before the game and then play either at Adams or Stoney Creek. Drew had so, so much fun and this kid is a baller! We cheered him on as he caught passes, ran it in for touchdowns, running passes, and in one game he had 4 "tackles" in a row. GO, Drew!!




Drew ended the weekend with a tummy bug but one day home together and he was back to singing around the house!