Getting their jump on with good friends on a day off of school! Bonus points for matching Pokémon shirts.
Katie being a monkey.
Category Archives: Owen
Garbage fail.
When you hand your son the garbage basket and ask him to take it out and he dumps it straight into the big garbage bin instead of taking the bag out and tying it.
Sometimes they really make me smile.
I walked in to see this.
Last-minute jumping afternoon
Once the kids finished cleaning the basement I was going to put on a movie for them and make lunch. Then a friend texted to invite us to Jump America—they had an all-day special and NO ONE WAS THERE. So I made quick sandwiches and we were off! Owen made me happy by wearing the shirt I made. Katie refused.
Katie and her friend apparently got tired of jumping and did this.
Owen learned how to vacuum.
The kids had the day off school so they were cleaning the basement and I was supervising and organizing my own stuff but I had to have him do it since my back really hurt (for no good reason). I swear he’s done it before but he said he hadn’t. He had so much fun—and was gobsmacked when I pulled the extender handle out (and then he instantly turned it into a gun).
All around Halloween costume fail.
When you know you have a costume for your kid in the closet (that you bought at a resale shop last year) so you don’t worry about a costume this year and then you get it out and realize it’s a kid’s medium and you thought it was a men’s medium (because the picture on the package showed an adult plus the cardboard insert was folded so you couldn’t see the checked size box) and the tag just says Medium so now you have to buy or find a costume at the last minute (yes, this is last minute for me).
So you search Amazon and there really are no good kids costumes in the size he needs and men’s costumes are hella expensive so you end up spending $30 on a costume for him that is passable. Stay tuned.
Owen wanted to wear his baseball shirt today to celebrate!
He also agreed to go on a walk with me before school this morning. 🥰
Red Hots win! Congrats to the GYB fall champs!
Owen’s team won the fall championship in a 19-17 nail biter today! They were up a few and then down by 10 (and we thought the game might get called by the slaughter rule), then we caught up, then they caught up, and then we were ahead by two and held them off!! Owen did his thing on 1st and caught the ball for the final out of the game! We are so proud of all the boys!!
Here’s a few pics from the game. Owen on second.
A typical sight: tying shoelaces.
Attempting to steal home. I can’t remember if he did or not.
Katie was being punished for earlier transgressions at home and had to sit by me the entire game, so I got these.
The game was stressful to watch because the score was so back-and-forth. But once we came back from being 10 runs down, the entire mood changed and it was a real game!! We were ahead by two going into the top of the seventh inning so we expected they’d score and we’d have to rally in the bottom of the seventh (and last) inning but the boys held them off!
I was taking pics of the last plays and got these. They aren’t great because the fence was in the way, but I love the progression of the excitement, then the boys coming in from the field, then throwing hats in the air! I wished I had gotten a shot of Owen actually catching the ball but it is what it is.
Award ceremony!
TEAM PHOTO!
Funny team photo!
Running the bases (Owen led the way)!
Friends. 💕
Coaches Tom, Ken, Jamie (Head Coach), Mark
Happy boy!
Happy daddy!
Fun with Coach Jamie!
And then it was off to Culver’s to celebrate!
Scout camping weekend
So long story short… Owen has kind of joined scouts. A few of his baseball friends (and dads) are involved and of course they talk about how fun it is and of course Owen wants to do fun things with them…so Tom and I talked and I basically told him I don’t want to be involved so if HE wants to do it with Owen, be my guest. 😄 So they went to a few meetings and then it was time for the big weekend camping trip to Starved Rock, a local State Park campground. The whole family was invited but I opted to stay home for some alone time and Tom was looking forward to taking both kids.
DAY 1
So come Friday afternoon they were all packed and ready to go! I even got Owen out of school a bit early since they had a 2.5-hour drive to get there.
I’m not sure they have enough stuff for 1.5 days (Friday night, Saturday, leaving really early Sunday). We borrowed a tent and then had to take sleeping bags, air mattresses (because how can they sleep on the ground like animals), pillows, backpacks, rain gear, etc.
Fast forward to later that evening when I asked for proof of life and got a text that they (and some friends) were at a local bar because by the time they got there and got set up the camp kitchen was closed. But as it would happen, a marine was having his retirement party so they all got invited to a free buffet!
And then later they did actually sit around a fire for a bit.
DAY 2
Tom taught the boys how to fold flags.
Getting ready to go on a hike by themselves! (The parents followed behind enough to be unseen but still keep an eye on them.) They also took pack lunches.
And then I got this from Tom about noon…and he said he was contemplating packing up and coming home.
I told him to suck it up—he wanted to go camping. 😜
So this is what things looked like later when everyone was gathered under our awning while it rained cats and dogs.
And everyone ended up back at the bar again for dinner—and to get out of the storm. I may have gotten a few THIS REALLY SUCKS texts.
DAY 3
They were up and on the road by 7 Sunday morning so they could get home in time for the last baseball playoffs game. (Our team was so awesome that they won the first game of the playoffs without the coach, two assistant coaches, and three players who were all camping!!) They pulled in shortly before 9:30 and I immediately proceeded to do laundry because everything was wet and muddy.
Tom’s overall feeling on the weekend was it totally sucked because of the bad weather but the kids had fun and he wants to do it again…though maybe in a pop-up or something bigger. The kids did have a blast and can’t wait to go again.
Owen’s 5th grade school picture day outfit!
Another school picture day, another blue shirt. It started accidentally so now it’s tradition.
Mom it’s too bright out here!
Family snuggle!
Baseball Wrap Party
The whole team was invited to Richardson’s Adventure Farm to celebrate a great fall season of baseball. Not too many showed up, but we all had a great time! We rented a site with a fire pit and the kids enjoyed the Jumping Pillow, a 100′ slide, and the World’s Largest and Most Intricate Corn Maze (lots of cool details here). Lest you think I’m kidding about the maze, here it is:
We brought plain hot chocolate but Jess brought this… You can see why we’re friends.
Mom fun!
Yes I went down this!
It was actually really fun and not scary at all!
This place was huge!
I might have eaten something delicious.
Then once the moms were back at the fire, the dads took a group of kids through the corn maze.
And within five minutes of being in the car on the way home…
Tis a sad day on two accounts.
One? Two pairs of my sandals were so old they disintegrated when Owen tried them on and walked in them. (To their credit they were 15-20 years old.)
Two? Yes, I am handing shoes down to my 10yo son. 🤯
ROAR Run 2019
This was our third year doing the Woodland PTO ROAR Run fundraiser! We thought it might not happen as major storms rolled through a few hours before, but it cleared up in time! I didn’t get as many good pics this year…
Practicing football sprints.
She’s still good with the hula hoop!
Guess who pinned his own number?
This is the only pic I took with my phone. I just thought it was cute…but Anna said they look like cell phone reception bars!! I love it!!
Her face is how I envision everyone feels after running. 🙂
And our friend Evan…
RESULTS!
It’s fall, y’all!
I volunteered to do Owen’s teacher’s door for fall! I hadn’t thought that I’d get to choose what I wanted, so of course I started overthinking. I like Pinterest but it’s just so overwhelming. I ended up asking Anna to help me since she did a door for the same teacher last year…
It’s not perfect but it’s not bad for my first time! It was great having an extra set of hands, otherwise I’d have been there twice as long! Owen helped a little bit but honestly he wasn’t that much help (tape circles proved to be a huge challenge).
This is Owen “done” unloading the dishwasher.
He claimed they were still dirty and needed to be re-washed. (Only one bowl seen in the photo needed to be washed again.) I’m guessing he was just being lazy (aka a kid) and didn’t want to touch the rest. We’ve only gone over this stuff 14 times.
Parenting is exhausting.
Who sleeps like this?!
And look what else was on his bed. Who doesn’t clear off their bed before going to sleep? We always hear books and stuff fall off after he goes up to bed.
It’s a nice night for a fire!
And s’mores. The kids wanted them so I told them they had to get it all ready. I never saw them move so fast!!
This is what the laundry room floor looks like when kids do laundry.
Yes let’s just leave the laundry basket right there. And don’t pick up any pieces that missed getting in the washer or making the transfer to the dryer. 🤦🏻♀️
Oh! And of course clothes are always left in the washer.
The struggle is real.
This is what I walked in to see after everyone had left for school.
REALLY?! I guess at least the milk was put away but c’mon. We go over this practically every damn day. Take care of your stuff. Put your cereal bowl in the dishwasher or the sink. Put the cereal in the Tupperware. Finish something and don’t skip steps.
Kids ruin everything.
I have had this game of Life for probably 35 years. I have moved it around the country for almost 20. And never once did anything happen to it—it was basically pristine. I let the kids start playing with it and within six months all the buildings have been removed from the board, consequently buildings are missing, and the box has been stepped on and crushed.
This just pisses me off…and kinda breaks my heart. I know it’s just a game and it’s just a “thing” but it just reinforces that our kids (and I’m thinking kids in general) just don’t give two shits about taking care of their things OR things that belong to others (not all the time of course, but more often than I’d like). I try to instill good behavior—and I know overall they’re great kids—but something like this seriously makes me want to throat punch them.
#itsbeenamorningyall
It’s been at least 25 years…
So today the boys’ baseball game was cancelled due to flooded fields but we took a few of the kids for some pitching and batting practice.
At the end I decided to pick up a bat and try hitting some pitches from Tom. I haven’t tried batting in probably 25+ years so I thought it would be a complete shitshow. Needless to say I surprised everyone there when I hit most of them!! They were underhand pitches but still…
I will need Aleve and margaritas later today but I have to admit it was fun!!
Owen’s Crazy Mohawk
So Owen has a mohawk but he never lets me put product in to actually show it off so I’ve just given up asking. But today…today he said it was Crazy Hair Day and had a smile on his face.
“Soooooo, can I do your hair today?!” And he smiled big and bright and said yes. So we washed it with purple shampoo, then I loaded it up with Gorilla Snot gel, and then sprayed it with not one…not two…but three hair colors.
My boy is growing up and slowly turning into a pre-teen before my eyes (he’s almost 11) so I’ll grab these chances to do something fun with him.
Katie’s Curriculum Night & Tornado Warning
Parents who do their kids school projects for them? UGH. Our second graders had to create a square about themselves/their family. Are you kidding me with these?! I mean she they’re GORGEOUS and amazing but c’mon.
The letter Katie left for me:
All the things she references are other projects hanging around the room:
Baseball sheet:
Her shirt (her goals):
And she wins the most organized desk over Owen:
When we all walked in it was sunny and nice. Then we were in the basement and couldn’t see because it was getting dark out. Then everyone’s phones started going off…
Then there’s nothing like being sent into the hallway to wait out a tornado warning! There’s a first time for everything!
I checked in with Tom because they had been at baseball practice and he said it had been cancelled so they were actually already at home…eating dinner in the basement. And Owen was showing Tom what to do in case of a tornado. (Interestingly he wasn’t nearly as scared as he used to be with wind issues. So that’s a bonus.)
They ended up cancelling the rest of curriculum night as we had had ended up waiting for like 30 minutes. Thankfully our teacher had been about done.
Retainer day!!
Thought we’d do a recreation with cousin Liam.
#nbcsports #sundaynightfootball #liammchugh
This was waiting for us at Owen’s curriculum night.
Add just look at this messy desk. /shudder But why am I not surprised?!
Let’s take these braces off! Koo
I am stunned it’s only been about a year!
Before…
And they’re off! It only takes seconds to snap them all off!
Cleaning off the glue…
His first look!
The success pic with the doc!
And then…this happened.
I’ve been looking at this face with braces for a year. You wouldn’t think the smile would look THAT different without them…but it does. And look how happy he is!! And how cute (and old!) he looks!!
Now he’ll get a retainer he has to wear at night only and we go in for checks every three months. The teeth that are getting ready to come in might give us some trouble—one is perfectly angled and one is crooked—so she warned that one might need to get pulled. Stay tuned!
Is it even morning if someone doesn’t spill something?!
This is not where that should go.
This is the stuff about parenting no one warns you about that makes me insane. Owen seems to think that’s how you throw away a rollerblade box. In the bathroom, not broken down, on top of the basket. With all the other bathroom garbage on the floor surrounding it. 🤬
Yes I guess it’s still in the garbage. But we’ve been trying to work with him on doing the right thing the first time…and this is not that.
