We let him choose what class he wanted to take at the community center and he decided on archery!
Category Archives: Sports & Exercise
I’m doing something brand new!
I’m trying an 8-week yoga class at the local rec center! I’ve wanted to do this for awhile now, so when I saw it offered and found out we live super close, it was a no-brainer!
I think I did pretty well considering I have about zero bendy-ness. 🙂 I’m looking forward to the upcoming classes!
Len Christmas in July, Year 4
Nick and Gracie making Christmas M&Ms (the rest went into Lisa’s monster cookies).
Just a few brats to cook…
All the kids like to fish but they say Aubrey is the one who loves it the most and is the best at it. She apparently gives lessons to other kids at their house!
Katie caught a fish!
Someone took an unplanned jump into the river (learning you can’t walk on lily pads):
Drying off…
I think this picture is a tradition.
And the mandatory annual family Christmas photo! Every year they give us grief about taking it… And this year with the craziness of the move I didn’t post it immediately and they were all asking about it!! So there. :p
And the annual kid comparison—Katie is getting closer to Aubrey but Aubrey is still ahead (which should be the case, as she’s almost 9). And as usual, Owen is definitely taller than Gracie…
But I think he beats Nick this year!!
Last year:
More fishing!
After a campfire and s’mores it was time for bed. The kids decided to all sleep in the living room… Poor Timmy. 🙂
This is what learning to ride a bike looks like.
Tom was going in late so I got to take a walk with Owen!
The final 2017 Angels baseball game!
Father and son before Owen’s last at-bat (where he got a slamming base hit—watch in the video below)!! We joked that we should have taken him to a big league game earlier because it obviously affected his game play!
Sidenote: just look at his face! OMG, I didn’t even see it when I took it because their faces were in shadow. I finally saw it when I edited the photo! He is such a hoot!
During the game, the kids signed frames for all four coaches:
The coach got each player a holder for their game ball:
Swarming the food table like ants!
Tom getting his thank you:
And we got the team and player photos:
Of course we had to pick a position early in the season…had it been later, we would definitely have picked first base.
Owen’s first big league baseball game!!
Lisa and Lori are huge baseball fans and Tom has wanted to take Owen to a professional baseball game since we’ve been here, so it seemed fitting that they all go together while Katie and I stayed home. I wouldn’t have minded going, but I know Katie would have gotten bored (she’s used to being able to run around and play with her friends during Owen’s SHORT games, so I couldn’t imagine her sitting for a three-hour game) so I kept her home and took her to the Friday Night Swim instead.
Owen even had the right cap to wear as one of his previous baseball teams was the Nationals! (He thought her had a shirt, too, except we determined that was the season they only got plain red shirts with logo caps.)
They got home about 11:30 (there was an hour metro ride home after the game) and Owen was STILL excited when he walked in the door. I’m so glad they got to go and he got to see everything!
Trail walk with my girls!
Lisa and Lori came down for the weekend since they hadn’t yet been here and we’re (obviously) moving soon! So, I did what I do and took them for a walk on our neighborhood trail!
Probably one of our last family trail walks…
At the halfway point, we detoured toward the new sidewalks along Lorton Road, which took us over a huge hill where the grasses were as tall as Owen!
Stopping to check out a reclaimed water pond.
Katie kept complaining that her hips hurt or her legs hurt… Until we suggested she run ahead to check out the trail and she was off like a shot!
And since we’ll likely never be right here at the sign again…
I can’t believe we have a measly five weeks left…
Owen’s Game Ball #2
Owen totally rocked first base today and earned another game ball!!
And WOW did he earn it. He was amazing to watch—he totally looked like a pro out there with one foot on the base, arm stretched out, catching a throw from third base like it was nothing and easily getting the out. Or leaving the base to catch a throw and easily making it back to base for the out. I think he got all three outs one inning! We are so proud of him!!
I really wish I could get video of him playing first base, but every time I’ve tried, nothing happens or it’s a bad play (of course, right?). And I don’t really want to record the whole inning. But we have one game left so I might try…
And this was little sister during the game—such a monkey.
Close call in baseball!
When calls are impossible to tell the ruling defaults to the runner so Owen was safe, but I’d been recording so I could go back in slo-mo and check it out:
Even with video replay it was super close, but it looked like Owen had his foot on the base and the other guy was inches away from tagging him.
Baseball game with Gramma and Grandpa!
Gramma Jean and Grandpa David came down to watch the kids while we did house hunting stuff… And they arrived in time to go to baseball with us!
Weeknight baseball!
Baseball Tonight
Angels baseball pics
Katie and I stayed home while the boys went for team pictures.
A friend sent this. We are really going to miss these people.
Guess who got the game ball tonight?
The game ball is a VERY big deal to the kids this year…and Owen was VERY upset that he didn’t get it at the last game where he had some good fielding plays (it actually was between him and someone else, but the coaches went with the younger player because he had shown more overall improvement). So, we had our fingers crossed that he would do well this game…and he did. He did AMAZINGLY well. All the moms in the stands even said he should get the game ball! So when the game was over, Tom motioned to me to come video…so below, you can see Owen being presented the game ball! And here he is, proud as ever. 🙂
The game ball, for awesome fielding, including two great outs playing first base!
He was also two for three (I guess in baseball that would be .667!) batting tonight!
And me and bug during the game:
Baseball morning
This is how Katie keeps busy during baseball games.
2017 Opening Ceremonies
It was chilly and rainy again so Katie and I stayed home while Tom and Owen went to the ceremony. I felt guilty because I should have been taking pictures… But you’ve seen one opening ceremony you’ve seen them all…right?!
And another parent sent this pic so I’m happy.
Owen is an Angel this season!
Watching games is a lot more fun now that the kids really kind of know what they’re doing. They’re pretty consistent with hitting the ball (Owen hit all three at-bats) and there are even close plays on bases!
One of my favorite ways to start a morning…
We found a butterfly…
I picked it up…
Then Owen wanted to hold it… And it immediately peed on him (notice his disgust).
Nice day for a walk with the boy!
Boosterthon Fun Run Success, Year 2
Owen’s school participated in the Boosterthon Fun Run again this year and once again Owen ran all 35 possible laps! The weather was unseasonably cold (with the first snow day and two 2-hour delays this very week!) so the run had to move inside. They turned it into a “glow run” which was cool…but made for a horrible time taking pictures.
But first, as we were waiting to enter the gym (each grade level ran at a different time), Owen came by doing his weekly chore: delivering lunch boxes to the cafeteria! As soon as he saw me, he hid behind the door (as seen in the second photo). What a stink!
Each classroom was announced and took a lap around the course and then lined up.
Staff ready to mark each lap!
Katie ready to make some noise and cheer!
The boys’ cheering section.
Getting ready to run!
This year they just got a sticker on their shirt instead of writing on the shirt itself. Owen actually ran more than the 35 laps, but a lot of kids did—the laps were much shorter this year because it was just one loop around the gym.
Overall, Owen earned $266.50 for technology for his school!! YAY OWEN!
We’ll miss Micah!
The kids’ swim instructor is moving so today was his last day. We will miss him lots—he was really good with both kids and really pushed Owen.
Two little fishes getting ready to swim!
Katie dancing at ballet
Have I mentioned Katie doesn’t want to do ballet anymore? She wants to do gymnastics but I haven’t decided if we’re going to do that. We still have to finish out our pre-paid January dates and she still has a ball. I keep asking if she’s sure she wants to quit and she says she is.
A future Olympian?!
Back on schedule…off to ballet!
In a new outfit from Gramma Jean!
That’s what friends are for.
After a long crazy day I decided it was time for this:
I also happened to be missing a friend of mine in the neighborhood so I texted her and told her I was on my way to her house and I wanted her to come out for a brief Pokémon walk with me. She met me on the street, decided she wanted some margarita, too (yes, I had brought it with me), so we stopped back our house and got her a cup…and since it was cold and we needed to hold our phones for Pokémon, this was her life hack: wear your coat backwards so you can put your drink (with straw!) in the hood! BRILLIANT!
We ended up walking a bit farther than we’d planned…and my phone died because of the cold…but it was a good night (and this is what the end of it looked like). Good times.
The kids put on a gymnastics show!
They were busy busy busy in the basement this afternoon and they finally told us they were putting on a gymnastics show. So we went down before dinner. This is what we saw…
At the top of the stairs:
Gymnastics show 6:00–6:30pm
Gymnastics show 6:00–6:30pm or 6:30–7:00
At the bottom of the stairs—see it?
Directional arrow!! 🙂
Another arrow!
The stage…
…and labeled audience seating area.
Afterwards we went to look at the label on the bounce house:
And then we noticed this afterwards (not sure how we missed it):
I :heart: these kids!
She may or may not be wearing her hand-me-down dance costume to school as well as ballet.
