The weather was GORGEOUS this morning—a perfect 66°—so I told the kids we were going for a little walk. We hatched an egg, gathered some Poké balls, caught some Pokémon, and played at the playground.
They actually played well together today. 🙂
Category Archives: Sports & Exercise
They didn’t mind swim lessons being postponed 30 minutes.
They ALWAYS ask to play these video games at the rec center when we go for swim lessons, but we never have time. Today, the pool chemicals were off and they postponed lessons for 30 minutes…so the kids finally had time to play!
He looks like a soccer player!
It was crazy insane hot tonight so practice didn’t last very long.
Then little sister wanted a picture, too. 🙂
As a sidenote, we still don’t have a coach and it’s quite the cluster. It’s clear no one at the soccer association really has any idea what’s going on and that makes it very frustrating as a parent. This came in an email after practices:
My reaction was SERIOUSLY? It is OUR job to find a coach? WHAT?! I posted as much on Facebook, lamenting that this can’t be typical…and unfortunately was quickly told by many that yes, it’s very common—lots of parents with zero soccer knowledge end up coaching soccer. Ay yi yi. So stay tuned…there’s stuff in the works.
Katie’s twirling pool jumps
She loves jumping! Today she started doing twirl jumps!
Owen’s first ever soccer practice!
I thought I’d take a lot more pictures but it didn’t turn out that way! Katie enjoyed running around playing with Owen and the other kids. We probably should have put her in soccer, too, but honestly, I’m just not that ready to commit to that many hours of sports—their practices are at different times, so I’d (we’d) be at the fields for three hours on Wednesday (her from 5:30-6:45 and him from 7:00-8:15), plus another 1:15 for him Friday, and then two games each Saturday from 9-11:30. Yuck. I know those days are coming…but I am just not sure I’m ready yet.
First we were on the wrong practice field—they have like 14 teams practicing at once and we didn’t realize there were two teams named Revolution (because the whiteboard didn’t differentiate them!) so we went from a field with great sideline seats to a half field with crappy viewing…and then our coach didn’t show up (and hadn’t emailed ANYONE to let them know) so there was a scramble to get a substitute coach so any real practice started about a half hour late…and I didn’t feel like hovering while he practiced (though, honestly, the first practice would have been the one to do it at). So I sat on the sidelines and this was the craziness.
But he loved it, had a great time, and didn’t actually do that bad!
Pokémon at the playground!
The humidity and heat finally broke today so the weather was really nice so we headed to the library park/playground to enjoy it…while hatching an egg, repeatedly visiting a Pokestop, and catching Pokémon.
Katie doing her rhythmic gymnastics routine.
Last day of princess ballet camp!
They had a little 10-minute show for us at pickup. They had the girls bring in princess dresses to change into. 🙂
Excited to have daddy home before princess camp
Princess camp pickup
This is what I walked into today. 🙂
The ballerina with her wand.
They do some type of project at camp every day and today was a wand.
Princess Camp, Take 2
Katie’s princess camp was cut short last week with the announcement of two cases of head lice. They gave us the option of taking the same class the following week, so we did. So, here she is, ready for camp again.
Pouting and being silly at the pool
Olympics 2028?
Katie doing her floor program with Laurie Hernandez. 🙂
Katie performing with Olympians!
Live in our living room!! 🙂
Needless to say she had a blast watching the gymnasts and the floor routines were her favorite because she could dance along with them! She also liked the swimming, which is how the video below starts.
Second day of princess camp!
Princess ballet camp!
This is what I walked into to pick her up:
And this is her craft (the crown) and treat (fairy godmother finger puppet).
The things you do for your kids.
I don’t walk to hatch eggs (alone) but I will open the app to grab balls at a Pokestop…and grab a Pokémon if it’s convenient.
Owen was impressed. 🙂
Heading out to hatch a Pokémon egg!
It’s easier to get them to walk with me now that Pokémon is involved. (And the rule is it’s only used on my phone when we’re on the trail—if they ask about it any other time it gets deleted off my phone. This is daddy’s thing.)
And then of course there were more berries.
Six stops for blackberries!
The weather this morning was great for walking (72° with low humidity) so I made the kids go on a walk. Amazingly once I got them out of the house there was no complaining!
There are lots of blackberries on the trail so whenever we found a ripe bunch we’d stop and I’d pick them. And when I say bunch, I mean 3-4 edible ones. This was our fourth stop!
Our sixth stop!
Now the kids are somewhat excited to go back on the trail to see if there are any more blackberries!
We haven’t done this in awhile.
Showing GJ his new bunting skills
Three fishes!
Tom and Owen fishing next door—you can see them if you look very closely in about the middle of the picture.
Owen caught a fish! Tom told him he had to hold it for a picture. This is him NOT wanting to do that AT ALL.
Still worried about it and refusing to do it. Tom told him he had to otherwise he was done fishing. 🙂
TA DA! With smiles, even!
Katie didn’t have a worm on hers but she didn’t know any better. 🙂
Fish #2!
No arguments this time!
He ended up catching three small fish! Dad cleaned them and we all got one tiny bite!
Leaving the island…
The weather was great in the morning, and we could tell it was going to be a perfectly gorgeous day. Of course. GRRR. :p
And better pics from Sunset Rock.
But, since it was so nice, we decided to walk back to town instead of paying $15 for the shuttle.
Stopping to pick wild raspberries.
Stopping to rescue snails from the trail! They were all over!
Waiting for the boat off the island. 🙁
A walk in the woods.
Stopping for pull ups.
Can we take this birch tree home please?
How about this one?
The view from the top of the trail!
FYI the 2 mile trail…?
Really almost 3 miles…but a great walk. 🙂
Rainy day fun in Grayling!
We had hoped to go mini golfing or to Hartwick Pines but it was overcast with the threat of rain…so we lunched at Spikes with Papa and Grannie (Spikeburger!) and then went bowling!
Retrieving a Katie ball that didn’t quite make it to the pins. If we didn’t help her, this is what would happen. It might have happened more than once. 🙂
The kids had a blast—here’s Katie in her slippery shoes and Owen getting a spare!
Tom won both games and Grannie came in second—though, to be fair, she was playing on the kid lanes with the bumpers! 🙂
Len Christmas in July, Year 3
This year our celebration was at Rose & Jim’s cottage on Houghton Lake. The weather started out a bit sketchy—chilly and windy—but within an hour it was absolutely gorgeous! It was a perfect day with lots of delicious food, fun watching the kids, a fun gift exchange, and conversation!
I’m only posting this picture because it’s the first “in the wild” picture of me that’s been taken and…I had ZERO idea who it was when I first saw it!
Hitting a box of $5 garage sale golf balls into the canal—well, trying to get them across the canal onto the island but not many made it there. 🙂
This happened quite a bit!
Katie wanted to fish…but only for about 32 seconds at a time and then she was off doing something else.
Alex caught the first fish!
Feeding the ducks off the back of the pontoon!
Going out to hunt for turtles for turtle races!
Apparently the tradition is to kiss the first fish you catch… What a sport!
At first, Katie wanted nothing to do with the boat—she didn’t even want someone to set her on the boat! But after the second trip she was jumping onto the boat herself and loving every minute of it! Owen loved it, too!
They caught a previously-caught-and-tagged turtle—no one here is C.B. 🙂
Owen said fishing was boring—we told him yes, it was. He’s used to fishing at the Fish Hatchery where the fish pretty much jump in your bucket. 🙂
Aubrey tagged her turtle!
I lined the kids up for their annual shot and didn’t even realize until afterward—when Aubrey pointed it out—that I did it wrong! She told me “I’m older than Owen!” And I agreed with her and then realized they had been in the wrong order!
Nick is 12, Owen is 7. Nick had the slight edge on Owen last summer and it looks very similar again this year…though I think Owen gained a very tiny bit on him. We didn’t set them on flat ground so we can’t be 100% sure.
In the right order! Katie (4), Owen (7), Aubrey (8), Gracie (10), and Nick (12).
All of the cousins: Jessica (an upcoming senior), Alex (an upcoming freshman), then Nick, Gracie, Aubrey, Owen, and Katie.
Maggie was FASCINATED with the turtles!
Marge gifted all us girls with one of her ostrich eggs!
Turtle races!
Trying to scoop up the golf balls that rolled in the canal!
It was exciting for everyone when Greg caught this huge dogfish! (Katie is still talking about it days later!)
We celebrated Katie’s birthday a day early!
And Aubrey’s two days early!
Uncle Timmy diving for turtles!!
The second run of turtle races (after they went out on the boat to get more turtles)!
Owen’s turtle winning the second race!
And a Then & Now throwback picture:
Katie started swim lessons at British Swim School one year ago today!
I’m amazed at how much she loves the water and how comfortable she is in the pool! She jumps in regularly (with and without goggles), does cannonballs (complete with holding her knees), and just taught herself to retrieve rings from the bottom of the pool. She turns four in a few days. #proudmama
These are all rehashed photos, but it’s what I posted on Facebook. 🙂
Wrapping up Owen’s baseball camp!
He’s been going to baseball camp every day from 9a – 2p and loving it! They play games while learning and practicing baseball skills. (He learned to bunt this week!) Today was the last day and they had a little wrap-up session where they handed out [dollar store] bases and trading cards to everyone.
I jokingly suggested a walk…and she agreed!
And this is how she was dressed for it. 🙂
We found a daisy!
Riding side saddle!
