Got some Harry Potter wands and glasses from Grandma, so of course I had to take some photos.
Last spring when it was raining all the time I felt a little trapped inside and this fall I'm determined to not feel that way, so I've spent the summer acquiring raincoats and other random gear so we can get out and do fun things whether it is raining or not. Spencer really wants to finish his Bear in Cub Scouts and so he needed to go on a campout and also a hike, so we decided this weekend would be a great time to do it. We had Friday off and it was going to be great. Except it was raining and raining and raining. But guess what? We did it anyway! Spencer was super persistant and I didn't want to let him down. Turns once I got over not wanting to do the work to be able to go, we had a grand time. One of my besties here and her kids spent the night with us in our backyard because I was up for camping but not on top of it enough to pack everything in my van to go somewhere.
We made s'mores over the stove. Used the thin reeses cups. So good ya'll. You must try it. Then I made pancakes and waffles in my house in the morning. It didn't hiurt my feelings even slightly to not have to plan out and carry food up to a campsite. Haha! And the kids had a fabulous time.
Not wanting to only camp, despite the rain and wind, we headed up to Rattlesnake Lake a few hours later and attempted for I think the third or fourth time to hike to Rattlesnake Ledge. We had a lovely time but still didn't make it! Chloe's pants got all wet and she turned into a popsicle, but we got half or two-thirds up and we have plans to go back with just the older kids to finally summit the dange peak! Two moms, eight kids, it was fun. We had two face plants, one rolled ankle, but we all survived and seemingly everyone wants to try again, so I call that a success.
The rain hadn't stopped Saturday but soccer doesn't stop for rain. Or mud. Or wind. There wasn't any lightning so we were out there playing away. Spencer played goalie in his game. Their field was in pretty good shape, so aside from some rain and cold, it was a good game. He really loves to be goalie, which makes my momma heart freak out a bit, but I'm glad he's out there week after week plugging away. His team hasn't won this season and that could be cause to have a bad attitude and want to quit, but those boys get out there week after week and try their hardest. They'll figure out how to get Ws someday, but the lessons they're learning while losing are so worth it.
Genevieve's field was in bad shape. It didn't stop those girls though! They are so fun to watch. I had no idea I would like soccer so much. I never played it as a kid. It's really fun. Genevieve was a total mess afterward. It was awesome. Mud everywhere, frozen fingers, wet clothes. Good times. I wisely did not bring my whole crew to her game and all were happier for it. But I had a great time cheering her on. She wasn't so sure about soccer at the start of the season when it was just practices. She would say she was tired or bored or didn't want to go to practice. But after her first game she has never looked back. She loves it and I love all the good things playing a sport does for my kids. I love the lessons about winning and losing and going back again and again when you're tired and frustrated. They're learning to deal with getting jostled around on the field and what it's like to compete. All good things. It's worth all my time and money for them to learn this stuff.
Only two more weeks of soccer and then we'll have a bit of a break before we hop into basketball for Spencer and maybe some gymnastics for Genevieve. I've wanted to be a sports mom since I was doing rec management in college. It's so fun to finally be here.
