Fall Sports 2023

 Oh, Fall! What a busy, beautiful season. One highlight was watching the kids play their sports. Emma and I hustled all over the valley with her stroller in tow to support the older four in all their activities. John also was able to join us as his work schedule allowed. I loved Oregon’s beautiful weather and I loved cheering those sweet kids on from the sidelines!

Johnny

This year, Johnny played football with his middle school team. I was so proud him and how hard he worked! Every day he’d walk to the car after practice completely exhausted, but with the best attitude. I think participating really helped him make some good friends in middle school right out the gate. He also got to play with his best friend, Max. I always loved hearing his funny stories from the sidelines between plays. I can’t believe how much Johnny grew up over the football season, he is growing up to become quite the young man! 

Johnny on the school instagram account with friends.

Johnny and Max Cummings 

At the 8th grade football game against their rivals. Johnny said some girl drew on his face. The boy/girl interactions of middle school crack me up.

William and Matthew

This year Matthew and William played soccer in the Timbers league. They were on teams with their school friends and it made games and practices a lot more fun! They are both very talented soccer players and it is really entertaining  watching them play so competitively. Also this season, William got to play through the solar eclipse. They paused the game for a couple minutes so all the kids could watch it. (On a side note, Johnny went on a camp out to get better visualization of it…only to have the sky overcast where they were camping! So William felt pretty lucky!)

William (finally) got to play on the same team as his best friend, Luke Cummings!

The boys also participated in their school jog-a-thon. Johnny opted to be late to school so he could come watch his brothers and his friends that are still at the elementary school. It is such a fun event and I love watching the kids run their little hearts out. I feel such a sense of community when we participate in this even every year. Both boys ran the most laps for their prospective grades!

Talon, Deklan,William, Boone, Logan, Sam

Cate

Cate entered the world of high school sports this year as she participated in cross country. She is a phenomenal runner and incredible grit! We joked that I would be traveling sometimes a couple hours to watch two minutes of a twenty minute race, but I loved watching her run! Her fastest time for a 5k this year was 21:18. She was voted Rookie of the Year by her teammates and was the only freshman on varsity, clocking in as the second fastest runner for the girls!

Cate also participated in her school’s powder puff league which was so much fun for her to participate and for me to watch!

This is one of my favorite pictures of Cate running! It was pouring rain and you see her strength and determination so well here.

Roan and Cate after powder puff!

Cate and Aurora on the bus after a Portland Meet

We had quite a laugh comparing the amount of fabric in Johnny’s jersey compared to Cate’s.

This has nothing to do with sports, but Cate was elected as freshman class secretary! 

Emma and John soaking the rain watching Cate compete. Emma couldn’t have been happier.

The Many Faces of Cate Elizabeth

 When I left  my phone in the car to pick up Johnny from a friend’s house, Cate found ways to keep herself busy. She cracks me up.

Cate the Great Turns 14!

And like that, we have a fourteen year old in the house! Cate was so much fun to celebrate this year. I think she felt bummed her birthday landed smack in the middle of a four day weekend, and she wouldn’t see any of her friends. I was so grateful for friends who reached out and wished her a happy birthday. The night before, John took the kids boating while Cate and I stayed home and watched Gilmore Girls while I peeled and cut up peaches to freeze. She is simply a delight to hang out with.

Her meals:

Breakfast: Blueberry Crumble and Orange Julius

Lunch: In n Out Cheeseburger

Dinner: Homemade Mac and Cheese, Potstickers, and Cesar Salad

Cake: Better than Anything Cake

Cate claims In n Out is “her” place. It is her number one choice given the chance, and often on the way home from softball tournaments and track invitationals we will stop there as a treat. 

Cate has learned the art of “M.A.S.H.” (A randomized fortune telling game where you figure out who some will marry, where they will live, their salary, etc.) She is often putting her brothers through the ringer playing with her, they are her eager participants.

Activities: sleeping in, karaoke, running a mile with her dad, driving stick in her dad’s old truck. Basically dad came in for the win today. They had a great time together.

For her birthday her grandma Brassell took her shopping for school clothes, Grandma and Grandpa Partridge got her a dress she’s been wanting, and a back massager. Her friend Colton brought her the Defense Against Dark Arts Lego set. She also got a pitching net to practice for fast pitch season, self-care products, the Divination lego book set, and a fast pitch ball for practice pitches.

Where would our family be without Cate? She is the leader, protector, comedian, advocate, helper, trail-blazer, listener, mediator, librarian, basketball teammate, peacemaker, builder and so many other things. I love our drives home from XC practice where I get to hear about her day. She is a comfort and a friend to me, and gives sound advice. I love how hard she works and appreciate the growth she reaps from her efforts. She has a gift of confidence, and she carries herself with grace. She is a delight to laugh with and a pleasure to dissect deep topics with. Simply put: what a blessing to have daughter who is also a best friend. 

We love you Cate!!!

 

 

First Day of School 2022

 There is something magical and nerve wracking  about the first day of school. Everyone woke up eager and nervous. Teeth and hair were brushed, lunches packed, prayers said and off they went.

Matthew, the first grader. He has Miss Stratton this year and has a lot of friends in his class he didn’t have last year. In case you were wondering why he is wearing a coat when the forecast I supposed to be 102 degrees: it’s so when the girls chase him and catch him, he can slip out of their grasp easily. 

What a stud!

William, the third grader! William has Mrs. Robertson. He was very nervous for school since his teacher was new to the school, so out of the three it was the only one he didn’t know! More so, this is his first year since preschool that he didn’t have his best friend, Luke, in his class. (He only vaguely knew one boy in his class this year!) 

William and Baby-mode (knees in his shirt.) All. The. Time.

Johnny. The man. The myth. The Legend. The SIXTH grader! His last year in elementary! 🥺😭. Johnny has Cate’s old teacher, Mr. Finnegan. He is so excited. Also for the first time he is with his best friend Max, among other good friends. He was more excited than I can ever remember going to school the first day.

Goodness I love him. His favorite teacher is the librarian, and every year he makes a stop first thing to tell her hello!

Cate the Great, starting year eight! Her final year of middle school. Her first day was technically next day, but because she is in Leadership, she got to help out with orientation for the seventh graders at Mcloughlin. 

Goodness, if I could just hug a picture!! I love these four!

Per tradition, I promised Johnny we could walk to school. We drove a few blocks away and enjoyed the beautiful crisp morning. As I trailed behind these three, I realized this was the last year I would have all three of my boys at the same school! I felt so grateful the school district is waiting until next year to move sixth grade to the middle school. I love having these three together.

Johnny took off as soon as we got to the school, but William and Matthew wanted me to walk them to their classroom. They each got their teachers a plant and treat for the first day.

Dropping off the little boys ended up being much more dramatic for my mama’s heart than I anticipated. William was in a nervous daze as he entered his classroom. He couldn’t find his chair and I watched his eyes panic as he read all the name tags, not recognizing any names! He sunk into his chair and just looked at his desk, not sure what to do. (Spoiler: everything turned out fine, but it was not an easy visual to walk away from.) Matthew insisted he wasn’t nervous, besides; he’s not a kinder anymore! He marched into his classroom, followed directions and found his cubby. As he clearly didn’t need me, I turned away and then thought—“I’m going to snag a quick picture to send to John.” 

Here is what I found when I turned back toward the classroom:

His head was buried in his hands. I walked back in and asked if he needed a hug. He nodded “yes.”  I asked if he was OK, and he answered with flushed cheeks and watery eyes, “I didn’t know I was going to miss you so much.” And instead of melting into a puddle of tears right then and there I put on my brave mom face and said, “You’re not going to miss me! You are going to have so much fun today and before you know it, I’ll come pick you up and we’ll have cookies after school together! How does that sound?” He smiled shyly and said it sounded good, gave me a hug. 

Then I left.

And held my hormonal pregnancy tears in until made it to my car, and absolutely cried the whole way home. There was something so lonely about walking into an empty home after the often chaotic, messy, and crowded home of Summer. I called John to ask how Cate’s drop off went and he said it was fine, and she talked a lot but he wasn’t paying attention (ha!) and she said some jokes he didn’t laugh at and she responded with “OK, I guess I’m not using that one on my friends.” And I thought about how nice it must be to be John and not neurotic and an emotional mess over basically nothing. 😂

I ate away my feelings then got to work on some organizing projects that have been on my list, and prepping dinner and cookies for after school.

The boys all had the best day. Everyone loves their teachers and it was an afternoon of fielding three conversations simultaneously. It was such a happy feeling. After my worried morning, I was so grateful to see what a great year this is going to be for all of them. 

We filled out all the back to school paper work (ew.) and the kids played with friends until it was time to pick Cate up from Cross Country.

I went to bed that night exhausted, grateful, and happy. Despite the bold declaration that time is indeed passing, I sure love the first day of school with its new school shoes and fresh school supplies. The routine of fall is a familiarity I fell asleep looking forward to.

Cate’s official first day of school!

The boys’ second day of school!

(William’s peace sign, Johnny’s “Hi best friend!” Shirt he had custom made because that is his motto, and Matthew’s that’s-how-I-smile-mom face. Love them.

Cate’s third day of school.