Where Did August Go?

Here we are, a week into September.  It has been well over a month since I updated our blog and we have been busy again.  I had started adding pictures a week ago, and ran out of time to narrate, so I'll try to remember all the things we've done for the past 5 weeks.

After Gracie's last softball tournament, it was not long until Owen started practice for football.  There was almost a week in there that the kids spent down at the lake with Grandma and Grandpa.  They were definitely spoiled with time on the boat and in the pool.  When they returned, Owen had one more practice for football and went right into games.

Here he is at his first game.

He still really wants to play tackle football, but is having fun with his flag football team.

Going for a flag.

He still has been called for flag guarding and tackling, most of it is unintentional.

Pulling another flag.  He's getting better.

Ahhh...another beautiful sunrise.  Ruby and I have quite the streak going;  I think we're over 5 weeks straight of either walking or jogging daily.  I have a feeling this is going to have to change soon, as the sun keeps coming up a little later every morning.  I'll also have to get the kids up starting tomorrow.

I have enjoyed the mornings.

Here is another one.

It was a little foggy on this morning.

A day of basketball

Gracie's basketball team was able to play in one tournament at the end of August.  They had all of one practice prior to competing...AND they played up against 8th graders.  One of the games was not very pretty, but they ended up coming away with one win on the day.  I felt very lucky to get a tournament in, under the current circumstances in our state.  There are many youth sports that have been cancelled in bigger cities like St. Louis and Kansas City due to COVID.  We have done our best with following rules that have been mandated in the venues that we go to.

Gracie with the ball.

Gracie rebounding

Protecting the ball???

Trying to block a shot.  She did get a few throughout the day.

You could definitely tell that most of these girls had not played for awhile.  I think if they were all in better shape and had a few more practices, they would have had a little more success.  I'm just happy they got to play.

Waiting to rebound.

Let the birthdays begin!!!!

Owen's always comes first.  He wanted to have a sleepover this year with some of his close friends.  This was the first time he had a bunch of friends over night.  They played outside for a lot of the time.  Football, Hide and Seek, Nerf war, Tag.  They are so good at entertaining themselves.  I last heard them around 12:30am in the basement.  I wish I had taken a picture of the sleeping arrangement.  Eight boys took over the spare bedroom downstairs.

Playing football outside

Owen lighting his birthday candles

Owen with his buddies on his birthday

All smiles with his Oreo birthday cake.

Here he is on the actual day

10 years old!

Owen requested French toast for his birthday.

New nerf gun.

He looks like he means business.

All the gear to go with his new Nerf guns

Opening more presents on his birthday.

Another football day!

I think he's playing running back here.

Upward football prayer before the game

My first day of school at Mizzou!

This starts my 5th school year in Mizzou Made Academics in our athletics department.  

I look a bit different meeting with the students that I'm allowed to meet with.  Masks and face shields are required in the middle of COVID pandemic.

Yes, my students make fun of me.  Yep, it's ok, because I get to see them.

We were allowed to pick 4 students who needed in-person meetings the most.  Unfortunately during the 1st week of classes, 2 of those students were already in quarantine due to either testing positive for COVID or contact tracing.  This semester is going to be challenging to say the least.

Next birthday!

Gracie's turn!  She also had a sleepover with a handful of friends.

Gracie tried a new homemade ice cream cake this year, but we both agreed that the previous two years were better.  

Here's the inside, which looks great with all the peanut butter, but cookie dough is better.

First we started with an hour at the pool.

It was a little chilly, so the girls didn't want to stay the whole time.

Go figure, the only day it rained in August was on Gracie's birthday.

Stunting in the pool

Riding in the back of the truck

Girls posing with the birthday girl

Nerf WAR!!!!!

These girls were hilarious!

The war lasted quite a long time.

Vacation at the Ozarks!

In between softball and football and more softball, Gracie and Owen found a week to spend down at the lake.  They got more than their fair share of boating, pool, eating out, and shopping.  They should be good for awhile, but I'm sure they would go back in a heartbeat if we let them.  I can't even remember what Nick and I did with our alone time, except work like we usually do.

Riding on the boat

Jumping in the pool

Owen got to drive

Gracie stole Grandma's hat

Owen with his new sunglasses

Gracie's mountain of nachos

Did I mention they went out to eat a lot?

Bear Bottom Resort

Floating in the water

Gracie using her new Ninja to make smoothies

A great night for a ride

Gracie and mom watching another football game

Pulling more flags!

One last weekend of sun.

Owen learned to wake board.  This came pretty naturally to him.  It only took him a couple tries before he popped right out of the water.  He was trying to hop the wake before his turn was done.

Here we are as Labor Day weekend comes to an end.  We have had three weekends in a row of nonstop activities, and I think (hope) this will continue in the coming weeks.  We had one last dose of summer this weekend with a neighborhood pool party Saturday after Owen's football game.  The adults had a couple games of pool volleyball while the kids sat out.  It was great!  Then on Sunday we spent the whole afternoon on a boat on Mark Twain Lake, about an hour north of Columbia.  The first hour or so was great, but it was so windy mid-afternoon.  The kids got to tube and Owen tried out the wakeboard, but skiing would have been pretty rough on the choppy water.  Gracie didn't try wake boarding this time, but I think she will next time.  We sat in the water for several hours swimming and playing, making it home by 7pm.

Gracie has completed 3 weeks of practices with her Southern Boone middle school softball team.  They are scheduled to have their first game this week in Macon, but the news said that there are a lot of middle school kids from Macon in quarantine due to COVID, so I'm not sure that game will actually happen.  They have a tournament scheduled for this weekend, as well, so we'll see if that happens.  I'm not sure how many teams are supposed to come.  Gracie will probably be spending most of her time either pitching or catching, and I'm guessing that she will play in both games.  Both the 7th and 8th grade teams are pretty short on pitchers and catchers.

School starts tomorrow for Southern Boone.  Gracie is set to go in-person, but unfortunately Owen will be at home for his first 3 days due to Quarantine of many of the 5th grade teachers/staff.  I have a feeling this year will be a constant cycle of quarantine, isolating, and testing for COVID 19.  We might have to live life 14 days at a time (time required to quarantine to make sure you don't develop symptoms after being in close contact with someone who has tested positive for CORONA.)  

In all honesty, I do not understand a lot of what is going on in our world at this time.  Most of the policies and rules contradict some other part of the policies and rules, and overall, just don't make sense to me.  However, I will comply and do my part the best I can so my kids can keep participating and I can keep working.  I have my objections to a lot of this, though.  As far as letting our kids be with friends, we have tried to keep them in the same relatively small circle of friends, limiting exposure to others.  I have been going straight to work and straight home, other than getting groceries, as cases continue to rise in Columbia, mostly due to the influx of students returning to school.  I really do go back and forth between wanting to do my best to comply and be conscientious of others, but then there are the days that I just want to stick my middle finger up and say FTM.  Who are you to impose these rules?????  I'm going to do what I want.  I'm not angry about anything and I am grateful everyday that we get to go to work, and that our kids get to do the activities that they love.  Our world is just so confusing right now and I can't even imagine trying to navigate or understand this as a kid.  Not just the pandemic, but all the protests, and racism, and violence that is occurring.  We are doing our best to stay positive and optimistic about the changes that arise and adapting to constant changes.  

I could go on for awhile about all this, but getting back to here and now, which is all we can control.  Gracie starts 7th grade tomorrow and will get on the bus at 6:55am.  She will have middle school practice after school!  Owen will start his 5th grade classes virtually tomorrow and will have one of us at home for the next three days helping him and making sure he is getting what he needs to do his work from home.