Game, Set, Match..... Free, Back, Fly, Breast!

 

As of today, we have officially wrapped up Tennis Team and Swim team.

For the second year in a row, Lacey has been on the Shipley's Choice Tennis team and absolutely loved it!

Hanging out with all her tennis buddies at the end of season tennis party.

Highlight of the season - finishing third in her age group (playing doubles) at the Patapsco Tennis Tournament!

And while Lacey was playing tennis..... these three were swimming their hearts out!

Tanner's highlight was getting third place overall in his age group in IM at a meet two weeks ago.

Riley's highlight is going from crying and throwing a tantrum every time she had to swim the Fly to.... Rocking it!  She has an absolutely beautiful stroke and ended up qualifying for Divisionals in both Back and Fly.

She ended up placing third overall (out of about six teams) and earning herself a pretty sweet trophy! And 4th overall in Fly.  So, now, she has decided Fly isn't so bad after all..... it's amazing what a ribbon or two can do in terms of an attitude adjustment ;)

She also had fun participating in Spirit week.  Each day of the week (of the last week of practice), they had a different theme for each day.  Riley was BOUND and DETERMINED to win (they just picked one boy and one girl winner each day).  Well, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday went by without a win.  Well, Friday, we got up early and dressed her up from head to toe in Red, White and Blue for the "Patriotic" theme.  I even put a cell phone in a necklace phone case around her neck blasting Whitney Houston singing the Star Spangled Banner.  Well.... alas she won and was VERY happy about that!

Ready to swim 25m back (PR for the season 25.56)

She finished the season with a PR in 25m Fly of 23.78.

And my Ella Bella Boo went from kicking and screaming and hiding and down right REFUSING to do swim team last year, to waking up every morning, putting on her soon and excitedly going to practice every day this summer.  She improved in both Free and Back and has become a competent swimmer.  It is so nice for the first time in 12 years to be able to go to the pool and not have to worry about a thing because all four of my kids including "the baby" can competently and independently swim.

Oh yeah, and she won the award for Spirit Week on "Wacky Wednesday."  A witch hat, with a construction worker vest, holding an Easter basket with binoculars and wiener mobile stuffed animal and wearing a poodle skirt.  That's pretty wacky!

In some ways, it keeps us from "just getting to relax" all summer, but I think the Pros far outweigh the Cons of doing these teams.  It's nice to have some routine to the mornings, to get exercise every day, to make friends and see/keep friends, to learn a new skill and to improve upon already existing skills.

Great job, kiddos!

And the good news.... you still have one more month of summer to sleep in ;)

Sailing Scout

We just got home one hour ago from picking up Tanner from a his very first week-long sleep away camp.  But really, he is coming off two straight weeks of camp.

The first week was Sailing Camp!  This not a sleepover camp, but it was an all day camp.  It's the third year in a row that he's done this camp with his good friend, Owen.

The perks of living in Annapolis!

Here they are on their last day of camp with their "Graduation" certificates.

They completed the Sunfish Mate program.

Friday night, they participated in a sailing race.

Friends that Sail together.... Stay together!

He had one day (where he swam his last swim meet of the season) between when sailing camp ended and Scout camp began!

This is my very first (and only) time having a Boy Scout, so I had NO idea that they had a (mandatory from what I can tell?) week long sleep away camp where they get a bunch of their merit badges and such.  Dave and I had already booked and paid for our family vacation when we found out about this camp.... which of course was scheduled for the EXACT same week as our vacation!  So, his alternative was to go a different week.... with a different troop..... without any friends or anyone he knew.  He was scared to death!

But he did it!  We went tonight to pick him up and he was very proud of himself for making it through the week and making it through his homesickness.  It's hard to go from never being away from home for more than a night/weekend to being an hour and a half away for an entire week!

His saving grace was that one other boy that he knew from school was in his same predicament.  So he ended up having one friend and we made sure they were tent-mates.  This ended up making a huge difference!  Especially because, unlike Tanner, Douglas had a phone.  And he was kind enough to let Tanner use it from time to time when he was feeling homesick and just needed to hear his Mom's voice.

And his mama loved hearing his voice too!  

So happy to be reunited!  We missed our T!

We ate dinner with him and the other scouts and then Tanner showed us all around camp including his tent where he has "lived" for the past week.

Home away from Home

Horse and Buggy

We got up early yesterday morning and headed North to Shipshewana, Indiana, home of the third largest Amish community in the country (behind one in Ohio and one in Lancaster, PA).

Roman, a member of the New Order Amish, gave us a horse and buggy ride.... and got his finger partially over the lens when taking our picture ;)

But we had a great time.  We had a private ride with just the three of us and peppered him with questions, which he graciously answered.  We learned so much!  Roman is one of 18 children (same mom and dad).  Can you imagine?!

And with that, we headed back to Chicago, where we enjoyed deep dish pizza from Giordanos, got a few hours sleep and then were up by 4:30am to catch our 5:20 shuttle back to the airport.

It was a whirlwind three days with not a lot of sleep, but, as usual, we packed a lot in.  Love rekindling our 17 years of friendship on this annual trip.

With Malice Toward None

Sunday morning, we woke up early (yes, even after not going to bed until after 1am - we don't get much sleep on womancation!), rented a car and were on the road by 8am heading to Naperville.  We saw my old house, where I lived from the ages of 4-18 and where my family lived from 1980-2014.

And then we went to church to my home ward, the Naper 1st Ward.  I didn't think I'd know anyone after so long, but it was so fun to see SO many people (Janet Faina, Connie Furstenau, the Moons, the Mannings, the Pauluses, the Sorensons, the Quinns, the Childs, etc) that I knew!  So fun to hug them and briefly catch up.  Dave texted me in the morning telling me to keep a look out for his friend Tom, who he met and served with on his mission to Barcelona.  They have stayed in touch all these years and we faithfully exchange Christmas cards, but I have never met Tom or his family (wife and 6 kids!).  Sure enough, I found him and it was so fun to finally meet him and his wife in person.  And, what are the chances...... sacrament meeting was a recently returned missionary reporting on his service in Barcelona, Spain!  The same mission where Tom and Dave served together.  What a crazy, fun coincidence!

From there, we met up with my high school bestie, Kelly for breakfast at Egg Harbor Cafe.  I haven't seen Kelly in 3 years, but she and I pick up right where we left off no matter how long it's been! Love her to death!

Then we drove south to Springfield and went to the Lincoln Presidential Museum.

Lincoln and his family during the White House years.

I just finished reading a book entitled Mrs. Lincoln's Dressmaker about her dressmaker and confidante, Elizabeth Keckly.  So it was so neat to see the re-enactment of their relationship shown here.

His cabinet.

Lincoln Douglas debates

The tombstone of 3 year old Eddy who died of Tuberculosis in 1850.  

A portrait of Lincoln when he entered the White House.....

And when he left.

Look how much the Civil War aged him!  Leading a divided country during the worst time in our history.  Yet, seeing it through.  And finally coming out of it and seeing the light at the end of the tunnel...

only to be assassinated and never given the chance to see the country united at last.

We all agreed that this museum was one of the best museums any of us have ever been to.  It was FABULOUSLY well done.  I would love so much for my kids to have been with me.  I truly believe that Abraham Lincoln is one of the greatest men who has ever lived and was here at a particular time and place and season to see our country through the worst of times.  And this museum does an incredible job of honoring his life and legacy.

Next we went to see the only home he ever owned. 

His door.

The Old State Capitol

It was here that Lincoln made his "House Divided" speech in June 1858 and where his body returned to lay in state in May 1865 prior to his final burial. 

The law office where he worked.

The church where his family still has a pew.

And the site where he gave his Farewell address leaving for the White House.

And we ended the day by going to his tombstone.  A sight to behold.  And one, fit for the giant of a man that he was.