Gymnastics, soccer, and a love of reading…

"Nobody will ever deprive the American people of the right to vote except the American people themselves and the only way they could do this is by not voting."
-Franklin D. Roosevelt

Isla had another gymnastics meet this weekend and it was her best one yet.  She placed fourth overall in her age group, which included a first place bar finish.  Most importantly, she wasn’t nervous and said she had a fun time.  Each meet gets better than the last one and we’re looking forward to watching Isla progress in her gymnastics.

James had a soccer game this weekend as well.  Unfortunately he didn’t get as much play time as he has in the past so we don’t have many pictures.  Nina and Papa came to watch him play, and James got into a match with Nina after the game.  Nina lost.

Isla’s reading is improving at a remarkable rate.  She’s reading full books now and insists on reading one, if not two, every night.  She’s well past where she’s supposed to be according to her teacher, and we’re proud of how much effort she’s putting into learning.  As a reward, we took her to go vote this week.  Okay, it wasn’t a reward, but she was interested in voting and I needed a way to put the picture on here.

Cake balls and horses…

"There is something about the outside of a horse that is good for the inside of a man."
-Winston S. Churchill

I forgot to add this last week but still wanted to share the pictures from Grandma and Grampa Wolfe coming over to say happy birthday to Ashlyn.  It was an outdoor affair and we didn’t get to do a dinner or cake like we normally would, but it was still nice to visit while the kids played with some of the new toys.  Then the kids enjoyed some cake pops decorated in celebration of the birthday girl.

We took the kids horseback riding for a fun weekend activity.  The entire trip was an hour and half around Lake Grapevine and the kids had so much fun they now want to go to a horse riding camp.

James had another soccer game this weekend and unfortunately he got hurt towards the beginning of the game.  He came back in towards the end and was getting in the mix of things a time or two.  The team overall continues to improve and James is still having fun, which is the important thing.

Escape rooms and backyard adventure…

"Wheee!"
-James

We took the kids to an escape room to do something new and interesting around Ashlyn’s birthday.  It was a lot of fun and we were able to solve the puzzles and escape the rooms in under 45 minutes.  The kids already want to go again.

James and Ashlyn have transitioned back to in-person school due to the difficulties of learning remotely in Spanish Immersion.  It’s much quieter around the house, but Ashlyn and the kittens have quickly adjusted to the new situation.  Isla still enjoys learning and I can often hear her happily following along with the teacher from her room.

 

When we don’t see the children for awhile, it rarely means something good is happening.  When we don’t see the kids for awhile and notice that cabinets in the garage are open, we get a little nervous.  An example of this occurred this week when we went outside to find the kids had created a zip line in the backyard and were using a kitchen towel to fly down it.  Luckily no kids were hurt.  I wish I could say the same for the towel.

Ashlyn turns 11!

"Today is the oldest you have been, and the youngest you will ever be. Make the most of it!"
-Nicky Gumbel

Ashlyn celebrated her 11th birthday this week.  The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic prevented us from having a birthday gathering for Ashlyn, so we setup a scavenger hunt similar to what we did for James and Isla.  The clues were harder to solve, but Ashlyn successfully solved each puzzle and had fun opening gifts along the way.

We paused the birthday celebrations for a soccer game, where James continued to show improvement as he learns and improves his skills.  He’s been asking for extra practices and his wish was granted.  Starting next week he will be practicing three nights a week so we should see even more faster improvement.

After Ashlyn’s requested steak dinner, it was time for cake and candles.  The family sang happy birthday, Ashlyn blew out the candles, and everyone enjoyed a birthday dessert as we wrapped up another birthday weekend.  Happy birthday Ashlyn!!