Where Have We Been?

 I told Derek (sort of in jest) that if I wanted to do all the things I feel like I need to do, I better start getting up at 4:30 am.  My body heard me.  I woke up at 4:15.  So I figured I'd better do the blogging.  It's been too long.  In the weeks since I've blogged I spent all my blogging time + on Sarah's photobook.  It's scheduled to arrive the day before her birthday. SCORE!  But I realized even more the importance of the blog for the photobooks.  As I worked on her book I needed to look back so often.  The year has been such a weird blur.  Without so many of the usual things, Nutcracker, choir concerts, etc...Did anything actually happen?  And at the same time, so much has happened.

Well, a quick catch up on the rest of Sept. and into Oct.

Dad: Since Derek took most of the summer off, he's been working LOTS.  Mariners, concerts, and he had a student officer in Sept. too, so lots of busy for Dad.  He's also been going to almost all the Husky games, including the one in Michigan.  He missed one home game so that he could do security for Elder Renlund, who came here to do several devotionals and trainings.  That was a cool opportunity, but made for an insane weekend.  The Mariners took it down to the wire this year, with even the last game being meaningful.  The Mariners having playoff hopes hasn't happened in a long time. Apparently he got a pic with Kyle Seager, but I don't see it in the camera roll, so I'll have to see where it is.

Libby: It's been a long couple of weeks since I blogged re: her first football game performance.  She got "cut" from the next week's performance, and her sign was rejected by the Sr. captain who is in charge of the signs (they make this little name things for each other for each performance--it is the weirdest tradition--and definitely turns drill into an art club more than a dance team.). I went full mama bear internally.  I talked to another mom to try to get some perspective and eventually I did also talk to the coach about the policies of signs and "cutting" girls from routines.  The poor coach is new and totally overwhelmed.  Libby did step up her practicing quite a bit and was pretty ready for this week's performances.  (Not error free, but much better.) Libby also big time stepped up her grades!  Wahoo! Our camera roll is full of her friend Rey that she's on the phone with constantly.  A boy BFF.  It was homecoming this last week.  She had some pretty fun outfits for her dress up days.

1960s Day--she had me get her this dress on Amazon

Comfy Day 

Drill!  They performed at the outdoor assembly and during the football game later that day.  They also had a breakfast that morning to do each other's hair.  It was earlier than seminary! 

Sarah: She's actually the busiest one of us!  She has dance on Mon/Thur for 2 hours each night.  She has Arioso (choir) on Tuesday and YW on Wednesday.  She took a babysitting job on Saturday and really enjoyed herself.  

She's loving football!  She stayed for the whole SW game 2 weeks in a row, and she's been to every Husky homegame so far. She's also won most or all the money from Clark's line cards almost every week! 

ADS: Her home away from home.  She's taking Ballet 1/2, Ballet 2, Jazz 1/2 (Jazz 2 didn't fit in her schedule), and Lyrical

A few more Sarah selfies showing up in the camera roll.

I adore her school pic! 

Ben: Ben is loving school, loving having time with his friend Juliet and her sister Maddie again (neighbors who weren't around during COVID).  He did have a sore throat this last week, so per policy, I made him stay home from school on Thurs/Friday. Derek took him for a COVID test and he came back negative (as I knew he would...but have to do it to get back to school.). Ben got to hang out with Mom & Dad for a couple of Thursday night dance shopping trips.  He discovered he isn't really into Vietnamese food.  He helped Mom babysit for one of her ministering sisters.  He's excited about his trumpet!  He's not all that excited about choir. But I think he'll warm up to it.  School pics not back yet.  And I have literally no pics of Ben in the camera roll for the last few weeks.

Times UP!  I have to go walk now so I can get back and get Libby to Seminary.  I guess I'll blog again tomorrow at 5:00 am.