Libby's Going to Indian Hills!

 I got a recruitment email for Libby in the SW team email from this college in Iowa.  I forwarded it on, like haha.  Funny that we got this after we already decided you're going to Big Bend, but isn't it nice to be recruited!  

Haha, she said.  And scheduled a call with the coach.  Who she loved.  So I got them some plane tickets.  They flew out the day I came back from San Diego.  

And she loved it.  They have been JUCO National Champs 4 years in a row.  It's a great program.  She's so excited.  Derek really liked it and was super impressed.  So--she committed.  She's going to Iowa.  

Holy Cow.  I'm really excited for her.  It's going to be a big step!  (Don't worry, they do attendance and grade checks.)

It's not too far from Nauvoo & Carthage jail.  So they did some touristing too. 

This is Libby with Coach Winn.  

She'll have a locker with her name! 

Huge mat room! 

National Champ awards NBD.  

#goals.  National Champ Norton?  Let's go! 

Spring Break in San Diego!

 So this year for Spring Break the kids and Derek stayed home (until Derek & Libby went to Iowa) and I went to San Diego.  It was a sacrifice, but I had to celebrate my mom turning 70.  Emily and I had the same week for Spring Break, so it worked out perfectly.  We stayed in an perfect AirBnb just a few blocks from the beach.  We walked a ton, shopped, visited Old Town San Diego (2x), ate a lot of Mexican food, and went to the Mormon Battalion Museum (loved).  It was actually my 3rd time in San Diego--but it was where my mom wanted to go, and since it was her birthday--she got to choose!  

I loved spending time with my mom and sis.  It was hard a few times not having Rachel with us.  And my cold was hanging on...but it was really nice.  I'm so blessed to have such a great family! 

Happy Easter!

 My kids continue to tell me that they like our family Easter Egg hunt traditions, even after the EGGSTRAVAGANZA at Maren's.  I'll take the compliment, even if it is just really that they want more candy.  And legos. I forgot to take a final picture of the new legos this year.  I accidentally got one we already had--but it was a 3 in 1.  So now we have a toucan amidst the bunnies in our Easter Lego colleciton. 

Ready to hunt. 

The bunny brought Libby a lens attachment for her iphone.  I look great. 

The Easter "basket" theme was for Libby to get a new wrestling bag.  But she didn't want to choose until she chose a college...so she got a box. Sarah got the "I have no shelf control" bag...and this is funny because she has been spending a lot on books lately--and got herself a different tote bag after I had bought this.  But can one have too many tote bags? 

She thought this was pretty funny. 

Ben had been carrying his wrestling shoes in this little lame backpack like this that was a freebie.  But then he got a new pair of shoes and switched to a regular backpack--just after I bought this.  So yeah.  May never see use.  

On the hunt. 

We did celebrate Jesus with a lovely meeting at church where we sang in the choir.

I also hosted Easter dinner.  I got the death cold from my 5th graders.  So I wasn't feeling super festive.  I didn't take pics of the table setting. But I made it through! 

Happy Easter Egg Hunt!

We had the annual EGG HUNT (this deserves all caps) at Maren's house this year.  It was a perfectly cool day (after several unseasonably warm and sunny days).  Keeping it real Seattle. 

Anyway, Libby went to wrestle in a tournament where she didn't do all that well...went 1-2 in Freestyle.  AND she got rear-ended on the freeway on the way home.  So maybe should have come for the family event?  But she needs more freestyle practice--so yeah. Tough call. 

Turns out Ben is better than Sarah at finding eggs.  She kills all of us in the mini-crossword every day.  So we have to find little ways that we are better than Sarah.  In the end, she took charity to get to her egg limit.  Such a fun day--because after the egg hunt, we went to do baptisms in the temple.  

 

Not happy after a loss? 

Enjoying being a spectacle on the side of the road. 

Ouch. 

The other car.  More ouch. 

Freestyle Tournaments--So Much Learning!

 The kids are going all-ish in on freestyle season this year.  They all need more mat time to get better.  And, for Libby--college wrestling means freestyle wrestling.  The first tournament they went to was a Fargo qualifier--NW Regionals.  They all got smoked. (I didn't go--I took a much needed weekend at home.)  Libby lost to a CA state champ and another CA state placer. 

Yesterday was a bit better.  Ben won his first freestyle match and performed decently in some of his other matches (freestyle is very unforgiving.  It only take 10 points to tech someone...and that can happen in a flash.) Sarah struggled.  Libby won all her matches.  That was good for her confidence.  She's going in 2 weeks to check out a community college in Iowa that has recruited her.  So she needs more freestyle experience! 

I did get some great shots yesterday!

 

Fifth Grade Camp 2025

 Fifth grade camp came right on the heels of the middle school season.  We literally had just a few days of turn around time.  This was because our group was so big we got booted from our original camp location and had to switch weeks and locations.  We had to do a lot of scrambling to get counselors.  (Including on the night before when 3 dropped out.)  It was such a messy process this year.  Yuck.

But in the end, the location was beautiful--Orcas Island is incredible.  The weather was favorable--cool but not raining.  We even had some SUN!  And the kids were reasonably well behaved.  (Apparently Libby was the meanest counselor, haha.) 

I loved having both Libby and Sarah there.  They did a great job leading songs, playing mafia with the kids, and in general, being fabulous.

I took over 1000 pictures with my new camera.  Super fun. 

I am exhausted though.  Wishing camp had been at the original date--when we would have had the whole week of spring break to recover! 

Libby also found a snake. 

Successful Middle School Season!

 We made it through the wrestling seasons!  This is truly a journey, as we begin high school mid-November (and for me doing scheduling it started much earlier), and finish in the first week of April.  The middle school season is much easier--as there are no weekend or evening commitments.  But for me it is a little harder, as I have to leave school early several times to be there for the matches.  We all learned and grew so much during this time.  We got to do this as a family.  That is so cool!

I also got a new camera lens!  I had fun taking pictures toward the end of the season--especially during the middle school season.  

Of course wrestling still isn't really over for us.  All 3 kids have already wrestled in 2 freestyle tournaments (including yesterday).  But the commitment is different. Derek is helping to coach one night a week for this month.  The "Rhinos Elite" program starts this week where Libby and Ben will go 3 nights a week.  

We'll all go to Spokane for the Freestyle & Greco State Tournament the first weekend in May.

Then we'll for real take a break from competing.  (I think the Rhinos Elite program even runs through the summer?)

Anyway, Ben came out of middle school a 2x district champ!

We had a really great season with the Einstein group--they were a small but mighty team (thankfully with a favorable weight spread!)