A Week of Matches! Boys v. Edway, Senior Night, and A Scramble

Okay.  I can't get pics in order these days.  And I'm not letting the perfect be the enemy of the good because yeah.  I'm maxed.  Last weekend was Gut Check and Libby's injury.  This week was a match on Tuesday, a match on Wednesday, and a scramble on Thursday.  And oh yeah, we hosted all 3 of them.  

The Ed-Way boys handed it to us on Tuesday.  But we wanted to give everyone a match, so we basically wrestled 3 back to back duals.  So we were there LATE.  

Wednesday was Senior Night for our girls, and the only official dual we were wrestling.  It didn't look good for us.  They have some talented wrestlers, and we had no Libby or Finley in our lineup.  Also, without our freshman heavyweight (broken collarbone) and another senior who's out for injury, our lineup is not full.  Not even close.  But we managed a big win (they kept out two of their best wretlers thinking they wouldn't need them to beat us.)  But we did it! It was so exciting.  Two of our new wrestlers pulled out pins and that started us off right.  It was awesome.  Perfect Senior Night--well it would have been even more perfect if Libby could have wrestled, but it was actually more miraculous without Libby wrestling.  Sarah took a forfeit, so no Nortons wrestled and still it was amazing.  (Libby sang the National Anthem and it was beautiful.  Not perfect.  But awesome.) 

Then Thursday we hosted a scramble.  It was our first time hosting a scramble, and we wanted to use trackwrestling.  It was a bit of an adventure figuring out how to make it all work (we ended up having to get tech support on the phone) but we did it!  The ref showed up super late (and only one showed up--so we recruited Derek Norton for Mat 2.)  It was great for our girls to get in some more matches. 

Sarah won both her matches! 

I did some coaching

Derek didn't have official ref stuff, so ribbons and a mint tin for the toss.  Haha. 

The Seniors! 

So cute, right? 

The arm...it's healing.  

Our Senior!  Can't believe it. 

And then on Friday we left for Kelso!  I'm waiting to get Jeremy's pictures from Kelso before I post about it.  But spoiler--Sarah wrestled tough! 

Gut Check--2 Day Tournament #3 of 4

 For our last weekend of the break, we booked yet another 2 day tournament.  (One where they had WAY too many wrestlers for the number of mats they were running....so it took FOREVER again.) 

When you start a tournament, there are really usually 2 outcomes.  Elimination or placing.  But all wrestling parents know there is a 3rd option...a trip to the ER.  This weekend we got to experience all 3.  

Sarah wrestled strong and tough, but in the end she went 1 and 2.  

The whole team! 

Proof that she was beasting the Hermiston girl, but then they caught her in their classic head and arm.  Boo. 

Then she beat a White River girl

She was eliminated when she lost a close one on day 2 (when I didn't take out my camera.) 

Libby decided she wanted to make the tournament harder on herself and wrestled 110 instead of 105.  (She could have easily made 105, because with the growth allowance and the 1 lb. allowance it would have been 108, but she decided it wasn't worth it.) Her day 1 went really well.  A quick pin.  Day 2 started with another quick pin. Then she teched a girl that we went to camp with a couple of years ago.   Her 4th match was against the eventual champ.  She didn't get pinned.
Then a few seconds into her next match, it happened.  The girl threw her--and Libby posted her arm.  Rookie mistake. 

Yeah, gross.  She just collapsed and the girl pinned her. Libby was most concerned that we get her off the mat so she wouldn't be "that girl" who held up the tournament needing medical care.  So we got her to the trainer table.  They iced her and tried to get her to calm down.  It was scary.  We were really afraid of a season ending injury like a fracture or tear.  

After she calmed a bit the trainer wrapped her (pretty confident it wasn't broken) and sent us to go.  Libby wanted to stay and watch Izzy wrestle for 3rd/4th.  So we did.  Libby was hilarious.  Jokes, fun, silly.  And wearing her medal like a badge of honor along with her sling. So thankful for these friends of hers that make her so happy too. 

Then we headed to Children's hospital.  Thankfully we were only about 20 minutes away.  The ER folks were great.  And our ministering brother Conner and his wife Chunie (our YW pres) came and met us there.  They are both doctors, so they were also subtly checking things out along with giving Libby a blessing.  The Xray shows no fracture.  Hooray!  So a sprain that will keep her out for a bit...we'll see an ortho doctor ASAP and maybe get a PRP so we can get her back on the mat ASAP.  

This girl is at 97 wins as a Shorewood wrestler.  She's amazing (and was the last one of our strong wrestlers standing who hadn't injury defaulted out of a match this year...) But we'll make the comeback.  Right!?  Right. 

Love this girl and her determination.  (Also, sidenote, she DEEP cleaned her room all by herself on NY Day.  It took major coercion to get her started.  But then she killed it!  So clean.  Wow.) 

Coaching with Derek isn't always easy (there are plenty of logistical issues, haha.). But this opportunity to work with my kids and husband in this way is so amazing.   I don't love that I'm going back to school EXHAUSTED.  And that we have Kelso this weekend (and that Libby won't get to wrestle there for her senior season) but it's worth it.  A season of sacrifice that is 100% worth it. 

NorthWest Duals & Ben Snowboarding!

 We took a very small girls team (lost 2 girls the night before to illness) and a full but green boys team to Northwest Duals in Albany Oregon on the day after Christmas.  It was super fun.  A much better experience than Hammerhead.  Libby went undefeated (7-0) and Sarah was 3-3 I think.  With a team of only 6 girls, we weren't going to win.  But we got a lot of experience and had fun.  The boys won some good matches too.  Hotels were nice and we were in bed pretty early.  

If you look closely you can see that Libby is starting to get pink eye.  She's been super sick, and it all came to a head the day after we got back.  Sinus infection & pink eye. Thank goodness for anti-biotics and a trial pair of contacts once it started clearing up. 

I think these pics are actually from Hammerhead.  But they are cool! 

Meanwhile, back in WA, Maren took Ben snowboarding! He really liked it!  And thank goodness he had a helmet, because he had some head to pole contact!  

Happy New Year 2025

 2024 went really really fast.  It was such a better year than 2023.  I actually killed it on my 24 in 24 goals!  Wow.  This is partly the result of setting the right goals and keeping it where I could see it frequently so I wouldn't forget about them.  Anyway, we had a fun little pizza making celebration at Maren's last night.  Again, small and simple.  We played SCUM, I held my own--staying mostly in the top half (VP often!) and chatted.  We rang in the East Coast New Year (9 pm) and I was home in bed by 10.  Love it.  I have a huge to do list for the next two days.  So gotta snap to it! 

Merry Christmas 2024

For some reason these pictures refuse to drop into the post in the correct order.  So they feel as chaotic as our Christmas season has.  Pretty appropriate! We celebrated Christmas eve at Maren's.  It was weird for me not to host, but after our exhausting weekend at Hammerhead, I was very okay to not host.  (Plus I hosted Christmas morning for our small group, so it was okay.)  We had a small group for Christmas eve too, so it was simple and nice.  But sadly, no group photo since we didn't do a nativity.  And no group photo on Christmas morning either.  I was off my game!  So here are random pictures of Christmas eve and Christmas day, as well as the Clark outing on the 23rd. 

 

Each kid got a new beanbag.  Ben is loving his.  His new system is stacking the old and new beanbags on top of each other for gaming on the new monitor he got for his room. 

Sarah got staph for Christmas.  Thankfully our good friend helped us get meds on Christmas so she could clear it enough to wrestle on Friday and Saturday. (We held our breath through skin checks--but she passed.) 

Libby got an airfryer for when she moves out (she did not like hearing that.)  The reality of graduating and moving out seems a bit daunting right now.  But now that she has her own airfryer, I know she'll eat! 

Ben with all his loot.  He got loaded up with fortnite V-bucks! 

Sarah's big gifts were a paddle board and the lego succulent set.  She and Libby also got tickets to Colter Wall from Dad.  And they got a spa day with mom.  We probably won't have time until after wrestling.  But it will be fun.  

Before they went down to see presents.
I got Derek a new suit (we have to exchange it, but he's excited I think.)  He got me some new attachments for the kitchen aid.  It will be fun to try them out. 

We did some traditional Christmas Eve stuff...the ring toss! 

Opening PJs on Christmas Eve

Adorable

The Uncle Clark outing was small this year.  But they had a great time.  

It was a very lowkey but Merry Christmas.  I'm so thankful for my Savior and all the blessings we have in our life because of Him.  It was a pleasure to give gifts to those I love in his honor.