Summer is Over

Finley went to a soccer clinic hosted by the UW-Blugold women's soccer team.  I debated bringing him, the heat index was 104, but since I'd opened my big mouth the day before, he was set on going.  I swear, someday I'll learn to stop telling him about stuff before it actually happens.

 

Finley was SO excited to play with the Blugolds.  Although he was convinced they were the basketball players and that Casteel would be there (Casteel is their favorite basketball player). 

They were divided by age and we were excited to see Finley's friend Ethan there too.  The kids rotated around ten stations focusing on various skills.

At this age, I'm never sure if parents should stay or leave.  They said parents were welcome to watch, but within a few minutes I saw most parents exiting the fields.  As I sat in the grass covered in ants, swatting gnats and sweating my butt off, I decided I wanted to leave too.  Finley ran by, so I asked Do you want me to stay? Fingers-crossed he'd reply, No!  But his answer was Do you want to leave?  Break my heart.  My sweaty-ass, bug-covered body screamed YES!!!!  But I said, No, of course not.  How could I leave after that question?!  So I sat.  I sweated.  I swatted a bazillion bugs.  And waved everytime he looked over checking to see if I was still there. 

He totally wants to go again next year.  And I'll totally bring a lawnchair and bug spray.

On our last day of my summer vacation, Finley & I had a movie date to see Planes.  He was really excited.

And after the long previews, he was really sleepy.  An expensive nap.

Cookie dough.

It was the Buckshot Run!  I hadn't run Buckshot since 2009!  I was a little nervous. 

I'm not feeling these races anymore.  At least not in a competitive way.  It was more fun when I consistently improved each race.  I know I'm not in the same shape as '09, I'm four years older and birthed another kid since then, but for some reason I felt a competitive disappointment in myself when I finished 88 seconds slower.  So dumb and I know this.  This morning, I grabbed the paper to read the recap of yesterday's race and I swear the statement from a retired race director was for me, "...at a certain point in life your race time becomes not so important.  You start, and you finish, and you keep moving.  When you get to be mature you don't worry about your time."  So maybe that's it?  I'm mature?  Well, obviously not yet if I'm worried about my time.  But truthfully, I'm having way more fun running with friends/sister that are new to running, beating themselves and watching them experience what I felt as a new runner.  I sound old.  Wait, almost mature.  OK, I didn't do that bad, my goal was to be under 35 minutes, I finished in 34:28, 5th female finisher, 2nd in my age division and my picture was in the paper. 

Finley & Spencer were excited to run the Kid's Buckshot!

Here he comes!

His coach was yelling the whole way ;)

 
When Finley & I went past Patrick & Grandpa, they were wondering where Spencer was...he was so super-fast they missed him.  So we recreated the scene for pictures of Spencer running the race too.

 
Freezies for the finishers!

 
Spencer, Easton & Nolan have been down for the weekend, so the kids have been going back and forth to play.  They stopped by the neighbors to swim...

...picked weeds in our yard...

...had lunch in the garage...

...and took rides in Grandpa's race car!

 
And that's it, summer has ended.  Our classroom is ready and on Tuesday we will meet our new kindergartners.  Our family has it's very own kindergartner this fall (which doesn't seem possible), I tried to convince Spencer to move here and let me be his teacher, but he says no.  I'm excited to hear all of his stories and steal his teacher's cute ideas.  And in a few weeks we'll have a 4K'er in our house!