Last night marked the end of a long and exciting lacrosse season for the boys. They played for the East Regional title, going the farthest in the state playoffs of any Orange lacrosse team, drawing a fun and supportive full stadium of fans, and showing off their newly blond (orange?) heads of hair.
Joshua #5
Gray #26, right after his goal
And the first quarter was really fun. Orange was up 4-1 at one point, one of those goals being Gray's, who was convinced he wouldn't even play in this huge game. Things went a bit south from there and the team fell way short, making a lot of mistakes that haven't been at all typical this season. Gray's analysis was that he should have been on the field more, as he supposes he has the highest goals per minutes played on the team. He may be right there, as he did have some games where he popped in for a minute or so, scored, and didn't go back in. He is always ready to shoot if he has the opportunity! And always ready to give his expert opinion too. :) Anyway, it was a fun season and the team has a lot to be proud of. I sure do enjoy watching my boys and their friends play!
Now backtracking to right after our Florida trip...
We came home and had a visit from Mimi and GrandGene on GrandGene's 70th birthday.
Gray got a new pair of his beloved crocs...no more toes hanging out of the holes!
Then we went to Rock Hill for a GrandGene party with the whole family!
We met the new cousin JJ for the first time!! Precious kid!
We played some trivia and GrandGene's team smoked everyone of course. We also got to hear a lot of his stories from growing up as we competed to see who knows him best.
Gray got his permit! Second time's the charm. We've had some intense rides to church since then, but overall he's doing great and seems fairly at ease.
Typical scene at our house. So much milk gets drunk (drank?) amongst the males of the family.
Jeannie hosted egg dyeing on Easter weekend. They turned out really pretty, though didn't last long at our house, as Raven got into them.
No matter how much I think I'm ready to enjoy Easter morning, it's always a bit stressful. There's usually 2-3 family members that can't find clothes, are trying to take a shower as I'm announcing to get in the car, and/or are trying to wear something that is dirty or unacceptably wrinkly. But we did finish our traditional story, have a special breakfast, and get a quick picture before church. Matt had to work this time.
We met the Moores at church.
And they joined us at Nanny's for a big lunch with lots of family and friends, complete with an Easter egg hunt of about 300 eggs. It was great having both sides of the family together!
Allie had her first field trip ever! It's a burden for my school to have to find a sub if I'm out, so I'm never at her school volunteering the way I was with the older ones, but that's just this stage of life!
The boys finished the regular season undefeated in the conference and were treated to milkshakes on the bus ride home. Fun memories for them!
And then an unexpected twist in plans. My class had a few covid cases and was doing an extra round of testing a few days later. I thought I had some allergy issues from gardening but began to have a feeling in the back of my mind that something was off. Turns out I was positive and was immediately sent home. What a strange week it was. My main concern was not bringing down the lacrosse team on the way to the playoffs, knowing that a few weeks prior everything was shut down for a week when several of them got it. So I stayed in my room and tried to rest, read, and catch up on tv shows I had been trying to watch for ages. The first day was full of phone calls and emails trying to figure out logistics of kids getting taken care of, boys getting a covid test, etc. Somewhere in there a terrible headache set in, along with body aches and a little bit of congestion, but symptoms were not as acute as my vaccine reactions. Probably the most annoying was the weirdness in my mouth. I had had some ulcers starting days before and they were so painful it was hard to eat, but then my whole mouth just felt kind of inflamed and food was really unappealing. Friends and family were so helpful and kind, looking out for the kids, bringing food and flowers. After a few days, I mostly just felt tired and a little out of breath. I generally enjoy being alone so it really wasn't terrible. The kids would visit in my doorway or sometimes I'd get some window visits from the porch. Matt was very sweet to make me large plates of food and vitamins when he was home. Eventually it passed and everyone else stayed well. Hopefully check that off my list for a bit.
Towards the end of my isolation came Mother's Day. Matt made breakfast and made a quick drop of it in my room. The kids dropped off cards and such and we went to church, me in my mask. We went to Matt's parents' afterward for lunch but by then my energy was completely gone so I didn't last long. I forget things so quickly, but checked back to this text I sent my family so I could better remember the day:
I had a similar stereotypical gift experience. From Joshua, a card they made in French class where he wrote a really sweet message (in English) to me. 😍😍
From Allie, a sweet message on the back of a scrap paper, to which she taped the stick with a little message that came out of a flower she planted for me at school for Mother’s Day. But not the actual plant bc she told me a few days ago “I really been wantin my own plant so I’m just gonna keep it.” 🤣🤣
From Julia, some of her own things she thought I would like and a picture of the two of us in a frame she made a long time ago that she let me know was hard to part with. And a sweet card that also included a wistful message about wishing we could do art together more.
From Gray, “Do you want me to actually write down the coupons or just tell you?” He wanted to give me three coupons for making dinner and one for taking me somewhere to buy me something I wanted worth $20. I told him thanks so much but save his money and I will take the meals. 30 seconds later he reappeared with some scribbled scrap papers that said “free meal”. 🤣🤣
Ah, Mother's Day. :)
We got another visit from Mimi and GrandGene that week, but they stayed with Jeannie since I wasn't up to par. It was a whirlwind trip with a sporting event each night they were here and I didn't get any pictures.
The girls got a traditional coffee shop trip with Matt last weekend. Julia's typical mode is to announce frequently all the things/food/places she greatly desires and/or misses, so these trips make her happy for a moment.
The rest of the weekend was just hair. Jeannie thankfully came over and helped with round one, which turned out, predictably, more orange than blonde. Sunday was round two with a bright yellow result. And the girls got in on it with the leftovers. Matt and I did enjoy a date night with Hunter and Jeannie to the Wooden Nickel and then home to play some games. Thankful every day to have them here!
And that's about it for us. We've got 3 1/2 weeks left of school and full summer plans ahead..mostly just working. Joshua and Gray have jobs, I've got summer school, and Julia hopes to have a little business with her friend in the neighborhood. Allie gets to do some rec camps this year and we will take a trip to the mountains with Matt's family. Days are getting hot, kids getting restless, pool is opening this weekend, and it's feeling like summer!
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