Game 2: Plainfield @ Whiteland

The drive to Whiteland was stunning. Picturesque roads, quintessential Midwestern farms, and all of the lovely sounds that only the country can provide.

Josh played defensive mid-field for the first half of the game and then was switched off to an offensive mid-fielder for the second half of the game. I like him much better at the offensive mid-fielder position, but I am not the coach, so I don't get to choose where he plays.

The game was good. I got nervous for a bit that we were not going to win because the team just couldn't seem to get it together. The other team scored first which always unsettles me, and the calls were not evenly distributed either which didn't help us any.  (I understand that I am biased, but I try to be as objective as one can be when it comes to calls against each team.)

In the end we wound up with a victory. We won 4-1. Josh played well, but is dealing with both a groin and an ankle injury, so he felt that he could have been more effective if he was 100% healthy.

Record: 1-0-1

Start of the game.

Player introductions. 

G-O-A-L celebrations!

Half-time

Crazy, beautiful sunset last night. 

Josh has developed a bit of a cheering section and fan club among the JV players. When he gets the ball they go crazy cheering for him. 

Game 1: Plainfield @ Avon

Senior year high school soccer season has begun!

The boys first game was against a rival in the town of Avon. Plainfield has lost to Avon the last 11 years prior to this game. Being their first game the boys are still feeling each other out as a team especially since so many of the players are new to varsity; we had something like 12 seniors (all on varsity) graduate last year. Coach only rosters 17-18 boys each season for varsity, so losing those 12 seniors last year was a bit hit on our team. None-the-less this team has got the talent to do something special if they want to. We'll see how Josh and the other two captains manage the team this year. I believe that will determine a lot in terms of how the season will go.

Josh played defensive mid-field the whole game as his skills were needed to fend off such a good Avon team.

Plainfield ended up with a tie at the end of the game with a score of 0-0. I consider that a victory in my book as we have lost to Avon the last 11 years. Our goalie did an amazing job in particular when he blocked a penalty kick by Avon's best player. He was definitely the MVP of that game.

Record: 0-0-1

Warming up before the game. 

Warm-ups.

At the start of the game. 

Captains meeting to pick sides of the field. 

Starters walking out to the field for introductions. (Josh is the second player from the last.)

Introductions. (Josh is #19)

The playing of the National Anthem. I love that the boys put their hands on the player in front of them while this song is being played. 

Team huddle right as the game started. 

Taking a free kick.

Final score of the game. 

Love these Midwest sunsets. 

His 'why'. These are the people that Josh plays for when the going gets tough. These are the people that motivate him to want to be the best player he can be. His best friend, #23, Boorman; His sister Sarah, who misses soccer more than any other thing that she has had to give up since going blind; and all of the people who have made him the player that he is today from the places we have lived: 330 (Ohio), 575 (New Mexico), 971 (Oregon). The last name on the list is a boy named Mo who was cut this year from the team and still comes to the games to cheer the boys on. He has decided to wear a wristband every game so that he never forgets those who have made him the player he is today and those who would love to play but cannot. 

13

Elizabeth celebrated her 13th birthday on Saturday, August 17th. She had been planning her day for months in advance and knew exactly what she wanted to do. She received the cash that she had asked for from those who inquired about what she wanted for her birthday and used that money to go shopping. Sarah was sick, so she was not able to come with us as originally planned, and the weather turned out to be crummy for a little while turning away those family members who did not really want to spend the day bopping in and out of a variety of stores  hour after hour. In the end, it was me, my mom, and my dad who browsed through countless stores; shopping is none of our forte, but we wanted to spend the day with Elizabeth badly enough that we were willing to go with her and do whatever her heart desired; after all a person only has one true day a year dedicated solely to herself.

In the end, we ended up going to: Kohl's, 5 Below, Pier 1 Imports, Target, Barnes and Noble, Claire's, Bath and Body Works, Old Navy, Forever 21, Meijer, and Rocket Fizz (a candy store). Elizabeth was a discriminating shopper and would only purchase items that were on sale or clearance - with the exception of a LEGO set in which she paid full price. She ended up getting a few pairs of pants, a few sweatshirts, a couple of pairs of shorts, a couple of LEGO sets, bath bombs, a Bluetooth speaker, lotion, &  Barbie clothes.

She was gifted an outfit and shoes (which she loved) from my sister and a necklace from Bob's parents. My mom and dad gave her money as well as bought a Barbie for her that she chose to put back on our shopping excursion rather than pay full price for it because it was out of her budget. Andy bought her 2000 Magic cards as she has started to play that card game with him. Joshua bought her some baking supplies.

The four of us ate at Panera Bread for lunch.

After completing our shopping trip, which took pretty much all day, we came home and had pizza and snacks. Andy and Josh both had to work, but Andy surprised Elizabeth (and the rest of us) by running home on his lunch break (literally, he ran home) to be with Elizabeth as we sang 'Happy Birthday' to her. Andy said that he hasn't missed a birthday singing yet, and he didn't plan on starting now. (That action perfect exemplifies who Andy is as a person. By the time we sang to Elizabeth Joshua had finished his shift and was home as well.)

And to surprise her, I wrote her 13 notes, one of each she opened on the 21st of every hour as she was born at 8:21 am. I chose to write one thing on each note that I loved about her and why I loved that about her. She said that I made her "verklempt" with my notes, but I could tell that she really appreciated them.

Overall, I would say Elizabeth had a wonderful birthday doing the things she loved doing surrounded by people who love her.

Captain

Eight boys gave a speech as to why they should be considered captain of the varsity soccer team. Three boys were chosen; Each member of the team was given two votes; No one could choose to vote for himself. After the tally marks were totaled Josh was one of the three boys chosen to lead his team this year.

Suffice it to say I am one proud mama. My quiet boy, the one who shows up to practice every day ready to work, whose love of soccer has always shone through, was voted captain of a team he has only been a part of for one year.

This senior soccer season is going to be one for the books. It is going to be an emotional roller coaster. I hope you all have your seat belts buckled because it is going to be one hell of a ride.

First Week

The first week of school is completed and is in the books.

Sarah had some bumps in the road, but the week went better than we all expected it to for her. Being the new kid along with being different has been a challenge for her especially at lunch time where she has been mainly ignored. The principal of the school has been gracious enough to try and seat her with different groups of kids each lunch period to help her find her niche, but so far the pairings have been unsuccessful. After the principal leaves, the kids stop talking to Sarah and she eats her lunch in silence. We were hoping that Josh would have her lunch, but this is not the case. I am hoping that some brave kiddos will be willing to befriend her. She is desperate for just one person to "see" her as someone worth talking to.

Josh is already sick of getting up for school, but this is certainly not anything new being a senior and all. He seems to like all of his classes except one where the teacher is not a good fit for him. The jury is still out on how he feels about another of his teachers as well. He is doing a great job in the morning and after school making sure Sarah is okay getting off and on the bus and to her first period class. He sees her in the hallway between 4th and 5th period and makes sure to give her a shout out every time they pass by each other. Sarah loves being with Josh at school. She really looks up to him. One of the kids in Sarah's class plays soccer as well, and when he saw Josh walk Sarah into her classroom this young man was amazed that Sarah was his sister and told her that Josh is a legend. Sarah felt pride that she gets to be Josh's little sister. 

Elizabeth had a great first couple of days at school and then was sick Wednesday - Friday. We had some visitors over the weekend who had a sick child. Elizabeth was hanging out with the baby a lot and caught her cold. She ended up with a fever, sore throat, headache, and congestion for the better part of the week/weekend. Except for the congestion she is feeling much better, but I am bummed that she got sick. It seems to have only gotten Elizabeth - which is awesome (not that I am glad that Elizabeth got sick). Because Sarah is on that chemo therapy drug for her MOG she really, really cannot afford to get sick. I was so afraid that she would be down and out the first week of school, but everything seemed to work out that way. 

It has been really nice just having Elizabeth and Andy at home. The dynamic of our day to day has changed so much, but it seems to be for the better. Everyone seems to be exactly where they are meant to be right now.

08/08/19

Two years ago today our beloved Sammy died. All animals are special, but some are extra special. Sammy was extra special. I don't know that we will ever have a sweeter, more happy-go-lucky animal in our home. He was so very loved by us all. As much as we were a gift to him, as we adopted him through an animal rescue organization, he was just as equally a gift to us.

We talk about him regularly still. For the two years and three months we had him he just became such a part of us that I cannot see him ever leaving the fabric of our family. He will always be with us in spirit. We all miss him terribly. We wish that we could have had him in our lives for so much longer than we actually did, but feel so lucky to have been able to call him ours even for a brief moment in time as he was such a gift to us.

Oh, Samuel Jennings! How we miss you. You are loved so much. Always and forever.

Content

The days that were once filled with infinite ways to fill my time have ceased only to be filled by an endless 'to do' task list that keeps me moving from 6 am until 10 pm. One might think that I mind this, but on the contrary, I have not felt this content in a long time.

My heart is completely full. My gut, a huge indicator of if I am living my life with the honesty that only a life being lived authentically can give, is at peace. I spend my days working from one task to the next, and am finding ways to fine tune this or that to be more efficient, but I do none of this in a rush. I just want to savor these days, this peace that I feel as this feeling has been a long time coming, and hard work to get to. And if something doesn't work out the way I had planned I know that tomorrow is another opportunity for improvement; I allow myself the grace to know that all does not have to be perfect, to just keep trying.

My kids are growing and stretching in good ways. Andy is taking the steps necessary to prepare for college in January. Josh is learning how to be a good protector of his sister; to be loyal to her and to put family first. Sarah is stretching herself both physically and emotionally; her days are filled with endless "normal" tasks that take her from sunup to sundown to complete. This isn't an easy thing for her to do, but it is so very good for her in so many ways. And Elizabeth? My girl is getting some very much needed one-on-one attention, hours of it to be exact, and she is thriving.

I am quickly falling into a good rhythm in which this homemaking and homeschooling life I have dedicated myself to is finally falling into place. I feel like I am exactly where I need to be, and after spending a long time thinking I should be gainfully employed to be able to afford the finer things in life, I realize that I am exactly where I need to be. I am the one who keeps everything running smoothly and firing on all 6 cylinders.  I am happy to take on this role. It brings me joy. I feel myself serving a valued and much needed purpose that only I can do.

I feel like my restless heart has been wrestling for contentment for so long, and now I finally have it. I want to savor this feeling and imprint it in my heart, so that if I should lose it I can recall what it feels like and work like hell to get it back. I do not feel the heaviness that has been weighing on my heart anymore. I feel lighthearted. I feel...happy and content. What a glorious feeling.

First Day of School 2019-2020

My three school age children began school yesterday. The bus came at 6:55 am to pick up Josh and Sarah to whisk them off to the high school. We had visitors until noon-ish, so Elizabeth and I didn't get started until the early afternoon on her school stuff. This wasn't a big deal as all I wanted to do with her was introduce her to her new books, explain my expectations of the school year, have her form her own goals, and then get her binders/new school supplies organized. We spent a couple of hours getting all of our tasks accomplished and had a good time doing so. 

It is going to be so nice, so refreshing, and such a good year having just Elizabeth at home. I had an inkling that we were going to have a good year, but yesterday my gut confirmed it.  Having just Andy (when he isn't working) and Elizabeth home is going to take some getting used to, but this will be a good thing. I feel like I spend so much of my time and energy on Josh and Sarah that being able to focus on my bookend children for a sustained period of time is something that we all need and will value in the years to come. 

I do think that Elizabeth and Sarah are going to go through an adjustment period as they truly have been the best of buds and nearly always together for the last 6 years. Having Sarah gone from before 7 am until 3:45 pm every day is going to take some getting used to - I think even more so for Elizabeth  as she is the one still home with me. I have doubled down on finding some homeschool groups for us to meet up with in order to give Elizabeth the opportunity to meet new people. Out of all of the states we have lived in Indiana has the most lax homeschooling laws, but is also the hardest to find groups to join. Most of the groups I find online lead to me web pages that are old or no longer in use. I have a feeling that most people around here have contacts for homeschooling through their churches; since we don't attend church this has been a bit of a frustrating journey with many, many dead ends. If I am anything though, I would definitely classify myself as persistent, when I need to be. I will keep working at it until I find some place for us to meet other homeschooled families. We certainly cannot be the only people homeschooling in this state. 

Sarah came home from school so tired she napped. She had a good day, a better day than she even hoped for. I was so happy for her when she came home and described her day. Josh was able to eat lunch with Sarah yesterday, but will not normally share her lunchtime. This means that until she meets some people of her own to eat with she will most likely be eating alone. I try not to focus on that too much because it is a bit heartbreaking for me, but I need to remember that eating alone is a way of life for some kids; for the time being at least, my kid is going to just have to be okay with that. Maybe this will even be a good thing as it will force her to open up a bit and reach out to others to form friendships. Normally, she will just hunker down inside of herself and not make any effort at all to meet new people. 

Josh had a good day as well. He likes all of his teachers except one or two, but that is probably pretty par for the course. Unbeknownst to us, he is taking two classes that are college credit eligible. Hopefully, he will do well enough in each of them to walk into college next year with six credits under his belt. I know that many kiddos have a ton more credits than that, but I wasn't expecting my boys to have any when they entered into college, so this is a welcome unexpected surprise.

Another baked from scratch Elizabeth goodie for the family to enjoy. 

Playing at the park in the neighborhood this weekend. 

Doing some dance together while listening to music. 

One of the sweetest things in this world is seeing Sarah smile and laugh like this. 

LOVE. HIM.

Sarah's braille tutor (whom our family loves) sent this picture to me yesterday to help ease my anxiety about how Sarah's day was going. This is her in her Honors English class. (She is the girl in the middle in black and white.)

Writing out her school year goals. 

All tuckered out. 

Overall, I would say that yesterday was a very successful day for all. I feel very hopeful that this is going to be an amazing school year for everyone.