Remember when I thought I had the “multiple kids in sports craziness” hacked by booking both big kids’ soccer practices and games on the same nights of the week only to have things get shuffled up on me at the last minute with games planned on opposite ends of town and practices scheduled on separate days? Well, that change-up resulted in our busiest sports season so far but it’s coming to a close and ended up being more manageable than I thought. While I wish we all could’ve been together on Friday nights for games and that Chase and Ryder would’ve had the chance to cheer for each other on the field a time or two, it worked out well for the most part.
Ryan and I alternated who attended which big kids’ game each Friday and I was on Ryder duty on Friday night. Ryder’s last game of the season ended up being the best one and it was so fun watch!
(Tee: Old Navy / Joggers: Evereve / Sneakers: Nike / Bag: Clare V.)
Ryder loves soccer and plays constantly in the backyard with his brothers and Ryan but every time we asked if he wanted to play on a team, his answer was always a strong no. Something shifted this spring and all of the sudden he said he did want to play on a team. He crushed this season and did so, so well. We are so proud of our wonderfully introverted little homebody for stepping out of his comfort zone to do something that brings him joy.
Saturday
Saturday morning was a lovely slow-paced morning with zero plans on the agenda. Gosh, I love that feeling! We eased into the day with homemade waffles for breakfast and squishy-making!
We used the same Amazon kit we’ve used in the past to make a few squishy friends and it’s always a hit. (Tip: If you get this kit, make sure the mold is a little damp with the water solution before filling to help them easily shake out when you submerge them in the water.)
Ryan and I also alternated his and hers workouts and I did a Move Together challenge workout!
For any fellow challengers, within the challenge there are four starred priority workouts and those are the workouts I’m committed to hitting each week. There are an additional two workouts I may sprinkle in if I have the time or desire, but my main goal is to do the 30-45 minute priority workouts each week, as this is something I know I can successfully complete. Saturday’s workout was actually one of the priority workouts I had to miss during the week so I’m glad I could squeeze it in!
After my workout, I headed home and showered and then we all ate an early lunch. Our afternoon plans took us to Discovery Place Science in the city!
It was a misty, dreary day, so an indoor activity was calling to us and this one fit the bill. We’ve been long-time members of both Discovery Place Kids and Discovery Place Science since Chase was a toddler and continue to love these local gems.
(Sweatshirt: Old Navy / Tank: Target / Barrel Sweatpants: Amazon / Shoes: Nike)
On our way home, we stopped by a local bakery for some sweet treats before greeting Comet and taking him for a walk as the sun finally started to emerge from behind the clouds.
Our evening plans had us back on turf for Chase’s flag football game.
Chase loves football and when a dad from Chase’s school offered to coach a bunch of the kids from his school on a rec team, he jumped at the chance to play. With a team comprised of mostly novice players, they’ve only won one game this season but when I tell you this has been one of our best youth sports experiences, I mean it. Chase’s coach is a dream and a wonderful person who encourages growth in his players both on and off the field. Their team is SO encouraging and positive and watching them play has been a joy, even if wins have been few and far between.
On our way home from the football field, we popped into the grocery store to grab what we needed to make strawberry shortcake for dessert using the strawberries Rhett and I picked together on Thursday. We wanted to make a little something sweet and special to enjoy as we watched the Kentucky Derby!
We could not believe it when the horse Rhett selected as “his horse,” Golden Tempo, came from last place to win the entire race!! It was wild and so, so fun to watch. It also continues Rhett’s streak as the ultimate betting winner in our house, as he won our family’s March Madness bracket, too! (Ryan said Rhett’s bracket was unreal and ended up in the top 5% off all brackets submitted through ESPN. Whaaat!?)
After watching the race, we flipped over to Secrets of the Bees, a National Geographic documentary highly recommended by my friend Elisabeth, for family movie night. To say we were all captivated is a serious understatement! This documentary certainly made us appreciate the honey we put on our breakfast toast the next morning all the more.
Sunday
Sunday morning was an absolutely gorgeous day — temperatures in the 60s with lots of sunshine — so we spent as much of the day as possible outside. We kicked things off with a trip to Lake Norman State Park for a family hike with Comet.
Hikes with kids are always a gamble but Sunday’s hike was such a good one.
The boys were all in great moods and immensely imaginative on the trails as they came up with lots of trail games and silly things to talk about. We’ve put in a lot of time on trails with our kids as toddlers to know not to take a solid hike with zero whining, complaining, falls or issues for granted!
One other thing we also did that the boys loved was pack a surprise bag of Swedish Fish leftover from the Easter baskets my mother-in-law made for them. At each mile they got a fish (one fish at one mile, two fish at two miles, etc.) and I’m 99% sure a “candy hike” will be something they request in the future.
Oh and a big highlight was when Creature Man Chase found an owl pellet!
Cool, huh!?
I took the time to pack lunches before our hike and was grateful I did because a picnic lunch before heading home was the perfect way to end our time on the trails. Clearly our kids have some vizsla energy in them because one we arrived home, they immediately ran outside to play soccer in the backyard with Comet and then we played driveway family pickleball for a while until everyone ran out of steam. (These are the nets we have and they work great!)
Then it was time to come inside for showers, dinner and movie night! We watched the second and final episode of Secrets of the Bees which had Chase proclaiming he wants to get bees and be a backyard bee keeper.
And now everyone is awake, so it’s time for me to get this Monday started. I hope you all have a fantastic week!!
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