Spring Sports

Our family has been busy this spring with sports.  Lyla is still playing travel soccer, Mark is coaching a boys’ travel team, and Nina is doing outdoor track.  There are weeks when the schedule gets quite busy, but Mark and I can honestly say that we really enjoy watching the girls participate in activities they enjoy.  We’re happy that they’re staying active and finding good friends on their teams.  They both have their “on” and “off” days when it comes to meets/games, but more than success in the traditional sense of sports, we love that being a part of a team challenges them physically, teaches them discipline, teamwork, and accountability.

 

Lyla still plays with Loudoun Soccer on the ’08 Girls Black team, and their team got a new coach this year.  While she misses her old coach (who moved to CA), she’s been challenged by her new coach to play a position she wasn’t comfortable with at all, but we’ve been proud of her for keeping a good attitude, doing her best, and with some time, doing a great job in her new position.

 

 

  

The team ended the spring season at the FC Delco tournament in the Philadelphia suburbs.  Mark’s team was playing in a tournament locally, and Nina had a track meet, so just Lyla and I went up togethr for the weekend.  Even though we were both under the weather from a little virus, I really enjoyed the time hanging out with our fun and funny Lyla!

    

 

Nina has continued with track into the outdoor season.  Many of the events are the same as the indoor season, but some of the distances are different. Nina has adjusted well to the changes and has been working hard at hurdles, high jump, and running form.  The training in outdoor track is more rigorous, and the athletes have to contend with the elements, but even when practices are hard, hot, or rainy, she doesn’t complain about going, and she’s still enjoying herself, so we’re happy that she’s happy! 

  

 

Lyla doesn’t come to most track meets, but at a home meet for Nina’s track club she did come.  Needless to say, she found enough to make her happy at the concession stand.

   

 

Spring Break Part 2

Aside from Busch Gardens, we took a trip into Urbanna, visited the Gloucester Walmart on the one rainy evening, got some fresh seafood to grill up from J&W’s, and the rest of our time was spent hanging out at the river - fishing most days, spotting the bald eages, paddle boarding, catching minnows, and the girls created an Easter raft to set sail in the river.  

 

 

Do you see the four turtles sunning themselves on the log? :)

Cayenne loves time down at Hartfield.  She is off leash a ton and gets plenty of swimming time, couch time (which she doesn’t get at home), and hanging with the family. 

 

 

   

 

Pops came down on Saturday afternoon, so we got to spend Easter Sunday with him.  Nina, Lyla, and even Cayenne, all got a chance for a river-style Easter egg hunt.  Cayenne actually loves Easter egg hunts, so we had to keep her inside while the girls searched for their eggs.  Her nose is the very best detector of candy hidden in plastic eggs, and she knows exactly what to do when she finds an egg in order to get the treat out.

 

So, after the girls found all their eggs, we took several eggs and hid some bread in them (Cayenne LOVES bread), hid the eggs in tough places, then released her from the house.  She took off running around the yard until her nose led her to an egg, she popped it open, ate the bread, and kept running to find other eggs.  It’s no wonder we have a hard time getting Cayenne to believe she’s actually a dog and not a human!  :)

  

 

We headed back home on Sunday afternoon, and the girls got back to the routine the next day.  However, it was just the “break” we all needed to spend Spring Break living life low-key and enjoying some relaxed outdoor time together.

Spring Break 2019 - Part 1

For the girls’ Spring Break week, we went down to Hartfield for some low key fun and relaxing family time. We had beautiful weather each day (with exception of a storm Friday night), so we spent a lot of time outdoors.  Mark challenged the girls to a "Bass Masters Classic” fish-off - their combined fish verses his caught fish.  The girls won earned themselves ice cream at Something Different in Urbanna.  Of course, we also had to spend some time visiting the horses and making a fire for s’mores once it got dark.  

 

We also planned to go to Busch Gardens while we were there.  The weather was sunny and 80’s when we went to BG, so the park was a lot more crowded than we thought.  The girls still did get to ride all the rides they wanted, although they had to put up with more waiting in line than we’re used to when we got there on summer weekdays.  Busch Gardens was another fun, but exhausting day!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  

Last Father/Daughter Dance

This spring was the last Father/Daughter dance in our house.  The girls’ elementary school has hosted the dance for the last three years, and with Lyla leaving elementary school in a month, this was our last go around with the dance.  I may be a little biased, but I think these two had to be the cutest at the dance!  :)