Thanksgiving

Our Thanksgiving in photos:

Mini donuts for breakfast - a holiday tradition on Clover. 

Emily re-reads the Harry Potter series between Thanksgiving and Christmas every year.  She always starts on Thanksgiving morning. 

A classic. 

Pre-gaming. 

Not amused. 

Favorite side dishes (above and below) 

Elizabeth's cake (horrible photo, reality was much better).

FLL Robotics Competition

A few weeks ago, Emily and her school robotics team competed at the FLL Robotics Competition.  There are "small" competitions around the state over two weeks (about 15-20 school at each) where teams compete for the chance to go to states.  The competition is about more than just robots - there is a "problem" that each team needs to solve, a presentation to a panel of judges, and a core project that every team is surprised with and must work through.  The top six teams move on to states.  Emily's team finished eighth overall, which its the best finish the school has ever had.  She has really enjoyed being on the team, including going to practice 15 out of 18 days in a row.

November Soccer

Although Sporting had five games scheduled for November, the last four were cancelled because of bad weather (rain, rain, rain) and field conditions. Emily played in only one game - on a beautiful turf field - the first weekend of November.  The air was brisk but the sun was out, so it was a great day to watch and play.  The game ended with a 0-0 draw and we were proud of how Emily finished up the outdoor season.  She played her first indoor game this weekend and will now start balancing a lighter soccer schedule with her basketball schedule.

October Odds and Ends

October was an insanely busy month for us.  I'm still having a hard time settling in to the new routine of driving Elizabeth to school every morning and driving several hundred miles during the week (it used to be just a weekend thing).  Even on our "off days", we have a lot going on.  Here are some odds and ends from the month....

Elizabeth and Ellie after shopping for homecoming dresses.

Love this dog.

JPII Cross Country last practice, along the Connecticut River.

New NWC hat!

Taking in Kristin Chenoweth with my bestie.

Emily and Meg - double trouble.

Halloween 2018

Halloween this year was a last minute effort.  Emily decided to be a zombie Cat in the Hat (??) and Elizabeth, after finishing up all of her homework,  joined us as an Assassin.  I'm not sure I even understand their costumes, but I had zero involvement and so really, why does it matter?  I think that this holiday is winding down for us a bit and considering that it's my least favorite holiday, I don't really mind.

Law Enforcement Officers Memorial 5K

On the last Sunday in October, Emily ran the Law Enforcement Officers Memorial 5K with some of her JPII teammates.  She was not looking forward the race as the distance is a bit outside of her comfort zone, but we drove the course the day before and by that morning, she was ready.  By some luck, she ended up winning her age group (females under 20) and took home a little trophy.  We are proud of her hard work!  A few hours after the race, she played a soccer game. She definitely slept well that night!

The brother of one of our friends died in the line of duty this spring.  In addition to her race bib, Emily wore his number on her back for the race.

Sprinting to the finish.  The last 1/2 mile was a long, steady uphill.

Waiting for her friends to finish.

1st in her age group!

Homecoming

On the same day as she ran States, Elizabeth went to her first ever Homecoming Dance.  She had an awesome time with all of her friends.  We love seeing her so happy.

October Soccer

Emily had an exciting October of soccer.  In addition to the EDP Cup, her team played a few games each weekend (when they weren't rained out).  We have a few more weeks left in the outdoor season and then they will move inside for the winter.