Schoolday Weekday

5:49am on a Monday.

Matthew's unnaturally loud alarm goes off exactly one minute before my own.  Wake up, get moving time to start the school day.  Shower followed by the uncomfortable task of figuring out what to wear, fashion always fighting comfort; fashion rarely winning.

"Morning, Ben!"  I cheerfully call, all the while praying to hear the 'Morning mom!" which means I don't have to go in and roust him out of bed.

Most mornings he is up and feeding the animals before I get downstairs.  Hannah is sitting at the table eating breakfast and begging me to help her fix her hair, though usually it is up in her signature slightly-to-the-side ponytail with the top crispy from an abundance of aqua-net.  I make a turkey sandwich-half for breakfast, half for lunch; kids lunches have been made the night before (a responsibility we added to their chore list this year.) 

Caitlin stumbles to the kitchen, grabs the box of smart start and eats breakfast while shaking the cobwebs left over from her 6 hours of sleep-she remains the child that needs very minimal sleep.  Matthew, who is the opposite, usually heads straight for the coffeepot-which we exclusively share since Matt replaced coffee with a healthy caffeine alternative.  

Matt comes down and peels a hardboiled egg and cuts up an apple-we all chat about the day ahead and usually someone will remind us that the weekend is only x number of days away.  This is a great comfort.  Quick check of the clock and then "Ten minutes, Matthew".  My timeline is strict...being on time is my obsession-being early is my drug.  Matthew understands and is in the car and ready to leave at 6:40.  Mugs of coffee in hand we roll out of the driveway and pray a bit on the way to school-for safety in the day, for the people we love, and for ourselves.

6:45-2:45-school and work for all of us.  After school the big kids do intense cross country practice  under a coach who is known for having trained an olympian.  Yes, they are tired when 5:30 rolls around.  They come home, and the littles are ready for their cross country practice (for Hannah this only applies when there is no volleyball practice.)  Matt heads to cross country with the littles to get his run in; I've got dinner going and everyone ends up eating in shifts.  Breakfast as a family is a blessing; dinner is just grab when you can.

7-8pm means enforced study time for Matthew; Hannah and Ben settle in with drawing pads and images to copy from pinterest-their new obsession.  I must remember to find frames for their works of art.  Caitlin studies and watches The Office.

Family prayers, tuck ins for the littles (the bigs tuck us in these days) and then its lights out...and off to bed before another day begins.

Snapshots of our days.  I can feel the change coming-Caitlin has college on her mind-she has friends in college and she will be driving soon.  I can't hold these moments with them.... I just want to be able to remember them as authentically as possible.  No frills...just the memory of the peace that every day with my people brings.  

 

The big kids and Matt just walked out the door for an afternoon run-and as usual, Matt's agreement to take the big kids was prefaced with, "GUYS.  We are NOT going for pace.  This is NOT going to be a fast run.  We are going conversational.  THIS TIME I MEAN IT." Followed inevitably by "Yeah Dad, don't worry.  We're tired from school.  We aren't going to do that to you this time.  We have been on the trampoline all afternoon..don't worry.  We just want to go for a slow jog."  I expect that within about 45 minutes the big kids will come trotting in, barely winded, followed by a beat down old man.  "GUYS.  WHY.  I AM NEVER TAKING YOU AGAIN.  I MEAN IT."  Getting old is the worst.  (I say this but you should know that the beat down old man ran 5 miles at a solid 8:30ish pace.  So really he should not complain.)

As for the rest of us, we are just chilling here at home (my favorite).  Ben has just finished three hours of baseball practice (insert gigantic unimpressed-with-baseball eyeroll).  Two hours were spent with his regular team and the last hour was spent with the 7U All Star team.  I think it's awesome that Ben made the team.  Really!   ....but I get the definite impression that his coach does not think I am quite impressed enough.  Upon announcing that Ben had been selected my immediate reaction was a barrage of skeptical questions-how much? how far? how long are practices?...Coach was taken aback and then instead of answering my questions proceeded to tell me that this all star team was the only path to...(in whispered tones)..."the big field".  I was like, "Major Leagues?!  He's seven!"  No, no, no...the coach meant the big HIGH SCHOOL FIELD.  "It's really the only way he's gonna end up there".  So although this guy is an awesome coach, I'm afraid he and I are probably not going to see eye to eye on the importance of three hour practices on a school night.  Ben doesn't help matters though because he loves it.  The other kids were complaining about how boring it is in and Ben's hamming it up and hitting the ball with all the energy of a little boy who has been cooped up in first grade all day.  Sigh.

Hannah bo just came in from the trampoline...yes.  The same trampoline I swore we would never have.  I still have reservations, but they have had such fun on it!  It has renewed Hannah's enthusiasm for gymnastics and helped her to be more confident about trying new things.  At her last meet she did a perfect aerial-first time ever during a meet!  So this part I love.  I could watch that child do gymnastics for hours.  She is so good-and she hasn't even gotten started.  Right now she is just raw talent.  Very strong, very limber and compact but still rough around the edges.  She had some reservations about staying on the competition team next year-most of which is laziness.  She would just hang out with her zebra's at home if we let her.  But we got past that (bribery) and she is on track to start her third year on the team.  This summer she will continue to practice and her competition season will kick back up early 2018.

We are all looking forward to summer-17 more school days.  17 more early wake ups.  17 more mornings of opening car doors.  17.  And then ten awesome weeks of getting back to all the things we love-family time, outside time, pool time, and that amazing relaxed schedule.  It's going to be awesome.  Maybe a few more opportunities to catch this old thing up too....we shall see-

Pics! With #hashtags!

She steals my phone...I post the pics;) #gorgeousgirl

Bad picture-but this is just a typical weekend night-right around 7:55pm. Thats right. 5 minutes before bedtime and Matt gets the brilliant idea that We Are WWE. FIVE MINUTES BEFORE BEDTIME. #notbitter

Yes I had to screenshot this-but these two are the greatest of friends. Hope they stay that way:). #schaeferschroeder

Post Williams walk 5k.  Love being outrun by this kid...#webothwon

Williams walk-little flyer:) #scarednotscared

Hannah's First Holy Communion

Hannah has always been a light in the world. She loves her faith and has shared it with so many people in her life. She makes us so proud!!  Today our little light received her First Holy Communion. Our whole family was blessed to be there-Caitlin and Matthew were altar servers and I got to help during the Mass. It was truly a beautiful and moving event!!  My favorite part was at the end of mass. Hannah walked up to the altar and announced the presentation of flowers to the mothers.  She was so poised and I could not hold back the tears.  Love that sweet girl...I pray that her Faith stays strong and her love for God is evident in everything she does. 

With her wonderful teachers

With the RE director❤️

Flowers for mom

Handsome boys

Freddy's afterward

Camera Roll Post

Free blizzards from Dr. Howell!

Hannah's (front and center!) artwork at the second grade art show. 

Puppy watching Caitlin play soccer-

Post glow run-Matthew was ninth overall (!) and Caitlin placed 3rd in her age group!

Angry baseball Ben

Silly selfies

My new favorite thing

Snake sharing

Best buds

Happy Easter

Half of the gang-not all smiling-

still a very happy Easter!

Snapshot

Grill is going, good smells are everywhere. The first lightning bugs are out and we have Mumford and sons on the Pandora. Hannah is doing her gymnastics routine, Matt is embarrassing everyone with his awful dance moves and Caitlin is keeping us all abreast of the middle school happenings. Matthew is switching between checking the grill temperature and working the rubix cube; Ben's asleep after a long day of being a six year old baseball star. As for me?  I'm just soaking it all in. Saving it up.  Savoring every. Single. Second.  Family time is the best time.