Spring Break 2016- Santa Rosa Beach, FL

Our favorite time of year… spring break!  It always seems like once we get to this point in the school year and then it's just smoooooth sailing until summer break.  Plus after winter in Ohio we are always ready for a week in the sun.

This year we took up our usual residence in the Destin-area only this time we got a condo in the Blue Mountain Beach portion of Santa Rosa Beach, FL AND we went with our BFFs, the Susecs, plus one friend.  Our condo was a gorgeous two-story, four bedroom apartment on an inlet of the ocean.  In fact to get to the beach we could either walk down the pier or take a private pontoon boat across the inlet and be dropped off right on the sand.  It was so unique and fun!

We spent the week riding bikes, swimming, playing games, visiting local attractions, eating, making coffee runs, shopping, eating more- which always included breakfast at the M&L (Max and Lydia) cafe each morning, relaxing on the white sand beach, and more.  We even stayed out way too late one night, keeping the airbrush store open after hours, to make sure we all got our "retro" air brushed spring break gear.  We also celebrated Tom's birthday (and life… he was hit by a truck while cycling there and had to be taken to the ER!) each night at dinner by ordering and sharing a huge dessert.  Destin is one of our favorite places because there is always so much to do, especially for kids!

Of course I had to carve out time one evening for photos on the beach!  It's tradition.  :)  It's my favorite to edit beach sessions.  If only I lived near a beach year 'round….

We are already looking forward to planning our next spring break together for 2017.  Could not have asked for better people to travel with than our friends.  It was a perfect get away.

Junior Olympics- Ohio State University, March 11-13, 2016

Short course season ended on a high note for Max.  He qualified for the Junior Olympics in 5 events in the 11/12 age group:  400 IM, 200 Fly, 200 Back, 100 Back, and 50 Back, and also swam on three relays with his teammates.  In every single one of his events over the long weekend he swam personal bests.  As always, it was so fun to be there for the excitement and to see the best of the best in the state compete.  It was a wonderful first year with the Mason Manta Rays!  We are now looking forward to the first meet of long course season which starts in just a few days at the University of Kentucky.  Go Max!

 Heading into McCorkle Aquatic Pavilion at Ohio State University

 Max and Lydia after day 1

 Max leading the heat in the 200 fly!  (his coach texted me with "WOW" afterward)

 Came in first in his heat!

 Backstroke start in the medley relay (Max in the white cap, right side of the photo)

 After day 3.  All smiles.

Springboro Swimmers from different teams gathered for this shot.

Short Course Regionals- February 2016

Short course season is winding down and it's time for championships.  The first of which is the Southwest Ohio Regional Championships that took place at our home pool in Mason.  The goal for Max was to swim hard and fast (and of course have fun) over the full three day competition, and to get more Junior Olympic cuts as an 11 year old.  He went into regionals with two cuts, the 50 back and the 200 fly, and by the time all was said and done he walked out with 5 total!  He also nabbed the 200 back, 100 back, and 400 IM all while having some of his biggest fans there to cheer him on… both sets of grandparents AND a great-grandma!  :)

It was a long-weekend that began with a missed day of school, early mornings, late nights, eating out, bleacher butt (for the spectators anyway), screaming voices, high fives, hugs, and LOTS of swimming. It's not easy being a swimming fan.  It's not the same as watching a soccer match or baseball game.  It's a lot of waiting around until the one you came to watch races an event with all his heart.  Then waiting again until his next one.  Once he does race it's the most exciting thing ever though!  I know Max was very thankful to his grandparents who would take time to come watch.  It was a weekend full of amazing swims and now… on to the the BIG championship meet; the Junior Olympics at Ohio State!

 Max, Nick, Sam, and Bret before the 100 backstroke

 Words of wisdom from Coach Katie

Christmas 2015

We love Christmas.  We always look forward to Christmas break; being home from school, hanging out with friends, sleeping a little later, the always beautiful Christmas Eve service at church, wondering if we we get snow, making plans for NYE… and of course holiday training at swim, but Max welcomes that challenge.   And even though all those things are wonderful, there's nothing better than being home in your jammies on a lazy Christmas morning.  It's my favorite thing in the world to wake up super early with Max whispering in our ears "get up!", opening gifts and taking our time, then just sitting back and watching Max play with things he received, or helping him put something together to use.

This year was no different!  :)  We did all of the above on Christmas morning and still had time to make a new breakfast to try before my parents came over later that morning.  It was unusually warm this year during the holidays; Max got an "EZ Rider" that is so cool and was able to take it outside and ride it down the street in shorts!  Felt more like spring than winter, but I was cool with that.

We also had Christmas-themed pictures done this year for the first time, and included Flip!  It's always fun for me to actually pay someone else to do all the work rather than running from setting the timer then editing the photos myself.  I loved the results.  And of course we used some of the photos for our card this year.  Perfect.  :)

These were taken just a few days after our car accident in late October.  It was pretty painful with fractured ribs but we couldn't reschedule, and thankfully you can't tell I was wincing in the images.  :)  Thankful to be able to have these memories!

Max is 11!

Max celebrated #11 this year with friends at a new place called Breakout Dayton.  It's sort of like a murder mystery party but you're locked in a room and have to solve clues to figure out the puzzle.  The theme of Max's party was museum heist.  An art dealer stole paintings from a gallery and they had to find him and the hidden paintings before an hour was up.  The game really isn't geared toward kids but Max thought it sounded so fun so we booked it.  He and 7 friends showed up to try to figure it out.  Chris and I stayed to help, although we weren't much of that at all.  Some of the kids were WAY into it, while others just played with the props.  Haha.  It was tough!  But really interesting and fun.  In the end we didn't make it out… but I think if we had 5 more minutes we would have.  We were sooooo close.

After the game we came back to our house to play (scream, run, chase) and have pizza and cake.  Max invited friends from school, his old swim team, and his new swim team, which made me a happy mom. :)  Max had an awesome time.

Camp Kern

Oops.  I'm way behind on the blog.  I have months of catching up to do!  Let's start with Camp Kern.  In 5th grade you leave for 2.5 days and go to Camp with your class.  This year at Max's school they divided the 5th grade in half for the week, well, kind of.  Six classes went to camp Monday through Wednesday and the other 4 classes went Wednesday to Friday.  Max was in the latter group.

It was early October and the weather was perfect!  Shorts were worn all day with a light layer at night.  I wasn't sure how Max would like camp as he's never been away before for days like that.  He was so excited to go!  The kids chose their cabins and off they went.  They were busy from sun up to sun down as well… and beyond that!  Their days were filled with canoeing, hiking, games, climbing, scavenger hunts, lunch/dinner duty responsibilities, ghost stories, contests, and so much more.  

The best part of it for me was that Chris was one of the dads who volunteered to show up each night at 6:30 and sleep there, so each morning I got all the details of what Max had been doing and how much he was loving it, as well as fun pictures Chris would text me during his time with the campers.  

There are so many fun details that Max willingly shared with us when talking about camp.  One highlight of the week was that Max sang in front of everyone.  Apparently after dinner, each cabin had to choose their best singer to come up and compete against the others.  Max was his cabin's chosen one.  Some kids sang nursery rhymes, others Christmas carols, but Max sang Adam Levine's "Locked Away".   According to Chris, he had the whole place singing a long.  It was a proud moment for Max because he said "well I can be an actor now; I just did that in front of the 5th grade!".  Ha!  

On pick up day, Friday, Max got off the bus dirty, exhausted… and so excited.  He wants to go back for summer camp there now for a whole week.  No parent chaperones in the evening.  Yikes!  Will he remember to change his clothes?  Brush his teeth?  ;)

Here are some of the photos Chris sent to me.  I'm so glad his school does this.  What a memorable adventure for those kids.  I love it!

Halloween 2015

Happy Halloween 2015!  Our good friends had a fun Halloween party this year in which we all got to dress up.  Haven't been to a party like this in about 4-5 years and it was long overdue.  We ate great Halloween-themed food, played games, chatted around a bonfire… it was a great night.  Max and Lydia spent weeks deciding what they could be as a duo so they could wear their costumes to the party as well as trick or treat together.  They finally landed on Alice and the Mad Hatter.  Chris and I joined the theme as the Cheshire Cat and the White Rabbit.  We also had fun on the 30th, carving and painting pumpkins.  We chose emojis this year as our carving theme.  We laughed.  A lot.  ;)