The Bits: September 11th Through September 20th

The September Bits continue:

I feel like I couldn't forget the details of September 11th, 2001 if I wanted to.  How Adam woke me up to watch the news about a plane that had run into one of the Twin Towers, his early morning departure for his commute to Seattle, exactly how I was sitting when I realized the first plane wasn't an accident because a second plane had hit, what I saw, heard and felt as I watched events literally collapse on TV, holding extra tight my wiggly toddler who seemed to understand that I needed to squish him more than usual that day, worrying for my husband who worked in a skyscraper in Seattle.  It was tragedy unknown to my generation, happening before the watching eyes of an entire nation.  I was a new mom; life and the future felt so bright...and then, that morning, it was suddenly plunged into darkness, uncertainty and fear.  What did all this mean about the world my precious son was growing up in?  I remember being glued to the news for a couple of months afterward, always fearing that I'd hear a report of another attack, but being unable to stop listening.  Then one day Adam and I had a talk about the light we had in our lives; it was from our faith, our family and our sweet, young son, Zac.  It was at that moment we decided to focus on those things that brought us light and to celebrate life and living instead of focusing on death and fear.  Ben is our September 11th baby, born to remind us of the best life has to offer, and that life is too short and unpredictable to focus on the dark.  Living in the light...that is how we choose to honor those whose lives were cut short on that unforgettable day.

On Choose Your Age Day for Homecoming Week, Z and B chose opposite ends of the spectrum: old man and little boy.  Just proving that my boys are adorable at any age!

When your birthday hits right before the summer Cub Scout break, sometimes rank advancement awards are a long time in coming.  Congratulations on your Bear, Luke!

Another "W" for the Rams vs.Lewis-Palmer!  Zac is having a great season, one that includes 3 non-keeper saves.  He's out there making a difference on the field and having a good time while doing it.  So proud of you, Z!  We are your #1 fans since day one!

We had fun cheering on our favorite Chapel Hills Ward ladies at the RHS Homecoming Week Powderpuff Football game!

Crushing it out there against Palmer Ridge, Zac!

Subbing has been pretty fun!  I especially loved my days at Pine Creek HS in the library.  I ran across a book I was obsessed with in 5th grade....  I couldn't believe it was still in print and circulation!  I wonder if it is still as deliciously tragic as I once thought it was.  I think it is the first book that made me sob my guts out, and I probably checked it out from the Ardmore ES library every other week, just to torture myself with tweenager fictional tragedy over and over, I guess. 

The RHS HoCo football game ended with Rams: 4,000,000, other team: 7.  It got a little boring!  High school football games haven't changed much in 21 years, other than that those players are really small out there on the field--I'm sure the high school football players I knew were much bigger, right???  More likely my world is just bigger now.  We had fun!  One of the perks to working for the district is that I can get myself and the family into the games for free, and we plan on taking advantage of it!  Go Rams!

I had to see the official results to believe it!  Ben said, "I want to go sub-17:00 this week."  And so he did.  Holy cow!  Thirty-four seconds faster than his PR last week, finishing his 5K race in 16:57!  SOSOSO proud of you, Benjamin!  (I have to use his man name, because sub-17 is so SUPERMANly)!!!

It's been a bad car week for the Conlins.  Zac got hit by a parent not paying attention in the parking lot at school, and I ran out of gas after taking back roads home from Ben's XC meet to avoid freeway traffic.  So thankful that security camera footage proves that it was 100% not Zac's fault, and that I have a sweet husband who swiftly came with a gas can to rescue me--and only laughed at me a little bit.

Luke had a blast celebrating his friend, Andrey's, birthday party at Overdrive Raceway!  At $25/lap, I hope he loved it because it might just be his one and only time ever going there! (Pictured: Cooper, Luke and Addison)

Tommy was such an awesome, patient little buddy hanging out through Zac's group's homecoming dance photo shoot.

A beautiful fallish feeling Sunday!  Ready for a cool down and some fall weather, not ready for the brown season, so I hope we get a nice long autumn!

Tommy's field trip to the Butterfly Pavilion was great!  AT least until the part when he said, "If you hold Rosie (the tarantula), Mom, I will."  So I was brave and held it, and Tommy was braver and smiled while doing it.  If you really know me, you know this was a BIG deal!

The Boy Scout Court of Honor sent my boys home with some new bling for their sashes!  Badges for all the work they did a Scout Camp, plus josh earned 3 rank advancements (Scout, Tenderfoot and Second Class).  Nice work, boys!!  So proud of my Scouts.

Adam traveled to Portland for a work meeting and we missed him so!  The highlight of the trip for him was the team dinner where they did a walking food tour of downtown Portland.  He said it was amazing, and all he could keep thinking was "Colleen would love this."  He knows food is the way to my heart!

Luke taking "flexible seating" to a whole new level!

Starting my bonus job (in addition to subbing) as part of the Hearing and Vision Screening Team for our district.  We get to go to all the schools and screen all kids K-5, 7 and 9.  It has been fun to meet so many adorable little kiddos and see the schools of our district!  I really enjoy the ladies I work with, too.  We wrap up all screenings by January, so it will be back to straight subbing until next August when we start up again.  Now if only it paid a bit better and gave me a few more hours, because I really like it!

Hurricane Maria devastates Puerto Rico.

RHS HoCo 2017

RHS Homecoming Dance Night 2017: served up 2 ways!

Zac's date, Mickey, had a late soccer game the day of the dance, so we had a little photo shoot the day before.  Then, on dance day, he went stag with their group of friends for the first part of the night until she could join them.  Several kids in the bunch were going date-less, just as pals, so he fit right in.  Zac had a blast with this bunch of great kids: meeting for pictures, feasting at P.F. Changs, dancing and playing cards and the roulette table at the 20's-themed dance, and then hanging out a friend's house with a small group after the dance (until way too late for his sleepy parents).

Ben opted out of the dance in favor of a NO-HoCo evening chilling with friends, eating pizza and brownies and watching a movie...although I think there was more talking and laughing than watching going on.  Either way, both boys had a great homecoming night!

 

The Bits: September 1st Through September 10th

September Bits coming at ya!

XC pals on and off the course: Benny, David and Emma.

Speedy is at it again!  The 1st of September was also the first meet of Ben's high school cross-country season.  He was able to run for the varsity squad and pulled in 12th overall out of 180 varsity high school runners, finishing with a 13:32 4K, his 4K PR by almost 40 seconds.  He was the smallest out there by a lot, but then...zoom!  The amazing thing is that he was the 5th finisher and final scorer for the squad, the other 4 took 1-4!  They're awesome!  Varsity girls, both JVs and all the open RHS runners also had a great meet.  It's such a great team, full of great kids, and we are thankful that Ben gets to be a part of this stellar group.  We are also so proud of all the hard work he put in this summer to get where he is.  Go Rams XC!

The September 1st glow.

We love watching our soccer boy and are so proud of all the hard work he puts into his time out on the field--even in double overtime against the Far Northeast Warriors out in the 90 degree Denver September! 

Family picture day!  With as great as my boys looked out among all those black-eyed susans, it was worth the mega-allergy attack that followed!

A friend who's been following Ben's running "career" sent us this link.  Benny is #6 in the nation for Freshmen XC 4K times for 2017!  Way to be kid!

Up early on Labor Day for the Colorado Springs Lift Off!  Unfortunately, a light breeze kept the balloons grounded, which was a little anticlimactic.  There may have been some grumpiness that we woke up so early for no launch, but, thankfully, a few brave balloons still filled to give us a little treat. 

Fires and floods, weather calamities...we are living during some scary times.  We are so thankful to see all the goodness, kindness, heroism and generosity that are exhibited during these heartbreaking events.  

Josh loves his new piano teacher, Grace Palten.  She is a graduate music student at UCCS and is beautiful, cool, intelligent and gifted.  Josh may be *really* enjoying his lessons.  Haha!  It is going to be fun seeing how she can help Josh grow as a musician!

I love checking things off the PTO annual event calendar!  Our Reading Olympics kick-off assembly speaker Sally Roberts, 'Wrestle Like a Girl' founder and 3x Women's Wrestling World Champion, was awesome.  And so was witnessing Luke and Cooper's epic staring contest.

 

Shaking our groove thing at the elementary Family Dance!  Check another off on the PTO list!  Tommy was jiving so fast, I couldn't get a non-blurry shot. :)

Girls' Day in Littleton with some of the Trek Fam!  Chatfield Reservoir, volleyball, Columbine Memorial, Krispy Kreme, and Wendy's and a LOT of singing--loudly!  Good thing these amazing young women all have such beautiful voices.  I love these girls so much.  They bless my life with the daughters I don't have!

5K PR of 17:31 for Ben at his meet on the 9th of September!  He finished 41st out of 204 varsity boys, the 5th finisher for his team which took 3rd place overall.  He was the first 9th grader to finish and only one 10th grader finished ahead of him.  Once again, all the RHS teams ran so well in the St. Vrain New Balance Cross Country Invitational!  So sad to have missed it, but grateful the race had a photographer.  Go Rams!!

Henry and Tommy: these two cuties will be sharing a baptism day in just a little over a month!

Size to scale if Hurricane Irma was over the US mainland.  Florida has been in our prayers this week and will continue to be for months, I am sure, along with Houston.  What a terrible hurricane season it has been already.

Celebrating Ben's 15th

Ben's birthday celebration carried on for quite awhile due to its landing right in the busy time of the year.  The day of his birthday was really busy, so he asked for something easy to mark the day: opening his presents before he left for school, doughnuts for breakfast and a Costa Vida sweet pork burrito dropped off at school for lunch.  He had a pretty good idea of what we were giving him, since he really only wanted one thing (a Garmin watch), and was super stoked to open it.  That evening was his first XC pasta dinner feast, so I signed up to bring a dessert and brought him a Texas sheet cake to share with the team.  I was hoping we could sing with candles, but he said they had already sung to him at practice and he was embarrassed enough.  Although embarrassing my children to the maximum is basically my main goal in life, I let this one go.

Sunday, he got his real birthday feast: green chile, egg and potato casserole for breakfast and shrimp fettuccine alfredo for dinner, with cookie ice cream sandwiches as a special birthday treat.  I know, I know, he had had a birthday treat already, but the more birthday celebrating the better, I say. 

Finally, after some arm twisting, we got him to agree to celebrate with just a few friends.  He was really OK to not do anything, but you only turn 15 once and just because you are a hermit, Ben, doesn't mean that once a year you can't let your pals celebrate you!  We kept it simple and Ben-ish.  Ben, Will, David and Micah went down to CityRock to climb, and then came back to the house for pizza, root beer floats and hide-and-seek Nerf dart wars.  He admits that it was actually a really fun time and is glad that they could party it up a bit.

Happy birthday, Benny!  We love celebrating YOU!

**The caption that went with Ben's social media birthday post and that first photo: Happy 15th birthday to my Ben!  You are such an incredible human being with the intelligence, kindness and creativity to make a real difference on this planet of ours.  It is a privilege to be your Mom.  Keep dreaming big, working hard, bringing joy and, at times, running around saving the world in your underwear with a lightsaber.