Run To Feed The Hungry 20014

Happy Thanksgiving to you and your family.
We woke up early to beat the rush of runners.  The run started at 815 and we barely made it.  Another year where it was just me and the kids.  It's normal now, after 8 years of this.  8 great shirts, 8 great thanksgiving runs, 8 years of doing community service and spending a couple hours getting some exercise with my family.  I couldn't ask for a better day

We jogged the first mile without stopping, but then we had to take some breaks.  Water breaks, breathing breaks, by the 3rd mile Kamren wanted to get out and run too.  He did, he sprinted, the people who were cheering runners on were clapping and cheering him on loud.  He ran faster and longer, it was great, well except we had to break our jogging stride to catch up with the lil man. 

Sydney whined a bunch, threw a lil tantrum, smacked me on the back because I didn't want to hold hands while running.  So we had to walk again.  walking and running, walking and running.  it was good.  Usually I see lots of people I know, this time I saw only Kristin Lunardi, and I saw her a couple times, even got a photo...  We did it.. the 10k.  Did I mention that.  My second time running the 10K.  The first time I could barely walk the next few days.  This time... My right knee hurt, but by day three the pain is a distant memory.

A couple photos

Sleepy

Look at this sweet boy. I kissed him goodbye this morning and he stretched out. That's the life

Working 9 to 5

What a lie that is.  I work 24 hours a day with no days off.  That's what Motherhood is.

I took the day off from my job - the one that pays the bills and keeps the kids in cool clothes, shoes and sports.  I slept til 6:35.  Got up and made breakfast for the girls.  Kamren eats breakfast at his Big Boy School.  I fed the dogs, worked on the whole sit, down commands. I even took out the trash.  Took chicken out for dinner.  Made coffee and plans.

Dropped Kamren off at Miss Sandys Kiddie College at 8:00. Dropped Sydney and Peyton off at School at 8:08.  Dropped Bianca off at College around 8:30, went to the bank, and then starbucks...  I haven't been to starbucks in weeks... Got my Fall Drink...  Hot vanilla latte.  It was wonderful.  Everything about it was incredible...  Came home and took pictures of the pups, it's national dog day. didn't know they had that, but FaceBook says it.. so it is..

Blogged (not this part, finished my last post)  Soaked my sore muscles in the tub. I played soccer last night.. had a great game.  Hat trick for this mama, and I scored one in the other goal...  totally my fault...  I had two goals within 5 minutes of the game starting.. Just dribbled down and score...  it was brilliant...

ok, soaked in the salt, coconut oil mix that I got from Maria.   I love that stuff...  Shaved my legs and got dressed...  Cleaned the family room and went to Subway to get lunch for the girls.  Lucky me I got to work in the classroom today.  Woot Woot.  It was a great day at school.  The girl love subway, and I sat between Sydney and Peyton.  Paige sat across from us and Jack.  After lunch we played tetherball.   We played team tetherball.  2v2 and 3v3 and 4v4.  I think I prefer tetherball one on one.... So I played against my pal Armel and beat him down... haha...  He touched the ball twice.  LOL  I took pics of the girls playing too.  Then I got a picture of Peyton, Brennen and Sydney. He was Peytons crush last year...  But out of sight out of mind and he's in another class this year.

Classroom duty wasn't to bad.  I graded rocket math.. only I was doing the math in my head the first 15 sheets.. then the teacher showed me the answer key...  WOW, so much easier.. haha.  Then I replaced the old sheets with new sheets and made copies.. I hate copies.. I was an over achiever according to the teacher, as I completed all tasks with 45 minutes to spare... so i sat around doing not much of anything the last part of class...  Next time she said she would have more for me to do...  or i could help with things in the classroom.  Thats the kind of work I prefer.

We drove home, i got the kids doing homework, from here we pick up Kam and Bianca and off to practice.  SUV is loaded up.

Funerals come in 3's and bring back floods of memories

We lost our dear sweet friend Benie to cancer, she fought a courageous fight but in the end God wanted her more.  She is finally soaring free, feeling great and spending time with her daughter who left way to soon.

Martin also lost his mom Margarita, and this Friday we are going to the funeral for Tiara's dad Teeko. That makes 3.... actually 4 because my friends Meghann and Philip lost their baby girl Scout a couple months ago.

Funerals always get me thinking about the people I've lost in my life.  My grandparents, my son, and even my biological father.  Mostly I think of Kyle.  Everything he could have been, everything we missed out on, all the things we will never have with him.  I cry more than I should, I feel this empty void... it hurts.  And then I remember the smiles, the way his eyes danced when he looked at us.  The good times we shared are still only memories, they aren't as vivid as they once were.  I miss him, and still remember the ache in my arms when he left us.  He is my heart and i carry him everywhere with me and the way I have grown because of him, my heart loves more, I am compassionate, I am lost and found and believe.

Friday we went to Margarita's rosary, and it got me thinking...  we haven't seen any of these people (Martins Family - The Amezcua's) in years.  The last time was probably 5 or 6 years ago.  I do recall a time when we saw them more often, some more than others.  I remember Casino nights, Craps nights, Montecarlo nights (whatever you wanna call them)  Snowboarding, Murder Mysteries, Births and Birthdays...  and now deaths..  Everyone has grown up and now with their own families.  It was great to see old faces and new faces, if only it wasn't the death that brought everyone together.  It was good to hear old stories and memories of Margarita and Amezcua life.  The Funeral was on Saturday and afterwards everyone congregated at her Davis home one last time to eat and spend time together.

After we left and went back to grandma and papa's we (the Avila's) spent some quality time together, eating and hanging out, it felt good, like home, since we used to BBQ almost every weekend with them.  Now it's soccer games and more soccer games that make visits less frequent.  So it was really cool when Papa said we should all (13 of us) go to Leatherbys for ice cream.  Papa hardly likes to leave the house, and him being spontaneous is out of character...  No one can say no to ice cream.. or papa. haha.  The kids were stoked as were the adults.  Table for 13 please and everyone was on their best behavior....  Fun Times.

Part 2 - First Kaos Soccer Tournament

Cousins 

Before Amy left with the little ones. Group shot- Peyton, Bianca, Sydney, Riley, Kam

It's been a long couple months of soccer training. The girls bust their butts twice a week for two hours...  Well the ones that show up to practice routinely. I have seen the improvement in everyone, and now it was time to see what game play would be like. Landpark Cup here we are.

Game one the girls started off a lil slow, but soon they were into the game.  They knew where to go, how to get there, they were dribbling and passing.  Sydney had her first goal of the season, dribbling through and shooting a nice one into the goal.  ...its now been almost two weeks.. the brain is a bit foggy.  So here is a run down recap.

Sydney played amazing, she was running the field, playing forward and midfield.  She was using some dribbling skills and attacking the ball hard.  She got her goal and she was excited. She's a firecracker and quick.

Peyton was my number one defender that game.  She was a beast, she wasn't letting anyone by her.  She was aggressive and I don't think the girls wanted to go against her. She had a couple opportunities with great passing and even dribbling the ball all the way from the back up the field, someone tripped her and she had to go back to defense.  The girl also did a few moves on the field.  She really wants to play up and score.  I don't have the defenders to let her play up.  We won that game 2-1

Game two we looked like a bunch of 6 year olds, we couldn't remember our positions, we couldn't follow directions, it was ugly.  Ok. Most girls couldn't follow directions, my kids still know what they are doing, but it's hard to play like that.  So we got a beating...  3-1.  Peyton took a hard fall, her white uniform was brown.  She also got a bloody nose.  Sydney got kicked hard in the ankle and had to take a break.

Sunday morning brings the GOOD KAOS.  We came out early 7 am.. and we played a great game.  We tied 2-2 against the Elk Grove team that beat everyone with major goals.  I was very proud of my team, they stepped up, played  hard and they listened, passed, dribbled.  It was a great day for soccer. I know what they can do, now we have to work on it..

I think it's going to be a great year, everyone will learn and grow... including the coaches

The long weekend - part 1 Kams adventure

I need coffee. 

The weekend came and went, time to recap. Amy came by to pick Kam up and off to his first slumber party at Riley's, he hasn't stopped talking about it yet. They hung out at the lake, but quickly made it back to the ranch to torment the goats, race bikes, chase dogs, ride the tractor and the quad and even a lil time dedicated to taking car of baby dolls and cleaning up in the tub. Seems like Kamren and Riley ate everything in sight. Blueberries, olives and otter pops were the most favorite. Got a video of uncle Ty and Kam racing on the quad. 

Heading to Camp Far West

Uncle Ty and Kamren ready to race. 

Otter pops - cheers

Bed head

Swimming in the tub... Bubble beard

Failed

Another failed attempt at waking up early, carpooling, leaving late, hitting the gym.  Welcome to my life.  I've been attempting or wanting to blog again for awhile.  Ok, since I stopped, but who has time for all that.  Driving to pick the girls up from the park... i blogged in my head.  It was an amazing post, now if only iCloud was there to capture it for me...
Only two kids left at the park.  One very happy child and one very pissed off child.
"Face it Peyton... She's not coming"  Only the last time I picked them up at the park... they were both upset that I arrived too early.  There is no winning somedays.  I guess Sydney needed to use the lil girls room.  So much for starting the night off right.

So get this...  I'm playing softball tonight, Double Header...  i haven't played in years...  there are so many things I haven't done in so long.  I'm kinda excited, got butterflies...  So I text my girlfriend Sandra to see how things are going.  She plays a lot of softball along with her "perfect husband"  oh wait.. i just mean he's the BEST at every sport..  Mr Home run Derby winner.  Anyhow.  I ask how they are doing... They split up last i heard from her.  Seems he had a hard time with the whole exclusive thing... They've been married 7 years.. maybe more, maybe less.. I can't remember.  Anyhow..  one day it's he's a cheater, look at these photos and texts... then it's FB posts of look at us and daddy Mike.. and lots of family photos...  awkward...  This is the girl I played soccer with and hit the gym with (back when I was going to the gym)  We were gonna get back to basics with working out and eating right and doing the gym thing... then the SEPARATION... hello that ruined my life too..  i liked the gym partner..  so i kept getting texts on updates...  and her updates... i lost 10 lbs, i lost 20 lbs, i'm down 35 lbs...  OMG...  Me.. I'm stuck at 147 for life..  I can't eat healthy to long or I get bored, no one at home supports me... it's like a nightmare...  the Whole30 was a joke...  I loved it...  all 14 days of it... haha..  back and forth, on and off..  Why can't someone plan all my meals and cook them too...  I'd have no choice.. but I have this other half, the better half who likes to eat and shop and not follow my plan or shopping list..  So NO WHOLE30, NO GYM, NO HEALTHY living. just living.  So Sandra is now a buck five and I'm the bigger chick now.. not sitting well...

So I have a lot to say and not much time...  counting the seconds til i pick Kam up at PRESCHOOL, yep you heard it here first.  My boy is at preschool.  curriculum based preschool, where they don't sit in front of the TV 6  hours a day.  They do circle time, worksheet time, color and paint time, play time, nap time... Nope the teacher doesn't fall asleep on the couch while the kids stare at her from the floor.  He loves it...  okay this is his second day, I LOVE IT....  Big boy school...  Kiddie College.  snack time is 345.  it's 357...

So i don't have time to blog or bathe...

This is what my week is supposed to look like
Monday wake up at 530, get to work at 630 (carpool with the better half)
Have breakfast and lunch while at work, get a couple walks in to  keep my body healthy
WORK WORK WORK...  take some photos.  Get off work at 230.  Pick up Sydney and Peyton from school.  Mad Dash to get homework done, snacks, dressed for soccer.  Pick up Kam.  Leave the house by 4 to get to practice at 5.... Pick up that handsome sidekick as he's strutting his stuff down Landpark Drive....  Practice is at 5.  Where are all the soccer kids.. Late.  haha  Run practice til 7.  Family drive home.. 4 kids screaming and fighting...  and starving.  Hey I used the crock pot.. dinner is served.
You girls smell fine, no need to shower.  Check homework, sign this, sign that.... I'm stressing out.  Kamren wants to play baseball.. Can someone please take the boy to the ball field...  Field of dreams here we come...  it's dark... it's 930... why aren't the kids in bed... reading... Yay...  it's now 1030 - bed

Tuesday - start again except we didn't carpool, no crock pot dinner, I have a soccer game, Bianca has soccer practice...  who's watching the kids...  are we eating dinner?  baseball anyone?  i missed soccer, took the kids to the park to play, stayed two hours, rushed home to finish checking homework and put something in the bellies before bed.

I'm tired... EXHAUSTED is more like it...  looking forward to spending a few minutes a night rambling again.

Tonight softball - This weekend Soccer - Go Kaos.

Snore fest

Got home and got a 40 minute workout routine going. Yay!!  I really wanted to go to the gym since I missed Monday. But sometimes taking the kids to ride bikes is better than the gym. For them, not me. So yesterday I figured if I worked out with Jillian I could still take the kids to ride before basketball and it worked out. 

After basketball we got Jamba Juice and went home to some BBQ steaks and rice. Thank you daddy. Drinking my jamba for breakfast. 

Tonight I really needed to read with the girls, to the girls and listen to them read. So i asked ben to read to Kam and lay with him. 

This is where moms are so different than dads. I'm brushing Kams teeth and he keeps looking for Ben. Ben is hiding. Well hiding and scaring kids doesn't fit into bedtime routines to me, but maybe they work for others. Loud talking and rough housing doesn't usually put kids in the mood to sleep. Finally get Ben into Kams room and then I can hang out with the girls. 

Can't find my city of bones book that we started last year and so we read bad kitty. Strange book. It talked about how to write stories, how you need a protagonist, a setting, plot, theme, difference between theme and plot. Cuddled into Peyton's bed with the girls and we read by fake candlelight. The kids are reading really well and it was fun to hang out and read too. 

After I turned the light off in the girls room, I noticed kam and Ben were still awake playing with the cowboy Woody, and the light was on, so I turned it off and got ready for bed. 13 minutes later, Ben is snoring so loud, I could hear it over the TV downstairs (with the surround sound on). I ended up going downstairs, and turning the TV down, but didn't turn it off, I knew Ben would wake up and go back downstairs to finish his show. Haha

Ben was snoring so loud I had to tell Bianca to listen. Haha 

The blink of an eye

Seems 10 days have come and gone in the blink of an eye. 

Tuesday was basketball again, the kids have improved so much since last year and I'm a bit bummed that I don't get video of them hooping it up, but I'm so busy chasing kam around the court and keeping him from throwing basketballs at the kids as they run by or trying to pass to them as they dribble around. We had a near miss as a girl tripped, caught herself and dribbled her ball on top of his. 

We went to spaghetti factory for dinner after practice and it was delicious, we didn't get in to eat til 830 and it was cheap night $5 a plate and $3 for kids.  Can't beat that with the zoo we have. 

Wednesday was soccer meeting for ssa. Looks like we have 1 u9 girls team. Tryouts this Saturday. Looks like Carly, my girls, Logan and maybe jaiden and chela will try out. There will be trainers, and lots of opportunity for training or so it seems. That makes it sound very good. Lets hope we have an amazing soccer year. 

Riley came to spend the night Saturday. Amy and Ty went to Oakland for supercross. She came at 8 am and Amy brought Starbucks and the person in front of her in the drive thru paid all $23. Talk about awesome and Amy said that's the first time that's ever happened. She paid for the car behind her, but was only $8. She said she felt like she should pay for the next few cars. LOL.  Kids were happy with chocolate milks and us with vanilla lattes. Sydney and Peyton had soccer camp so I made the mile plus walk with Kam and Riley (and bob stroller) to the park. I had snacks, drinks and a diaper bag. Woot!  Spent 3 hours  at the park with the kiddos. Chasing them, rounding them up and having so much fun. We ate snacks and I changed a gross, huge through the clothes poop... Glad I had diaper bag and change of clothes.  Kam was lucky and peed behind the bushes. Yay for boys. 

Got home and spent about 2 hours playing outside watching kids ride bikes and play. I was exhausted and ready for a nap. Kids got a short one. I didn't. 

Friday night game night

Kam asked me to sit in the chair again. I'm really sad and tired. Everyone is in bed going to sleep. Except me. I be a

blogin in the chair wishing I was laying down or sleeping.  We all have to get up early for soccer camp and Bianca's volunteering at the animal shelter. I was hoping to laying in bed with him again

Anyhow

So the kids want to implement game night again. This comes and goes like the rain. Not the rain of late cuz you did notice the drought. Right?  Anyhow. Apples to apples is always a favorite. We skipped the Disney edition thinking the girls read a whole lot better these days. So we are playing the 12 years old version. Or maybe it was 10 years old and up. The first few cards are ok. But then the meanings of words and which card to play. Oops. We laughed so hard some of us cried others of us farted. We are a crazy family. 

I planned on giving examples but now Kam wants me to cover him again and rub his back. ❤😍❤

We will have to play family game night part deux tomorrow night while Kamren is at the monster truck jam.