Adventures in La La Land

1. Justin finished out his soccer season with a tournament in Ohio this week. He left Tuesday night, and got home yesterday evening. I think they ended up in 2nd place, but two of their three games ended in shoot-outs! I'm glad I wasn't there. I can't handle that level of intensity. Haha. Overall, they had a great season. Justin does get paid a bit for coaching, but honestly between gas money for all the practices/games and the three days he took off of work for the tournament, we'll be lucky to break even. Mostly, he coaches because he loves the game and he loves to invest in the lives of his players - even if he did come upstairs this morning and greet us all with, "What's lit, fam?" Too much time spent with teenage boys! Lol. 2. The kids had fall break on Friday, and Lucy's been begging to have a sleepover, so we decided to take advantage of the day off by inviting 4 twelve and thirteen year old girls over Thursday night! So.much.giggling. I don'

1. We got to meet Baby Cove on Sunday! Be still my aching ovaries.  He and Levi were the exact same size at birth, but it's amazing how quickly you forget how small 6 lbs, 15 oz. really is! We brought them a meal on Thursday, and he wasn't quite as happy to see us. Haha. We're so excited to welcome him into the Cousin Crew though. Now that I'm done having babies, I need my siblings and nieces to keep popping them out so I can get my baby fix.  2. On Monday, I went to my first Development Committee meeting at school. Look at me, all old and on committees and stuff. It's basically a committee devoted to promoting the school and raising funds. I may have taken on responsibility for writing the bi-annual newsletter, so keep an eye on your mailboxes for that exciting treat! First up: a dramatic exposé with a behind the scenes look at the library. Just how many kids have overdue books? Do we practice censorship? And what's the real reason librarians love cardigans so

1. First up: the Ark recap. I had been dreading the drive, but we ended up taking 3 vehicles and spread my kids out among all 3, so that helped immensely. Haha. Justin and I just had Lena, who is one of the easiest. Wonderful, gracious Uncle Jesse rode with Levi for 7 hours. But they all do better apart from each other, so it was much more bearable than usual.  The drive from Michigan to Northern Kentucky is not very exciting. Indiana is pretty much one big long cornfield - and the GPS took us winding through all kinds of back roads and small towns. But at least it's pretty this time of year! We made it to the hotel right around 6, so after a quick dip in the pool, we set up our redneck buffet table in the hall between our hotel rooms for pizza night.  Those are ironing boards. 😂 The kids figured out how to call room to room using the "old fashioned" phone, and thought it was hilarious .  And it wouldn't be a trip with the VanderKoddes without a Wizard game: We playe