T-H-I-R-T-E-E-N

 Thirteen. Excuse me. Officially a teenager.
Not sure how I feel about that.
What I do know is that you are one incredible kid,
or shall I say, teenager.
You have your own style, your own way of doing things, you want to do things.
You aren't afraid to tackle something that seems daunting or scary.
You have confidence, you lead and have a big heart.

We couldn't be prouder of you.

Wishing you nothing but happiness, laughter and light.

A very happy birthday to you, Carmen James.

Adorable...

 No need to say more.
This is one of my favorite pictures of all time.

Halloween 2023

 Another fun and festive Halloween in the books.
I always wonder how long the trick-or-treating will last.
Funny, this year Carmen was more into it than Max.
It was all about gore and blood for Carmen.
She really got into the Halloween spirit.

This year's costumes.

One bloody princess and one Rocky (Italian Stallion).

Carmen particularly enjoyed making her own blood 

and decorating her costume.

Creepy and grotesque = success

Play Visions Halloween party.

It never disappoints and this year was no different.

Costumes are required.

This is what we came up with (Rum & Coke)

except Jim looks like the Chiquita Banana...

Best boxing buddies.

Double the Rocky!

Good friends despite the knife to the throat...

Party games and lots of prizes.

Annual pumpkin carving.

Four creative kids hard at work.

A lucky smile turned into a bat!

Carmen has some technical difficulties.

Thankfully her final product turned out great;

with a few toothpicks to save the day.

Pumpkin perfection.

Oct 31

    

The starting group.

Carmen's besties.

Some of the boy group

(or at least the ones I could capture)

We attempted some Halloween touches.

Papa Murphy's version.

Carmen's version.

Some Pinterest inspo.

It was fun and exhausting all rolled into one.

Wouldn't change a thing!

Kellogg X Country

 This season Carmen participated in Cross Country.
Running? Carmen?

I was shocked, happy and proud.

She decided she wanted to give it a try.

I loved that it was a non-cut sport and everyone who wanted could participate.

Practice was 5-days a week.

That's a lot of running.

A lot of days to keep your body moving.

She blew me away.

She kept with it.

Improved at every meet (5 in total)

and earned a spot at the Championship meet.

This girl never disappoints.

So proud of our Carmen James!

Season Highlights.

Husky Homecoming

 Homecoming 2023.
Huskies vs. Arizona State.
Not their best football, but they pulled it off.
Huskies win!
We had a great time biting our nails and cheering on the Dawgs!

Another day at the office...

This guy works hard.

3+ practices a week+ games.

Additional trainings.
Speed & Agility sessions.
Always moving.
Some highlights from recent games.
Proud of our #27.

Goal of month contender

Celtic Soccer -- Vancouver

 This weekend we traveled to Vancouver BC for Celtic soccer.

It was an opportunity for the boys to play three friendly games

against some good Canadian competition.

I can't say enough about this group.

They are fierce, disciplined, and focused.

They played 3 games.

They won 2, lost 1.

Their first loss in a long time.

It was a good reminder they are not perfect.

They have much to learn and work for.

They played their hearts out.

There were injuries, barely any subs.

There were frustrations and victories.

I love this group.

Max has made life-long friends and so have I.

Thankful for this community.

Go Celtic!

We also had a chance to explore Stanley Park.

Beautiful scenery.

Thanks to Carmen for being a trooper 

and making the trip to cheer on her brother.