Indoor Track

New season . New colors . New school

New coaching . New routes . New teammates

Tesfaye's freshman year track season has begun.  Tesfaye is now a Division I athlete!
T started training with his new team mid January - a short Indoor Track season with 3x/week practices to help the kids prepare for spring Track and Field.

This new team has been very welcoming to Tesfaye (word spread quickly about the transfer of a new runner from Minnesota!).  It's been nice to make connections in our new hometown.   

This first indoor track invitational experience was an eye opener.  Hundreds and hundreds of High School athletes from the surrounding region competed at the Field House at Kent State - a full day of competition with several heats of each event.  It was different running on a 292 m track.  The mile run was about 5-1/2 laps (a standard outdoor track is 400 meters, a 1600m/1 mile run is 4 laps), so pacing a long run was challenging.  

Tesfaye competed in the 4x800 relay for the Golden Eagles A team, running as the anchor.  As spectators in the middle with very limited seating, it was hard to follow all the baton exchanges happening about every 2-3/4 laps.  The Golden Eagles finished 6th/24 with a time of 8:40. 

He also ran the mile - 110 runners split into 10 heats.  Due to a mix up in the registration, T competed in the 6th heat, running strong and holding the lead.  Competing against Division I athletes, running in a later heat with slower seed times, and racing on a short track indoors (for the first time ever) made for a challenging run.   He was frustrated with his performance but it was a great learning opportunity.  All things considered, we were impressed with his 5:15 finish. 41/110 as a freshman in Division I competition is not too shabby :)

He's looking forward to trying out (and bettering his times) Indoor Track again next year.  
(his PR outdoor mile time is 4:48).  


Outdoor practices begin next week.
Indoor track has given T a greater appreciation for running outside ;)

SIXTEEN

Our first born is SIXTEEN!!!  Where has the time gone?!?

We are so proud of this young man.  We remember the day he was born like it was yesterday and now we're talking about college programs, goals, jobs, finances, and (hopefully!) soon getting a driver's license. It's been a privilege to watch him these past 16 years grow, learn, mature, experience, and discover interests and passions. 

Hendrick is our first-of-twelve, laid back, chill, leader; hard-working, studious, voracious reader; "Viking-sized" (he's about 6'-2," over 200 lbs, and wears a size 14 shoe), strong, Minnesota-born cold lover; critter keeper, nature lover, camper; nature journal keeper, late-night-critter-seeker, devoted friend; serious, sarcastic, deep-thinker; logical, "always right," extremely practical, collector; reliable, independent, good sport . . . and he's 16.

Happy Sweet 16 to our Valentine's Day boy :)

 Hendrick at 5 months, 2, 4, 6
9, 11, 12, 14

Favorites at 16:

food: poppyseed chicken casserole

drink: black coffee

dessert:  Mountain Dew

fruit: oranges

veggie: carrots

restaurant:  East Coast Wings (even though we moved away from Bristol)

sport: baseball

team: Reds

car: Ford Raptor

superhero:  Captain America

game: Magic the Gathering (card game)

color: green

music: I don't really have a favorite.  I listen to all genre

audio book:  Lord of the Rings and Harry Potter

playing in my MP3 player: Mumford and Sons

movie: Martian with Matt Damon

book:  Lord of the Rings trilogy

author:  R.A. Salvator

school subject: science and history

animal: American Toad

activity: sleeping

outing:  camping

indoor activity:  reading a book (I usually read a couple hours a day, if you count school books it'd be a lot more)

outdoor activity:  camping

with mom:  shopping I guess

with dad:  one-on-one time

with sisters:  playing on the Switch

with brothers:  karate and activities

day trip: museum

city: Chattanooga

vacation destination: Outer Banks

best things about this past year: Perham, scouts, Knowledge Bowl

this year I'm looking forward to:  looking at colleges and getting my drivers license

dream vacation: Outer Banks

career aspiration: Herpatologist

my best quality:  I'm pretty chill

my life in 25 years: hopefully I'll be working and have a house and a car

 likes: reading, sleeping, good food, Switch, being outside, animals, pets, Scouts, being alone, chili peppers,

dislikes: veggies on pizza, loud things, annoying people, bell peppers, soggy food, too much cold, too much snow, dead phone, cold showers

 

For his 16th birthday:

*We split the celebration over two days - Hendrick left early afternoon on his birthday for a cold (single digit temperatures!) weather Boy Scout camping weekend at Cuyahoga Valley National Park :)

the night before:  

dinner out with mom and dad at Rail Burger

cookie cake

16 blue balloons

. snake hook . flannel shirt . rosary . Switch game . the new R.A. Salvator book . 

birthday:

french toast casserole and chocolate milk

valentine's day cookies

school ;)

last minute camping shopping

chick-fil-a

starbucks :)

and off on a scout camping weekend!

*Hendrick is eager to get his driver's license - he's looking forward to the freedom that will allow him to find a part time job in Ohio.  He's always loved working.  Moving states with a learner's permit caused a slight hiccup in the road to driving.  After several weeks (and lots of phone calls to Columbus) he's finally ready to move forward with in-car lessons and will hopefully be able to get his license soon.  Yay for being 16!

Backyard Sledding

EIGHT

Maclaren is our quiet but feisty, small-mouth-face, serious, 8-going-on-18; one of the "big kids," stubborn, strong; karate kicking, ballet dancing, no-longer-wearing-dresses, perfect tomboy/girly balance; art maker, kitchen creator, big sister tag-along; Kolpin's buddy, backpack toting, Lego builder; card shark, giggler, superb eye-roller; book reader, messy room keeper, top bunk sleeper; little mama, tender helper (she's the best help when someone is sick), fast friend . . . and she's EIGHT!

Happy birthday to our marvelous Missy Mac.  We love you!!!
(She's wonderful!)

Favorites at 8:

food:  skyline with spaghetti

drink:  hot chocolate

dessert: birthday cake

fruit:  pears

veggie: cucumbers

restaurant: Zorbaz (Minnesota Lakes Area pizza place)

sport:  soccer

team:  blue

car:  the car that's named Maclaren

superhero:  Batman

game:  trash (card game)

color:  blue and purple

music:  Lenka

audio book: Shakespeare (Jim Weiss)

playing in my MP3 player:  radio

movie:  Chronicles of Narnia

book: Things You Can Spot - I do like three pages every night

school subject:  Explode the Code

animal: dolphin, but it used to be a flamingo

activity:  art class and I liked painting pottery

outing: the mall

indoor activity: Nintendo Switch

outdoor activity: cartwheels and handstands

with mom:  go out to dinner

with dad: go out to breakfast

with sisters:  Hiwot always lets me on her bed to listen to her MP3 player and Maegli lets me color stuff on her tablet

with brothers:  build Legos

day trip:  hiking

city:  New York

vacation destination: the beach

best things about this past year: playing softball and going to the PACC (community center)

this year I'm looking forward to:  Shihan told me he's going to beat me up in karate now that I'm 8, but I know he's joking.  I'm looking forward to do karate. 

dream vacation:  China

career aspiration:  I have no idea

my best quality:  my teeth are growing different

my life in 25 years:  I want to live in Tennessee - It's big and it has a lot of woods and I want to have a house with woods surrounding it.  I hope it has a dam too because I want to see beavers.  I want to have 2 or 1 kids.  We'll build forts.  That's about it.

 

 likes:  fruit leathers, hot chocolate, apples, drawing (pictures of people), helping in the kitchen, making crafts and paper airplanes, listening to music, watching movies, playing video games, sledding, riding my bike, karate

dislikes:  Hendrick when he's babysitting (he's mean), Chicken spaghetti bake, taking medicine, shots, pills, being sick, the new dance studio (it's boring), going to bed (I like it and I don't like it). 

 

Her very special 8th birthday:

french toast casserole with blueberries and OJ

balloon decorated dining room

school ;)

spaghetti with skyline chili and chocolate milk 

mini chocolate cake with peppermint buttercream frosting

video games on the Switch

karate lesson

dinner out at Wendy's with dad and Kolpin 

(they brought home food for everyone else)

strawberry ice cream cake with chocolate cake base, whipped cream, topped with strawberries and chocolate sauce

(*Maclaren helped prepare all of her birthday food)

. MP3 player . backpack . pens and notebook . Lego Friends set . new shirt . doll clothes . cookbook . 

Our little girl is getting so big and seeming so grown up - we're so proud of our Maclaren. 

(8 is such a great age!)

Happy Birthday love!

First Tooth!

Addy has been super excited in anticipation of this first lost tooth.  She's been sporting a very wiggly bottom tooth for some time - "Hiwi, can you wiggle my tooth?"

It finally fell out while daddy was brushing her teeth before bed - it was an extremely loose tooth!  She's thrilled!!!

Ofcourse, she's very advanced, loosing her first tooth at just 4 years and 8 months of age ;)
. . . and her second tooth is loose too

(We FaceTime chatted with her first mama the other night - all Addy talked about was her loose tooth.  So cute!!!)