Thriving in the Middle
Sometimes adventures look like 8 states in a day or climbing a waterfall. Sometimes they look like a weekend of every school activity all at once. This last weekend, our adventure was a whirlwind of the latter and a series of lasts.
I am so often confused in a school district that so thoughtfully makes it possible for kids to participate in both sports and the arts but somehow schedules all of the programs for the arts to not allow for the kids to sleep. We, however, got everywhere we needed to be with outfits and uniforms and sometimes extra children fed and in tow.
Wednesday night we took advantage of the beautiful weather and walked the dogs to meet Ben after basketball. The unseasonably warmer temps were enjoyed by all, especially I think, Bella whose mood started to lift after we discovered she had an infection in her surgically removed tooth and got some meds to rid her of that and ease the pain. She’d been getting understandably grumpy, the poor girl.
Thursday night Ben had a basketball game in which he saw quite a bit of playtime, immediately followed by a band concert. He played in two bands that evening, his group band and a special project his band instructor initiated this year. It’s called Winds and is a sort of Honor Band. Ben is the only bass clarinet player at his school and really enjoys playing. The concert ran longer than expected so we rushed home and ate a quick dinner – pasta soup, per the request of Ben’s friend, took her home and everyone was off to a late bedtime.
The next morning was the usual early Show Choir practice for Ben. This means on Fridays he is gone from 6:50 am until 10:45 pm. It has been a big change to get used to. So we were now on bag number three. (Basketball – uniform and water bottle – check, Band dress blacks – make sure you have all your music, the instrument is at school – check, Show Choir – extra clothes, money for food, chargers, water bottle etc. – check…) This Friday was his last Show Choir competition. The season was going by so fast!
Friday was also Friendship Party Day at the Elementary Schools. This year Sam and his very good friend are finally in the same class. This means his mom, who is a dear friend of mine, and I got to plan the classroom parties. For this last one, we were invited to come to the classroom to help. It was so much fun. We did crafts and played games. We totally ran out of time to finish we had too many things planned. Each party I have expected to be our last. Once the kids reached third grade, they started planning their own parties. If the parents help, it’s a bonus. My kids have had incredibly kind teachers who have allowed me to participate and I am so very grateful to them. I hope I can next year again, but I don’t expect it – it is such a nice time to get to come help out, connect with the kids in my kids’ lives, and be a participant in the school community.
Friday night after school, we headed over to Urbandale and cheered on our Ignition Show Choir for their last competitive event. They did a really great job. They looked more at ease and light this time. Their transitions between songs were loose and playful. Their smiles felt genuine. We have one more night to watch them perform. It’s a night celebrating all of the Ankeny Show Choirs. I’m really looking forward to it. I knew I was going to enjoy this. I had no idea I was going to enjoy it this much. I will be sad to see it end and look forward to another year next year.
Saturday morning brought us to Sam’s last basketball game. This has been a great season of basketball for Sam. Jeff and I have coached a lot of basketball over the years. I stepped aside the last couple of years and this year Jeff decided to be assistant instead of head coach. I think this was hard for him at first, but when he realized this meant working with the kids without dealing with the administrative stuff, (read: emails) he saw the brighter side of things. He co-coached with someone for whom he has a lot of respect and their differing methods allowed them to learn from each other. Sam got to have his dad as a coach, friends as teammates, and a fun season of learning new drills, practicing lay-ups and blocks, and sometimes seeing how far away he could get to shoot. The kids all felt a sense of camaraderie and improvement.
After basketball, we made the 40-minute drive to the band competition. Ben played twice again on this day in a large group competition [Here’s bag number 4 – dress blacks again [washed after basketball and stage sweat], more money for food, water bottle, chargers, etc.) This was his first time trying something like this. It was fun to watch and hear what the judges had to say to the different groups. They were patient and worked with them, allowing them to play a few lines of the pieces to show them different ways of hearing the way it could be played. I thought it was a good experience for the kids to have an outside expert ear give them feedback in that way.
Sunday, Sam had two baseball camps. He made it to one. The other was optional. He worked with High School coaches and players on throwing and catching and got some good tips. He was there with a friend and I am positive will work with him on what they learned. Ben and I carved out a little time to spend together at a coffee shop while Sam and Jeff went to baseball. The second camp was optional, because everyone, including our family, knew they would be watching the Super Bowl.
Sam is a Chiefs fan. Sam is a Mahomes fan. Mahomes is part owner of the Royals and was almost drafted into the MLB, plus he’s a really good player and an all-around good guy. Sam became a Mahomes/Chiefs fan about 5 years ago and I am willing to follow that. Everyone else in this house was a Bears fan, that didn’t ever suit me. So we all cheered for the Chiefs, enjoyed the commercials and half-time show (I like Rihanna), and ate – we always do Super Bowl food well. This year I made Southwest Eggrolls, and Jeff made chili and cinnamon rolls. We went to bed late again…
It was a wild weekend of so much. I can’t say there weren’t tears, there were. I can’t say there weren’t a few, oh crap where is my…?!, there were. But there were also tons of smiles, snuggles, huge hugs, and bursts of pride. I am glad we don’t run our engines like this all the time. We have a week in March that looks like this for which I am steeling myself. We prepare before. We rest after. And we thrive in the middle.
