As my oldest daughter transformed from a junior high to a high school student this past summer, it brought high school sports into our life in early August. In Ohio, girls have to decide between tennis, volleyball, soccer, cross country & golf. This was a tough decision for my daughter, as she played soccer for years and volleyball for 2 years. She chose tennis.
This was a hot day in Columbus and one of her very first competitive matches:
Playing doubles is a lot harder than it looks & requires a lot of concentration and communication. Especially when your mother has her camera lens up your nose!
Through many matches and lots of travel, my daughter learned that you have to work hard to reap the rewards. This year she played junior varsity, along with some varsity matches, and was able to watch her teammates as they won the 2011 State Team Tennis title. I am so proud to watch her support her teammates and become the best that she can be.
Ana & me at a match on a Saturday morning:
Holding her Dad's hand:
Wakeboarding
Every year brings new tricks in wakeboarding for my gang. This year my son was able to master his back roll (back flip off of the wake). I was able to catch this one, which he landed.
Which elicited this smile:
He was able to work with pro Shaun Murray, earlier this summer. An awesome experience for my son!
Hubby upped his wakeboarding game by landing his wake to wakes this summer. Not bad for an "old" wakeboarder. I think he performs better when I am driving the boat!
Did I mention that he wakeboarder way into fall and I finally told him no more boating in mid-October! This was taken in late August, after landing a bunch of wake to wakes! Can't wait to see what next summer brings!
I love this look of happiness on Ana's face as she wakeboards this summer. She did a fantastic job of wakeskating, too!
Marissa enjoyed her time on the fun board. It is a foam board that is awesome for getting kids comfortable behind the boat. It really helps with balance. By the end of the summer she was doing a fantastic job with her water skiing and wakeboarding, but I didn't get a photo. I will be sure to get plenty of her next summer! This was taken when we are at Glen Lake. Love that blue water and her cute smile!
Back to School
Summer came to a screeching halt in August with a knee injury for Foster (partial tear of MCL and subluxation of his knee cap as he landed a back roll while wakeboarding). However, it did make for an interesting back to school week with crutches & dr. appointments. After a few weeks of physical therapy, he is completely healed and ready for more extreme adventures.
Ready for junior high and high school adventures:
Marissa and her dog (Bella is saying don't leave me!) on the first day of 3rd grade:
Sunkissed arms ready to hoist that backpack. Loving the pink peace sign and the pink zinnias and the blue nail polish.
This brings us to the end of August. Ready for Part 3, 4, & 5 of "Going Backward to Catch Up"? I think I am making some progress. I do know it is November, don't remind me!
hugs,
Cathy
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What's next snow skiing? Enjoyed the pics, thanks for sharing. Lv u Mom.
ReplyDeleteLove catching up, Cathy! And love the summer pictures. Old man winter has a terrible grip on me right now and seeing these were a warmth I needed today.
ReplyDeleteOh my GOSH Foster, how awesome!!!!!! So sorry that he hurt himself though but what a great pic and achievement! Ana looks like a pro on the court and Marissa is so adorable on her fun board, especially on that beautiful lake. :)
ReplyDeleteLove catching up with you, on to the next post.
xoxo
Ohio seems like one of the best places to raise children next to Minnesota. I've never met a person from either place I didn't greatly enjoy. It seems Ohio is much more focused on family, having children be active and involved. All great things. That tennis shot is awesome!
ReplyDeleteBella does not want her pal to leave. I have a black Lab too. They are just like kids and giant babies that think they are teeny-weeny lap dogs.
That lake color is gorgeous! That's a lake I would definitely submerge myself in. Not much into natural bodies of water. Bad experience water skiing when I lived in Texas. Water moccasins, murky water... ehh... ruined me, I tell ya. You're pics make the idea of skiing again appealling.
Blessings,
Shanna
www.revampedfrenchmaison.com
Love this, Cathy. You have a beautiful, healthy family. What a blessing! (I know you know that!).
ReplyDeleteThis makes me look (even more) forward to when my little ones (now 5 and 2) are old enough to do cool things like play tennis and go wakeboarding. I think I'd prefer that over homecoming and dating! :)
I love the your "Going Backward To Catch Up, Part 1" post, too. I am at the exact same place with my blog....I'm just not really feeling it anymore. I still love to cook but maybe I, too, am reaching a new level of being content and don't need to blog as much? Don't know. As I type this, though, I'm also downloading photos of the Chocolate Cheesecake Cupcakes I'm baking. :)
Hugs to you!
Ginny