Thanksgiving

Yesterday, we gave thanks.

The end.

the lot

As many of you know, we bought a lot. Some day, hopefully sooner rather than later, a house will sit on this piece of land and we will move into that house. 

But as for now, it's just a fun place to look for sticks.

 It turns out, Greg meant it literally when he said, "let's go walk the lot." He walked the full perimeter of our lot. Not that it's a ridiculous amount of land, but walking 2 acres of weeds and rabbit holes (I tell myself that that's all that lives in those holes) can take a bit of time.

 It really was a fun outing. And despite my crankiness at the speed at which this is going, I really am so excited. And so grateful. We are a lucky bunch.

Soccer

This season of soccer pretty much rocked in every way. Except for the part about actually having any athletic skill. Our team was definitely a little lacking in that department.

Our coach was awesome. He was so patient with all of them, which at times, was more difficult than others. (And for you, Hyde Parkers, yes, it's Dave Stevens- how cool is that? We're in the same ward, too!)

It was a great group of kids. The one on the far left held about 98% of the talent. And he was such a good sport about it. All of the parents were so great and fun to have on the sidelines.

Kate excelled in 2 categories- looking good (look at her holding strong against the glaring sun!), and defense. No really, she rocked it.

Ethan actually is pretty good and scored quite a few goals.

 Even though the opposition still has a good 20 pounds on him.

It was so great to have them on the same team. One practice. One game, each week. I could handle that. 

 See what I mean? I honestly think she single-handedly blocked 15 goals today. But I do have to give the fashion point to the other girl on this one. Socks with soccer balls AND purple ruffles? 

Point: other girl.

 I know I believe Drew to be the cutest thing known to man, but trust me when I say that he's the cutest cheering brother. Every single thing that Greg yells, Drew repeats. With dead seriousness.

Like I said, great year.

Halloween

My mom, once again, pulled through with the most fabulous costumes. Ethan was an astronaut, Kate a fairy, and Drew was a puppy. Drew obviously stole the show, with people literally gasping at his cuteness. He LOVES dogs and being one for a night was a dream come true. Candy in a plastic pumpkin was just icing on the cake. There a lot of things about Halloween that I just despise, but nights like this that almost seem magical, make it hard to write the whole holiday off... 

but there's always next year.

SoJo Half Marathon

Back in March, you may recall, I ran a half marathon. A few weeks later, my older brother, Thomas, called and informed me he was going to run one. Considering he was a running rookie, just like I was a year ago, I was beyond excited.

The next few months involved lots of phone calls and texts between us and his wife, who was also running (She is no running rookie, but was picking it up after a few years of it on the back burner (For the record, she's also the best wife in the world.)). I tried to give him all the tips I had. His first run's goal: run for 2 minutes, walk for 2 minutes; repeat. He could hardly do that. He settled on run for 30 seconds, walk for 2 minutes. I think he said his first mile took about 18 minutes. He persisted, and he continued to get stronger and faster at an incredible rate. 

The closer to the race it got, the more I wanted to be there to run with them. Finally, one night after talking to him on the phone, Greg said I should do it. Plane tickets were purchased within minutes and my training for the race began. 

The big day was this past weekend. 

Thomas was a c.h.a.m.p! We ran the entire race, only slowing down at the water stations! He finished 8 minutes faster than the goal he set last week, and probably 30 minutes faster than the goal he set on training day 1. We averaged just over 10 minutes a mile- 8 minutes faster per mile than his first. He's seriously my hero. 

If there's one thing Secors do really well, it's support each other. Not a game, match, performance, meet, whatever, went by without Secors cheering (and eating snacks from the snack bar). 

My mom and dad drove from California and Kristen and Scott drove from Boise. They cheered us on from about 5 stops and driving in between. Alissa (SIL on Greg's side) also brought her cheering squad to the event. It was so amazing to have everyone there. 

 If there's another thing Secors do really well, it's go out to eat. Like, gold medalists in that event. 

Apparently, buffalo check and khakis were the boys' dress code and Jimmy completely missed the memo.

 The girls' memo: be awesome. We all got that one.

 We ate at Cafe Madrid in Holladay. It was absolutely incredible. If you're ever in the area, you must check it out. We ate like it was our full-time profession and left stuffed to the brim. 

It was was of the most fun weekends I've had in a long time. My family loves each other probably more than is considered "normal," and we have so much fun together. Greg, aka best husband ever, was was champ at home, too, taking the kids golfing and to Six Flags. Obviously, the kids weren't wishing me home any sooner. That's what we call a win win, folks.

I just wanted to share this last photo, taken just 8 months and over 50 pounds ago for Thomas. I seriously could not be more proud or impressed. 

Nor could his co-workers, apparently. The Groupon for SLC right now is for the SLC Marathon in April. He signed up for the half again, as did 15 of his co-workers (who've never ran before in their lives)! Because. of. Thomas. How cool is that?

Good work, team Secor!

Kinder moments

I put these on Insta, but here they are again...

I was looking through some of Ethan's schoolwork one day and I asked him how he knew how to write some of the words. His response:
"I'm in kindergarten. I just know stuff now."

 

I have LOVED the spike in confidence in this sweet boy of mine. I went to P-T conference this morning and over and over, his teacher used the word "sweet." He really is the sweetest kid and I'm so happy that he's finally gaining confidence, especially in school. She said he's in her highest reading group, and just having him know that he is a smart kid is such a blessing. I love this kid.

 

And yesterday, as we were walking out of school a boy said 'hi' to Kate. She said 'hi' back and I asked her if he was in her class. She said yes, but she didn't remember his name. Then she said,

"He wants me to be his girlfriend. All of the boys in my class have asked me to be their girlfriend. It's so awkward."

Awkward. I love it. Clearly, this one's not lacking in confidence.

Kate's P-T conference was yesterday and her teacher just loves how friendly she is to ALL the kids in her class. Nothing could make me happier to hear.

Now if someone could just figure out how to bottle up kindergarten and make it last forever, we'd be in good shape.

Andrewbug Thomas Packer

Drew is 2 1/2. Well, yesterday he was 2 1/2. Today, he's 2 1/2 and 1 day. Pictures are being taken next month. I couldn't find a photographer in the area that I liked so we're heading back to Houston for the real talent.

Anyway, I wanted to put down some of the specifics of Drew at 2 1/2.

• He learned his full name: Andrewbug Thomas Packer
• He needs his privacy when using the loo.
• He calls Ethan and Kate "my kids."
• Phrases that he uses at least 10 times a day are, "I'm so happy now!" "I love you so much, Mommy." "Let's snuggle." "Mommy, play with me." "Let's race." "I miss my kids." And my personal favorite, "that's awkward." No wait. My fave is, "that is totally wicked."
• He often ends his sentences with, "though" or "actually."
• He drinks his weight in Instant Breakfast every day. 
• He brushes his teeth about 3 times a day and is GREAT about letting me do it.
• I thought I got a lot of attention taking twins out in public. This kid puts twin attention to shame. Between his "white hair," his excitement for life, his talking skills, and, strangely, his height, I get a lot of comments.
• All these comments led me to measure and weigh the kid and it turns out the general public knows something about how tall a 2-year-old should be. He's in the 91%ile for height and 13%ile for weight. Tall and skinny. With a belly, and big ears. Definition of endearing, if you ask me.
• And while polite mothers say "thank you" or "oh, you should see him on his bad days" in response to, "he's adorable," I say, "I know!"
• He got a pair of tennis shoes. He calls them his running shoes and says he runs like mommy. We went for a run around the block once. He was in heaven. Maybe when the weather cools, we'll go on more.
• He answers questions in complete sentences. Like when asked if he wants a cookie, he says, "yes, I do want one."
• He's convinced me that there's one past "last time." It's called, "Last, last time."
• He still loves to dance. And he still strictly enforces that all listeners to music also dance.
• I thought he'd hate it when "his kids" went to school. He tells me he misses them a lot, but he is such a dream all day long. He tells me he's my buddy a lot and he really is.
• His imagination is expansive, but mostly in the transportation world. Last night, he said he was riding a motorcycle, so he spread his legs a bit while running and making sounds like a motor. He didn't let up. We were looking at a house and the realtor couldn't get enough of it.
• If I tell him to do something he doesn't really want to do, he'll say, "Okaaaay. Fiiiiine."
• He may still take a binky to bed, but he does his own dishes, makes my bed, puts his dirty clothes in the hamper, and rotates the laundry. He's my buddy and you can't have him.
• Something about me lends my kids to prefer a quiet day at home to the commotion of the world. He is no different. And watching him play with and talk to his toys is a highlight of my day.
• He's not the biggest fan of the child center at the gym. When I pick him up, he tells me, "I missed you and I cried a little bit, but I'm happy now. Can I have a treat?" And you know he gets one.
• He can count to something like 15 or 16 and no, he definitely does not skip "eleventeen."
• When he really wants something, he says, "please pretty." Cause pretty please is so overdone.
• He likes calling people on the phone and using the earpiece.
• He doesn't like too much tv, but he will watch UmiZoomi, Paw Patrol, and Wreck it Ralph. That's it.
•  If it's not cars, it's balls. Kick em, throw em, catch em, hit em with a stick. He's a fan.
• He also loves to race. Boy howdy, that boy can run.
• He's very friendly with strangers and is really good about saying "please" and "thank you."
•  Any mother knows this list is never ending. But I'll stop for now.

How to do Parades, with Guest blogger: Drew

1. First things first, when a small town holds a parade, any parade, but especially a county fair parade, you go.

2. Second things second, you gotta pick up donuts, get there early and mark your territory on the shady side of the street.

3. Round up some kids for candy collecting. Older siblings are a fine selection.

 

 4. Have one of your candy collectors also be on the look-out for when the parade starts. The loud horns and sirens help, too.

 

5. When the parade begins, you stand for these guys. They're the real deal.

 

 6. This one is really important. You must never stop waving.

 Ever.

Parade trivia: what's the best entry in any small-town parade?

The correct answer is the shriners. 

 

 7. If it gets too loud, cover your ears.

 8. When you get your hands on candy, open and eat immediately. You never know how much your parents are going to let you eat, before they give the red light.

 9. The best give-away is cold bottles of water.

 10. Scratch that. Capri-suns. Cold Capri-suns are the best giveaway.

There you have it. 10 tips for a successful parade-viewing experience. If you should find yourself needing help, I'm always happy to go along for a consultation/ demonstration.