October: Football games, Band and Soccer

 Here we are, halfway through October already. I cannot believe how fast this year keeps flying by. We are definitely in a busy time in our lives right now. We are basically full-time busy with work, band, soccer, and whatever else we can try to sneak in. 

I'm a couple weeks behind, so I will try to catch you up. A couple weekends ago, we went to Brandon for a band competition. This one was nice because it was so close to home and easy to get to. Elliott really wanted to go to the card store in Brandon, so him and I went early. I let him shop for Pokemon for a while, and then we met John and Emma at the football field. John, Elliott, and I helped unload the truck, and then helped bring props onto the field again. It was a rainy, cold day. So, it wasn't the best conditions. Jefferson put on a good show, and they ended up getting first place in their class, Best winds, and Best percussion. It was a great day! Besides the weather anyway. Emma had a blast as well. 

The whole next week ended up being really rainy, so Elliott had a soccer practice and a game cancel. So, we actually had a little bit quieter week than we were expecting. But, going into the weekend, the weather cleared off, and we got ready to host Festival of Bands in Sioux Falls. 

I actually have been part of the committee to help plan, organize, and volunteer for the Festival of Bands. So, we had some meetings leading up to the Festival and I volunteered to help downtown for the parade. On Saturday, I had to be downtown at 6:30 am. It ended up being cold and windy, so that kept things interesting. But, I helped hand out vests, badges, and coordinate where all the volunteers needed to be. Basically, we were the volunteer headquarters and just had to help everyone out, get organized, and answer questions. We stayed fairly busy for the first couple of hours, and then by the time the parade started, we could just sit and enjoy it. 

John came and joined me for the parade. We had a fun time watching the bands go by and perform. We also enjoyed some warm coffee, because it was really cold. Jefferson was the last band to march, and Emma got to help carry the banner. So, that was really fun to watch her lead the band down the street. After the parade, everyone headed to Howard Wood Field for the field competition. Jefferson was also the very last band to perform at Howard Wood, so we went home for a few hours to rest and catch up at home. At around 6pm, Emma wanted to head to Howard Wood Field to watch some bands play. So, we watched some bands perform and sat with Jim and Bard for a while. Then, we helped get Jefferson on the field, and they performed to close the night. They put on a great show. They of course couldn't compete since they were a host band, but they put on a great show. 

After that busy weekend, we headed into another busy week. Elliott had a couple days of soccer practice and a game night. The soccer game ended in a 3-3 tie, but it was a really good game. The rest of the week was filled with work, scrambling for supper, and band practice nights. 

This past weekend, we went to Orange City for a band competition. I had never been to Orange City before, and it was a cute little Dutch town. We left home around noon. We ended up getting to Orange City a little early, so we did some shopping at Ace and Fareway to waste some time. And we ended up finding some good Bubblr' deals and we stocked up. So, it wasn't a total waste of time. Then, we met at the Jefferson trailer and helped unload. It was very hot and windy. It was in the 80s, and the windy was really gusty. We didn't know if we even would be able to use all our props because of the wind. We ended up using the props, but the parents had to stay on the field and hold down all the props because of the wind. 

So, since we had to battle the wind, it wasn't the best performance that Jefferson had ever done. But, they did well enough to place second in Class 4A, we got Outstanding Visual Performance, and were a top 4 finalist. So, they got to move on and play in the finals. So, we played again at 9:15pm and luckily the windy went down significantly by then. So, they were able to do their show without parents on the field, and they rocked it. They ended up getting Second place overall with a score of 86.5 and they received Best Visual Performance. They lost to the first place team by a tenth of a point. It was really close. Both bands did great! It was an amazing, tiring, stressful, and exciting day. I was so proud of Jefferson. They also shut off all the lights, let the kids run onto the field, and then had a fireworks show. The kids loved it. It was a super fun event. 

We didn't get home until 12:30 am. Then, we had to get Emma from school once the busses were back. So, it was a late night. Sunday was a super recovery day. We all slept in, and we mostly just hung around at home and rested. 

The kids didn't have school these past couple of days. So, I filled our days with eye doctor appointments, dental appointments, and orthodontist appointments. It was nice to get so much done on some days off. Elliott also went out to the farm for a couple of nights to live the farm life. We also hit up Last Stop CD shop and did some shopping on our days off. I also took a few days off work, and I have enjoyed the break. gotten some projects done at home, and now I feel ready to go back to work again. Tonight, we are bringing a grill, our bikes, and some others things out to the farm, having supper, and then bringing Elliott back home again. 

Elliott had a soccer game on Monday night. It was cold, so we were bundled up with blankets, hats, gloves and coats. The game was pretty good, but our team couldn't get the ball down the field, and we did not get many shots on goal. But, Elliott played goalie all game, and he had over 30 saves. So, he was very busy. He had a great game. They ended up losing 3-1, but it was a hard fought game, and could have been a lot worse if Elliott hadn't been making such great saves. 

This next weekend is going to be another crazy one. We are going to Ankeny, IA for our last band competition. It is 4.5 hours away, so we are in for a long drive. We are planning on spending the night in Ankeny, because we don't want to get home at 5:00 am. But, I am both happy and sad that this is the last weekend of band competition. I have really enjoyed the season, met a lot of other parents, and enjoyed watching Emma find a new passion. But, I'm ready to have some weeknights and weekends back. Band has required a lot of time and energy, and money, so I am ready for a little break. And Emma is still in Varsity Band, so there will be concerts and other things as the year goes on. And, she might even be in pep band, so we might have some basketball games to watch later this year. 

So, anyway, that's what has been going on with us lately. It's still busy, but everyone is happy and healthy. It's starting to get cooler, and the days are getting shorter, so we are trying to enjoy the nicer weather while we can. Here we go in our last full week of marching band!

Helping with props

Helping with the "hill"

Beautiful sunset

Football game

Festival of Bands parade 

Emma hanging with her friends 

Goofing around before halftime at the Homecoming game 

Fall

Posing with their trophy

Emma holding the banner 

Football games, cross country, and band competitions

 Hi, September came flying in in a hurry and we are already almost done with the month. I don't understand where the time goes!

The second Saturday in September was the President's Bowl at Howard Wood Field. It was really fun and a beautiful evening. The band played during the game, and then they performed at halftime. It was fun watching them, and really fun to watch Emma learn all the cheers and how to dork around in the stand with her friends. We watched a really good football game, and the Cavalier beat Lincoln pretty convincingly. I sat with Jim, Barb, Elliott, and Heather and Travis. We had fun bothering Emma, watching the game, and of course, watching the halftime show. It was awesome. 

In other news, some dummy ran into me in the parking lot after work one day. She was just not looking at all, and plowed into my car. Luckily, the damage wasn't too bad. After numerous calls to insurances, and auto body shops, I am in the process of having my car fixed right now. Luckily, my deducible was waived, and I should not have to pay anything out of pocket, and I may get 2 new headlights out of the deal, so it really worked out ok. But, it would have been easier to not have gotten into an accident. So, right now, I have a Nissan car for a rental. 

Elliott has been participating in both Soccer and Cross Country right now. He had his first soccer game a couple weeks ago. They played at Yankton trail park and they played 7-8:45pm. So, we got to watch him play under the lights. It was pretty cool. His team lost 3-2, but they played really well and it was a good game. John missed the game because he was in Redwood Falls for his work retreat. But, he plans to be at the next one. Elliot played goalie the entire game, and he had some really nice saves. He seems to really be enjoying soccer. 

Cross country is another story. He had the three meets again, and luckily Jim and Barb could pick him up and bring him to every meet. I had meetings that night for Festival of Bands, and John doesn't always get off work in time. And it's not the most thrilling thing to race across town to go and see. But, Elliott survived the races, and he posted his best time at the last race, so that was pretty amazing. Elliott says he actually is starting to. like running. So that is really exciting. 

We had our first band competition experience this past weekend. It was a super long day. Emma had to be at the school at 9:00 in the morning to practice. She got a lunch break, and then they practiced some more. And then the busses left for Marshall at 2:00pm. John and I had to help with the props at the school, and then get them all loaded into the trailer. We also left at 2pm with Elliott. Once we got to Marshall, we unpacked the truck (Elliott helped) and then we helped get the props onto the field for the competition. After the show, we had to help get all the props off the field as well. And we had to do this all within 15 minutes or else there would be a penalty. It was a little stressful. After the show, we had to reload the trailer again, and then we could finally sit in the stands and watch the last 2 bands perform. 

Jim and Barb came, and my mom even came for the show. She sat with Jim and Barb and they all seemed to enjoy themselves. Eventually, Elliott joined them in the stands as well. We stayed to watch the awards, and Jefferson got first place in their division, and they also got outstanding percussion, outstanding music, and outstanding show. So, that was all very exciting. Elliott stayed to spend the night in a hotel with Jim and Barb and John and I headed for home at 9:00pm. We stopped at Quick Trip to get some supper and then headed home. Emma had to ride the bus home. 

Emma got home around midnight. We went to pick her up, and then we all happily went to bed. Sunday was a recovery day. It was rainy and cool all day, so we just enjoyed some football games, did some cleaning and laundry, and just bummed around. It was a very exciting, tiring, stressful weekend. It was a great first weekend of band competition, and I can't wait to see how the rest go. 

Elliott's first soccer game 

The new washer and dryer 

Emma ready to perform at halftime 

Marshall Band Competition 

Group photo with the trophy 

Cross Country 

Band Show 

The boys helping with props 

Me helping with props 

Elliott's first day of school 

August 2026

 August brought in first days of school, Labor Day weekend, and some band preview shows. 

Elliott's first day of school was August 26th. He is in 6th grade this year, and it's the first year of school he has had where his big sister is not in the same building as him. I think he is loving not having Emma around to bother him and comment on what he's doing. He seems to like his classes, and is doing well. He is one of the tallest kids at school, and now he is getting to be one of the oldest as well. 

Emma's first day of school was the next day, Thursday August 27th. She did not let us take a first day of school picture, which was a bummer. She was pretty nervous for her first day, but now that she is 4 weeks into school she is crushing it. She almost never has homework, she is keeping pretty good grades in her classes, and she has at least one friend in every class. She especially likes her drawing and band classes. And she really enjoys being in band. I think she will stick with it for the next 3 years, which is really exciting. 

Emma's first preview night was the beginning of August. They had a parent preview night. We had a potluck, a band parent meeting, and then the kids performed their show for us on the football field. It was really fun to watch and gave us a taste of things to come. Emma was obviously enjoying herself, so that was nice to see. 

They also had a clinic toward the end of the month where instructors work with the kids all day, and then they perform at the end of the day at Howard Wood Field. We got to watch 7 different bands perform, and it was a beautiful evening to be sitting in the stands watching bands perform. We are really getting into band and enjoying the ride. 

We decided to keep it pretty low-key for Labor Day weekend since we have been so busy lately. Friday evening, we just enjoyed an evening at home, being outside, and enjoying our own yard. It was great. On Saturday, John took the kids to Izzy's Gym to look at Pokemon cards and other things. They enjoyed it, and even got some free merchandise. 

We also did another Sip N Cycle at work. It was pretty fun, but it was hot again, and some people went a little too hard. 

Also, randomly, we went shopping for a new washer and dryer over Labor Day weekend, and we ended up  finding something we liked and buying it. So, now we have a new washer and dryer, which is wonderful. 

The kids ended up spending a night at the farm because Jim and Barb got a 3D printer, and the kids had a lot of fun printing items with that. They kept that printer running the entire time they were out there. We brought out some supper when we picked up the kids, and that was pretty much our Labor Day weekend. 

August flew by between the fair and school starting. I think we are finally getting into a schedule with school and all the extra things. I am really proud how well the kids are adjusting to school and schedules again. We have had some screen time issues and are working through those, but overall I am a super proud mom and just hope it continues throughout the school year. 

Sip N Cycle Fun 

My chat GPT first day of school photo (haha!)

Enjoying the band

The Roosevelt Clinic!

Turner County Fair 2026

 The Turner County Fair was a little bit different this year. I did not take off as much time from work, and neither did John, so Elliott was left to run the fairgrounds by himself with some supervision from the grandparents. 

On Sunday, we packed up and headed to Parker with the rabbits. We moved into the camper, got the campsites set up, and then checked the bunnies into their pens. After some relaxing, we ate the free BBQ supper, listened to some music, visited with some extended family, and then hung out at the camper for the rest of the evening. 

Monday was the first full day of the fair. I volunteered in the 4-H building in the morning, John judged photography, and both kids hung out at the camper, ate food, and explored the fairgrounds. In the afternoon, Katie came out. We all enjoyed walking the fair together, and then we had the bunny show. Elliott ended up getting Reserve Champion Rabbit overall with Pringles. He was super happy. And he got a purple ribbon on his other bunny. His only other 4-H project was cherry tomatoes, and he got a purple on that project as well. We had a lot of family at the bunny show, and Elliott had his own little cheering section. It was pretty cute. 

In the evening, Barb, Katie and Emma went to the rodeo in the grandstands. It was a little warm, but they had fun. Elliott played bingo with family members and hung out in the bunny barn. John and I headed back to Sioux Falls for Open House at Bethel, and then we both worked the next morning. 

On Tuesday, the kids hung out at the fair, until Emma had to come home for band practice. Elliott also had to come home for a double header baseball night. After the baseball games, it was late, so we spent the night at home. On Wednesday, we headed back to the fair. We spent some time walking around and exploring, and then we worked our shift in the food stand from 11-3pm. After that, I sold ride tickets in the office for a couple of hours, and then I headed back home to work Thursday and Friday. 

Grandma and Grandpa helped keep track of Elliott and kept him fed the rest of the week. They also helped hime take the bunnies home and pack up the camper. 

It was another great fair filled with family, volunteering, bunny shows and too much fair food. Elliott has decided he wants to do 4-H again next year, so we will try to fit that in along with everything else. There was also a barn quilt competition during the fair, so now we all want to make barn quilts this winter. That will be a fun project!

Parent Preview night for the Cavaliers Band 

We got to bother Emma at her instruments 

Getting those driving hours in 

Tall corn for the beginning of August 

Fair Rabbit snuggles 

Barn Quilts 

The Rabbit Show 

Teenager Talk 

Baseball double header

Rides at the fair with friends 

July 2026

 Wow, I am super behind again on blogging. It doesn't help that I feel like I am busier right now than I have ever been in my life. So, life has been crazy. 

July continued to be a busy month. Emma finished up fastpitch softball. She had a good season and had a lot of fun. But, I think she was ready to be done with softball. She transitioned really nicely into band. At the end of July, going into August, Emma had two weeks of band camp. She had 8 hour days, but she loved it. She has met so many good friends, and she is just loving band. It has been great overall. 

John and I have really embraced being band parents. John is involved with the Dude crew, so he gets to help build all the props, and I help the dude crew with loading and unloading the truck, and bringing the props onto the field. I have also helped serve some meals, bring food, helped with uniform fittings, on a committee for Festival of Bands, and I might have to chaperone this weekend. It's been insane. It's basically just like everywhere else that needs volunteers, 20% of the parents do 80% of the work. It's fine for now, but we might get burned out eventually. 

Elliott had a great summer as well. He continued playing baseball this summer and then finished up the season in August. His second team had Rory and Jacob on the team, so that was fun to know some other people on the team. His team for the second half of the season wasn't very good, but they all seemed to have fun and have a good season. I think they won 3 games or something like that. But, it was a great summer of learning for Elliott, and I think he. liked it enough to play again next summer. And I did enjoy watching him play all summer. 

John and I volunteered at Lallycooler again this summer. We worked in the beer tent again for a few hours. Lallycooler was at the Canaries Stadium this summer, which was nice for us. I will say it was super hot outside, and the crowd was a lot smaller this year. We enjoyed watching Josh Ross, Gavin DeGraw, Bow Wow, Goodroad Band, and Jason Derulo. I really liked Josh Ross and Gavin DeGraw, and the rest were just ok. We really did enjoy a free music festival, even though we sweated our butts off the entire time. Lallycooler did announce they will not be doing another music festival next year, so that's a bummer.. But it was fun while it lasted. 

Towards the end of July, John and I took a weekend away to the cities. We went to SDSU Night at Target Field on Friday evening. It was a beautiful evening for baseball, and we had a lot of fun at the game. It was one of the most boring baseball games ever though. I think we saw like 6 hits total, and the Twins lost 0-2. So, overall, not very exciting, but we always enjoy a nice summer night at Target Field. We also each got a Twins/SDSU hat and enjoyed some good baseball food. 

After the game, we drove to St. Paul to stay at the St. Paul Hotel again. It was pretty late by the time we got there, and were ready to call it a night. On Saturday, we found a Caribou for breakfast, and then we headed to Stillwater to shop and eat lunch. It was fun to be back in Stillwater, we walked across the bridge into Wisconsin, shopped a little, and then ate lunch at Nacho Mama's. It was delicious. After the partial day in Stillwater, we headed back to St. Paul to head to the Saints Game. The Saints game was super hot and muggy, but we stumbled across a free lunch, complete with burgers, brats, drinks, and salads, We didn't know what it was for, but it was great. After supper, we grabbed a couple beers and enjoyed a baseball game. The Saints won, and we really enjoyed ourselves. We headed back to the hotel for the hight. 

On Sunday, we shopped at Ikea and walked through Mall of America for a while. Then, we headed for home. The kids stayed at Jim and Barb's house while we were gone, and they had a lot of fun just having some summer nights on the farm. 

That was our July in a nutshell. We had a great, busy month of July. It was mostly hot, dry, and muggy. But, we really enjoyed our outdoor activities and tried to enjoy our time outside. 

Helping with uniform fittings 

Cutting up the branch that fell from out tree (lots of storms this summer)

Baseball Elliott

Emma got her restricted license 

Target Field 

Stillwater 

Saints Game 

St. Paul Hotel