Mayember: Week 3

Car Repairs

Apparently when your car reaches 100,000 miles and you finally get it paid off it starts needing all the repairs.  Just kidding but also that feels true.  We were excited to finally get the suburban paid off in March but in February just before that it needed new tires and then it had a big 100,000 mile service and now it was making a funny noise when idling which turned out to be the air shocks.   Anyway, after being very unhappy with the speed of the service at the dealership we tried a place in town instead.  They turned out to be even more expensive but they were quicker and ended up giving us some discounts which brough them in close to the dealerships price.  While the car was in the shop this time we borrowed a car from Robert and Amanda which was super helpful as it meant I could still proceed with the other tasks of the day and pick up the kids from school without help.

The girls were excited to get to ride in Auntie 'Manda's car and immediately began searching for treasures :)  Sorry!

The boys quickly figured out how the DVD player worked and it was actually pretty helpful as we waited for Sadie.  So much less fighting than usual.  Go figure!!

Grammy and I picked up the suburban just before the shop closed and then swung by Robert and Amanda's to drop their car off on the way out to a baseball game.  Then it was a cousin swap-a-roo and off to baseball.  We took Andy and Lily with us and Maddie and Aubrey stayed to play.  Pretty good deal I think.

Aubrey

Maddie

Lily and Hazel

Ashlyn and Evie

It's still a little cold in the evening.

This is what it's come to...2 girls...2 kinds of mac and cheese...one child sitting on the counter...no problem here.  Just surviving Mayember.

District Track Meet

Sadie finished the season strong.  She was very close to a school record in the 400 which she was bummed she didn't break but she ran hard and we're very proud of her for finishing strong.

We took Cooper's friend Sam with us the first day because Wyatt had a baseball game and the girls were with Grammy and we knew he was going to be bored.  They were too funny!  The watched the baseball game being played behind us for awhile and then they raced back and forth next to the track with slides on their hands.  We were just waiting for them to get yelled at by a track official but it never happened.

Sadie placed 8th in the 400 meters with a time of 1:07.82.  The school record for this event was set in 2014 by a senior with a time of 1:04.77.  Sadie's PR for this event was 1.06.57.  Sadie holds 2nd place for the 400 meters.

Sadie also had a PR at districts in the 300m hurdles with a time of 56.69.  The school record for this event was set in 2022 with a time of 53.30.  Sadie holds 3rd place for 300m hurdles.

 AND her 4x400 relay team took 4th with a PR of 4:37.01.  They also hold the 2nd best time for our school in this event.  The record for the 4x400 was set in 2018 with a time of 4:35.28.

All in all I'd say that's pretty good for a pretty rough season where too many practices were missed due to life just being hard right now.  We're excited to see where track may take her next year if she decides to really put her mind to it and train.  She's and undeniably strong runner and she loves it so we will see...

Sadie, Elizabeth, Chloe, and Vivienne

Mayember 2025: Week 2

Evie's Field Trip to Silver Falls

Evie informed us a few weeks ago that Daddy hadn't been on one of her field trips yet so Daddy took the day off.  Well actually he had the day off to go buy flowers, a Mother's Day tradition, but instead we both got to attend Evie's field trip with her.  We thought we were really slick and made an appointment for the suburban to have its shocks replaced the same day.  We called ahead to make sure they had the parts in stock, we made an appointment, we dropped it off at 7:00 a.m. and thought for sure they'd have it done by 2:30 when we needed it to pick the kids up from school  Well unfortunately when we checked in with them at 11:30 a.m. they had yet to run the mandatory diagnostics.  Soooo.... on the way back into town Brandon had to call and inform the dealership that we were on our way to pick up our car and they needed to have it ready for us.  Uggg.. What a bummer and complete waste of money $150 dollars.  At the end of the day we know that it does indeed need new shocks.  THANK YOU!!

Thankfully the field trip went much better than the car.  It turned out to be a nice day.  We even got a little bit of sunshine on and off and the falls were beautiful.

Lucy and Evie

Evie, Lucy, and Sophia

Emery, Evie, and Lucy

Evie, Ashlyn, and Lucy

Ashlyn's Birthday Party

These pictures turned out just too cute!

Pre-K Spring Concert

Twilight Meet

After getting the girls home from the concert.  I raced out to catch the end of Sadie's track meet.  Wyatt was at Cole's house so on the way I called to see what their plan was as Ashley had mentioned possibly trying to catch some of the track meet.  Well she wasn't going but the boys wanted to go.  So I ended up picking up Wyatt and his two friends Cole and Lucah and taking them out to the meet and then dropping them back of at her house on the way home.

Sadie, Elizabeth, Vivienne, and Chloe

4 x 400 Relay Team

There's been a lot of drama surrounding this years track season.  Shesh... I don't even know.  It's been a difficult month for Sadie so she hasn't shown her typical effort or commitment.  Also the coach...  I don't even know.  Much of the drama has revolved around this relay team and who should be running in it.  Anyway for this meet these girls were happy.  These 4 girls ran at Salem academy breaking the previous record by 12 seconds and they broke it again tonight by an additional 6 seconds.

Happy 6th Birthday Aubrey and Maddie!

 Cake Preparations

These silly sisters are identical and at the same time one of a kind.  More and more they really are their own person with their own likes and dislikes.  Maddie is everything pink and puppy and pretend.  She's very sweet and artistic but also wants things the way she wants them.   Aubrey on the other hand is a bit more laid back and really just a goofball.  She's so silly and witty and fun and she loves her some Baby Yoda.

Maddie's Cake

Aubrey's Cake

The Big Day!

We began the day with french toast for breakfast.  Then it was gifts, and outing with smoothies, and a family birthday party!!!

Gifts included a Baby Doll

Make-up

And chalk for the new sidewalk.

An outing with free birthday smoothies.

A power nap to recharge for the party

x 2

Birthday girls get to hold Baby Grace first.

Aubrey

Notice their lovely make-up.

Maddie

Always a full house.

Thankful for these girls.  We couldn't imagine our life without them and almost can't remember life before them.  They've changed us in so many ways.  We're more relaxed and more overwhelmed.  We laugh more and we cry more. We appreciate these little years of little voices and little feet and excitement over the smallest of things as we know how fast they go AND we're weary of these little years of tantrums and repeated instructions and picky eating and arms full of toys ALL the time and EVERYWHERE.  Either way we're doing our best to enjoy these last two little Troyers as they're growing and changing right before our eyes.  

They love each other tirelessly.  They do fight some but honestly they play way more.  Maddie tends to be more stubborn and will cry over things not going her way but Aubrey is generally more laid back and is usually pretty willing to give Maddie the first turn.  It's challenging to teach them some of these lessons as twins.  Where usually you would ask a little more of the older sibling as your teaching the younger with twins what do you do??? So we're thankful that Aubrey is a little more easy going.  Aubrey is also really really funny!  Maddie tries to be funny too but Aubrey is funny without meaning to be.  Maddie on the other hand has the most fantastic imagination.  Dog Dog has been her most loyal companion for almost a year now and its the cutest thing.  Maddie is also the more snuggly of the two.  They still both want bedtime snuggles which we love but Maddie will often drape her arm around you as you lie next to her.  Twins are fun!  They are indeed double trouble and exhausting but we wouldn't trade it for anything.

We love you girls!  Can't wait to see what crazy shenanigans you're involved in as 6 year olds!!!