Every now and then the Szolushas have some down time. On Sunday after my last post, we had a pretty mellow day where Rubix had some time to "play". Axel has his 2-hour math class and Keith, and I went for a bike ride and Rubix and Phoenix did their mile run and we had our annual neighborhood dinner/picnic in the park from 3:30 to 6:30pm, but overall, the day allowed time for me to get some much-needed cooking and cleaning done. I felt bad not being able to play with Rubix, so when we came in from the picnic, I made sure to spend some one-on-one time with him. He wanted to build another card fortress, and this is what we came up with. Axel showed him this a few months ago and every now and then he spends his free time trying to build something bigger and better.
We also had time to go to the library to exchange books. We used to go every week, but now we are lucky to go every 3 weeks, just in time to return due books and get new ones. I was helping Phoenix find a book and when I went to go find Rubix here he was with his head buried in a book. I just love seeing them read!
Phoenix always can't wait to get to swim because a few of her friends come early due to their siblings swimming before them. They sit around or play with the exercise balls. Here is Audrey in the pink then Sarah (left), Phoenix, Cielo (right) and Victoire in the white. She absolutely loves her swim friends adn Audrey, who is 11 is her new best buddy it seems.
On Saturday, Sept. 30th Axel had his second cross country meet, RAM Invitational, in Daly City. His event happens to be in the afternoon, so Phoenix, Rubix and I were able to drive up after swim practice and see him race. Although Axel was a little disappointed in not feeling his best, he broke the Harker Freshman boy's 2.6-mile record, tied for 4th fastest freshman boy out of nearly 300 freshman runners, came in 3rd for his Varsity team and was 45th overall in his Varsity race at 15:28 (they had 2 heats of 130 runners). His captain got 9th overall in their race and the team did great getting 6th out of 17 teams.
Axel warming up before the race. He loves this picture that his dad snapped of him hoovering over the ground.
His Varsity team, Veyd (the captain), Robinson, Gabe, Aiden (another freshman), Coach Kevin, Axel and Harris in the front.
A fun one!
The cross-country team taking a picture sending their love, to Zaeem, a freshman/classmate of Axel's who is in a coma after being hit by a car. He has been in ICU for a month, and he had a pretty significant traumatic brain injury.
Sunday, October 1st Axel, Phoenix and Rubix coming back from their mile jog. Axel was so sweet going with Phoenix, while Rubix and I jogged separately together. We have a route around Marshall Lane that is a mile and the walk to and from the route is a quarter of a mile. A perfect warm up and cool down walk. Phoenix did a 7:18 today. She continues to get faster and faster each week by 20 or more seconds. I am assuming she will hover around the 7-minute mark until she gets use to pushing her legs on the ground. I have no doubt in my mind her lungs can handle even a faster time due to her swimming.
Axel had spirit week the first week in October. I was so proud of him for being a part of the festivities. I took this picture because he had to dress up in "beach casual wedding attire" one day because his class ended up getting "Mama Mia" for their themed movie.
On Oct. 4th, Gma Sonia and Gpa Bruce were in town and went to Axel's first WBAL league meet. Unfortunately, Axel came down with a cold after the RAM Invitational and was probably the reason he felt so "bad" during his race the Saturday before. After warming up with his team, he decided it would put him over the edge to race. We think it was a smart decision because he was able to race a few days later at a swim meet he was signed up for.
They came over after the xcountry meet for dinner. Rubix and Phoenix were excited to see them. We discovered that Phoenix is almost as tall as Gma Sonia!
I was able to get Thursday off of work, so I met Gma and Gpa for breakfast at Stacks, one of our favorite breakfast places in Campbell. After breakfast we drove to Santa Cruz to visit the Mystery Spot.
The Mystery spot is a place that has a different gravitational pull which causes you to lean about 17 degrees.
You can see how much we are all leaning in these pictures.
It is a little crazy but was a lot of fun!
Afterwards we went for a short hike they have. It was such a beautiful day out.
On Friday, we went to the Computer History Museum in Mountain View and then we came home, picked Axel up from school, made sushi together and then headed to swim practice. We were sitting waiting for practice to begin when Donna de Varona walks in. She is the woman in the red USA shirt that Phoenix is talking to next to her coach, Coach Luba. Donna won gold in the 1964 Olympics in the 400-meter IM and the 4 x 100-meter relay.
She went to the 1960 Olympics at 13 years old! The kids were able to get her autograph and hear her speak about perseverance.
On Saturday Gma and Gpa came to see the kids swim at the QSS swim meet and then went to Rubix's soccer game to see him play. They had a really big day/morning and needed to have a couple of hours of down time before coming over for dinner for a nice BBQ. We were able to take a picture of them before they left as they were headed to Sacramento for a few days to see and spend time with the Jolleys and Uncle Steve/Aunt Ginny.
Here is a picture Phoenix captured of the sunrise on our way to the swim meet Sunday morning. It was such a beautiful site. Phoenix had a great swim meet getting personal bests in the 200 IM, 100 Fly, 100 breast, and she absolutely crushed the 500 free getting an incredible 6:08.84. To give some reference, the 11-year-old J.O. time standard was 6:24 and she managed to take 16 seconds off of that! If she continues to improve at this rate, we believe she can make a couple of events at Far Westerns as an 11-year-old.
Rubix also had a good swim meet and crushed the 200 IM taking off 26 seconds from his seed time and getting a 3:00.17. He also achieved personal best times in the 100 fly, 200 free and the 100-yard breast.
Axel was pleased with his swim meet getting times close to his personal bests, after being sick and with his focus on cross-country right now. He even did the 200 back for the first time in competition. After getting home from the swim meet and Axel finished his homework, we headed to the track so he could complete his speed work that was assigned to the team for Sunday. I was a bit surprised, but proud of him for wanting to complete what the coach assigned to him. He did not do all 12 300's at race pace, but he did do 8 of them. He was flying around the track and managed to do all of them just about a minute (give or take a second above or below). That is a 5:20 race pace!
On Wednesday after school, Gma and Gpa were back in town, so we went to Top Golf and skipped swim practice!
We had a really good time, especially playing their Angry Bird game.
We were able to say goodbye to Gma and Gpa on Thursday, as they left very early on Friday morning. I spent Friday preparing for Axel's first Homecoming dance. I ordered him this blue suit, which arrived folded up and wrinkly! I managed to find a blue tie and purchased him a corsage and boutonniere for him and his date, Samaara. It took me about an hour to iron his suite and shirt, but I do have to say it was all worth it because he said he had a wonderful time.
Here is a picture of him and Samaara. It ended up being difficult to get the kids together before the dance to take pictures because they were both coming back from cross-country practice and had a quick turnaround. The pictures below our courtesy of another parent who managed to somehow get on campus!
They are so cute!
On Saturday, Phoenix's coach turned 74 years old and the team had a surprise birthday party for her. Here are some of the girls eating.
After swim and Phoenix's piano lesson, we headed to Pleasant Hill for the Pac Swim Awards ceremony. Phoenix's 200 medley relay team that won Far Westerns was nominated for best relay of the year. There were only about 50 athletes our of the 15,000 swimmers in Pac swim that were nominated for awards and invited to this dinner and award ceremony.
I used this opportunity to get a picture of the kids and
a picture with Daddy!
Hunter Armstrong, an Olympian was there for photos and to give the kids an inspirational speech. He is 6'7" and is now the world record holder in the 50M backstroke. He is looking for more gold medals in Paris next year.
Rubix with Hunter.
The awesome relay team. Victoire for fly, Phoenix backstroke, Annabelle the anchor freestyler and Helen, the breast stroker.
Dinner time!
His Inspirational speech!
Rubix with Luka Mijatovic a 14-year-old who has 4 Olympic time trial qualifying times who holds nearly all of the age group records at Santa Clara and holds 4 or 5 of the national age group records. Watch out for him because I would be surprised if we don't see him in the Olympics in 2028 for sure! He was very sweet to take a picture with Rubix.
We have another busy couple of weeks with a cross-country meet this Thursdays and a swim meet the next two weekends. We will then have a little bit easier of a schedule for a week before a busy month. I will do my best to post before Thanksgiving, but no promises!
