End of School Year, Axel's Promotion, Phoenix gets Far Western time and much more!

 I cannot believe how every time I think life is busy, it just gets more busy. The kids schedule, plus work and other commitments is so tight that I am squeezing in grocery shopping, cooking dinner for the next day and laundry/cleaning after 9 pm at night. I am so incredibly exhausted. I haven't even been at my computer more than a few minutes at a time every few days because I am running around with my head cut off. We are not here to hear my turmoils or complaints, but to hear of the the fun adventures in the life of the Szolushas. 

If we begin after the last blog, Keith traveled to North Carolina to visit his new employee and their new design center and we have had THREE, 3 day swim meets! I went to Angel's camp, on our no weekend swim meet and I taught 2 weekend courses for the Orthopedic Kaiser Residency program in Oakland. We went to multiple Harker events including Axel's promotion ceremony, sports award ceremony, and special award ceremony and welcome dinners for new families at the different campuses. We have had gatherings at our house and have been to other's house for dinner. The list goes on and on.

We had our first long course swim meet of the season at Gunderson high school, hosted by Quicksilver. I am normally not good at taking photos, but some how with the help of Keith I was able to get a picture of Axel and his teammate Allison. Allison, is the most positive swimmer and friend Axel could have. She is always at the pool side cheering for Axel and other teammates. 

Phoenix is often a funny goof. Here she is in one of her fun, goofy moments. 

She is with Anna, Helen and Cielo is in the background giving a piece sign. It was really warm and the girls were real troopers. They had the afternoon session and the older kids had the morning sessions all weekend. 

It took a lot of coordination and help of other parents to get the kids to the swim meet. Keith was with Rubix at a soccer tournament on Saturday and I was in Oakland teaching on Sunday. Here is a rare picture of me teaching!

We are really lucky to have met a couple of parents that are able to help us out when we need. 

The last week before the holiday Axel had multiple award ceremonies. He was invited to a special award ceremony that invited middle school students who were nominated by multiple teachers for one of three different recognitions. Axel's was for the love of learning. 

His best buddy, Haofang received the same award!!! There were only about 50 students out of the entire middle school who were invited and awarded. It was a nice honor. 

On Friday morning Axel had his sports award ceremony. Keith and I were able to go to this event together, which was very nice. Axel was the most valuable player for the cross country team and was given the Eagle award for track. Here is Coach Brighid, the assistant athletic director and Coach Pina, who was the track coach. 

The cross country team being recognized for being league champs!

They had a really nice powerpoint. I know that the picture quality is not great, but I was proud seeing my boy on the big screen. 

Axel also had pictures posted of him running in cross country and track, which I took pictures of. 

On the Friday before Memorial day we had another 3 day swim meet in Clovis, but decided to only participate on Saturday and Sunday. We picked up the kids early from school and headed to Clovis for the weekend. 

It took us 4 hours, (hungry kiddos in car) but we made it in time for warm-ups at Clovis high school and were able to say hello to an old friend Ashley and her husband who was the meet director! When I read Scott's name on the meet sheet, I immediately contacted Ashley and asked if that was really the same Scott. I couldn't believe that this is what he decided to do in his retirement. She has one daughter who is going into 7th grade next year who is a swimmer as well! We had fun catching up and met up for dinner on Saturday night. 

The weekend was long because the younger kids were in the morning session and Axel was in the afternoon session which meant that one of us had to be at the swim meet at all times. Good thing is Axel had the mornings to study for finals in the hotel room. Phoenix and Rubix were able to get out of the heat for a little bit in the afternoon as well. 

Phoenix and Rubix chilling during Axel's afternoon session!

Phoenix, Helen, Sarah and Anna showing off their Santa Clara "Bells" on their backs. The girls had so much fun using sun screen to make pictures on their backs. 

Phoenix and Anna being silly!

We got home pretty late on Sunday, but were glad to have Monday to get some running at the track in, a bike ride and the little ones some fun play at the pool and diving board. I was able to get some household chores done while they were at the pool and prepare for the work week. 

On Thursday June 1st the kids had their last day of school. Here is Rubix with Ms. Proctor before he left as a first grader! I was so glad he got to experience a year with one of the best teachers I have ever known!

After some lunch we headed to the upper school where we were meeting Axel for his 8th grade promotion ceremony. 

Axel getting a much needed hair cut before his last week of school. 

Rubix tired and over heated waiting for the promotion ceremony to be over!

Axel waiving hello!

The Szolusha 5 with our soon to be high schooler!

After Axel's promotion ceremony we went to swim practice and then home for some yummy Mongolian beef I prepared. I then set off to Angel's camp to spend 2 days with my mom and sister. We enjoyed exploring Murphy's and hiking in Big Trees.  

On Saturday afternoon before heading home, Grandma and I watched Phoenix's piano recital online.

It was a nice weekend despite it being cut a day short to get home for all of our obligations. My mom had a craft show, Shannon had kid stuff and we had a little party for Axel's promotion planned for Sunday. Axel had invited a few other boys, but his other friends were already travelling to China or India, so Nirav and Haofang came over and hung out and then Haofang's parents came over for a nice dinner. On a side note, Haofang left the next day for China for a month.

Our first week off of school consisted of dentist appointments, wellness checkups and orthodontic appointments. Here are my two book worms reading while waiting for Axel and I to finish getting our teeth cleaned. 

Besides catching up on appointments, the family worked on purging un-needed items from school, the house and our garage. I did two trips to Goodwill and another trip to toxic waste drop off. It felt so good to get rid of old paint cans/materials and light bulbs. The rest of the time was filled with work and swim. The kids love going to Peterson Middle School for swim practice because there are basketball hoops. They have been practicing their shots for 30-60 minutes before their 90 minute swim practice!

There is often a whole crew of kids who join in to play. I am amazed at how much Phoenix has improved and just about everyone who witnesses them playing is impressed with Rubix's ability to make shot after shot. 

Starting on Friday the kids had a 3 day swim meet that was an "intrasquad meet". This means only Santa Clara swimmers were there. They squeezed the meet between preliminary and finals of the big International Swim meet that they were hosting. I had to rush over from work on Friday and marshal during the meet. On Saturday I timed during the meet. Here is Phoenix with Sarah and Annabelle. Annabelle is a very talented 9 year old swimmer who is one of the fastest on the team and in the area. Friday and Saturday were a little disappointing for Phoenix and her times, but Sunday I missed her amazing 100 meter back that crushed the Far Western time standard by 5 seconds. She was less than a second off the AAA time standard which would have qualified her for a "Western" meet in Idaho. She has a few teammates who qualified and are going, but I am a little relieved that she is not flying alone with the team. Axel had a pretty good meet overall and chipped away at his personal bests on many events, but his big victory was getting his first A time standard in the 400 meter free. He was so excited. Rubix had a similar meet by improving many of his times by a couple of seconds. The big news for him is that he is down to 2 seconds from J.O. time for the 50 fly. He really wants to get J.O. time, but we are trying to have him focus on just continuing to improve and work on his form. 

On Friday and Saturday night we watched the Finals of the International meet and saw several Olympic Trial qualifying times which was exciting. On Sunday I got home from teaching in Oakland just when Keith was getting home from the swim meet. Axel and I went for a quick jog. Keith rode his bike with Axel because even when Axel is going easy, he is too fast for me. We then went to one of Rubix's friend's house for dinner. Here is Phoenix playing with Adelaide, the younger sister of Reese. 

The kids had so much fun playing together. 

I forgot to mention the Wellness check results from the doctors office. Axel is 5' 6" and weighs 102 lbs. He is at the 62%ile for height and 27th for weight. Phoenix is 5'1.5" (even though I measured her at 5'2" at home) and weighs 85 pounds. She is the 99th %ile for height and 71st for weight. Rubix is 4'4" and weighs 56 lb and is in the 96th %ile for height and 69th for weight. To give you an idea of their size here is a cute picture of Axel and Rubix at breakfast last week. 

This week we have a big gathering and sleep over, lots of swim, track and many work deadlines for Keith and I. Keith has his big Power Sumit next week and I have my case study due for my Orthopedic clinical specialty 3-year check point. We are hoping we can manage fun and work before another busy week. I am hoping to eventually upload some of their videos on YouTube. It would be fun to put Phoenix's piano recital, swim and other sports videos up for family to view. I am hoping I don't take a month to post, but it should be fun with Father's day, Keith and my birthday and the 4th of July coming up in the next few weeks. Until then....

10 and under swim Champs, Track Champs, and more!

After getting back from Japan, it has been a whirlwind of activity. The kids worked hard to prepare for both the 10 and under swim championship and the league track meet. While I was getting Phoenix and Axel from track one Tuesday, I see these pictures come in on the Whatsapp for Phoenix's class. Steph Curry and two of his daughters were at Harker to watch the older daughter play volleyball. No one knew he was there until a parent caught a glimpse of him on his way out. Apparently, he has already had to switch schools because the parents got a little out of hand having his family apart of the community. I believe his children now go to a very small private school in our private school sports district. 

On Saturday, April 22nd, Rubix and Phoenix swam their hearts out at the 10 and under champs swim meet. Phoenix was disappointed that she did not get her Far Western time cuts that she was going for in the 100 and 50 yard breast stroke events, but she did get to more Junior Olympic time standards for the 200 IM and the 100 Fly! She took over 4 seconds off the 100 fly and is actually within just 3 seconds of Far Western time standards. She had tough competition and swam a total of 6 events, including her 2 relays. 

Rubix swam outside himself and took off 5 seconds in his 50 yard Fly, getting within 3 seconds of the 10 and under Junior Olympic time standard. He was screaming fast in the 25 Fly and the 25 and 50 Free style events and did a clean sweep winning them all. He managed to take the overall for 7 year olds, just one month after turning 7! We were ecstatic for him, since we thought there was nothing he could do to beat the older 7 year old boy, who is also a phenomenal swimmer. 

Coach Victory and Rubix. Coach Victory has been such a great coach for Phoenix and Rubix. He is so positive and easy to wok with. He loves working with kids and motivating them to be better. He is really helping them improve their technique, times and love for the sport. 

Look at Coach Victory's crew! He had well over 30 qualifying swimmers! He was rallying the kids for the team cheer!

Coach Victory with his top girl swimmers. These girls are all amazing fast. They get along so well, yet, really push each other to swim faster.

Phoenix and Rubix displaying their bling. :) Although Phoenix only medaled in the relays, she placed in all of her events. Points were given out 8 deep and considering how fast the top girls are, she placed 4th through 8th in all 4 events. 

As soon as 10 and under champs were done, we quickly switched gears to get the kids ready for track champs. Phoenix came out the day after and blew away her times on the track running a 3:09 800 meters. Her buddy Astrea joined which made Phoenix so happy. We had quite the crew training with Axel and Phoenix which always makes practicing more fun. 

On April 29th Axel competed in the Mustang Math Tournament and his team did amazing. They won 3 of 4 rounds, but somehow only took 2nd overall. They were a little disappointed that they bombed a round which lead to a 2nd overall after winning the other 3 rounds, but were still excited to have done as well as they did. 

AlphaStar group photo of all competing kids. 

While Axel was doing math, the rest of us were at Rubix's soccer game. Here is Coach Daddy with Rubix after the game. Rubix has been loving soccer playing 8 on 8, rather than 4 on 4. He is learning more about the game and continues to be a dominating factor on the team. He tends to gravitate towards midfield and become a beast of a middle fielder, hardly letting any balls get past him. I am a little bummed that I was only able to make 3 games all season because of the other kids activities. 

Headed to the track for another workout!

A quick picture with the beautiful Calla lilies. Phoenix drove home with her friend Astrea, hence why she is not in the photo.

Axel all dressed up on April 30th to go to a 1920's dinner with 29 other Harker students. He loved the food, along with seeing old piano's, type writers, etc. 

We ended up having a rainy first week of May. It was a little unusual, but the Iris's didn't mind the extra water. 

On Cinco de Mayo, Harker lower school had Grandparent's Day. On a whim, I asked Grandma Susan if she would come because Phoenix asked if she would have any grandparents there and that she would love if Gma Susan could come. Well, Gma Susan came and the kids had such a blast with her. At the end of the morning the kids performed. Here is the 1st grade class performing. I did get any other pictures because parents were not allowed to go and this was the only one posted on the Whatsapp group.

On Friday night Gma came with us to the track meet. Phoenix ran the 200 and 800 meter race and Axel ran the 800 meter race. I was so bummed to not get a picture of Gma with the kids before school. I managed one photo with everyone all bundled up and cold. It wasn't suppose to rain, but it did off and on for the entire 4 hours we were at the meet!

 We had to be up bright and early to get Axel to the track meet Saturday morning. He ran the 1200 meter race first and then the 400 and 4 x 100 relay. Phoenix ran the 400 and the 4 x 100 relay. I took videos of all of their races, but another parent captured a few great photos of the kids racing. 

Here is Axel in the 1200. He is right on pace at 1:14 splits and ended with a 3:49.2. The boy who won, Henry, who beat Axel at the league championship for cross country came in around 3:25. 

Axel had a run for his money as the boy he is sprinting here, beat him in the 800 the night before. Axel got 2nd in the 800 and we didn't think this boy had it in him to keep the pace up in the 1200, but somehow Axel found himself in an all out sprint. 

I was beyond proud to see him dig so deep within himself and pull ahead of this competitor to outsprint him for 2nd in the 1200. 

Daddy and Phoenix congratulating him on a job well done.

Axel, Phoenix and Kylie behind the black strip. Kylie's dad, Tom, is the one who captured all of these photos for us. 

Axel giving Phoenix a pep talk. 

The girls getting ready for the 400. 

Phoenix running the 400. 

We were so bummed for her. They called this a 400 final and then had 3 heats! Phoenix did not get to race against her team mates which cost her and she ended up 3rd. She was really happy, as were we, because she was able to run her fastest 400 for a 1:21. 

Her buddy, Kylie, ended up taking 2nd at 1:19 and the Sacred Heart girl ran a 1:15 or something crazy fast. 

Phoenix, did not PR in the 200 or the 800 but she finished 3rd in the 800 with a 3:10 and 7th in the 200 at 37 seconds. Her relay team took 2nd though, which was fun for them. If their transitions were better, they could have won, but winning is not everything and the girls ran as hard as they could. 

Axel had bad luck with his 400 meter race as well, only having one boy in his heat. He finished 6th at 1:05.21. The other heats had 4 or 5 kids, which really wasn't fair, but it is what it is. He dug really deep to race against himself and get a PR. Keith clocked Axel at 1:04.8, but regardless we loved seeing the kids overcome their fears and pressures. They ran well and had fun. We were so happy that Gma was there to watch and cheer them on. 

We had Noah and his family over for dinner last Saturday night. I wish I would have taken a photo of Rubix and Noah. They play so well together. This weekend we are looking forward to visiting with more friends and taking the family cherry picking with Rubix's friend's, Rowan and Kian's family. We have 2 weekends of 3 day swim meets, a soccer tournament, then the last week of school with finals and Axel's promotion ceremony. Phoenix has a piano recital and I have a girls weekend with my mom and sister and then we will be in full swing of summer fun. I hope to post the first week of June all of the exciting events that lie ahead, especially Axel's big promotion to High School!!!!