April felt like someone hit fast forward and never let up. Between Easter celebrations, sports schedules, dance, swimming, track meets, birthday celebrations, rainouts, and a spontaneous trip to Great Wolf Lodge, we packed a whole lot of life into one month.
We kicked off April celebrating Easter weekend in Attica with Grandpa Ron and Grandma Barb, Arick, Amanda, Addison, and Hunter. The kids loved their Easter baskets, and since the weather was actually cooperating for once, we took a power walk down the street before heading home. Easter Sunday started with church and an Easter bunny visit. Olivia’s favorite gift was definitely her Kendra Scott necklace, while Isaac was all about his fuzzy Ohio State blanket. We spent the afternoon at Maw and Paw’s, enjoyed lunch together, and honestly just loved slowing down for a few hours.
One highlight early in the month was meeting Ditty for lunch at a Mexican restaurant while he was passing through on his way to ONU. It was so great catching up and spending time together.
April also meant the start of track officiating season for me, and I think I worked seven meets in April alone. Funny enough, I originally took the officiating class my senior year of college just to fulfill a wellness credit requirement. Somehow that one class turned into what is now my 25th season officiating track meets, which honestly feels impossible to say out loud. Meanwhile, softball and baseball season officially began for the kids… or at least attempted to begin between rain delays, cancellations, and reschedules. Spring sports in Ohio are truly a test of patience.
April 11 marked Olivia’s final regular season dance competition in Wapakoneta, which somehow felt both exciting and emotional knowing recital season was approaching quickly. Cool part was this ended up being on April 11 all day, which worked out perfectly when you hear the craziness of Sunday next!
Then came April 12… which may have been the most packed day we have had in a long time. The day started with a drive to Columbus for the Ohio State 4-Miler. To be clear, I was the only person truly excited about this beforehand. However, everyone ended up having a blast. Olivia and Isaac both ran incredible times, staying together around the eight-minute-mile pace. Isaac later informed us he “could have gone faster,” but I reminded him that leaving his sister behind would not have ended well for him. Jeremy and I cruised in closer to the ten-minute-mile range and were perfectly content with that. Kona Ice afterward tasted earned.
After quickly heading home for showers, we turned around and headed to the YMCA Swim Banquet. We picked up pizza on the way since we were responsible for bringing food to share. The kids disappeared into their friend groups immediately, which is always one of my favorite things to see. Olivia was recognized as part of several relay teams that broke long-standing records this season:
- 400 freestyle relay: 4:04.42, breaking a record from 2016 with Addie Keller, Burke Kelly, and Isabella Martello
- 400 medley relay: 4:30.15, breaking a record from 1998 with Addie Keller, Burke Kelly, and Isabella Martello
- 200 open relay: 1:38.94 with CeCe Schaaf, Jenna Downey, and Autumn Steffen, breaking a record from 2012
Their team also placed third overall at the 2026 Great Lakes Zone Meet, which was incredibly exciting. But the biggest surprise of the night was Olivia receiving the Barracuda Award for the women’s team while Lincoln earned it for the men’s team. Kody shared some incredibly kind words about Olivia, and as parents, it was one of those moments you just sit back and try to soak in because you know you will remember it forev.
One rainout Saturday unexpectedly turned into an impromptu Great Wolf Lodge trip. Olivia and Courtney ran the place like they owned it, while Isaac somehow destroyed me in basketball games at the pool. My calves are still recovering from repeatedly jumping in the water trying to block him. We wrapped up the quick getaway at the lake house, squeezing in all our favorite summer activities while it was 48 degrees outside. Summer can officially arrive anytime now.
April 25 marked the end of an era as Olivia closed out ten years of dance at recital weekend. We are still heartbroken about it. SODC welcomed Olivia, and honestly our entire family, into a world we knew absolutely nothing about ten years ago. I still remember crying in the parking lot at her first competition after another dance mom informed me her curly hairpiece was wrong. I remember sitting through awards wondering what “auction style” even meant. Somewhere over the years, all of that unfamiliarity turned into comfort, friendships, memories, and home. As difficult as it is to walk away, we know this is the right decision for Olivia as swimming continues to demand more time and energy, especially during championship season. Dance is the ultimate team sport, and Olivia understood that showing up halfway would not be fair to her teammates or herself. She even gave up Ohio Junior Olympics this year for dance with absolutely no regrets. We are just incredibly thankful for every teacher, teammate, memory, costume, road trip, and life lesson along the way.
Isaac and I also squeezed in a bowling trip and somehow bowled the games of our lives. He rolled a 159, and I managed a 153. No bumpers. No excuses. We may officially be bowlers now.
