Somehow, 10 weeks of summer break flew by, just as it always does, and here we are at the beginning of a new school year again. The summer was spent at many baseball tournaments near and far, from Pensacola to Oxford, AL to the All Star World Series in Baton Rogue, Louisiana. The boys went to Lake Forrest Ranch camp, a Christian camp in Mississippi where they spent 5 days in (air conditioned) cabins with friends living up the full camping experience with swimming, boating, tubing, ziplining and go karts too. Friendships were forged, and memories were made. We had many visitors this summer, which included quality time with all of their Grandparents too. ♥️ We squeezed in an MLB game, the boys spent a week in Indiana, and lots of beach and pool time was spent with friends.

Hunter has begun 6th grade- Middle school this year! A couple of weeks before school started, we took him to pick up his class schedule, his iPad and walk the hallways to find his classrooms. He changes classrooms for every class and has different classmates in each class, too. He was able to pick electives and is currently taking Robotics, Medical Detectives and Career Explorations. He also has a challenging schedule with honors level courses. Josh and I met the boys as they got off the bus after their first day and Hunter was jumping up and down with joy. “Middle school is so fun, I get to dissect a sheep brain this year and I get to see all of my friends, the food is so good- pizza everyday AND there is a back to school dance next Friday!” We were thrilled to see his excitement. I was not mentally prepared for a middle school dance. Also, as of this school year, a new state law bans the use of cellphones, all unnecessary screens actually, for all students in public schools. It is called FOCUS- Freeing Our Classrooms of Unnecessary Screens for Safety. Our district is heavily enforcing this. A BIG win for all of us! 🙌

Deacon is in 5th grade, the oldest grade in their large elementary school (PreK to 5th). It’s so big that they have 1 principal and 3 assistant principals! Deacon has a Math and Science teacher that he is very excited about, as well as a switch teacher for ELA and Social Studies, who happens to be his 4th grade teacher from last year (she teaches both grades). He also takes spanish and STEAM as well as cursive writing. Deacon said he has already met new friends this year and is looking forward to field trips. He plans to continue being involved in National Elementary Honor Society and Fellowship of Christian Athletes. Deacon loves math the most and has big goals for his iReady testing. In class, he is reading Island of the Blue Dolphins by Scott O’Dell- my favorite book I remember reading in Woodland school (4th grade). I found my original copy from 1994 and am reading it again, along with Deacon so that we can discuss the book together. ♥️🐬 The three boys also start the year off with iReady benchmark testing in the first couple weeks of school.

Wyatt is in 2nd grade already, and we just can’t believe how much taller he got this summer. He is trying to catch up to his brothers… while they are getting closer to my height! Wyatt’s teacher is new this year and has lots of experience in teaching and instruction. He really likes her already! Wyatt woke us up at 3:15 AM the night before school started because he had a bad nightmare. (He never does this.) He was nervous to start school… or he just loves living his best life at the beach in the summer. So, we were glad to hear that they made “jitter juice” on their first day of school (pink lemonade) to help all the kids get their nerves out, (and a great recognition of everyone being nervous on the first day). One of our neighbors is in Wyatt’s class, and he knows a few other friends in his classroom as well. His favorite classes are math, gym and recess. He also meets his buddy Joey for breakfast straight off the bus every morning. 😁

As a parent, I have the same thoughts every single day- These Are The Days. The days we will always look back on so fondly while they are young. And yet it seems to fly by. While I recognize how much I love this stage of life, it still feels like it is slipping through my fingers. They aren’t babies anymore. They are their own big, individual personalities with big dreams and goals and opinions and ideas. We are so proud of them for so many reasons. As a family, we are busy for sure, and we juggle a lot with everyone’s schedules etc, but we have so much to look forward to every week. I don’t want this season of life to end. With Hunter in middle school and this first school dance already, and also his 13th birthday next year… I know the teenage years will be a whole new season, one in which I am trying to mentally prepare.

I was traveling for work a few days last week, and when I reminded Wyatt the night before I was leaving, he broke into tears. I haven’t traveled for work in a few months. They are completely fine, but I know I am missed when I am away. ♥️

We experienced a lot of firsts together as a family this summer. We had our first full year in Gulf Shores, officially on July 8th- a new anniversary that we will celebrate together going forward. We met new neighbors and new friends this summer. We tried new restaurants and beaches, the library, and long bike rides… new doctors and a new church home too. We took away video games a whole year ago and they have no devices any longer. We will never look back.  Hunter actually thanked us for that this summer. (This was very hard at first but a big win and worth the detox- They are all 1000x better for it.) Instead now, they always go fishing and ride bikes and play wiffleball. They made their own business this summer with neighborhood friends attempting to dog walk and wash cars for extra cash. They even built a fort outside with scrap wood and still build legos. Mostly, they used their imagination and played just like kids.

We traveled to new cities and states. I drove though Mississippi and Louisiana- what?! Josh coached their town leage and All Stars and took the teams to regional tournaments, state, and the world series. Also, between Hunter and Wyatt, I think they lost 8 teeth this summer! We also saw several friends who visited our town. And we miss lots of our loved ones too- Come see us!♥️

It was a fun and fast paced summer. The beginning of a new school year always presents new opportunities, fresh starts, and challenges ahead. Our prayer is always for the boys to be kind, a light to others, to be a good example, make the right choices, and an understanding friend. I feel reassured in their amazing school system and the teachers who spend time with them every day.