Spring Sports

The title is a bit misleading because, actually, none of the kids participated in Spring sports this year.  I felt guilty about that for a hot minute, then realized they are still so busy and we should be grateful to not be running around each evening!  Besides, the kids requested to not play rec sports, so why would we force?

So what did we do...well, the boys spent a lot of time working on their sport skills, specifically in tennis (JB) and golf (Wesley).  A lot of time spent in clinics, with pros, and working on their swings.  We assure them this grind will come in handy when they enter into Fall tournaments, even if they don't believe us now!

Wesley almost got a hole-in-one on our course!  Quite the exciting day for this guy.

Speaking of golf!  We hosted the University of Texas golf team again for our Collegiate tournament, and they absolutely dominated with their second win in a row.  We had a blast with these guys - such upstanding young men and talent golfers. We can't wait to watch them on the PGA tour one day.

The fun part about hosting is spending time with them off the course, where our kiddos just adore getting to know them and hearing about all their fun golf adventures.  I like comparing UT stories, then feeling like an old lady when I realize that most of them were born after I graduated.  

Maryn participated in a great program called Girls on the Run, which ended with a 5K race with all the neighboring schools.  A scooter accident left her with a hurt knee, but she persevered and did so well in her race! She invited Ms. V to be her "running buddy" and they had a great time.  Her beloved teacher also participated!

Maybe not a sport, but JB has worked hard all semester in his electric car class, building a car from scratch (and learning a ton in the process).  He had his first race, which was fun to watch - even though a rogue curb at the end took them out of contention.

All this activity is on top of their academics, music lessons, J.A.M. (Jesus and Me) at church, and Jr. Naturalist camp on Fridays.  Whew, tired just thinking about it...and we're about to go into the busiest month of the school year!! :)

Sports, Sports, Sports

This September and October has been sheer craziness, with activities pulling us in every direction!  We have the standard activities (church, music, school) but also had different sport seasons overlapping!  

First up - JB made the middle school tennis team!  While he's played for a while in tennis clinics and with friends, he's never been part of a tennis team and the whole season went great. We are so proud of him.  And the team - who went on to win the regional championship!

JB always had a lot of support at the game, from grandparents to aunts/uncles (Kim and Andy) to his old standbys - the siblings.  

Maryn also had her first experience with Volleyball and did great!  She learned so much, had fantastic coaches and a great group of girls, and overall had a fun time, too.  Her team made it all the way to the quarterfinals, which is remarkable considering so many on the team had never played before.

We got the chance to watch a D1 Volleyball scrimmage in Savannah one Sunday, which made us enjoy the sport even more!  I've have very little exposure (maybe none) to volleyball, so this was a learning season for me, too :)  But it's so fast paced and fun to watch that I hope she sticks with it for a couple more seasons!

And then Wesley focused most of the Fall on his golf swing.  He's very good about coming home, jumping on his dirtbike, and heading up to the range to work on his swing with some of the Pros. 

(Old picture - but he's progressing well with his swing!)

Back to School!

Here we go, back to school.  Honestly the kids did not complain about it one bit, as they love their schools, teachers and friends. And I just love a ROUTINE, whew, finally.

We are still getting used to the super early bus ride for JB (leaving the house at 6:30AM - but hello, sunrise!)  I cannot believe he's in middle school this year!  How is that possible!?

Maryn and Wesley are still in elementary, though on two separate campuses.  Just one drop off/pick up line, though, woo hoo!

You know who was super sad to see the kids go?  This guy.  I had a little tear in my eye when I saw Wesley's Mickey Bobby left behind on the bench for the backpacks. :)

Oh, and Tilly and Tess were a little quiet that first week, too.  They were used to a lot of interaction and attention from the little humans all summer.

But they LOVE going to drop off and pick up! All those golf cart and car rides will be the highlight of the school year.

I have said it three years in a row, but we are so thankful for our school.  These kids are in a great place, and I pray that God blesses them (and uses them to bless others) in it!

Summer Camp 2025!

As we geared up toward summer camp 2025, I think this Mama felt as much apprehension as the kiddos! (Well, not JB as he loves camp and would go all summer if we let him). Maryn's first year (last year) went just fine, although homesickness made it a long two weeks for her.  We had a wonderful Mother/Daughter time in May to remind her of how wonderful everyone is at Merri-Mac.

And then Wesley.  Our little Wesley...  We planned to hold off until rising 3rd grade, but he begged and begged and wore us down. So we dropped him off this year, at 7 years old!

Oh, and on the way to camp we also dropped off Tess for puppy school. I think James had a harder time with that drop off than leaving the human kids :)

We left the night before to spend some time in NC, finding a SUPER cool little hotel that used to be a fire station.  It's quiet right now in NC, as many towns still recovering from the devastating floods in 2024. The people are so resilient, and I know the tourists will return again soon.  We certainly will!

And then, Sunday, drop off time!   We went to Timberlake first, and even JB admitted to some butterflies as we reached the loooooong drive into the camp.

After Timberlake we made the trek over to Black Mountain to drop off Sis.  I cannot say it enough, but I'm SO PROUD of her. It would be one thing to say goodbye to your parents when you have no nervousness, but to say goodbye and walk away when you're super nervous? That takes so much courage.  (Fortunately she had one of her little besties with her this year, too, so I know that helped her, too.)

Now what did Mom and Dad do with nearly 2 weeks of no kids!?  Sadly, not as many exciting things as you would think.  Between busy work schedules, VBS, lots of chores at home, and the dog, we had a pretty low key time!  We got to spend some time in SSI with friends, and went up to NC a little early to take advantage of their beautiful weather and cooler temps.  

And then it arrived, the day to pick up the kids!  My heart nearly explodes on the pick-up morning, waiting to give them hugs and hear about everything!  Wesley did GREAT (despite all the pictures I saw online of him giving side eye, playing by himself in the dirt, or getting a piggyback from the older boys), and immediately asked us to sign him up for next year.  He also was awarded the honor camper award for junior cabins!  JB also did great - which I was expecting - and is begging for a full month of camp next year.  He got several counselor and peer commendations as well.

We rushed over to the girls' camp just in time for their closing ceremony, and it melted my heart to see the BIGGEST smile from Maryn!  She did so great! And got several counselor and peer commendations, too.

And her friend did, as well.  So fun to have our families share in this special camp bond.

Gosh, it feels so good to have everyone under the same roof again!  Love these kiddos!

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Less than a week after getting our kids from camp, we watched the news in horror as the girls' camp in Texas searched for the many missing campers and counselors who were swept away by the July 4th flooding.  Looking at their pictures and smiles, the girls the same age as Maryn...it absolutely broke our hearts.  We pray that our faithful God covers those families, and all impacted families, with His love and strength as they face the days ahead.