Picture of the Week - 7/28/2016

Are you ready for some FOOTBALL???

It's football time in Georgia and I'm so excited!

Spencer's team is well into daily practices - even though our weather has been so miserably HOT and humid.  I can't even imagine putting on pads and pants and helmets and hitting each other for 3 hours every day.  My respect of these kids has gone WAY up with the way they have handled these summer practices.  Spence is having a blast, never complains, and would spend twice as much time with those guys if he could.  This is going to be such a fun year for him.  I can't wait to watch him play.

Speaking of other things I can't wait for...  Camden county is next week.  The football team is so excited to get to spend 2 days together without parents messing with them.  I'm looking forward to it because it's the culmination of a TON of work that my booster club board has been doing to prepare for the season.  We are in crunch time in a major way!  It will be awesome to get some of these tasks completed and behind us.  My year of being overcommitted is reaching it's peak.  Woot Woot!

Zane is also starting football this week.  He's an "upper classman" on his K/1 team this year.  It's funny to consider him experienced as a 1st grader.  Bob has also gotten tagged as an assistant coach for the team.  It's maybe even funnier to listen to Bob (as the "old" dad) talk about the young dads and all the things they are going to learn this year.  Perspective is such a powerful tool.  I think that team is going to be fun too.  And I'm oddly excited to get to know a whole new group of people.  I spent time this week looking up the people on the team on Facebook and LinkedIn.  It's good to broaden our "network" with a bunch of new faces.  It's an exciting time of year!

In other news... 

The boys go back to school next Thursday.  Summer is done!  I think about half my kids are ready to go back and the other half are dragging their feet about it.  You can guess which are which.

Quinn will be starting lacrosse in a few weeks and Beck is joining a flag football team for the first time this fall.  I would love to put pads on Beckett and send him into a tackle game.  Pretty sure he'd prefer the hitting...

Here are some pictures (grainy and poor quality) from the VCMS football photo session last Friday.  (Don't worry, I bought a package so I can get the better quality ones too!)  Look at my big man...  sigh...  where did my little boy go???  Speaking of that...  Quinn is growth spurting right now.  He's gotten so much taller this summer.  They are all growing like weeds...

Have a great week everyone!

Picture of the Week - 7/21/2016

Currently on day 4 (and also the last day) of my company's annual meeting.  It's been a long week.  Lots of day-long meetings.  Lots of talking.  I got to present, which I love, so that bit was fun.  Late nights, time change, bad coffee.  I've eaten too much and drank too much.  It's been a LONG week!

Also, it's really, REALLY hot in Arizona!!!  Current situation per the weather channel...

As hard as these weeks are - both physically and mentally - they are also really good.  I always feel recharged and energized after these kind of events.  I like most of the people I work with quite a lot.  It's nice to get to spend quality time with them.  It's fun to catch up over a glass of wine - or even across a conference room table.  

Tonight is the last night - the awards dinner.  It will be just as late (or later) than the last few nights and will be followed with a 3:30 AM departure time to the airport so I can get back home in time for football picture day.  Yep - I'll be super glad to lay my head on my very own pillow tomorrow night.  After, of course, getting some great big hugs from all my boys.  I sure do miss those guys!!!  Check out this cute video from this same week (same meeting) last year.  I love when Bob sends me these little messages when I'm away.  My guys are all pretty good to me!!  I love them an awful lot!!!

Stay cool everyone!  

Picture of the Week - 7/14/2016

Hi all!

Quick email today while I'm on a short break. I'm in Dallas, Texas today. It's really hot. All day meeting followed by a late night flight home. Tomorrow I will need coffee!

Here's a picture of the football team from their Paintball event today. I wish I could have been there in person to see my oldest sporting his Ghillie Suit. Which then became unbearably hot (which I may have warned him about) and he spent the rest of the event with no shirt on. SMH

BTW - for those of you who supported him in the Lift-a-thon yesterday, he placed 3rd in the bench press and 2nd in the squat. 💪

Have a great week everyone!  Next week I'm off to Scotsdale for the week.  I saved up all the visits to the warm places for the dead heat of summer after spending January in Minnesota and Michigan. I feel like maybe I could have planned better...  If only I had any control over any of this...

My current situation.

Picture of the Week - 7/7/2016

Every once in a while I see something that just makes me cry.  Big fat mom tears.  This song, which just happened to catch my attention THIS week, is one of those times.  If you have ever had kids or if you like kids or or if you've ever thought kids were kind of cute or if you were once a kid (and you feel the need for a good cry), spend 3 minutes with this gem.  Grab a tissue first.

Nichole Nordeman - Slow Down (Lyric Video)

Nichole Nordeman - Slow Down (Lyric Video) Get “Slow Down” from The Unmaking on iTunes: http://smarturl.it/TheUnmaking?IQid=vevo SUBSCRIBE to NicholeNordem...

This week we sent Spencer off to Florida with a friend of his.  He has, of course, been away from home before.  He's done sleepovers and camps and traveled with my parents.  But this is the first time we've put any of our kids on a path with such big unknowns.  He and his friend flew on a plane - unaccompanied - and are spending the week with the friend's grandparents.  (Whom I've not met...)  

The preparation for the trip included some new events for us - like how much cash to send and what kind of snack should we pack - and all kinds of warnings and discussions and expectation setting about how often I expect him to check in and how we want him to behave and a whole list of things that just AREN'T OK for a 13 year old.  

Honestly, I trust him.  He's smart and mature (ish) and responsible (for his age).  He'll be fine.  

And I have a hair appointment next weekend to cover all the new grey hairs.  Good timing...

Here's a picture of Quinn and the little guys from last night.  Man those little dudes love Quinn!

Have a great week everyone!  Stay cool!  It's hot out there!