Picture of the Week - 6/29/2017

Holy cow - June is over.  How did that happen?  

This past week has been a whirlwind of company and business travel and kids going a million different directions.  I guess that's what you get when you try to fit in ALL the things that go along with summertime!

Here are a couple of pretty low quality pictures from Bob's cell phone.  I don't know that I took a single picture all week.  Oops!

The little boys have started Jiu Jitsu.  If you've ever heard me talk about Jocko Willink, that's why.  He wrote a book called "The Way of the Warrior Kid" and now Zane and Beck are throwing themselves into learning Jiu Jitsu.  Know what...  I kind of love it!  There's definitely something different you get out of participating in an individual sport that you don't get out of team sports.  Both have valuable lessons and I love that the little dudes are so willing to work on this.  Also, they are actually pretty good at it.  Zane is a rule follower - which fits very nicely with the discipline of martial arts - and he's relatively athletic for his age.  He pays very close attention to learning new moves and once he gets some direction from the coaches, he remembers all of it.  Beckett is less about the discipline and actually spends a fair amount of time with his nose on the mat in the Jiu Jitsu version of "time out".  But he's also very strong for a 5 year old and when you combine that with the fact that he's very aggressive and kind of nasty and absolutely fearless...  he's got the right stuff to be really good.

One of the pictures is Beck showing off his muscles in the pool.  While we were at the beach, my mom taught the boys to snorkel.  So I got them some snorkel gear for our pool and they love it!  Pretty cool to see them and it has REALLY improved their swimming ability too!  Win win!

The last picture is Beck and Quinn playing video games.  Yes, they've played a LOT of games this summer.  Probably more than they should, but they enjoy it and sometimes you just need to let them do something that will keep them happy and quiet for a while.  (Remember we are often working from home before any judging occurs!)  One of the things I love about this picture is that it so accurately captures this relationship between #2 and #4 that's really blossomed this summer.  Those two are buddies.  Quinn takes care of Beck.  Beck adores Quinn.  They almost never argue.  It's (at least at this moment in time) the best relationship between any of the boys.  I'm sure things will morph and change (because they have before...) but for now I'm really enjoying watching those 2 together.  

If you might be wondering why Spencer isn't in any pictures it's because he's been gone pretty much since last Saturday morning.  He went away on a church trip with 900 other high school kids (ouch...  just referred to one of my kids as a high schooler...) to Panama City Beach.  They stayed in a resort with their small groups and seem to have had a great time.  It's impossible to get any kind of details from a 14 year old boy, but he said he'd go back next year, so it must have been good.  He got home last night and then turned around at 5:30 this morning to go to a football camp over in Rome, GA.  This is the last of the planned trips he's got for the summer and my guess is that he'll now be singularly focused on getting ready for the football season.  I imagine the weight bench in the basement is about to get a workout...

Have a very safe and happy 4th of July everyone!  Happy early birthday to my sister.  We aren't really sure WHAT we are going to get into over the weekend or for the holiday, but I'm sure it'll be full of summer fun!

Picture of the Week - 6/22/2017

Here are my favorite pictures of each of my boys from vacation - and a priceless group shot too!

We had a great week!  

The boys had a great time.  They all fished and swam and jumped waves.  The little guys were SO DIFFERENT this year than last year.  They weren't timid at all!  (It would have been slightly more relaxing if Beck had been just a *little* timid and at least stayed where he could reach!)  They learned how to snorkel and swim in the pool too.  No more floaty vests for us!  Wow!  We've been dragging those things around to all water-related activities for like 7 or 8 years!  I won't miss em!

We played games and drank wine and ate oysters 3 times!  We kicked back and just enjoyed the down time.  Nowhere to be.  No schedules.  It was lovely!

As much fun as we had, it was pretty hard to hit real life again this week.  The boys are all over the place - different activities, different places, different times.  Work is work.  I suppose they call it the grind for a reason.  I'm off today for a short overnight to TN and then heading to Orlando for a conference on Sunday.  Vacation seems almost like a distant memory already.  I suppose we just need to start looking forward to the next adventure!

Have a great week everyone!

Picture of the Week - 6/15/2017

Greetings from St. George Island Florida - aka the Forgotten Coast

We are having a great vacation!  I was really worried the weather would be a problem - and it was the first day we were down here - but it's not been an issue since!  We've dodged some storms and had to adjust our "beach routine" a bit, but we're rolling with the flow and having a blast!

More pictures and stories later...  I want to get back to doing nothing.  :)

Here's a picture, taken at 2:20 today from our deck.  This is why they call the place the forgotten coast.  I love that there are so few people here!  It's just beautiful and relaxing and exactly what we needed!

Picture of the Week - 6/8/2017

Happy June!

So you guys...  I totally forgot to do a Picture of the Week last week.  I have no good reason (old age, forgetfulness, too many things going on don't count).  I just plain forgot.  I wasn't traveling.  I was working from home.  No special meetings.  Nothing out of the ordinary.  Oops!  I didn't actually remember until SUNDAY.  How crazy is that!  Oh well... I'm human, moving on.

This week was the second week of our summer break.  The boys all seem to be settling into the new routine.  Bob, on the other hand, has had to purchase a Taxi sign and spends FAR more time doing shuttle service than anyone should have to do.  Poor dad!  This week was the start of high school practices and Spencer is in his glory.  Between the football and lacrosse conditioning sessions, he is up there 4 days a week.  If/when he adds wrestling, he will be better off to just take a sleeping bag.  

He's not doing wrestling yet (because of the shoulder), but has returned to full use for all other weight lifting/training activities.  He lifts every day.  His shoulders are already impressive.  He's kind of a beast.  Here's a picture of him from yesterday following his LAST appointment with the shoulder surgeon.  He's very pleased - hence the cheesy smile!  He got his official clearance to return to conditioning.  (Which is good because he actually cleared himself, with input from his physical therapist 2 weeks ago.)  The only thing he can't do, just yet, is contact.  The surgeon asked that we wait until July to do that.  Timing is perfect!  He will be beefed up and ready for football practice!  (And I won't even tell you how much he's eating right now...  that's a story for another day...  it's a LOT!)

Last Saturday was the first "Summer Saturday" for our lacrosse program.  It's a free event that our coaches organize and run to help share the sport with kids who may not have ever tried it.  It's also a good way for our existing members to get out for a little bit on a Saturday morning to play through the summer.  We went up there and turned it into a family event!  Spencer was a referee (which he's never done before), Quinn shagged balls, and the little guys played.  The pick up game included kids as old as rising 6th graders and as you as... BECKETT.  He was an absolute riot.  His skills leave much room for improvement, but his attitude and spunk are as good as anyone else on the field.  He did not think twice about jumping in there with those big kids.  It was SO funny!  He's #93 in this picture.  You can see how little he is in comparison.

Sunday we leave for our week at the beach.  The weather forecast looks dismal.  Lots of rain this year.  So we're packing cards and games and movies and hoping for the best.  

Have a great week everyone!