Picture of the Week - 9/23/2021

 Time to celebrate QUINN!

Quinn is our only non-fall birthday and next week kicks off birthday season for us, so the timing on this Quinn celebration couldn't happen at a better time!

Quinn has been looking at some colleges in Georgia and starting to figure out what life after high school might look like.  He's decided that (as of now) his first choice school is Georgia Southern University.  I mentioned last week that he and Bob were doing an official visit on Monday and he didn't see anything to change his mind.  And then, in what is the most perfect timing ever, the day after he got home he got his official acceptance notification letting him know that he is welcome to become a GSU Eagle on the Statesboro campus next fall.  Woot!  He's pretty excited and we are so happy for him!  We have a few other options to check out (mostly for due diligence purposes), but GSU is a great fit for Quinn and I know he would be happy there!

Here's a picture of Quinn on campus.  They weren't able to get very many pictures because it was pouring rain while they were visiting.  They did get to tour a dorm - which is much nicer than our first couple of apartments - LOL!  

Spencer's 19th birthday is Monday, but we won't really get to celebrate with him until we see him next weekend for Parent's Weekend.  And Zane turns 12 on Wednesday - more on that - including the traditional birthday collage next week.

We are up in Ohio now and looking forward to visiting with friends and family - and hoping the weather forecast clears up a bit for the OSU game Saturday evening.  It will be a whirlwind trip, but a fun break from reality and a good excuse to spend some quality time with the boys - and each other!

Picture of the Week - 9/16/2021

 There are so many fun and cool and awesome things happening right now!  Life is good, y'all!

Let's see...  where to start...

Beck and Zane are both doing great!  They are really enjoying school (as much as tweener boys enjoy school) and football.  Zane has settled right into middle school and has found a whole new group of friends.  We are in a weird feeder pattern here where only about 40 kids go from our elementary to our middle.  Thank goodness for sports because there are some friendly football/wrestling faces in the 6th grade hall!  Both of these boys are also growth spurting something crazy.  I'm including a picture of Zane, who is about to pass me in height.  He's pretty pumped about it...

Quinn is living his best life!  He has started his college application process, knocked out another round of SAT testing, and hits the weight room regularly getting ready for wrestling season.  We also got his senior yearbook picture proofs back and he has a college visit scheduled for Monday for his first choice school.

Bob and Quinn are heading to Charleston on Saturday with a bag of goodies for Spencer and a couple of tickets to the Citadel football game.  They will get to spend Sunday with Spencer and then will head over to Statesboro on Monday morning to visit Georgia Southern.  I wish I could go, alas I'm on Zane football duty - and of course work...

Bob doesn't have to worry about work next week because tomorrow is his last day at ADP.  He's been there for 21.5 years, so this is not a small change for us!  He will likely end up doing a very similar job, but maybe on the client-side instead of the vendor side.  We shall see.  The change is long overdue and I'm excited for him!

The boys are on fall break next week, which means that next Wednesday we all get to escape for a quick trip up to Ohio.  I am so grateful that Bob's sister has agreed to take Quinn's "real" senior pictures for us!  And we got tickets to an OSU game, which will be the first game we've seen in person since I graduated.  Crazy!

Good stuff all around!  Oh yeah, and the Citadel wrestling roster is updated on the website and includes a picture of Spencer.  That makes the whole thing even more real!  He's the first D1 wrestler West Forsyth high school has ever produced.  Pretty proud about all he's accomplishing and how he's handling the whole situation.  2021-22 Wrestling Roster - The Citadel Athletics

2021-22 Wrestling Roster - The Citadel Athletics The official 2021-22 Wrestling Roster for the The Citadel Bulldogs

Now if we can just get these tropical storms to take a breath and stop sending rivers of atmospheric moisture through Georgia...  

Have a great week!!

Picture of the Week - 9/9/2021

 I may have mentioned recently (or maybe not - I honestly can't remember anything these days...) that Zane and Beck are both going through growth spurts right now.  The logical part of me has recognized and acknowledge this.  And yet, I've not gone through their clothes to pull out the *many* too small things and it still surprises me to get a hug from Zane where we are eye-to-eye.  Like seriously, who told them they could grow up?

Here's a picture of my nearly 10-year-old, looking more like 15...

Time - it marches on...

All is well here.  We had a really really great long weekend with a perfect mix of adventure, relaxation, and weed-pulling.  Back to school and work and football this week.  

Quinn had his senior pictures taken for the yearbook last week!  Again with that passage of time thing...  I'm really excited for his senior milestones.  It will be fun to celebrate him and see where he decides to head with his next phase.  He's most-likely going to stay in Georgia, which makes me happy for many reasons!  Right now I think Georgia Southern is at the top of his list, but he is also going to check out Kennesaw State and Georgia College.  Stay tuned for more on this soon...  Bob is taking Quinn for an official visit to Georgia Southern after a quick visit to see Spencer next weekend.  

Spence is doing great and I've FOR SURE had more conversations with him in the last 3 weeks than I did in the last 9 months he was home.  :)  Every time I talk to him I am impressed by how he's adapting and grateful that he seems content and settled.  I've read SO MANY stories from frustrated parents on the Class of 2025 FB page who are struggling to figure out how to support and encourage their knobs.  Spencer has made it easy for us.  As long as I keep a somewhat steady stream of care-packages heading his way, he has no complaints!  (Aside, as a mom and big fan of an organized, busy schedule, it's pretty awesome to watch him navigating time management and having some REALLY long, busy days.)  I can't wait to see him in a few weeks for Parent's weekend!

Have a great week everyone!  We have some fabulous, low-humidity weather heading this way for the next week or so and I can't wait to enjoy it!

Picture of the Week - 9/2/2021

 Happy College Football Season kick-off day!  

Also Happy September!  Where in the world did August go?  I don't know... poof and it's gone!

No big news here this week.  Everyone is settling into the school routines and doing really well.  Our football guys have practices 3 times a week - so we are super pumped that the humidity level is finally dropping.  It's been a hot and sticky month!  Zane and Beck are also wrestling once a week to keep a little fresh.  Quinn is ramping up his wrestling practices getting ready for the season start next month.  And Spencer is doing a LOT of working out with the Citadel wrestling team.  They have team lifts several times a day and have started technique practices as well.  We talk to him a few times a week and he's really doing well.  He's very busy and learning to figure out how to best deal with conflicts in his schedule, but he's good.  

Friday we get to knock-out a Class of 2022 senior milestone, when we get Quinn's yearbook senior pictures taken.  Woot!

Bob and I are going to take advantage of no football games this weekend to take the boys up to a ropes course they have been wanting to do.  The weather is going to cooperate beautifully!  Then church, a free day Monday, and back to the grind.  Countdown until we get to see Spencer is at 29 days.  Can't wait to hug that boy!!

Have a great first week of September!!

PS - It's college football season!  We had to celebrate with our traditional O-H-I-O picture!!