Picture of the Week - 2/24/2023

 Better late than never I guess

This week kicked my butt!  I had a multi-day summit at work - fancy word for a meeting with lots of people and lots of work with no downtime.  But hey, they had free coffee...  And no one wants to hear about me and my job.  So... moving on

Anyone who follows us on Facebook knows we drove to NC last weekend and wrestled a ton.  It was, honestly, one of the best weekends we've had in a long time.  We had fun going over there on Saturday and hanging out as a family.  Traveling can be a super experience!  And then Sunday - the actual wrestling part - was awesome!

First - the tournament was pretty chill and REALLY well-run.  It was the best run tourney we've been to in years - even at the high school level.  I have mad respect for that!

Second - because the NC weight classes are different than the ones in GA the boys kinda fell between weights.  I don't really want them cutting weight right now (because both are in growth spurts*) so we registered them for higher weights than normal.  And then we went to the movies and ate snacks and candy and followed up with Chinese food.  When we got to weigh-ins on Sunday, they were both really light - and then the amazing coordinators were like for 10 bucks you can double-bracket.  So we asked the boys if they wanted to - and they did!  Win!  I mean, after the 4 hour drive, it made things worth it!  THEN they ended up combining some of the weight classes which meant that Beck was in 2 round-robin brackets - and wrestled all the 12U kids from 120-138 lbs.  He wrestled 9 times - and won one of his brackets.  That's a crazy amount!  Zane was in 2 legit brackets and wrestled really well in both of them even being really undersized in one of the brackets.  If he had a different spot in the brackets he probably would have placed 2nd in one and 3rd in the other.  Instead he ended up 4th and 3rd - very respectable and a great lead up to a state placement run.

Third - we tested the boys and they impressed us - and themselves.  That's SO important in this marathon journey.  We have always played the long game with these guys and this past weekend felt a little like a milestone.  They both, but Beckett especially, found a way to finish, score, and win in a hard situation.  And honestly, we just couldn't be more proud of how they handled themselves.  The fact that they wrestled really well was icing on the cake.

Fourth - Bob's uncle Warren and cousin Joe, along with his kids, came to visit, which was really nice!  I was touched that they took time out of their day to spend with us - and honestly to meet the boys!  It was fun!

*Beck had his 11 year old well-child appointment this past week too and the fact that he's in a big growth spurt was confirmed.  In fact, he's still running ahead of where Spencer was at the same age.  So I figure I have about 6 months - at most - before this child is taller than me too.  It's inevitable.  

Happy weekend!  Next weekend at this time we will be making final plans for our very first trip with Harvey the RV!  So excited!

Have a great week!

Picture of the Week - 2/16/2023

 That weirdness where you are really busy and nothing is happening.  That's us!

This week we have done some doctors appointments for Zane.  All is well.  He's got his very own glaucoma specialist (from that unfortunate nerf dart incident a few years ago) and while I very much appreciate that he is thorough, I also find it hilarious because Zane is a bit different than the normal demographic in that practice.  LOL  So he's always a bit of a spectacle there.  He's interesting...  and so they always fuss over him.  It's cute and funny - to everyone except Zane.  (PS - his eyes are fine.)

We also (finally) got his 13 year well-child visit done.  I know it may SEEM like we are really late, but it's all about the school physical!  If we do it NOW it's good through football season.  (experience pays off sometimes!)  Zane has zero issues and is, in fact, in a growth spurt.  He's grown almost 4 inches in the last year and is now around the 90th percentile for both height and weight.  We shall see where he lands when all is said and done...  Beck goes next week...  pretty interested to see how he's grown this year too!

Bob and I took a trip over to do some more work on Harvey this week.  We hung up the TV and installed a paper towel bar.  Very exciting stuff.  We also made up all the beds and found some really cool stuff to put in there.  Did you know there are actually cute, compact toilet bowl scrubbers?  I have learned SO MUCH!  LOL  We also practiced putting the hitch on the Yukon and getting everything hooked up so we could get the license plate and back up camera installed.  We run into challenges and bumps with pretty much everything right now because it's a pretty steep learning curve, but we have also found easy answers and MANY solutions on our friend the Internet.  You know there are user forums for like everything...  and camper people (98% of the time) are ridiculously nice.  

This weekend we are traveling up to Hickory, NC for a tournament called Heath's Foothills Clash.  (Please have t-shirts!!!)  It's not a big tourney, but it IS a whole different set of wrestlers than we've ever seen before.  It'll be fun - and a hopefully a good warm up for qualifiers the following weekend.  

I took almost no pictures this week.  SO here are some lovely (LOL) shots of Zane at his appointments.  I'll try to do better next week!  

Picture of the Week - 2/9/2023

 Happy Thursday!

Not a whole lotta news this week.  We are doing the normal stuff.  Lots of work.  Lots of school.  Lots of wrestling.  

In between all the "gotta dos" we are loving on the doggos - especially Gable who got neutered yesterday.  He's doing totally fine.  He's really such an easy going dog.  

This weekend we have a wrestling camp and a little scrimmage, but no big tournaments.  It's been a really weird youth tourney schedule this year.  Lots of cancelled events - which we are chalking up to a referee shortage.  It's been pretty frustrating, but I'm glad it's happened this year and not next.  This year both boys are the young half of their age brackets.  Next year they will be the older ones in the bracket, which makes a big difference with teenage boys in puberty!

That's all from here...  enjoy this hilarious picture of Gable being mad about wearing his collar.  LOL He cracked me up!

Picture of the Week - 2/2/2023

 Happy Birthday to Quinn!

19 years old - goodness that seems impossible!  I'm so proud of him and the path he's on.  He's loving life away at school - and doing all the appropriate college "things".  I'm really anxious and excited to see what this year brings for the Mighty Quinn.  I can't wait to watch his life unfold - and continue to be grateful every day that he's alive and thriving.  

Bob, Beck and I are heading down to see him on Saturday to celebrate (while Zane is away at a church small group weekend.)  I think we are going to head over from Statesboro to Charleston for a little visit with Spencer too.  

It's more than a little weird to have kids spread all over the place.  Not sure I will ever get used to that...

Have a great week everyone - stay warm and dry!  It's been ridiculously wet in Georgia so far in 2023.  I need some sunshine!