Picture of the Week - 8/11/2022

 It’s been a bit of a whirlwind around here lately.  I am still trying to sort through schedules and lists – and my feelings. 

 

Back-to-school time has always been a pretty exciting time for us.  As a two-working-parent family, we haven’t ever really done the “lazy days of summer” thing.  We don’t have extended time off and have always tried to keep the boys busy and active.  There are trips and camps and “things” every week.  So the transition to school-year-level chaos is usually pretty easy.  In some ways – especially since we moved to full-time work-from-home, sending kids off on to the school bus is a little bit of a relief!

 

And yet…  it’s impossible not to think about how time is passing when we tackle these milestone events. 

 

Beckett is in the 5^th grade this year.  He’s moved to a brand new (and gorgeous) elementary school.  He’s the oldest – and probably in the top 2% of biggest – in the building.  He’s not with Zane and is tackling new people, new classrooms, and new opportunities.  He came home the other day asking to apply to work on the school news crew.  I hope he gets picked because he’s the only one of my kids to want to do something like that and I think it’s awesome!  I think I mentioned before that his football practice schedule is a little rough for us – as we have double-duty on Tuesday night with a conflict every week with Zane’s football games.  The flip side of his T R F football schedule is that it allows for him to fit in wrestling practice on Monday and Wednesday.  He’s going to have a great year!

 

Zane is in the 7^th grade – which is the middle grade of middle school.  I’m not going to lie…  this is not my favorite stage of raising humans.  He’s dealing with a full slate of honors/advanced classes along with football – and a social life that would rival A-list celebs.  He’s outgoing and funny and, if I don’t strangle him, poised to KILL 7^th grade.  It’s pretty fun to get to experience all of the “stuff” again.  I’ve told many people, but it’s true…  middle school football was my favorite football – and collectively we have something like 24 seasons of football to pick from.  As a middle school parent, there is truly NO substitute for perspective!

 

Spencer’s last day of his summer internship is today.  He’s learned a lot and has some big plans for what he wants to do next summer.  He’s been working for a construction company and it’s not swayed him from wanting to continue to pursue a career in the construction industry.  If all of my boys were lucky enough to land a summer job after their freshman year in college that helped them solidify their plans for the future, I would be ecstatic!  It’s so helpful to get immersed into the work and figure out what roles are most interesting.  Spencer wants to get into the grading side of construction next summer. 

 

And Quinn…  goodness gracious!  It’s taken me a week to wrap my head around the fact that he’s not here anymore.  I’m not sad.  I promise you that!  Actually, the fact that I’m not sad makes me feel slightly guilty…  like maybe I should be more wistful or something.   But the thing is that he is happy.  He was so excited to get down there and because he’s staying with people he knows in a ridiculously nice apartment, he’s super comfortable.  I almost hate to say it, but it was easy to leave him in Statesboro. 

 

Of course I miss him – he was the MOST consistent with popping into my office when he got home to say hi and get a hug and 100% of the time always came up to give me a goodbye hug before he left.  I miss that.  It’s also weird that I don’t get to see Jess either!  They were here so much that it’s like we lost 2 kids when he went to school. 

 

Quinn is currently enrolled as an Exercise Science major on his way to applying to nursing school.  He’s taking 4 classes and a lab and has settled in with his friends from home, while already meeting some new folks.  He’s going to thrive down there – and I can’t wait to watch it! 

 

If you would like to send Quinn a card – his address is : Quinn Bovenizer, PO Box 8797, Georgia Southern University, Statesboro, GA 30460

 

Here’s a selfie of Quinn that I made him take on his first day of class yesterday 😊 

Picture of the Week - 5/26/2022

 May-madness is almost over...  the end of the hustle is SOOOO close!

In the past week...

- Zane played in the Black and White game.  He played center for the whole game.  He was consistent and reliable and steady.  He's not flashy, but he is a really good football player.  I really do love watching him play.

- Visited with Sharon and Karen who came down to visit from Ohio for the festivities

- Held Quinn's graduation party where we entertained a LOT of people.  My heart is truly so happy to see all the friends and family who came to wish Quinn well.  He's just such a good, likeable dude.  Celebrating him was fun - and easy! - and also a little exhausting! 

- More dinner party fun with Berber and Pappy and Jess and her family to celebrate the graduates!

- Actual graduation ceremony on Sunday and dinner (out again... who wants to cook in May???)

- Then we found out on Monday that Zane made the football team - woohoo!  I'm so happy for him - and he's SO excited about it!!

- Tuesday happened to be our 25th wedding anniversary - and we used it as an opportunity to visit one of our favorite restaurants with some great friends

- Wednesday we had a football meeting for all the players and families that made the team to pay dues and get fitted for gear and such.  We also found out that Zane will get to continue the tradition of a Bovenizer wearing #59.  The coaches know and remember Spencer - and asked if Zane wanted to be the same number.  I love that so much.

- And then here we are back to Thursday - the last day of the 2021-22 school year.

I would say we are doing a pretty darn good job of filling our days up with fun stuff!  This doesn't mean we aren't simultaneously saddened by the tragedy of the Texas school shooting.  That evil weighs heavy - but is also a good reminder not to take any of these crazy, jam-packed, family-centered days for granted.  You just never know...  

Tomorrow we will try to get through the last workday before heading to the Carolina coast for vacation.  I can't wait!

Picture of the Week - 5/12/2022

 Swoooooooooosh - did you feel the first half of May, FLY by???  Good grief!  I feel like I blinked in March and here we are mid-May.

We continue the month of (almost) all Quinn.  Last weekend was his second prom - which started with some awkwardly windy pictures and ended in a super fun (per Quinn and Jess) event in downtown Atlanta - like literally across the street from the capital.  They went with a charcoal grey and pink color scheme for this one and looked gorgeous.  I can't decide which one I liked better - and also couldn't pick just one picture to share.

Then Spencer came home on Saturday.  He's home until mid-August and working as a Project Engineer for Hawk Construction.  He's only worked for 3 days and has already learned so much!  This is going to be a really excellent internship for him.  He's also been busy connecting with some of his friends as they return back for the summer and spent Sunday helping Quinn buy a new car.

Yes...  Quinn has purchased a new (used) car in preparation for driving back and forth to Statesboro this fall.  He got a Hyundai Veloster.  It's cute and suits him well.  He got a (for today's weird economy) ridiculously good deal on it because it's been modified a bit (Spencer could tell you all the things they have added - custom this and that and the other - I can tell you they replaced the Hyundai symbol on the back with a velociraptor plaque.  LOL  

This week Bob has been in California for work and gets to come home tonight.  This weekend, as strange as it sounds, we are going to spend prepping for vacation and Beckett's first week at camp.  We head to the beach on the 28th and Beck goes to camp the day after we get home.  My goal is to be mostly packed for both of these things before we get into GRADUATION activities next weekend.  I can't even believe graduation is here.  Quick topic change or I'll get sad again...  how bout the weather this week!  Gorgeous!!

Have a great week everyone and enjoy the prom/car pictures!

Picture of the Week - 4/28/2022

 Quinn walked into our room this morning and announced that TODAY is his last full day of school.  And while I knew it, I didn't think about it, and I'm NOT OK with it.  

Sigh...  time marches on... and soon he will too.

BUT before that happens, Bob and I are taking advantage of a built-in/live-in babysitter and taking off for a weekend in Charleston.  We have really fallen in love with Charleston - and we get a chance to see Spencer too.  Win/Win!

Catch ya next week! 

Picture of the Week - 1/27/2022

 Well...  it's safe to say that I've been an emotional mess all week.  Having a senior is really hard on us moms.  Check in with the moms of seniors in your circle. We aren't always OK...

Quinn's wrestling career is over.  I'm not sad about *that* (see FB post from this week for my thoughts on that topic) but it is the beginning of the ends for him and I can't get that out of my head.  I will really miss him when he leaves.  And that's all I can write about that at the moment because I don't feel like more tears this week.

In other news...

Spencer is in quarantine jail this week.  His roommate tested positive (with no symptoms) so Spencer had to move out of the barracks and into short term housing for the week.  He is by himself 95% of the time and bored out of his mind.  He can't attend classes.  He can't go to workouts.  He's going to miss a wrestling tournament he was supposed to go to on Saturday.  Covid can suck it...  I'm over it.  (Spencer is not sick, shows no symptoms, is 100% fine.)

Zane and Beck had well-child visits today.  It was mostly uneventful - although we did have a nice conversation about the ring worm on Zane's face.  #wrestlerproblems  It's treated (with an Rx from Quinn) and I talked the doctor into a refill for future use.  #winning  

For reference...  Zane is 12 and is 62.2 inches (officially taller than me) and 120 lbs.  Beck is 10 and 58.2 inches and 107 lbs.  Of note (and all the bragging associated) Beck's stats are bigger in both height and weight than Spencer was at 10 years old.  It's going to be so fun to watch these guys turn into men.  And I admit, it lessens the Quinn-is-a-senior pain a wee bit.  A teeny bit...

This weekend, since we have no wrestling, Bob and I are going to do something we've wanted to do for a long time.  We are heading to an RV show!  LOL laugh if you must, we are excited!  We know very little about RVs, so this is a learning excursion - with pizza.  

Then Bob is TRAVELING.  Oy...  that just doesn't happen.  He's heading to Arizona for work for the week.  I get the boys and dogs all to myself next week - and we get to celebrate Quinn's upcoming birthday on Wednesday - and then again when Bob gets home.  It will be a fun week of celebrating Quinn! 

And I'm going to try to do a better job next week of ignoring that Quinn's time here is coming to an end than I did this week!  Because my emotions can't take another week like this one...

Much love - and stay warm.  It's gonna be freezing this weekend!

Picture of the Week 10/28/2021

 All kinds of fun stuff crammed into the back-half of October!  It's one of the reasons I love October so much!!!

Last weekend was Homecoming!  It's always fun to see all the kids we have watched grow up get all fancy and head out to have a fun evening.  It's even more fun to watch your SENIOR get excited about the clothes, the plans, the pictures, and the time with friends.  Here's a sweet picture of Quinn and his date, Jess.  They are adorable.

Then Sunday was a celebration of my parent's 50th wedding anniversary, which is tomorrow.  Wow!  That's a pretty impressive milestone!  It was fun to spend some time visiting with their friends and reminiscing about all the memories they have made over the last 50 years.  So fun!  Tricia and I put together this cool mosaic for them using (literally) hundreds of pictures that would never have been if it were for their love story.  Take a look!  Also - if you ever need a cool mosaic, I highly recommend http://www.allyourphotos.com !  I had a blast putting this together!  

This weekend is playoff football for Zane and Beckett.  Here's their picture from this year.  Look how big they are both getting!  Goodness someone slow time down!!

Have a great week everyone - and Happy Halloween!!

Here's the online version of the 50th Anniversary mosaic - if you are interested, you can zoom ALL THE WAY in to see each of the individual pictures.  So fun!  https://allyourphotos.com/#/share/6Y5bkybA

Picture of the Week - 10/21/2021

 Beckett turned 10 on Tuesday.  Mind blown!

I know it's so so so cliché, but I can't believe my baby is 10.  Related...  how in the world are we old enough to have a 19 year old.  Sometimes these things just wash over me (and of course I celebrate them) without really knocking me on my butt.  Sometimes I have to sit, truly in wonder, at the reality of this big, crazy life Bob and I have built.  It's equal parts incomprehensible and also so so so, just, well real.  It's is us.  And I love all of it.

Beckett at 10 is a pretty cool dude.  He's personable and bright.  He can play sports with kids or spout off random facts he's learned from Youtube.  His 4th grade teacher told us in a conference recently that he had nothing at all to worry about in his classwork, but should focus on his classroom behavior.  He likes to be liked - a LOT.  It's really important for him to be surrounded by friends and 90% of the time he is.  He wrote on his student-led conference prep sheet that he thought he'd talk less if he didn't sit near his friends.  In the conference she asked him who he should be moved away from.  He, no joke, rattled off like 8-9 kids...  that's almost half the class.  So yeah...  moving seats isn't going to work.  :)

Beck is a big dude.  He's actually as big as Spencer was at 10 years old, which is the first time on his growth chart that he's matched the oldest Bovy's chart.  Not sure if that means he will end up being as big as Spence in the end, but I don't think it will matter.  He's a really strong, solid kid.  He knows his way around a football line - both offense and defense - and will wrestle this winter at 110 lbs...  I think.  He's in the middle of a growth spurt right now, so who knows where he'll be by our first tournament in a month.

At home Beck is still willing to do/help with just about anything we ask him to do.  He likes to be useful and (back to wanting to be liked) the feedback he gets when he does stuff feeds an important part of his psyche.  It's sometimes weird to me that he's become SO independent and self-sufficient.  We moved him to his own room in August and he's done a really great job keeping it pretty clean, putting away his own clothes, and getting himself dressed for school every day.  Last school year, those were all things we did for or with him.  So much can change in 12 months.

Tonight, after football practice, Bob and his assistant coaches are taking the whole team for pizza to celebrate birthdays.  Can you believe that 3 of the coaches all have kids with birthdays THIS week?  So much fun!  After pizza, Beck is headed home with one of the families for a sleepover, totally taking advantage of their day off school tomorrow.  

This weekend we have the last of our regular season football games and then onto the playoffs - and whenever that ends it's right into wrestling season.  Quinn starts "real" season practice on Monday.  Spencer has his first intra-squad match on Wednesday.  The merry-go-round just keeps on going round...  and the next thing you know it's been 10 years.  

Speaking of big milestones - we get to celebrate my parent's 50th (!!!) wedding anniversary on Sunday!  What a great accomplishment and what wonderful role models.  I hope in 2047 my boys throw a wild party to celebrate our 50th too!  It's crazy to think about that, but also...  how the heck did I get a 10 year old?!?!?!?  Happy GOLDEN Anniversary Berber and Pappy!  We love you!

Picture of the Week - 10/1/2021

 Happy Happy October!

We have had SO MANY happy things going on 'round here!

We just finished a fun Fall break trip, got to see Quinn's amazing senior pictures (more on that later), and celebrated Spencer and Zane's birthdays.  

Now we are in Charleston about to head to the Citadel campus for day 1 of Parent's weekend festivities.  Our first Parent's weekend - and the first time I get to see Spencer since he started!  So excited about that!!

There's a lot...  and I've done a poor job of saving time to write about it all because I'm too busy enjoying each thing.  Hope you all have a great first week of October!  I'll share more about our Charleston trip on the flip side!!

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 - 8/19/2021

 I think we are finally settling into a little bit of routine around here.  There are still some rough spots in our weekly "stuff" that need a little smoothing out, but I don't think we have any "big" events happening now until Fall break.  Then our late Sept through Oct is a little cray-cray, but we will deal with that when it comes.

Beckett and Zane seem to be doing well with school so far and since we are hearing no complaints from kids or teachers, I'm going with a "no news is good news" philosophy!  They both launch their football seasons with scrimmages last Saturday and get their first real games in this weekend.  Bob is coaching Beck again, so I obviously love his team and coaches.  :)  And I am so so so happy Zane got onto the team he's on this year.  The kids are all meshing well, the coaches are awesome and I think it's going to be a really great year!

Quinn is also doing well - although he came down with a sinus infection earlier this week which had us all just waiting to see if this was a "get a covid test" kind of sickness or if it was the normal kind we have dealt with forever.  I think there's a lot of "normal sick" that causes far more stress than it really should because of the cloud of "covid concern" right now.  I'm pleased to report that after a few doses of mucinex and some ibuprophen, coupled with a day off school, he's back to healthy.  No doctor visit or covid test required...  just plain old Mom judgement and some TLC.  

Spencer - well we really don't know how he's doing.  We are a little more than halfway through Challenge week and will get to talk to him on Sunday evening.  In the meantime, I scour all the pictures people are posting to the various Facebook pages every morning like my life depends on it.  LOL  I'm not alone, there are entire groups of knob-moms out there supporting each other through this.  It's actually amazing!  It's comforting to know that there are others going through the exact same thing (or nearly) as we are - and that we will know these people for a really long time.  One of the more uplifting things that has been shared is from alumni and/or people with older kids who have graduated from The Citadel.  They have all said that there is something incredibly bonding about what these kids are going through.  It's not the normal "off to college" experience and results in lifelong bonds between classmates.  I LOVE that!  

We did get a little glimpse of him through a pretty round-about way yesterday.  All the knob (freshmen) athletes got to have lunch with their coaches yesterday.  This had to have been a pretty big deal because (for one thing) it was a break from the oversight of the cadre (the guys responsible for the training...  and discipline).  One of the coaches is friends with Charlie Morris, the guy who runs the wrestling training center our boys have gone to for years.  He sent a message (with the attached picture) to Charlie to let him know that Spencer is doing well.  Charlie, of course, because he's awesome, shared the picture with Bob.  The fact that he is smiling, coupled with the kind words about how Spence is starting to fit in with the team, meant the world to me!  And the guy doesn't even know I saw any of it...  LOL  

If I haven't said it recently, I will reiterate here that Spencer is in exactly the place he was meant to be and I think he's going to love every minute (well maybe not the running parts) of his time at The Citadel.

I thought I'd also share the family pictures we had taken just before Spencer left.  I haven't shared them yet because it took us a while to decide which ones to get printed and gift to others.  I didn't want to ruin any surprises.  I love them...  

Have a great week everyone! 

Picture of the Week - 8/5/2021

 Today is Back to School Day!!  

It's a big one for us!  Beck is starting 4th grade and is solo for the first time ever at Whitlow.  I hope this is an amazing year for him!  His teach has a pet bearded dragon in the classroom, so they have already bonded over reptiles.  LOL  Fun fact - this is our 14th straight year with at least one kid at Whitlow...

Zane is starting middle school at Vickery Creek this year.  It was pretty weird to be back in that building for open house.  I haven't been in there in a long time.  He seems appropriately anxious, but I know he's going to love some extra freedom and meeting a bunch of new friends.  And he has the locker-thing down pat already, so #winning.

Quinn is a senior at West this year and mostly self-managing already.  He's such an easy kid!!!  I can't wait to celebrate all the senior things with him.  It is going to be so much fun!

Spencer doesn't officially matriculate until next Saturday - and his classes don't start until August 23rd, but I made him get in the picture too.  I actually bent the "rules" a little and took this picture last night so I didn't have to get the big guys out of bed early this morning.  Isn't motherhood mostly just a series of "figure out how to make it happen" moments anyway?

Spence got home Tuesday evening and has spent most of his time with his buddies.  I don't blame him.  They are more fun than we are. :)  Tomorrow Bob and Quinn head to Pigeon Forge for a wrestling tournament and we have football practices and such to do through the weekend.  I'm also starting in my "official" 3 year old room as a volunteer at church on Sunday.  Quinn and I started volunteering together at the start of the summer and have been serving as floaters, but now we are officially assigned to a room.  I'm excited to start getting to know a group of wee kiddos.  3-year-olds are super fun when you know you give them back in 90 minutes.  :)

Crazy week - as always - around here, but I am feeling so blessed and happy that the boys are all off doing their thing and we are here to watch them!

Picture of the Week - 6/24/2021

 So this was the week.  We dropped Spencer off at The Citadel in Charleston on Tuesday and drove home.  

How's he doing?  Honestly, I'm not really sure.  He is not the best communicator and I don't want to press too much for information.  I think he's good.  I hope he's good.  He's supposed to call tonight - fingers crossed!

It was so weird.  We aren't allowed in the barracks - so I don't know what his room looks like.  I didn't get to help him make his bed or organize his unpacking.  He's on his own... 

How am I doing?  Well, I'm good, if I'm being honest.  I had moments of being sad and melancholy before I left him, but so far, I just feel like "WE DID IT"!  I'm sure I will miss him and there will be times when his absence is huge here, but right now my whole house feels a little weird, so it's not hit me yet.

Right now Quinn is in Orlando getting ready to wrestle in the Disney Duals.  This is the first tournament in a LONG time that either Bob or I haven't gone, but we just couldn't make this one work.  He's in good hands - and we will get to watch the matches online.  

Zane and Beck have a week off camps and are getting to spend some time with Berber and Pappy today at Camp Berber.  They are excited for an endless stream of donuts and Sunny-D and will be spoiled rotten when we get them back tomorrow.

Zane leaves for sleepaway at Woodlands on Monday and Beckett is doing the Wet & Wild camp next week as we lead up to vacation week!  I can't wait!  Not having Spencer there will be hard...  not looking forward to that part!

Here are a couple of pictures of Spencer with his brothers from this week.  Enjoy!

Picture of the Week - 6/17/2021

 This was a heavy camp-kinda week!  

Beckett is away at Woodlands (sleep away church camp) until tomorrow morning.  Zane did a "wet and wild" day camp through parks & rec all week.  Quinn has been away at the Jeff Jordon wrestling camp all week with his team.  They are driving home from Ohio right now!  

Spencer, thank goodness, has been home this week - although since it's his last week before heading to Charleston to start his Citadel journey, he's been out socializing most of the week.  We leave on Sunday and he starts his class/program on Tuesday.  He's participating in the Excellence in Civil Engineering program (ExCEL program) for 3 weeks with 9 other students.  This is part of a scholarship he was awarded and I'm so excited about this program!  He will take most of his freshman year classes with this group of 10 and will have access to extra support (tutoring/mentoring/etc) through both the Civil Engineering faculty and also the upper-class members of this program.  For the firs 3 weeks they will dive into Calculus and a series of Engineering seminars to help them learn about the different sub-disciplines available and a bunch of other cool topics.  I think this is a pretty awesome program and can't wait to hear all about it!  If you want to read more - Engineering ExCEL-lence at The Citadel | The Citadel Today

The following 3 weeks, he will participate with a much bigger group of kids in the Citadel Success Institute, which is an intensive orientation to the school.  It also includes coursework and special events.  More on this program when it starts mid-July!

I can't wait to get everyone back into this house tomorrow - even if it's short-lived, I'm going to enjoy the heck out of my the next couple of days before we shake things up again next week.

Here are a couple of pictures of my campers this week.  :)

Picture of the Week - 5/27/2021

 It's a little hard to wrap my head around everything that has happened since last Thursday.  There are so many memories crammed into 7 days!  I did learn one thing about myself, however, and that is that I take terrible graduation pictures!  (When I remember to take them at all...)  That's definitely something to work on before Quinn's graduation next year!

Spencer officially graduated on Sunday.  Leading up to the big day, was a Friday night dinner with Bob's mom and sister.  Then a Saturday full of perfect weather and a super fun party packed with friends and family AND a big celebratory dinner!  It was a really special weekend.  

Monday Bob and I celebrated our 24th wedding anniversary.  I love May 24th because it not only gives us an excuse to remember that special day, but it is also an obvious opportunity to stop and think about the amazing life we have built together.  It's a special thing that I am grateful for every day.  I don't take this marriage and our relationship for granted because I know how amazing it is!  To celebrate, we had a photo shoot for some updated family portraits.  It was fun!  We've been using this photographer for at least 12 years - which is pretty crazy to think about!  I can't wait to see the results!

Then Tuesday we got to celebrate Zane's transition from elementary to middle school.  (I hesitate to call that a graduation because, honestly, it's expected... but it IS a big transition!)  Zane is ready to put Whitlow into his rear view mirror and tackle Vickery Middle School.  He's done the school tours and met some of the teachers - and has the distinct benefit of a recognizable last night.  I think he's gonna thrive there!

Last night Bob and I sent the boys off to wrestling practice and had a super fun date night - with wine.  And today the boys are all up at the pool celebrating the last day of school with their neighborhood buddies.  

There aren't many weeks like this last one.  My emotions have been more stable than I would have guessed given the extraordinary level of change we are all going through right now.  I have had some moments - like when Zane joined the middle school church group alongside his 5th grade peers (forgot to mention that one) on Sunday.  Spencer's graduation was not a sad event for me, but watching his wrestling team turn out at his party to wish him well choked me up.  

I'm guessing that those little moments will continue to hit me when they want to over the coming months, which I will gladly accept because my dominant feeling this past week is one of happiness and pride of all the things my boys are accomplishing.  I love the people they are becoming and can't wait to see what's next for them!

Speaking of what's next...  tomorrow morning Bob is packing Spencer and Zane into the car and heading to Virginia Beach for a wrestling Duals competition.  Some say this is the biggest Duals competition in the country each year.  There will be people from all over the states.  It will be tough for sure!  

When they return Spencer will be down to 21 days at home before he has to report to The Citadel.  3 weeks.  Excuse me while I have a little moment...