Spring School Updates

In February, Kaitlynn began a persuasive writing unit in school. It didn't take her any time at all to decide what she should write about. She was so proud of her well-written letter, and we were definitely impressed and persuaded to consider her position. In the end, even her mastery of persuasion was no match for her Sweet Daddy's strong will! Ha!

As her letter states, Kaitlynn was really stepping up her game grade-wise this spring. She had set her sights on improving her grades, began recognizing what it took to get there, and was really putting in the effort to study more and make good grades. It was so rewarding to see her find herself after a rough first few months of 5th grade.

Despite what was going on at school, Kaitlynn's favorite activity was enjoying lunch with her Sweet Daddy, usually with her favorite McDonald's chicken nuggets!

Also in February, I found myself attending a "preview to high school" night at Katy High School. Despite my efforts to deny this was happening, indeed it is true that Connor will be entering high school this fall. I attended a parent orientation night which preceded a couple weeks of stressful planning for the next 4 years of Connor's academic education. I had not realized that high school course preparations are now akin to the complexities of college planning. After studying the high school course catalog (thicker than my Texas A & M course catalog back in the day!) for over a week and reading/discussing through the options with Connor, we finally came up with a plan for his 9th grade course selections along with an overview of his course preferences for the next 4 years. I have a feeling that the upcoming high school years will pass by quicker than the last 10. Connor Courtright, Class of 2024. My heart!!!





Speaking of our future high schooler, Connor has really been going through a tremendous growth spurt in his 13th year of life. We purchased a lot of new school clothes last fall only for him to outgrow them in short order. In particular, his baseball pants are the ones where we really notice his growth. He put on a relatively new pair for a spring practice and we were a bit taken aback by how short they were on him. I had to embark on a shopping trip to find another pair that would fit for an upcoming baseball tournament. The only length that would fit him were the Adult size medium, but those just swallowed him. It made me remember this type of issue back when Collin and Kevin were teenagers. All of their clothes were either too short or too big around.

Despite his adult-sized frame, however, Connor still shows me his softer side from time to time. This age can be so tough, both for parents and teenagers. I admit that it breaks my heart sometimes to feel him pulling away, but I know it's natural and the normal way of things.