Preparing for Back to School

As the summer began to wind down, it became clear that the upcoming school year was going to be quite a bit different from years past. Gone were the days of on-campus school orientation while excitedly comparing schedules face-to-face with friends. Now it has become virtual webcasts and socially distant, mask-clad school supplies pickup. We were all feeling a bit uncertain about what to expect as we helped the kids navigate the days leading up to the new school year. For Kaitlynn starting Junior High, we logged on to her Zoom school orientation, and then we helped her sort through a ton of hand-me-down clothes from Lily to build her new Junior High approved wardrobe.

Something about the thought of the new school year always prompts me to make those last minute dental appointments for the kids. We visited our local dentist for their regular cleanings, and then we followed up with their other dentist to get a check-up on their alternative orthodontia program. So far so good for the kids not needing braces, but there are no guarantees long-term. For some reason, visiting the dentist together always brings out the silliness in these kids. 

A couple of days before school kicked back off, we had an impromptu visit with the Aasmyr kiddos. It was an unexpected treat and helped the kiddos reconnect before their lives would be taken over with homework and school sports. Sometimes the best times are those that happen spontaneously - so fun!

Summer Fun with Friends

This summer, we tried to break up all the time at home with occasional visits and hangouts with friends. The favorite activity by far was time in the pool to swim with friends. Night swims were always a special treat.

Kaitlynn enjoyed the extra time with Sophia, including a fun night out at the Sugar Land Skeeters baseball game and swimming with a fellow mermaid.

Kaitlynn also began a new activity this summer - competitive cheer. It's a brand new world for her, learning how to achieve "perfection over progress" in her tumbling. She is working hard, making friends, and learning a lot of new things. She's loving the experience so far! (Below she's pictured after cheer practice with one of her all-time favorite buddies, Duke!)

Kaitlynn spent most of her summers rotating between the homes of her new neighborhood posse. This group of girls continues to hang out daily and often the fun carries over into sleepovers. Her summer wouldn't have been nearly as successful without her new friends across the street!

Speaking of great friends, likely the highlight of my summer was the occasional lunch with my longtime besties, Michelle and Julie. So blessed and thankful for their friendship!

Summer Days at Home

Our summer days have been quite slow and boring compared to previous years, but we all tried to make the best out of it. Connor ended up taking 2 summer school classes online to pass the time, so we found ourselves "working" at home most days.

Speaking of work, I received a fun surprise in the form of "thank you" brownies after many long days and nights of project support for one of the clients I've been supporting. So nice!

During those long hours of work, I was once surprised in another totally random way by Jeff. He wanted to show off his newfound discovery of one of the recent fashion trends he'd noticed - the "front tuck." I laughed so hard at this one!

Jeff spent most days of his summer in and around the backyard playing gardener and pool boy. He loves to remind people to never assume that caring for a pool is easy. It's a trick - don't fall for it!

Despite the never-ending list of household projects, Jeff is loving his retired lifestyle. His favorite part is enjoying lunch or a game of golf with Collin or Kevin when they're around.

Of course, he also loves the extra time with the kiddos at home, especially any chance he can get for a movie night snuggling with Kaitlynn on the couch.

Meanwhile, Connor coupled his studies with ongoing workouts and strength training offered at the high school. He also participated in additional velocity training with his baseball team. Who knew that swinging an ax and flipping old tires could improve his pitching performance? Ha!

What better way to recover from workouts and soak in the summer fun than enjoying a special treat every now and then? Throughout the summer, our neighborhood hosted many different food truck events and social gatherings. The favorite by far was the Hurts Donut truck - everyone has an occasional donut emergency, right?!

Pride Baseball and Action Photos

Over the course of the summer, Connor's main baseball team was his CUB 14U team which played tournaments usually 2 times per month. After a few great outings with his CUB team, Connor was invited to join another team called Pride which was a 15U high school team that occasionally needed substitute players for their tournaments. It was an honor and testament to Connor's hard work that he was asked to join an older team, and he was excited to get additional playing time and experience with older guys. 

During one of his Pride tournaments, one of the fellow moms took action photos throughout the game of the players. Connor just so happened to be pitching that game, and she captured some great shots of Connor in action. Here are some of my favorites.

Around the time that these action photos were taken, I just so happened to receive a text message from my Dad sharing a photo of himself back in the day while playing baseball. Wow, look at that little slugger! Love this so much that I had to throw it in. Connor comes from a long line of baseball enthusiasts! :-)