Volleyball

Late in the summer, Kaitlynn was attending the daily strength and conditioning (SAC) camp offered by her junior high campus. It was sometimes a brutal workout for her, as the sessions were held every afternoon in the hottest part of the day. Kaitlynn was quite the trooper and always worked hard, and her coaches were always impressed with her great attitude. One day during SAC, the girls coach and athletic director noticed Kaitlynn and asked her innocently if she'd be trying out for volleyball that year. Kaitlynn was caught off guard and the question sat with her for a long time. She began to wonder if the coach's question might be worth considering, and sure enough, she made a decision to give volleyball a try. After practicing at school and signing up for a volleyball camp, Coach Dad again stepped up to continue working with Kaitlynn to help her grow in her skills. This girl knew nothing about the sport, but she was so excited to learn and was really picking it up quickly!

Like everything else she does when she puts her mind to it, Kaitlynn began focusing (obsessing?) about volleyball and practiced every chance she had. Jeff strung up a net in the backyard and she worked hard at her hitting, setting, and serving. She attended a local camp and was getting some great feedback from the coaches. She even practiced with Connor when he was willing to work with her. We were so proud of Kaitlynn's hard work and dedication as she tried something new.

Kaitlynn's volleyball tryouts were held during the first week of the new school year. She put so much pressure on herself and she ended up performing well, but she was beyond nervous when the official letters were handed out. Over half the girls that tried out for 8th grade volleyball were cut. To Kaitlynn's enormous surprise and delight, she had made the cut. Having no experience whatsoever and starting completely from scratch, Kaitlynn was now officially an 8th grade volleyball player, wow! To say we were excited for her was an understatement. We were beyond proud of her willingness to put herself out there for a brand new sport and work super hard to achieve her goal. Now on to volleyball season!

First Day of School - 11th and 8th

And so it began, another "first day of school" for Connor and Kaitlynn as they kicked off their 11th and 8th grade school years. First up for the big day was Connor, who starts his day super early by leaving at 6:35 to get to school on time. He ate his breakfast and though he wouldn't admit it, he was excited about the first day and the new year ahead. This school year was going to look VERY different for Connor (and us!) because he would be driving himself and parking in his very own designated parking space on campus. Such a crazy feeling to see him off on his own to school, but we were excited for him and hopeful for a great first day!

And then it was Kaitlynn's turn, who was all dressed up for her role as 8th grade cheerleader to root the junior high student body on to a great first day of school! To anyone who knows her, we're very aware that Kaitlynn is never fond of wearing her cheer uniform to school. But I think her excitement at the new school year outweighed any nervousness she was feeling for the day.

Both kids were blessed to have awesome teachers and great schedules to get their new years started, and we were all hopeful for a wonderful 11th and 8th grade year ahead for these kiddos!

Summer Visit with Anais

As the summer was coming to a close, there was one major activity we still hadn't yet checked off our list - Kaitlynn's long overdue visit with Anais! With some schedule shuffling and last minute planning, we managed to squeeze in a fun visit just in the nick of time. On the very last couple of days of the summer, the girls met up to enjoy such much-needed together time. They were all smiles in their summer hats when first meeting up, and Kaitlynn was so excited to open her belated birthday gift to kick off the fun.

The first stop on our Kaitlynn/Anais weekend of fun was a quick shopping trip in La Centerra, where Kaitlynn wanted to surprise Anais with a gift as well. They loved looking around and then picked their favorite necklaces - a fun splurge to enjoy for them both! After our shopping, we stopped for some food and then headed back home.

Kaitlynn and Anais were both in the process of trying out for their school volleyball teams, so they took advantage of the backyard "court" setup and worked on their serves, sets, and spikes. These two - they just have so much fun no matter what the activity!

It was a hot summer afternoon and the girls wore themselves out playing volleyball, so naturally their next activity involved water. They started with water balloons on the trampoline and quickly moved to their all-time favorite - swimming and choreographed dances in the pool. Just look at those huge smiles! It's such a joy seeing how much fun they have together. By the end of the day, they were exhausted and happy to relax with some screen time.

The next morning brought the highlight of the visit for the girls. Kaitlynn had long been planning a visit to the waterpark as part of her June birthday celebration, and it had been postponed due to an unexpected bout of Covid in our household. Now in mid-August, the girls were finally able to go to Typhoon Texas, and they were THRILLED to get fast passes for the day to maximize the fun. They ended up staying all.day.long and had the most amazing, fun day together. By the time they were ready to come home, they were completely wiped out and ready to shower and pass out for the night. Or so I thought...

They managed to catch a second wind, because we later found them outside playing more volleyball and basketball. Oh, to have the energy of a kid! The next morning, they were back at it, this time with their usual visit to the Altitude trampoline park. After 2 hours of nonstop jumping and dodgeball, the fun had sadly come to an end. As with every visit together, they were bummed for their visit to end but so happy to have had another amazing time together before the chaos of the new school year kicked in. Until next time! 

Back to School at WoodCreek Junior High

Summer was officially winding down and the new school year for Connor and Kaitlynn was merely days away. With Kaitlynn's role as an 8th grade cheerleader, back to school means all kinds of fun for her and the 8th grade squad. Kaitlynn was so excited to return to campus for the Timberwolf Trek, where they welcome students for the new year and receive their class schedule. It was such a fun day for Kaitlynn to see beloved friends and teachers while keeping the school spirit alive.

One of the faces Kaitlynn was MOST excited to see that day was her beloved former elementary teacher, Ms. Hebert. Words can never describe the impact this sweet teacher had on my girls in those early years of school. She is the most beautiful person inside and out, and we all love her so much! Imagine our surprise when Ms. Hebert showed up at the junior high back-to-school event, registering her own kiddo for 6th grade. Kaitlynn was overjoyed to see her! And yes, Kaitlynn is now taller than her, ha!

After the long day of welcoming their classmates back to school, Kaitlynn and her friends geared up for the back to school dance held later that night. The girls joined a larger group and they all had such a fun time together to commemorate the end of summer. Hard to believe we were on the cusp of yet another school year. Time slow down!