How is this your last birthday before the teenage years?! I cannot believe you are turning 12. I am loving every moment of your current age, even if you keep getting older on me. You are starting to sit in the front seat on rides in the car, giving us the best opportunities to chat about what is going on at school, church and soccer! You are excelling in middle school, getting all As (and maybe one B in 2nd quarter in reading). You are thriving in the advanced classes and starting to participate in the extra curricular activities that middle school has to offer: boys’ volleyball as the team manager, FCA on Wednesday mornings, Crosby Scholars and orchestra (playing the violin). You have also started to learn how to speak Spanish this year and thanks to Grandpa’s help, you are learning how to play golf (and already have a pretty great swing). You continue to thrive on the soccer field, playing offensive positions and twice being nominated for Team of the Week due to your stellar performance at the games the weekend prior! You continue to be active at our church, assisting with the audio visual team for youth worship nights, helping with set up and clean up during youth events, and participating in youth retreats in the fall and spring! This summer you will attend your first week-long youth camp event. This past year, you got to take trips to England, two weeks at the beach, a 5th grade beach retreat, a mountain ski weekend in the winter and a trip to our nation’s capital over spring break, so appropriate since you love history! Your favorite genre to read is historical fiction. You are almost as tall as me now but you still continue to show me the respect a son should give to a mother. You are incredibly polite, consistently optimistic and such a hard worker (you have started cutting our grass this year and helping me with more chores around the house without me even asking, ex: emptying the dishwasher, folding the laundry, taking Beau for a walk and feeding him, and sweeping the floors). I’m so incredibly thankful that God blessed us with such an amazing son 12 years ago! I can’t wait to see what this next year holds as we countdown to you becoming a teenager! I love you so much!
Love,
Mommy (a.k.a. Mom at this point)
Southeastern Division Reception (Wednesday night)
On Thursday we had a kayak and snorkeling adventure! We got to swim with at least five sea turtles and saw some more turtles resting in the bay after we came back with our kayaks. I have always wanted to see sea turtles in the wild so this was definitely a highlight of the trip! Also, while we were kayaking, our guide spotted a pod of dolphins in front of us, making the excursion even more enjoyable as they moved in and out of the water! When we got back to the resort, we ate lunch al fresco at one of the restaurants on their property. It is so crazy to have everything paid for! Thursday evening, we celebrated all the President’s Club winners with a cocktail reception, dinner and an awards ceremony! I love my favorite President’s Club winner! He has won this award three different times and the last two have been consecutive years. He works so incredibly hard for our family and I’m thankful we can celebrate him!
On Friday, we enjoyed a leisurely day by the pool. We tried the various water slides on property and took advantage of the lazy river. I was able to read a book while sitting poolside (something that doesn’t happen when two cute boys are with me at the pool). That evening, we had dinner on our own. We got a reservation with a table on the water. It was absolutely beautiful and I enjoyed time chatting with Zack after all the company events the last few days.
Snapped this picture below from the walking trail
It’s that time of year where the #sweatysisters take to the streets for our annual road race! We always prefer spring races and this year’s weather was probably my favorite so far! It was in the upper 50s and sunny! We started off the morning with a caffeine jolt and then hit the pavement! While our kids were at their various sporting events for the day with the dads, our parents came to cheer on their kids! They have been cheering us on our whole lives, no matter how big or small the occasion, and it was a welcome relief to see our 16 year old signs mom made in the distance as we approached mile 4 and mile 9! We have the best fans! I was able to knock out a 1:55:09 (8:47 pace) and take home first place in my age group and 11th female overall! Linds came in a few minutes after me and took home 3rd in her “younger” age group.;) I love that we are still running together every Saturday and am equally thankful we’ve checked off our annual 13.1 miles!
