May

 May is always such a whirlwind! This May was no exception. It seems like the last few weeks of school they want us to be up there for something every day. I’m so thankful that I’m able to be up there for as much as I can be. The happenings of the past couple of years certainly have made me realize how short life is and where my priorities should lie. I am fortunate enough to be in a position that I can arrange things in a way that I can be there for most of their things, and for that I am so thankful. 

 

Ella’s field day was moved inside this year due to storms. She was so bummed. Thankfully, she reported that it was much better than she expected for an indoor field day. I have worked field day every year. Neal used to take off work at least half the day and work it with me. It’s always been something I have enjoyed. Field day is a day when you can see just how much kid stress a teacher can handle and how they operate under stress. These poor teachers endure a lot and Field Day is up there as what I suspect would be one of the more stressful days. This day helps me to know what teachers I hope to have for my kids and what teachers I’d like to steer clear of.

 

They couldn’t do the 5^th grade fire truck spray down on Field Day due to the weather. But I’m so glad they fit it in and got the fire truck there the following Monday. I haven’t missed the fire truck before but sadly did this year due to work. I couldn’t be there Monday morning for the graduation and then Monday afternoon for the fire truck. I’m thankful for other mom friends that got pictures and video for me.

 

I’m not certain how elementary school flew by so quickly! I cannot believe she’s done. I still remember registering her for kindergarten, which spurred me to start pushing for a 3^rd baby because I couldn’t believe how quickly it was passing by. She got the sunshine award because of her ability to brighten a room, that fits her well and I’m proud of her. I’m excited to watch her on her middle school journey, she’s going to do great.

 

William graduated from pre-school and is on to elementary school. That flew by. They’ll all be graduating from high school soon and I’m not going to understand how we got there so quickly. He has loved his time at His House. He got an award for most imaginative and that doesn’t surprise me at all. He’s such a fun little boy and I’m so proud of him.

 

Reese is on to 8^th grade. She only has 1 more year before high school! She made the A/B honor roll and she’s never had to work so hard for this before. Her math grade was loooooow middle of first semester. She began weekly tutoring before school with her math teacher and seeking help from a couple of friends and Chelsea regularly. She didn’t have it raised to a B until the week grades had to be submitted. This award wouldn’t have meant as much if she didn’t have to work so hard. I sent her teacher a note thanking him for working with her weekly like he did, he didn’t have to do that. He sent a note back telling me that he was glad he did and that she worked hard and earned every point. He said he enjoys working with kids like her that want to improve and are invested. I am so proud of her and all the time and effort she has put into achieving this grade this year.

Travel Sports 2022-23

Whew. Travel sports have come to an end, and I have to say there is some relief on my part. I love watching the girls play these sports that they love so much but the travel has been exhausting. There has been some sweet time I have gotten with each one of them individually which I treasure. Over the past few months, we have had 10 travel weekends and that is a lot for me. My mom and Sissy both took a volleyball weekend and that was super helpful.

 

Reese didn’t make the club volleyball team that she played for last year and that was hard for her. She handled it well and she did make another club team. The team she played for uses college students as coaches. These college students are key players on the UA volleyball team. While that is cool these girls really aren’t ready to lead a team of teenage girls and they have to miss tournaments because they have demanding play schedules themselves. That was rough. The girls on her team have some potential but none of them are really playing to their potential. Partly because they just aren’t there yet and partly because they aren’t being coached to play to their potential. It was rough but she made the best of it. She made some great improvements this year, mainly the strength and accuracy of her serve. She is hoping to make another team next year and hopefully if she keeps working hard she will.

Ella played for the same club soccer team she’s been on for 3 years now. Several of the strongest players tried out for other teams and left last spring/summer. She wanted to do this too but with what we had going on last year there was no way we could do that. This season has been rough with the loss of the other key players. The club that she is on has been wonderful and we have had a great experience. I love her coaches and they care about this team so deeply. The only problem is that they push footwork over all else. So the girls don’t know how to play positions well or to stay in positions or how to work a passing game. We have not won many games this year. There is benefit to what the coach is doing and he is creating strong players but they switch to a large field next year and he still doesn’t plan to play a passing game for 1-2 more years, I talked to him about this to understand his plan as I make a plan on what to do next with Ella. They will continue to lose key players this way and I already know of at least 2 other strong players that are looking elsewhere. So we are trying out for 3 other clubs in the area and also for her current club. I am hoping to have options for next year and to be able to decide once we get a feel for each of these other clubs. This has been a hard thing for me and a tough choice. She is certain she wants to make a change and I support that as it feels right to me too but making the choice of which doesn’t seem super clear to me and I hope it all falls into place as it should as we go to these tryouts and continue to pray about it. 

This wouldn't be possible without the support of my mom, mother in law and sister. They have kept things moving back home. The other kids still have activities that go on at home on these travel weekends and I am so thankful they are willing to stay back and make that happen. They also help keep the animals alive. I find myself sad somewhat often that I don't have Neal helping me juggle it because he and I were such a great team and it all ran smoothly just the way we liked it when it was the 2 of us managing it. But I have to get myself out of that headspace quickly when it bubbles up because I am so fortunate to have all of the help and thinking that way won't help anything.

 

These girls really love these sports and I love watching them love it so much.💗

New Years, Valanakah, Spring Break and Easter

 It's been a busy year so far. I am so thankful to be surrounded by family and friends because that has brought a lot of joy to our lives and helped to distract from some of the sadness. Last week marked 1 year without Neal, that is so hard to believe. 

We rang in the New Year with dear friends. We made a charcuterie board together and had a dance party. The girls had a sleepover and William and I had our own sleepover (like we do every night, ha). The food was good, everyone had fun and the people time was great. It's been a hard year that I am glad is over.

Valanakah was a big deal every year. These kids now expect it and look so forward to it. I made it happen for them and they loved it. Our sweet friends dropped Valanah gifts some days too. The girls made acts of service promises by day as my daily gifts, which was perfect. It was good.

Reese traveled with our church to a camp in Texas this year for spring break. She didn't have the best time but felt it was okay. I think it would have been better if more of her closer friends went too and I think she'd heard the camp was going to be amazing (T bar M) but she compared it to New Life in her head and it paled in comparison. Ella, William and I headed to Houston. Jacob traveled down with us because he had come to visit during his spring break, the week before ours. We stayed with Aunt Mau and Uncle Chris, which is always fun. We went to the rodeo and saw Luke Bryan and rode some rides. On the way home we spend the night at Uncle Pat & Aunt Cheryl's ranch. William lived his best ranch life feeding cows, riding tractors and getting muddy. It was a fund time.

We got home from Houston mid week. We enjoyed out time at home that week too. Keeco volunteered at the animal shelter in honor of Neal and we all really enjoyed that. We also had a few people over one night and made some plates and watched videos of Neal. It was a good week.

Last weekend we celebrated Easter. We've intended to go to the outdoor service several years but it has always gotten canceled due to weather when we have tried. The weather this year couldn't have been more beautiful. The outdoor service was so good and so many special people came to the same time service as us which was great. We had friends over for lunch and did an egg hunt. Everyone seemed to have a great time, the food was delicious, the kids played outside for hours and everyone was so worn out. It was a good Sunday celebrating with family and friends.

Last Friday was the year mark of the day that we lost Neal. Chelsea took the day off and she and my mom spent most of the day with us. We ate and cooked and got our nails done. We planted a tree in Neal's honor and placed the stone that Tyler & Chelsea got for us. It was a good day together but it's so hard to believe that he's been gone for a year and that we will do this whole life without him.