Back to School & Catching Up

Hi all! It has been quite a while since my last post, I think around my birthday back in June! We have poor internet at the camper, three very active boys, and along with moving in and out of our house, blogging is nearly impossible. I am hoping to get back on track now that we are officially into the school year. All three boys are now in school full time which has been pretty heavy on my heart. I keep thinking, “Does Owen really need kindergarten full time?” I already miss our Tuesdays and Thursdays together so much! Boy, is it hard to let go, especially your baby!

Another reason to love Michigan: School doesn’t begin until September. We fully enjoyed our summer until the very end spending Labor Day kayaking Shell Lake. Some summer highlights included camping at Turtle Lake, lots of fishing and swimming, the beach, time in Ohio with family, and a weeklong vacation to the Great Smoky Mountains!

The weather is looking beautiful this week and summer seems to want to stick around a while longer. I am not complaining!

However, in the same breath I can say it’s been great getting back into routine and hopefully more frequent blogging. I have missed it! Last year, I wrote a post dedicated to why I blog and all I have written remains true.

All three boys have had a wonderful start to the school year. Owen absolutely LOVES kindergarten. After the first day he said, “it was perfect!” So far, we’ve had no morning fights (except maybe wanting to stay in bed a little longer haha); he wakes up happy and ready to go. This is a complete 180 from preschool two years ago. It’s amazing the growth he’s made these past two years from clinging on mommy’s leg with full on tears to walking independently in the big school doors to his classroom. It’s hard to know he needs me less and less each day, but I know I must be doing something right watching him grow in his independence.

Lucas is now a big 3rd grader! This blows my mind since he was just in kindergarten like yesterday. I know he was excited to see friends again, and most importantly, play soccer again at recess;) Lucas is now on a travel soccer team (LSC United) and had his first two games yesterday. He scored three goals! The boy loves soccer, and it brings me great joy as his mom to see him grow and excel in it. Looking forward to an exciting season! Ryan is also coaching rec again, so we will be spending lots of time at the fields this fall.

It was Drew’s last first day of elementary school. This will be a very hard chapter to close. The elementary school years are so special and while Covid really put a dent in Drew’s I am confident we will finish strong. Ryan and I have already begun the process of looking into middle schools to make sure we find the next best fit for Drew. He still seems so little me and it’s hard to imagine him sharing the same hallway with much bigger kids. However, I have faith God will lead us in the right direction, and all will work out just how it’s supposed to.

Speaking of having faith in God for what’s next, those prayers often involve myself too. Now that all three boys are in school, I have already been asked often “Now what will you do?” For now, I am going to keep doing what I am doing! Motherhood and running a household are full time jobs so I don’t think boredom will be an issue, at least any time soon. Waking up early, making lunches, getting three energetic boys out the door for school, appointments, chores, errands, meal planning, laundry, school pick up, practices, homework…the list goes on and on. So while I am on a pause from my teaching career, I am still very much working! Ryan begins traveling for work very soon so diving back into my career isn’t what’s best for our family right now. I trust God’s timing though, and that it will happen when it’s supposed to.

As for the week ahead, this will be our first full week of school and soccer. I still have appointments filtering into this week (they have been nonstop since school has started). Grandpa also arrives on Friday to spend a long weekend with us. We are definitely looking forward to that! While we are very much getting into school routine, we plan to keep one foot planted in summer since Mother Nature says it’s here to stay for a while. Hopefully some boat rides, beach visits, and swimming! I actually pulled out my fall decorations this past weekend (only in the 50s on Saturday!) but may have to put that on pause for now. We’ll see!

Thanks for stopping by and have a wonderful week!