Every sport that JMichael saw on the Olympics this summer was his new favorite. He wants to play volleyball on the beach, jump over fences with a horse, sprint with Usain Bolt (he followed Usain with superfan admiration) and swim relays with Michael Phelps. This boy is truly all about sports. Lucky for us, his favorite coach is moving up through the levels of soccer with him, and the season has begun. He will play on a bigger field this year - 7 on 7, with a keeper. He's crazy excited. Everyday when he gets dressed for school he says, do I go to practice today? He is making new friends on his bigger team and his coach noticed that he had improved in the off season - he said, Coach Michael - look what I can do! Then JMichael proceeded to do his rainbow (which I don't have a clip of him doing, but, click here to see what it is) and Coach Michael was impressed. He said, Wow, JMichael. You've been working! And he has. Almost daily. From inside the house you can hear the ball hitting the garage outside because JMichael is out there shooting and dribbling. He loves it, and his work is paying off.
Every kids needs a sport, a hobby, a thing. It gives that kid a place to shine and build confidence and skills. Sports are good for JMichael and James and I love to watch him slay it.
Samantha has always been bold. She speaks her mind; she has opinions; she knows her mind. Every time I go to the store she gives me a list. Every. Time. She needs mascara, makeup remover wipes, contact solution, a watermelon, gatorades, gum for school, another mascara, hair straightening spray stuff, starburst, deodorant, a certain shampoo, another mascara....you get the idea. The others just tell me what they want for suppers next week, or maybe ask for a certain school snack to take to class, but, Samantha's list is always very specific and involved. She usually gets it, too. She keeps her room decently clean, she's good about chores and she's otherwise busy with school, homework, dance, and now we can add work to her list.
But no more - or at least not as much - she's discovered the big upside of having a job - she gets a paycheck! Now let's see how quickly she goes through those makeup remover wipes!
The obligatory first day of school pictures were different this year for two reasons - one significant, and one bothersome. First, the bothersome - it's raining! We have never had a rainy first day of school before and it made pictures more complicated - though they still turned out great, I think - and it made traffic beastly. Buses were late, people forgot how to drive, parents dropped kids only at the doors of the school and not in the whole line - it was a mess.
The second difference is that we are down by one - Rachel graduated and I will have pictures of her beginning college when that happens later on. For now, we are four.....Samantha is a senior and she is not happy about it. She has decided being an adult may be hard and she, bless her homebody heart, is cherishing these last months as a student and big kid. Charlotte is in eighth grade and for the first time in her life she is not playing a sport. This year she joined choir and is shinning. She feels a little behind the curve because all the girls with her have had voice lessons and previous training. But like Samantha with six years on dance team and never had a class, Charlotte may just take over choir with her natural bravado and confidence. Josephine is in sixth grade and at the top of the middle school food chain. She's in some advanced classes and gets to move independently for part of her school day. She likes her team and has some old friends in her classes, but, she is making new friends, too. Her third grade teacher is also in the sixth grade now, so she has Mrs. Eastham again for language and literacy - her favorite! JMichael is in the third grade and school is still so fun for him. He says he is the fastest kid in his class and his best buddy, Malachi, is also in his class. He already, after a week of class, has a girlfriend - his old flame Harper - and so he is back in his old swing - third grade is friends and fun, with a little math - his favorite - and some reading thrown in, because they make him do it. (His dysgraphia and dyslexia classes are helping, but, reading is challenge. He's doing great and his teachers are amazing.)
