Monday, August 22, 2011

Back to School ~ A New Start at a New School

This year going back to school was not as easy for the kids (seems to be the theme in our family lately).  Both Taylor and Brandon were very nervous to start school in a new town, a new school and not knowing anyone in their class.  Despite the fears they both had a good first day and made a few new friends.  Taylor started 4th grade and Brandon started 2nd grade.  They both like their teachers and were excited to return after the first week ~ Praise God! 

First day of School
Taylor - 4th grade
Brandon -2 grade


Caleb started 1/2 day kindergarten 2 days later.  He was very excited to start school but was pretty nervous and shy his first day.  His teacher is great and I think she will do a great job with him.  I am sure there will be some bumps in the road, but I am confident his big heart will help win over his teachers and classmates.  It is harder to let Caleb go because there is always that fear of how others will treat him or if he will he be able to keep-up.   However,  most of the time he very capable and continues to amaze us with his abilities.  At this age the kids are pretty open and typically kind to each other despite any differences.  Just watching him get excited about school, running to get his backpack and starting so proud at the front door for his school picture was the highlight of my whole week! He is such a blessing to our family and we are so thankful for how God continues to provide and watch over him.  I can't wait to see how God will use him this year and how much he will learn! 

Caleb very excited to start Kindergarten


Our big 5 year old ~ first day of school!





Sunday, August 7, 2011

The Blessing of Baseball & Softball

Before we moved I signed Taylor and Brandon up for baseball and softball through the Parks and Rec. program here in town. We hoped it would help them make new friends and maybe meet some new families. Just a few days after we got settled into our new house they both started practice.  Neither one was very happy nor excited about playing, but it turned out to be a huge blessing for our entire family.  Both of the kids had great seasons and really enjoyed playing. 

Taylor learned to pitch (fast pitch) and turned out to be the team's number one pitcher and pitched all four games in their conference tournament.  However, the best part of softball for Taylor was that she made several good friends which lead to a few sleepovers and several play dates.  Only bummer is none of the girls from her team will go to the school Taylor will be attending this fall. 

At first Brandon had mixed feelings about baseball, however after a few weeks and some extra practice in the backyard he started to enjoy it.  He really improved and enjoyed the other boys on his team, but never really made any great friends.  We realized that boys don't socialize as much as the girls when playing sports. 

 Overall the kids really enjoyed playing, both really improved and we loved spending our evenings attending the games as a family.

Taylor pitching
getting ready to pitch
Taylor at bat
Taylor hitting a triple!!


Brandon up to bat
hitting the ball
playing first base
Playing catcher - this was his favorite position!