Summer came to an end and the school year started off at full speed....looks like we are back to "normal"! We have been loving the chance to get back to some of our favorite things, but it sure has kept us busy. School is going well for everyone. Nyla is loving the college life. Caleb is living it up as an eighth grader. Leah has been rocking it in sixth grade. Joel loves being in fourth grade and in the intermediate building. And, for me, being back in the teaching world part time has been such a great experience so far! Our days are long, but the weeks and months are flying. Here is a bit of what has been keeping us so busy:
The junior high band marched in a Labor Day parade. Leah was thrilled when the band director asked her to help carry the banner.
We have loved the chances we've had to see our sweet girl. She has come home twice and we went down to Champaign once.
Caleb is happily taking on another year as the 4H vice president. Even more exciting is the fact that Joel is finally a 4Her as well!
Sports have been a bit time consuming. At one point, we had three kids playing FIVE sports! Joel played soccer for the first time and was a natural. Leah played Fall softball and had a blast. She also tried out for the 6th grade girls basketball team and has had fun doing that. Caleb played a final season of flag football and also tried out for his school volleyball team. He's definitely taken a liking to volleyball and we would love if he stuck with it....it's such a fun sport to watch!
The kids...especially Joel...have been so lucky to have Grandpa and Grandma around. They are a huge help on the days that I work. The bond between these two, though, is the best part of it all. Many times, Grandpa was in charge of picking Joel up from school on the days that Leah stayed after for basketball. And many of those times, the two headed straight to the driving range to hit a bucket of balls. Needless to say, it looks like Grandpa might have a golfing buddy, because Joel is obsessed!
Nana Pam's amazing crafting skills came in handy when Caleb had to make a fleece blanket for NJHS.
We loved our weekend trip to Champaign. The kids had fun apple picking, walking around campus, seeing Nyla's dorm room, and taking a walk at the park where Tyler proposed 17 years ago!
In-person band concerts are back again!!!
Joel is loving being a part of 4H this year.
We sure do hope he sticks with soccer. It was so fun watching him play!
Leah has loved getting to see all of her Girl Scout buddies again. Doing the food drive collection each year in November is one of our favorites!
