back to school days

It all started Monday.  Kam & her best friend, Dante, headed off as college freshmen (they are both commuting).  Never too old for a first day of school pic! :)

 

 

Tuesday, K'Tyo headed off to 2nd grade.

 

 

Today, Kade began his 8th grade year.  Doesn't he look excited?

Yes, somehow he escaped the obligatory first day of school picture on the porch, so I pulled out my phone to snap some in the car & he opted to do selfies, & this is what I get.  Goober.

 

And Kaya started kindergarten!!!  I can't even believe it.

 

 

 

Kendi & Kemeri were all smiles here getting ready to walk the kids to the bus.  Those smiles quickly turned into wailing as they had to watch their beloved partners in crime sister & brother leave them for the day.  Seriously, they cried all the way from the corner back to the house.

 

 

 

 

And then there's this one.  Kyler is a senior!!!!  What?!?!

 

 

One beginning grade school & another one finishing.  And 2 of my babies are no longer students at all!  Kaelee & Kearsten are beginning their first year as teachers.  Maybe Kendi & Kemeri had the right idea with their pouty faces & tears.  This mommy heart is a strange thing as it feels so much joy & sadness all at the same time.  Mercy.

wait, what?!?

Is anybody else in denial that school is starting?  The fact that I'm seeing that some peeps are posting pics of their kiddos already heading off to school is just blowing my mind.  I would be in so much trouble.  For real, I have not bought anything except a princess lunch box, & that's only because Kaya & I had a special outing for her birthday & she happened upon one.

So, with all this to do before next week, what else is a good mama to do but get caught up on her blog, right?  I have to start somewhere, & posting pictures of some of our happenings this summer seemed way more fun than crayolas & glue.  I'm not against crayolas & glue...I am against the thought of setting foot in the store where you buy crayolas & glue.  So, blog it is.

I became painfully aware of how behind in life I am when I realized I had not shared pictures from Kameryn's high school graduation.  In May.  Gah.

Kam with Great Grandma & Great Grandpa Lindy


Kam with Grandma & Grandpa (my parents)

And then there was this.  Our town has an annual wiffleball tournament called Wifflefest that coincides with a big hot air balloon festival.  We're talking crazy numbers of teams, different divisions, fields made to a smaller scale of professional baseball fields.  After a couple games in pool play, the tournament begins.  If you keep winning, you keep playing.  Kade & 3 other guys put a team together dubbed Victorious Secret.  Uniforms were complete with pink headbands.  I know, right?  Here's the thing:  It rained.  A lot.  Kind of like this whole blessed summer.  And middle school boys?  Yeah, they embraced the rain.  Head first, as a matter of fact, sliding into bases surrounded by the stinkiest mud I've ever smelled & lots of water.

And they kept winning, with their last game ending at 1:30 AM people!!!  And that was 3rd place!  Crazy.

Kade & Friends Kayaking

I got a wonderfully awesome surprise when Kearsten came home for a visit!  How I am missing my girl.  She's been sending me pictures of her classroom as she's getting ready for her kiddos to begin school next week.  Kaelee has also been getting her classroom ready, but since her school is close by, I got to help her.  How does it happen that I have 2 adult daughters with apartments & big-girl jobs??

Another new experience for us this summer has been hosting some students here for an American culture class.  We've had students from China, Taiwan, & Korea, & it has just blessed us to know them!!

Bless their hearts, they came over one night to cook for us & another family.  It was amazing!

Jyun, Emily, Kylie, Me, & Kate

We headed to the lake to surprise my mom for her 65th birthday.  Isn't she beautiful!?!  They were camping & didn't know we were coming...It was so fun to spend the whole day together along with my brother & sister's families.

Me with My Mom & Dad (& proof that little brothers never really grow up!)

My Sister, Donna, & Brother, Darrin

I adore these next few pictures of Kemeri with my grandparents.  She loves having grandmas & grandpas!

And then there's Kendi.  If she wasn't in a full blown conversation with somebody (or a doggie), she would somehow be in control of the football, which would have all the cousins scrambling.  How does she do that?

Missing Kyler & Kearsten in this picture with Grandma & Grandpa.  You'll note I have no pictures of Kyler.  He's been away working as a junior counselor at a camp for kiddos with special needs.

Kade & his cousin, David, are almost exactly one month apart in age.  Their resemblance & likes/dislikes are crazy-similar.

Daddy with Kendi & Kemeri...Watching the raindrops...Again!

Here she is...the most recent birthday girl!  Kaya turned 6 years old.

Well, there you have it.  Some of the fun we've squeezed into this strangely wet, cool summer.  Oh, & I'm still getting up early & running.  I'm very thankful since I suffered a nasty hamstring injury but have found a doctor that's not only helping me heal, but he's encouraged me to keep up with my training.  It's a good thing since my friend Kate's daughter, Kylie (they are in one of the above pictures) is a Child Champion for the Columbus Half & Full Marathon in October (she is also very special to us, & especially Kam, who has been her babysitter all summer).  Kate requested that her mile be one of the first 13, which was good because I was planning to run the half.  Detour---Kylie is the Child Champion at Mile 15, so I have just completed my 6th week of training to run the full marathon.  Joe has been very supportive & encouraging, which means the world to me.  If ever I wanted to run a full, now is the time since Kylie's story, the love & encouragement of my family, & the fact that the marathon benefits Nationwide Children's Hospital (it's where we take Kemeri) is great motivation.  I will probably post more about this in the coming weeks, but for now I'd invite you to visit www.gokylie.com to read about Kylie's story.  You can even get a sweet t-shirt!

Ok, I need to go get busy on some school supply lists! Blessings! :o)

it's beautiful

They didn't start out from the same parents.

They didn't even start out in the same country.

Their skin is not the same color.

K'Tyo taught Kaya how to ride her big girl bike, & has been faithfully running behind after the initial push-start just in case she needs help.

Yet their hearts are intertwined as brother & sister.