State of the Family: Back to School Edition

Well, I finally feel ready to blog more and as luck would have it I seriously cannot find the time! Having three kids in three different schools is pretty nuts! I'm hoping I find my bloggy groove soon!

Here's a little of what is going on with each of us!

John: He's plugging away on a manuscript that is due in early September. This is actually a freelance job so it consumes most of his nights and weekends. It's hard on all of us, but especially on him. He's told me repeatedly that after he finishes this project he's going to need a break from freelance stuff for awhile; his mind is just tired. I think that a break is a wise idea. Anyway, he has two books that he co-wrote releasing soon. This one and this one. He's gotten some advance copies of both from the printer and is very pleased! I'm really proud of him.

Me: I'm feeling like I'm in hyper-mode when it comes to organizing my family for daily survival. Everyone is going a dozen different directions and it's my job to keep things running smoothly. I do manage some down-time/self-care each day and honestly, I need/crave it. I'm getting super excited about football season and am really looking forward to a weekly hiking group that my friend has organized! I'm also hoping to jump back into Bible study at church as well as some Younglife volunteer stuff.

Will: He's enjoying high school so far! He's running cross-country this fall and it's been such a great way for him to meet some upper classmen and feel a part of a team. School begins for him around 7:30am and he doesn't usually finish practice until 5pm so his day is SUPER long. I feel sorry for him sometimes, but he's adapted really well and is getting stronger and faster almost every day. His first official meet is on Friday. I'm kinda bummed (he is too) that 90% of his meets are on Fridays. We were really jazzed about going to all of his school's football games this season. We'll still get to go, we'll just be going late!
Here's a pic from his first day of school.

Sarah: She's doing great! She loves school both for the academics AND the social interaction. She is so my child. Smile. We have about an hour alone together in the afternoons before retrieving Abbey so she usually tries to persuade me to take her to get some fro-yo and I usually say yes. I love how chatty she is when she gets in the van! She and Abbey are constantly changing the photo background on my phone--they each want it to be a solo picture of them with me. She snapped this one day last week on a fro-yo run. She's stepped into some great leadership opportunities this year and she's going to run for Student Council again too (she was on it the past two years). She's such a great kid and is always so happy and confident. I love that about her.

Abbey: She has adjusted very well to 4th grade AND to her palate expander! She had an orthodontist appointment this morning and will get her braces put on at her next appointment. She's been a champ about that whole process! She really likes her teacher this year (she got a fabulous one!) and she has some sweet girls in her class that I'm hoping she'll get to know better as the year progresses. She got her ears pierced for her birthday in March so one of the highlights of her morning is picking out earrings to match her outfit. It's really cute. She's also crazy about Jack the Beagle. Thank goodness someone in this family dotes on that dog. Smile.

That's all I've got for now! Stay tuned...