Aug - Nov 2022

Well, it's almost Christmas and I haven't posted anything since the end of July...oops!!  That means this will probably be picture-overload.

The kids went back to school in August - 10th and 7th grades.  And this is my 4th year at Wheeler.

Of course marching band takes up most of this semester.  Between practices, games, competitions and more practices, it's a full-time commitment for sure.  Overall, it was a good season.  She really enjoyed being on the drumline this year.  

Jackson went on a canoe trip with scouts and spent several weekends at the lake with Dax and his family. 

Of course I have to have a Lucy section... 

Most of my photos over the past two months have been of my foot.  On Saturday, Oct. 1st, I was helping Michael move something in the garage and a huge/heavy (close to 100lbs) piece of wood fell on my right foot.  Within ten minutes it was huge swollen and bruised so we went to the ER.  Crazy enough, there was only one small break, in my big toe, and we were out of there in two hours.  Little did we know how long it would actually take to heal.  Turns out, I had a LOT of soft tissue damage and it  has changed week to week from swelling to bruising to blistering and eventually an open wound.  That's where I am now, two months later.  The wound is getting a lot smaller and it looks good, according to the doctor - it's just painfully slow.  Rachel doesn't want me to post the pictures here though so they won't end up in their books.  

Michael participated in a small craft show that our neighborhood held one cold afternoon recently.  

Our nephew/cousin, Samuel, got married a couple of weeks ago so we went up for the wedding.  It was a great time seeing everyone and the wedding / reception was great.  Congrats to Sam and Nicole!

One day last week, during our Thanksgiving break, we went to Six Flags.  It was a great day to go as there was hardly anyone there and the kids got to ride almost everything multiple times because the lines were so short.  Fun!

And this past weekend, Michael was recognized at a gala for Midtown High School and received the Award for Commitment to Excellence for his work with Mock Trial over the years.  So, that was really nice.  

We enjoyed seeing Jeffrey, Constance, Chloe, Mathieu and Juliette this last weekend over Thanksgiving.  We don't get to see them very often.  Here are a few pictures that others got over the few days.  

The Christmas season is upon us.  We've already decorated but I don't have any pictures yet.  Three/four more weeks of school before the break and lots to do in the meantime!

July

 This month has gone by fast.  Jackson and Michael attended Boy Scout camp up in North Georgia two weeks ago.  It was a week-long camp and Michael went as one of the chaperones because he needed to take a couple of classes that were offered during that time.  Unfortunately, his week was cut short because of severe pain on Thursday that sent him to urgent care and eventually the ER where it was determined he had kidney stones.  So he came home that evening and rested the remainder of the weekend. This camp offered a lot and Jackson completed several merit badge requirements while there.  The main downside was it was so spread out and their campsite was the furthest away it could have been - causing them to walk about a mile to get anywhere.  Here are some pictures from the week.

Rachel also started band camp that week.  She had two weeks of 12 hour days - which was exhausting.  She struggled with being sore and tired, but other than that, she enjoyed it.  She found out the first day that she did make drumline this year.  So she's still in percussion, but she's not in the pit any longer. She will have to learn to march and do drill and play the bass drum all at the same time this year.  Here's the only picture I have from band camp - her pointing to the drum she's going to be playing.

During the week they were all gone, Lucy kept waiting for them to come back.  She'd sit on top of the couch and just watch the door...

We did go to dinner for Michael's birthday a few weeks ago, but we told the restaurant it was Jackson's birthday instead (Michael hates the attention there and Jackson begs to be able to yell when they celebrate birthdays)... So here is Jackson celebrating a tiny bit early for his.

And then for his actual birthday, we went to a Japanese Steakhouse for dinner.  His best friend, Dax, ended up joining us for the night as well. 

The new school year starts Monday.  With band, I'm sure the next 3-4 months will be busy (as if they aren't already...).