Eleven Years

 Eleven pictures for eleven years. I love to walk down memory lane every birthday.

Favorite color: Green
Favorite food: Salmon
Favorite restaurant: Texas Roadhouse
Best friend: Mason
Favorite hobby: Playing video games and fishing
Favorite subject: Math
Favorite movie: Ready Player One
Favorite sport: Baseball
What do you want to be when you grow up: "I don't know"
Favorite memory: Winning the 10U State Tournament
Favorite vacation: Mexico
Favorite Bible verse: Psalm 56:3 "When I am afraid, I put my trust in you."

Happy Birthday, Miles!

Miles turned 11 today! He wanted to open his presents before school. He got a new water bottle for school since they replaced all the water fountains with refill stations. He also got a new Cubs wallet with $25 in it, a Playstation gift card so he could download Minecraft on his PS4, and some candy. 

The gift selection seemed a little blah to me, but he seemed to really like and appreciate them. We are planning to have a party at a video game cafe soon and he thought that was his present. He was pleasantly surprised to figure out last night that he still got a few gifts today.

Darrin was telling Carson that Miles made him a dad. 

I think he had a pretty uneventful day at school. I asked his teacher what the protocol was for birthdays in middle school. I thought for sure they wouldn't do anything, but his teachers still communicate like they are in elementary school, so I wasn't sure. She said it was up to me. I asked Miles and he said he didn't want to do anything. I think it's appropriate to stop in middle school, so that was fine with me. They did announce his name over the intercom during morning announcements. Tonight, he had a friend over to play video games for a few hours.

We ordered pizza and had dessert. I really wanted to keep him all to ourselves tonight, but I was sure this is what he preferred.

I made Chocolate Chip Cookie Pie with ice cream for his birthday dessert. It's very rich, but everyone loved it. 

The night ended with a goodnight hug.

What a great kid! I'm not sure I've ever met a more mature 11 year old. It's his greatest strength, but causes him to be wound so tightly. His mind is a heavy load to bear at times. I wish I could tell him to relax and enjoy his days, but because he is just like me, I know that telling him that at this age is pointless. Instead, we point him to Jesus and remind him that He is the one that we tell our problems to, big and small. He works out the details and plans our future. At 11, he loves video games, fishing, baseball, hanging out with his friends, school, watching YouTube...basically all the things that a pre-teen boy likes! Happy birthday, Miles! We can't get enough of these days with you!

First Day of School

Miles was a little nervous this morning, but mostly excited. He always gets nervous about the unknown. Sometimes it can consume him, but he did really well this year especially considering it was the first year of middle school and minus an in person open house where you learn about all the things.

Maybe it's the long break, but there seems to be more joy surrounding the first day of school, from the students and teachers. Everyone seems open to making the best of a strange year. 

Carson was so excited to take Miles to school that he got in Darrin's truck and buckled up by himself without telling anyone. They got to school super early.

I had to laugh at this picture that Miles' teacher posted. Everyone has their mask on except Miles. He hasn't complained about wearing a mask. I think he just forgot. Tonight, I told him that I was glad he had a good day and he said that he had a GREAT day! He rode the bus home for the first time ever. We had some after school challenges and needed the bus as an option on the days we can't pick him up. He's always wanted to ride the bus. I'll spare the details, but it was a very long process and it took him an hour and 40 minutes to get home (not all on the bus). Just when I thought the bus would not be a viable option, he said it was the best part of his day and that his bus driver was so nice. I don't know how long the newness will last, but hopefully he will continue to enjoy it. The bus driver went the extra mile to drop him closer to our driveway and I am a very grateful mom. She is getting a handwritten thank you note tomorrow!

Carson started the first of two years of Pre-K at his daycare last Monday. Since he is a July birthday, we decided at birth to hold him back. Miles started two weeks before he turned six and it has worked well. So, Carson is in the final room at his daycare, but he will be there for two full years. 

He had to separate from all his best buddies, which was a concern for me. He has handled it just fine! He still gets to play with those friends on the playground and in the gym, so I'm sure that helps. He still talks about them as if he is with them all day when in reality he only sees them for short periods of time. He's only been in there for a week and he already seems older. While I'm sad that he's not with his good friends, I am glad that he will get to learn new things from the bigger kids. He's a pretty smart kid and I'm excited to see what he can learn.

I am very optimistic that both boys are going to have a great year. Amid the pandemic and so many awkward changes, all signs point to great things ahead!

Weekend Wrap Up

My weekend got started with a legs only work out. My right shoulder has been hurting for the last 6-9 months. After two ortho appointments and two cortisone shots, it's been determined that I need shoulder surgery. He said I can't hurt it any worse, so I'm free to work out and do whatever I want, and when I am tired of dealing with the pain, I can schedule surgery. It's a 12 week recovery, with 6 weeks in a sling, so I'm not running to sign up for that. The pain is not fun and affects my daily life, not just working out. So, I'll have to consider it at some point. I left the gym on Wednesday convinced that I was going to have to cancel my membership b/c I can't use my right arm at all anymore. As I went to sleep that night, I started thinking about how I could work out with my legs and continue cardio. Friday was my first attempt and I left so excited that this will work. I burned just as many calories and felt like I got a great work out. 

Granny and Pa came to spend the night. We played cards while Carson watched TV and played by himself. When he was ready to go to sleep, he said, "I ready to go night night" and came to give us all hugs. We had a milestone with him this weekend...we took the baby monitor and recliner out of his room. He's a big boy now!

On Saturday morning, Darrin, Pa, and Miles left around 6am to go fishing. I tried to convince Carson to sleep in, but he was up shortly after they left. Granny played puzzles with Carson while I cooked and did laundry. 

As always, we had a fun visit with Granny and Pa.

I think we had a first this weekend and I'm actually pretty embarrassed to admit it. When Carson got undressed to take a bath at 7pm on Saturday night, he was still wearing the clothes he wore to daycare on Friday. If I had the embarrassed monkey emoji, I would insert it here. I rarely let our kids go to bed without a bath in the summer, but if I do, I always make them change clothes and wash their hands, arms, and face. It was a totally slacker mom two days. I kept looking at him and shaking my head on Saturday, but then I did nothing about it :)

After church this morning, the boys cleaned out the shop while I cooked and did more laundry. 

Darrin and Miles played golf this afternoon. Darrin has a golf outing soon with some fellow coaches and he hasn't hit a golf ball in a L-O-N-G time. He's trying to get some practice swings in and Miles jumped at the chance to play. I think they had a great time.

Carson hung out inside while I finished up with the things I needed to do. He was so happy to eat Granny's leftover chicken and dumplings for lunch AND dinner!

We played outside in the gorgeous weather while we waited for Darrin and Miles to come home. He was drinking a Sprite and said it was his energy drink. 

Tomorrow is the first day of school and Miles could not be more excited. His backpack is ready to go with all his supplies including his mask. This year will obviously be much different, but we hope that school is able to stay in person. He misses school so much and does not want to have to go online. His teacher sounds fantastic and he has so many great friends in his class. His teacher sounds like she will make the best of a weird year with awkward processes. She has a fifth grade son, so that is always helpful for the relatable factor. 

We are so excited for a great year. Carson started pre-K at his daycare last week. I'll be back tomorrow with pictures of both!

Weekend Getaway

Since we didn't get to go on a true vacation this year between Covid, baseball, and volleyball camps, we decided to take the boys somewhere for the weekend. We settled on the Marriott Hotel & Spa in Muscle Shoals, Alabama, which is around 2.5 hours from us. 

The draw was the pool for the kids. We looked around the area and didn't see much to do. We decided to just let the kids swim as much as they wanted, and if that's all they wanted to do, that was fine.

This slide kept them occupied quite a bit. Carson wasn't tall enough to go by himself. We obeyed the rules for a while and then decided to let him go. It was nice that the hotel wasn't strict about it. Unfortunately, I didn't get a picture of him going down by himself, but he went over and over.

The boys are finally at the age that they can be entertained by the other. It is so nice. They swam around the pool together a lot. The pool had a slide, a cave with waterfall, a large zero entry area, water features, and lots of ledges to sit on. All the interesting parts helped keep the boys entertained. The water was very cool since temperatures dipped at night last week, but they didn't mind.

On Friday night, we went to a local pizza place. Darrin is familiar with the area b/c there is a college in the town that used to be in his conference. It was a perfect choice.

After dinner, we had to walk through a peaceful, yet large and well organized protest on the way back to our car. They were shouting to tear statues down. There were cops stationed throughout the protest. I never felt like it was going to become violent, but I was very happy to get back to the car. It scared Miles a lot. He didn't feel safe even after we got back to the hotel miles away. The next night he was scared to go to dinner for fear we would run into another protest.

The next day, Darrin surprised me with a massage appointment at the spa. It was a very nice spa and I always love a good massage. When I got back, we went swimming for most of the day. Carson worked on his swimming without floaties.

We ordered lunch by the pool so we didn't have to give up our spot. The pool area was packed on Saturday.

Obviously overpriced, but convenient and a fun treat for all of us.

There was a nice family next to us. The mom had on a TN hat, so I asked her if they were from TN, which they were. A few minutes later she asked Darrin if he was a coach. She recognized him from a mutual friend's Facebook posts! The mutual friend's daughter actually plays for Darrin. Such a small world. It's so funny though b/c Darrin knows someone EVERYWHERE we go. Someone recognizing him from Facebook is next level :)

Shirley Temples are a vacation treat. My mom used to get them for me on special occasions, so I'm passing on the fun to Miles and Carson. Carson approves.

This is as far as I got in the freezing cold pool. I sure enjoyed laying on a beach chair though. Poor Miles, his eyes are so sensitive.

Carson was very behaved all weekend, even in the car!

Virgin strawberry daiquiris were also a treat.

After the boys had enough swimming, we went to Wilson Lock and Dam. We hoped there would be more to it, but there really wasn't. 

On the way back to the hotel, we drove around for an hour, so the boys could get a cat nap. They were so worn out from swimming. This was much needed for both of them, but really helped Carson behave at dinner later on. When we got back to the hotel, we actually went swimming again for a little while.

Miles had eaten Texas Roadhouse with my mom last week and wanted to go back, so we did.

I have no idea what was going on here. He was looking at the pool, but we don't know why he pulled his pants down. You never really know what is going on in his little mind.

We had pool passes until noon on Sunday even though check out was at 11am. We asked the boys if they wanted to go swimming, but they both wanted to go home. I really wanted some more time at the pool, but I can't argue with boys that love their home. It was a perfect little getaway before school starts.