Goodbye 1st & 4th Grades! Hello Summer!

It's hard to believe, but today was the last day of the 2008-2009 school year! The boys concluded their first year at CAK, and it truly was wonderful. Both Seth and Reed were blessed with tremendous teachers perfectly suited for their personalities. They were also blessed with wonderful classmates that made the transition to a new school an easy one.

How incredible to reflect on how much they learned and grew this year! Last August Reed was only reading sight words, and now he pours through chapter books on his own. Seth will soon pass his mom in math skills. And both boys had the opportunity to speak, sing, and pray in front of their peers throughout the year.

If a picture is worth a thousand words, then I'll share two to sum up this reflection. The first is the boys on their first day of school, and the second was taken this morning. We're so proud of how our boys are growing, how hard they work, and how well they've done this year. We couldn't ask for more.

What a Character!

For Reed's end-of-year celebration, his teacher planned a wonderful "book" party. The students dressed up as favorite characters from the books they read this year; activities tied to the stories, such as a dinosaur dig (Magic Tree House) and a newspaper scavenger hunt (Geronimo Stilton); and some parents came in costume to read to the boys and girls.

Reed invited Tim to read to his class. His choice of character: Mordred, headmaster of the Dragon Slayer's Academy. This would compliment Reed, who dressed as Sir Lancelot's evil cousin from the same book series. Tim may wish he'd asked Reed about the costume before he agreed.

Here the stern headmaster prepares to read to his new batch of Dragon Slayer recruits.

Tim reads to the attentive class. Notice Reed sitting on the right in his knight costume.

Here's a very proud little boy and his dad. Tim got a lot of amused looks from parents and teachers he met in the hallway, but the delighted gaze Reed gave him is the only look he will remember from the day.

Double Digits

So, this is what a decade looks like...

AWE!

WONDER!

JOY!

THANKSGIVING!

Happy 10th birthday Seth! We love you.

Celebrating Seth

Your 10th birthday is an important milestone as you finally reach "double digits," so we've been celebrating Seth's since last Friday when he had his first sleepover. Five of his classmates spent the night, and I discovered that it's not so easy to sleep when you have children still awake in the house - not because they were loud, but it just seems against the natural order of things.

For 10 years, my boys have been tucked in and sleeping soundly before I've nodded off. This sleepover was just a taste of what's to come, and I realized that this change is going to take some getting used to. In fact, I know it's only one of many changes to come in the approaching years. Sleepovers, summer camp, driving, dating, ... Oh, talk about sleepless nights!

Well, there have been many long nights in the past 10 years too. Tummy aches, leg cramps, bad dreams, worry warts, ... Times when only a snuggle, song, story, or back scratch would do. We've made it through those nights, and I know we'll make it through those that are to come too.

So, blearly eyed and still yawning from the late night (or early morning - they finally fell asleep at 3 a.m.), I think about Seth and smile. I love his spirit and his heart. I marvel that he is already 10 years old. And I cherish the blessing of mothering him ... through happy days, hard times, big questions, broken hearts, school years, and sleepless nights!

Wedding Weekend

This weekend my dear friend Jinda got married at a lovely farm outside of Birmingham. Tim, the boys, and I enjoyed a mini-holiday, with two relaxing evenings in the country, a morning swim in the hotel pool, and even a canoe ride on a pond. It was a wonderful time of friendship and celebration. Here are a few pictures of our time:

On Saturday we visited Tim's grandfather, James Horton (aka "Big Dad"), who lives in Birmingham. He is an inspiring man. At 95 years old, he still reads THREE novels a week.

Jinda and Andrew got married on a beautiful farm with a charming cabin that reminded us of "The Shack." (Have you read it yet?) The grounds were equally charming with a pond, pasture, and this lovely garden. Seth took the above picture of us.

The four amigos: Seth (nearly 10), Jack (7), Reed (7), and Will (11). It's been a true blessing to watch our boys develop friendships with Jinda's sons and daughter. When we are together, these four disappear into their own world. (Notice Jack clinging to the blue box - it holds the rings.)

With the beautiful bride, Jinda. We met thirteen years ago when we worked at the same company in Birmingham, and thankfully our friendship has continued despite our move back to Tennessee nine years ago.

At the reception Tim took me out to canoe on the pond. Thankfully I was a quick study because we were soon giving all of the children canoe rides. I'm happy to report that we did not capsize once and all of the children and their fancy wedding clothes stayed dry.

Sensational Seven

Reed celebrated his 7th birthday in high style this weekend, with a party with pals on Friday afternoon, lunch at Olive Garden on Saturday, and then the long-awaited gift opening. Aunt Beth and Uncle Barry win the "Favorite Gift" award, with the giant Tweety bird. MiMi and BaBa were in the running, however, with Reed's new swimsuit ensemble that he refused to take off for the rest of the day. Notice the sunburst/lava-like design chosen by Reed. He's one stylish individual, that's for sure! It was a great birthday celebrating a great kid!

Reed celebrated with his first-grade classmates from CAK, his neighborhood friends, and his pals Eric and Maya.

Reed remembered Olive Garden's birthday cake, so he chose to dine there. He was quite chatty with the waitress and handled the "birthday song" attention better than his mom ever has.

Gifts are exciting for both brothers, as they knew they'll share in the fun of whatever lies beneath the wrapping. This year, along with Tweety, was Mario Cart for Wii and Pokemon Platinum for the DS - we haven't seen them since.

Celebration

Once upon a time there was a fair-haired little boy who grew into a handsome prince. The king and queen watched as his heart grew strong, his spirit swelled with passion, and his eyes danced with life. With each passing day, they knew he was growing into the king he would someday be and that on that day he would rule and reign well. They rejoiced in the knowledge that his presence brings joy, hope, and life to others. And they rested in the faith that his life brings joy to the King of kings.

Happy 7th birthday Prince Reed. We love you!

(Self-portrait, April 25, 2009)