1st day of second grade!

 She's excited, nervous , and feeling all the emotions,  but is braving it like a champ!    

  And daddy got to take a picture with her!   This is a first!    We can't remember a time when daddy was off work (temporary lay off),  so yay for special moments!!

  Have a great year little girl.   We LOVE you!

Clipping green beans and watching soccer.

 It's harvest season.  Lots to do.    Always busy hands.  And what better use of my time than to sit and watch my girl practice soccer and accomplishing much needed work!  

 So this made me giggle.  

  My precious in-laws, (who I adore btw) think I'm a bit much with my chicken (cough,cough) addiction, but they do know how much I love them so they support me through it all... just with a few eye rolls along the way. Lol

 All in good fun and humor. 

  

  So when I opened the mail box this week and saw i got a card from them, I legit giggled when I saw the chicken on the front.    

      They get me. And.

  

  ❤️ I love them.

Pink slip official!!

 It's official!   Ben passed his first part of training,   received his pink slip and Is legal to drive with our family!   

First drive with the instructor!

Poor kid,   his first drive is in pouring rain and under a tornado watch!  

  Guess this is the best way to break him in! 

 

 

First day of drivers edd!

 It's an exciting new time for our family!   Thankfully, he gets to zoom in all his classes except the last one,   making it fit into our schedule easily and not disrupt the rest of our lives horribly!      

   Man its bitter sweet watching your kids grow up!!

July evenings

We dropped brother off at basketball camp and then went for a bike ride around the local pond.   Guaranteed we got off easy next to how hard Ben will be worked!  

 

Sparkly booms in the sky

Due to a little girls tummy issues near the 4th,  we never got to see the fireworks around the actual holiday,  so when I heard that the local fair was hosting them,  I asked Matt if he would take our family so we could see them,  he readily agreed.

 The 4th of July is my FAVORITE holiday and I love the big sparkly booms in the sky!

 

We officially have a second grader!!

Last week was Brooklynn's last day of 1st grade!     It's been a great year,   and she got "most improved".   

   She graduated from speech classes this year and reading finally started to click!    It was a really big struggle for a long time,   But with some extra help and one-on-one time with the school's intervention specialist,   She made huge strides!     

  She is a math wizard and can already add better in her head than me most days!   She's definitely a numbers girl!  

  She's such a fun little girl and I can wait to see where she goes in life!

The end of an Era

10 years ago we enrolled Ben in a Christian school.    From the start of his life, we knew we wanted to give him a Godly upbringing and a firm foundation In Christ.        We have made many sacrifices over the years to get him there,  forfeiting lavish vacations,   and many of the bells and whistles in life to ensure we could always afford this chance for him.     And not for one second have we regretted that decision.    Jesus Christ is the first and most important thing in our lives.   Giving our children a solid foundation is our job.  

  

It's been an amazing 10-year journey with him,  but this week,    He graduated from 8th grade and his whole world is about to change.        Everything he learned will go with him,    The math,  reading,  memories, and friends will never be forgotten,    but most importantly the Firm foundation in Christ that this school has helped instill in him is priceless.      

 Jesus was preached every single day during his time at St John's,   and every day the children are pointed towards him.     And that is eternal.       

 Tears were shed as he partook in the graduation ceremony,   he gave his final speech,  and he hugged his friends goodbye.      

 This Fall he heads to a whole new school and will make all new friends,  with a whole slew of new memories.     And I can't wait to watch my son embark on this new journey in life.   

 For those that have followed his journey up till now,   HE DID IT YA'LL!

  

The gang

Maddi and Mykennah (the other Ben!)

8th grade teacher ,  Mr S

His bro Jacon

His biggest fan Ms Emily

His "OG" Ella and one of his longest friends Evie

Two of the people who love him most.

His ride or die, and best friend.  Kevin

"The boss" Mrs G.   Without her,  he may not have made it!

During his speech! 

The toothless duo

 If you've met my Ben,   or even seen pictures of him smiling,   you may have noticed he has no front teeth.     If you've ever wondered why,  or have not heard the story,  a quick recap-  when Ben was in 1st grade and ran in a pole on the playground at school.   He ran into it with such force that he jammed his front teeth into the roof of his mouth causing a crazy amount of damage.    It was months of Dentists appointments and studies, and in the end he lost all his adult front teeth.  

 And he's been the toothless boy ever since.  8 years have come and gone, and  He's come to own it,  and just accept it as who he is.

   Well recently one of Ben's wrestling coaches had a similar accident and lost all his front teeth!    He said on of the first things he said was "I look like Ben now!" 

  They laughed about the similar smiles and rocked a picture!     

A soccer player, and coach, and a ref.

 All in one!  

  Brooklynn joined the local township soccer team,  Matt was asked me be the coach! 

  And Ben was hired to ref all the games k-3rd grade!  He's refs several per soccer night and is paid for each one!   He was thrilled for the opportunity!

   Little girl is pretty fierce on the field,    she has zero fear like her big brother!     No hesitation when out on defense,     she right in the thick of it!