Wow! It’s the middle of July already and in less than four weeks all the kids will be back in school which hardly seems possible. I swear they start earlier and earlier every year which is kind of annoying. Personally I’d love to see them start after Labor Day. Oh well…totally out of my control. This month is busy but good so far. It’s summer which means spontaneity, flexible schedules, sleeping in, lots of social time and fun in the sun. What’s not to like?!

Brad – Last week was football camp, this week is driver’s ed and next week is football camp again. Then it’s back to his regular summer weight lifting schedule and football conditioning. He’s maturing so much, and I have to say I simply love this age. I’ve always heard people complain about the teenage years but I’m loving it. Sure all three of them would rather spend every waking moment with their friends instead of helping around the house, and they are all allergic to making their beds and hanging up their clothes. But in the big picture, so what. Pretty much every teenager suffers from the same problem. They are responsible, do what they are asked without giving attitude, are fun to talk to and still give us hugs and I love you’s. They are kind and compassionate and yeah, they drive me crazy sometimes but I drive them crazy too. Typical family. But I can’t wait for more high school fun, especially football games.

Sidney – Little miss hard worker made it through her first six days of detasseling and didn’t complain once. Well maybe only to talk about the heat rash she got but she has such a strong work ethic and an even stronger attitude. I was complaining this morning about having to drive her to the high school at 4:30 this morning but I got to go back to sleep. She beats me with her attitude for sure! And she is doing some volleyball, some babysitting and some time with friends. She’s a sweetheart.

Trevor – Baseball and friends sums up his summer. The kid gets more social by the day and has the sweetest group of friends. His baseball team is having an amazing season and has only one game left before entering the tournament as the #1 seed. I have never been a big baseball fan but watching Trevor has changed that; he’s improved so much since last year and is really having a blast. Trevor has matured so much this past year too and is such a sweet kid; he is a gem.

Ryan – We are having a garage sale this weekend and his para came by not knowing we live here. It was so fun to see Michelle come in the house and watch Ryan’s response to her (and vise versa). He just loves her dearly and I was so happy they got to see each other. I just hope he gets her again in a few weeks! On Monday Ryan is having surgery at St. Elizabeth Hospital to do some much needed dental work. He is having at least four teeth pulled, a thorough cleaning, x-rays and sealant put on his molars. I’m sure his mouth will be sore later in the day but it is important for us to take care of his dental work. The general anesthesia needed to get all this done worries me a lot because Ryan’s belly loves to stop working when he is sedated. Those darn ileuses and bowel obstructions like to creep up and settle in. Please pray with us Ryan comes out of this with his bowels and stomach in tact and that he does not suffer any side effects of the anesthesia. It’s hard not to worry when he goes under but I have to constantly remember this verse that I pray over him often ~

I will update Monday so check back then. Much love to you all!