We are scratching our heads,
We can't believe it's true.
It's Christmas time again,
Man that year flew!
Alayna is an 8th grader at Lamar Junior High School and starting to get herself ready for high school. Soon she will be having to choose a path for her high school career as to what classes she wants to take. She has gotten into volleyball this year and really enjoys it. She made the 8th grade team and enjoyed it so much she decided to try out for, and made, a 15 year old club volleyball team. We will be busy with practices and tournaments on the weekends. We all felt this was something she had to go for if she has any chance to make the high school team. We are happy she is excited about it and are ready to cheer her on all we can.
She still finds time for her artwork, and she still astounds us with her ability. Below is a piece she created for rodeo art last year. The one she is working on this year looks incredible so far, but we are not allowed to share it yet as it may be eligible for an award. You can view all of her artwork on her blog:
Brayden is an elementary student no more! This year he is a 6th grader at Wessendorff Middle School. He rides the bus, most days with Alayna, to and from school. He has dipped his toe into woodworking a little bit, making shelves and and couple small benches for Jen. His passion for baseball has dwindled. He played in the spring, but did not want to play the fall season this year. He chose, instead, this fall to try his hand at flag football. I think he enjoyed himself. It was a laid-back league, so there was not pressure. It was a great place to start. He has joined the 4H Shooting Club and alternates between bow, rifle (22), and shotgun practice. It has been good for him as this has given him a chance to meet some other kids with the same interest. He really enjoys it and looks forward to Monday practices. Brayden has also joined band in school and is playing percussion. He seems to really enjoy it as well.
Jen has begun a new adventure this year. She is a librarian now at Frost Elementary! It has been very exciting, and very nerve-wracking, all at the same time. She kind of summed it up at the beginning of the year when she said she has known for the last 18 years exactly what she was going to do and what was coming while she was a classroom teacher. It is like she is starting from scratch this year. All-in-all, she is amazing and the library is the same. If you would like to see what she is up to you can follow her Facebook page for the Frost Elementary Library:
I continue my adventure as an instructional technology specialist. It is challenging, but fun, to keep up with what is happening in the world of technology as it relates to education. I am sure I will never run out of things to do, that's for sure!
Our biggest challenge this year came at the end of August. Hurricane Harvey set its sights on our area and we paid for it dearly. We were very lucky in that our house was spared. The sub-division we live in has a levy around it and that helped protect us from the flood waters. Many were not as lucky as we were. The storm forced many from homes, and they are still not back in them. School was delayed 2 weeks in opening. Close friends were flooded out. We spent time volunteering and helping where we could to assist in salvaging what could be saved and providing essentials for those in need.
Our BIG trip this year came this summer. We were able to make our way up to Alaska! My mother, Judy, has wanted to go for years. She set a time and told us we were going, so 12 of us spent 9 days in Alaska on a bus tour. It was an amazing experience. We went from a glacier boat tour to driving through Denali National Park. We loved every minute of it. It is someplace we already strive to return to. If you would like to see the pictures I took during the trip you can view them by clicking on this link:
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