rainy tournament

we had rain delay after rain delay (and by delay, i mean....floods) during the central mississippi state championships.  thank goodness we have grandparents that live close by.  it would have meant a lot of time in a hotel room otherwise!

but, all three little people waited it out patiently and came away with some wins.  and, just for the record, grandparents make the best fans!

teenager

william turned 13  on august 15th!  it seems unreal, but we celebrated with donuts for breakfast and a baskin robbins ice cream cake!!

(please ignore the goofy child in the background!)

here's the birthday tribute that was posted on facebook...

We welcomed this guy into the world 13 years ago. It’s hard to believe that 13 years of William have passed so quickly. That is not to say that HE is quick. On the contrary, he sees no need to move or do things at a rapid pace. He is our little turtle that has earned the nickname “Dilly” for all of his dilly dallying. He is never the first one in the car ready to go! He loves all types of music, and it only takes him hearing it once to remember all the words. He does not like blue jeans and would much prefer to wear shorts year round. Federer is his favorite. He likes Mississippi State, Dak, and playing chess against his brothers. He devours books and always has one nearby. He makes up his bed every morning right after waking up. He would get up at 4am if we let him. He is a total morning person. He loves to cook, but he always breaks at least one of the eggs when frying them for breakfast! His favorite dessert is heath bar pie, but he won’t turn down anything with sugar in it! He could eat pounds upon pounds of shrimp at a time. He wants to be on the tennis court every day. He has learned how to string rackets and is enjoying having a little spending money from that endeavor. He is not a fan of ankle socks. He is very reserved, but he can be goofy once you get to know him. He wants to be an architect or an engineer of some sort. Math and science are still his favorite subjects. His fingers can fly over that piano keyboard and lately they have been figuring out the guitar. He packs peanut butter and jelly for lunch every single day. He can fall asleep within 20 seconds of getting in the bed. He is always humming or singing something. He loves a good milkshake. He changed schools this year (big change!) and just went with the flow from the very beginning. I’m so proud of how he has adjusted to this new normal. He loves Jesus, and that boy knows his Bible. He likes Andy Griffith and the Cosby Show. He enjoys driving me bananas by fiddling with the rubber bands on his braces. You better fill his plate up with food the first time around because he never goes back for seconds….unless it’s lasagna or maybe crawfish. His feet are as big as mine, and I think this is the year that he will pass me in height. Here’s to hoping that the next 13 years slow down a little and pass by at his pace!  🐢 Happy birthday, William!

rome, georgia

reed only went to school for two days before we skipped out and went to rome, georgia.  his tennis team won state at the end of july, so we made the trip to sectionals.  it was at the rome tennis center at berry college, and it was an impressive place.  it's the largest hardcourt facility in the nation, so these little people felt pretty important!

waiting on his turn...

 parking lot warm up!

killing time...

this place was big enough to host multiple tournaments, so we got to see some good tennis in the 14s hardcourt nationals.

they had tennis bingo one night.  we weren't lucky enough to win any of the cool prizes, but that didn't stop us from trying!

this team finished 3rd.  it was determined by total games won, and they only missed first by a few games.  maybe next year!

 reed and i stopped at a cracker barrel on the way home.  he didn't get his competitive juices out during the weekend, so we had to play checkers while we waited for our food!

it was a good road trip with the littlest tennis player at my house.  hopefully, it won't be our last trip to rome!

hello, school

well, the summer came and went much too quickly, and all the little people found themselves back in the school routine.  not one of them was too happy about it, but they managed a few smiles on the first day!

wes is in 5th grade, and he really is excited because 5th grade was william's favorite year.  he has talked it up, so wes is ready for a fun year.  and everybody at our house really loves these teachers!

wes and mrs. wardlaw

 everybody and ms. worley.  both of these ladies are super special to us!

reed and mrs. lansdell.  i love the third grade year.  they actually transition into learning things through their reading instead of just learning to read.  and this lady right here is really good at that transition stage!

william had the biggest change this year.  he swapped over to tupelo middle school.  it was an adjustment going from a class of 60 to a class of 500, and everything is on the computer!  but he has really enjoyed his first month, hung out with some old friends, made some new friends, and maybe even grown a few muscles.  they don't have lockers, so he has to carry that backpack around all day!! :)

we are looking forward to a great year, but i'd be lying if i said that we weren't counting down the days until summer!!

go get 'em, boys!