family update

First a giant THANK YOU!  I simply cannot believe the number of encouraging and supportive messages I got yesterday (mostly through IG direct messages).  You guys know how to make a person feel good.  I truly had no idea that many of you really missed our blog.

I thought I'd give a family update here since many of you said you really miss that. It's long.

(this was at the MFA Houston Bambu exhibit this summer)

Dave doesn't have social media so I try to keep his profile low but he doing well.  He is golfing a bit, fishing and working.  He travels to Spain and France and Israel for work sometimes.

 (Will leaving for his junior year of college in August)

Will is in his 3rd year of college and doing really well. He turned 21 this summer and we celebrated in PA (post to come). He is in a fraternity which I have mixed feelings about but I think he has found a really healthy balance of activities in college.  He is majoring in Environmental Earth Science and Sustainability.  He also has a focus (maybe a minor) in Geology and is usually on the Dean's list. He works in a biology lab doing limnology research.  I don't know exactly what he does but it involves plankton and larvae and water:)  He is involved in some Christian groups on campus and is a Scholar Leader this year. This January he will be doing a J-term study abroad in Italy.  As a science major, he could not really do a semester abroad because they do not offer the courses/labs he needs but this should be a fun experience for him.  He will be in Rome with a short trip to Florence.  He is looking for a summer internship for 2019 in Environmental Science or Sustainability and is willing to go anywhere for the opportunity.  So, let me know if you know of any!  It is hard to find internships in that field. I am so incredibly proud of the man he has become.

(A fabulous event Harry planned and put on last Spring)

Harry is doing great. He finished his 10th and final year at Camp Ozark this summer and had a blast.  That place is etched deep in his heart. He is a senior at an all boy college prep school and ready to get on to his next adventure.  Lots of you asked about his migraines. They are pretty much gone.  He will get one occasionally but overall they are rare.  He has become an incredible photographer and focuses mostly on music/concert photography.  He is also still an entrepreneur and has so many fabulous business ideas going.  Harry is my kid who really did not like reading but once he found books on building businesses and marketing etc, he has his nose in a book a lot. He has applied to 8 colleges (UT, Baylor, Loyola New Orleans, Tulane, Loyola Marymount, University of San Diego, USC and University of Santa Clara).  He is super smart and I think he will have some great choices.  He refused to apply to any of the excellent business schools up north because he hates the cold! I truly cannot believe he will be gone in 10 months but he never really loved high school and is wise beyond his years.  College will be so good for him.

(Harry went to Seaside this summer with another family and lots of friends.)


(Kate's elementary school graduation)

Kate is in middle school and very busy.  As many of you know she quit competitive gymnastics and it turned out to be a great decision (going to write a post on this soon).  She ended up going back to dance and has just flourished.  Last Spring, she was invited to participate in a photography class through Rice University and loved it.  She is doing magnet dance, art and gymnastics at her school and she wants to join everything!  She dances at our local studio and auditioned for the company this year and made it.  She is in 4 company dances this year so she is at the studio 6 days a week.  I was very hesitant for her to dance so much but it is about 11 hours a week which is HALF the time she was in the gym.  She manages it well with homework and has all A's. She really loves dance and there is none of the pressure that stressed her out in gymnastics. She has a fabulous group of girls she dances with and they are all friends. She is so happy.  She still loves to bake but I don't love all that sugar in our house so we have cut down on that a little bit.  She bakes for friends and has a few "customers" who pay her for cookies etc.  She loves to read and is just a happy 12 year old.

(Scout is good too.  She is almost 12 years old so slowing down a bit but such a sweet dog)

I am pretty good.  I actually had a very rough year.  I won't go into specifics but I got very very sick after Hurricane Harvey.  I lost weight, couldn't eat and had some serious infections.  I have worked really hard to get myself healthy again.  I had some relapses and setbacks but I am doing well.  I work part time in my office a few blocks from home seeing clients for marriage, relationship, parenting and life coaching/counseling.  I also speak about once a month at schools, churches and other organizations on Parenting and Family and Marriage.  My most popular talks this year are on Technology and Kids and Boundaries in families. I love my job.  There is no better feeling than knowing you are helping someone make their family or marriage stronger.  And I have the best clients.  I am also in a few book clubs that I really enjoy, a fabulous women's prayer group that meets once a week and I still go to Bar Method for exercise.  I try to go about 3-4 days a week but with my health issues it has been sporadic this year.

So that is where we all are today.  As I proofread, I realized that it sounds like a lot of bragging about my kids.  Let me add...we have our fair share of talking back and anxiety and mood swings and other problems in our house.  We do.  I definitely am sharing the ups here.  And for the most part, these kids are pretty easy and I am super proud of them in their own unique ways.


So far people have said they want to see recipes, fashion, family updates and parenting topics.  Let me know in the comments if you have other suggestions for blogging topics.

Started this a week ago....

 {Please note the boys started school a week ago. That is when I started this post.  Today is actually Kate's first day but I am just getting around to finishing the post.}

Today (last Monday) is the first day of school for Will and Harry.  I seriously don't know how this happened.  This is the oldest photo I have of them on the blog on a 1st day of school.

This was August 2007.  Harry was going into 1st grade and Will was going into 4th grade.

This was this morning (last Monday)...




Will is a senior and Harry is a freshmen.







You can tell that they were totally thrilled about me taking photos.

I kind of wish I had taken more time because these are the last "back to school" photos I will have at home of Will.

So far, high school is going really well.  Will is starting his college applications and we are all hoping he knocks them out quickly so we can just enjoy this year.

Harry LOVES his new school.  He is fitting in well, making new friends and adjusting to the academic rigor. I can say that this is the happiest and most comfortable I have seen him in his own skin in years.  It's all good. Harry even went to the high school mixer dance this weekend and seemed to have a great time.

Will drives Harry each day and I think it has been really good for their relationship.  They used to be best friends when they were younger and then naturally drifted apart though the middle school years. I can see them becoming closer again and I am so thrilled about that.

This is Will and his best friend David first day of freshmen orientation.

And this is them first day of senior year.

They went from looking like boys to looking like men.

Kate started 3rd grade today. She had a tad more patience (literally a tad) for my picture taking.

(Please excuse all of our weeds.  We need to do some yard work but it's soooo HOT.)

She got the teacher she was hoping for and some of her friends are in her class.  Kate was super excited for 3rd grade.  She suddenly looks a lot older to me in these photos.  

Our summer FLEW by.  I really have no clue where it went.  We took a long family vacation that was incredible.  Will got his wisdom teeth removed.  Kate and Harry went to camp.  I hope to catch up on blogging.  I know I say that all the time but this year is so special (Will's senior year) that I really hope to be better about preserving some of our favorite memories.  I know I will be back very soon to blog about Kate's first gymnastics meet of the season and our vacation.

I hope your children are all having a great end of summer/back to school.

8th grade graduation, blueberry picking, camp update

I already posted about the 8th grade dance but I don't think I posted about Harry's middle school promotion.  Dave and I don't make a big deal out of this milestone as they only went to middle school for 3 years.  If it was a 1-8th grade school (like Catholic school) I think it is a bigger deal.

Anyway, we had some MAJOR flooding in Houston in May.  Our neighborhood flooded (not our house) and many of our neighbors and some of my friends had serious flood damage.  A few people I know lost everything. It was horrific. You simply would not believe the devastation unless you saw it. As president of my Mom's group at church, I organized help for these families in looking for places for them to stay, collecting gift cards for them, delivering meals, doing laundry and lots of other stuff.  I never posted about the floods here because I was really busy at the time trying to coordinate help for the families in our church group who lost so much.  But I did mention it on FB and IG and people from all over sent me gift cards to help these families.  It was so generous and kind.  Thank you.  The families were SO grateful.

So, Harry's graduation was actually the week of the flood. The award ceremony was cancelled the day before due to flooding. Harry did get the History award which surprised us all because he is not a History buff (Will is) but apparently he knows his History.  Good job Harry! He also graduated with all A's  for the year.  I think he actually had all A's all three years.  He is a good student.

It was raining the morning of the ceremony and the graduation was very delayed.

Kate was in school and Will had final exams so just the 3 of us went to the graduation ceremony.

Without getting too specific, these types of transitions are a struggle for Harry.  We could barely get him in the car for his 5th grade graduation.  He was a little better this time but afterwards I saw it coming out.  

We wanted to take him out to lunch but he was not in a good mood.  We did end up convincing him to go for seafood  (his favorite) at Pappadeux.  We had a nice lunch.  It is hard for me to watch him go though these times. And I feel so helpless. Adjusting to middle school was extremely tough and I am praying every single day that his adjustment to high school is better.

He has attended three camps this summer (basketball, lacrosse and study skills) at his new high school.  So, hopefully he is feeling comfortable there already.

The weekend before the flood, we went blueberry picking. Let me just say that Harry is 14 y'all.  he DOES NOT want me taking his photo.  So, most of these are not of him.  I love him dearly.  He is a great kid.  But he is a teenage boy and I have to respect that.  I was just glad he came with us!

So someone on IG commented how I dressed her to match the blueberries. Ironically, we drove to the farm to go STRAWBERRY picking but we got there too late so they diverted us to the blueberries.  So, it was not planned at all (I am 99% sure she picked this out) but it worked beautifully.

There were beautiful wild flowers in the blueberry patches.

Blueberry picking was fun but (for me and Harry) the hilight of the day was on the drive home. We saw a farmer's market and this was in the parking lot....

We LOVE lobster rolls.  And they are not super common here in Texas.  So, Harry and I had to have one.  Kate opted for an all natural local made popsicle.

These were so good.

The following week, we got together with our friends to bake a berry tart...

And at the risk of this post being the LONGEST ever, I wanted to give a quick camp update too.

Kate and Harry are only at camp for one week this year because we are taking a longer vacation this summer.  It is quiet without them for sure but I am enjoying the quiet.  I have taken a few naps, done some deep cleaning and enjoyed the time with Dave.  It's been good.

I do check the camp website a few times a day to see what they are up to.

At first I though Kate was spending all her time in the gym...

But then luckily I saw these photos...




Cheering on her teammates in morning competitions.



Making a cross in the craft center at free time.



Cooking oatmeal cookies.
I am surprised she is in the cooking class again this year.
 She loved it last year but I did not think she picked it this year.



All the girls were eating milk and cookies (the ones they made).  And they tried to make milk mustaches.  I think we need to work on this:)



At the Christmas is July party.



And this last one is from this morning's competition.

Ever time I see one of these photos, I want to tell her to brush her hair and put it in a pony tail!

I was not seeing any pictures of Harry at all.  That bummed me out. But then I finally saw two.



This is one of Harry's favorite things to do at camp.  It's called gaga ball or smash ball.



This is a giant funnel that dumps into a lake.

So clearly Harry avoids the camera at camp too-- not just at home:)