How's the family?

This fall, A.J. moved down to Texas with his girlfriend, Autumn.  They started dating the summer after he graduated.  She is going to school to be an Ultrasound Technician.  He is now back home working with a business that installs/maintains drain tile.  He loves working outside and gets opportunities to run heavy equipment.  His amateur baseball team made it to State last summer and hopes to repeat this year.

Laney is working at Brad's Market and also gives a few piano lessons at The Note Gallery each week.  In her spare time she enjoys spending time in her room with her 14 year old cat, doing her artwork, playing her piano and video games.  She is also in the SMSU Community Band and Route 68 Big Band where she plays the tenor sax.  It's nice to still have her at home, but I know she's planning to make a move soon, so we're enjoying spending our time with her as much as we can.

Faith is in her senior year and has been active and very successful in volleyball, basketball, softball, Student Council, NHS, FCCLA, FCA, Jazz Band, Concert Band & Choir, the Musical, One-Act Play and Senior Class President.  I am probably missing something, but let's just say she's over at the school before it starts, usually for a meeting, and rarely comes home before 6pm because of other activities.  

Her boyfriend, Joe, is in just as many activities, and luckily some of them overlap.  They have been dating since November but have been classmates/friends for a long time.  We have known Joe for such a long time, but it's been fun to get to know him more and see them both so happy and having a wonderful senior year together.

Ian is in 9th grade and has been his first year at the public school.  He is enjoying it, but he often talks about how much he loved being at St. Edwards and Holy Redeemer (Montgomery) through 8th grade.  He is a busy 3-sport athlete but had an especially amazing football season as the varsity place kicker this year.  It's been a dream of his since he started playing football to do it, and worked hard to get the opportunity to prove that he could do it.  He ended up setting the school's year end kicking record as well as the MSHSL record with 84 points.  His team made it to State and he got to check off a bucket list goal by kicking in US Bank Stadium where the NFL pros play.  He actually scored more points in one game that the opposing team, thanks to his teammates who had no problem finding the endzone. 

Noah is in the 5th grade at St. Edwards and continues to amaze us with his sports knowledge as well as his fierce competitiveness and rage to master all of the 3 sports he is in.  He had great football and basketball seasons and is looking forward to a busy baseball season where he has been offered the opportunity to play on a new traveling team called the Minneota Vipers.  He is a quiet yet strong leader on the field and court as well as a hard worker in everything he does.  He has such a sweet heart but can also be fierce when challenged.  He absolutely loves our adopted cat, Mr. Dough.

Bella is now 7 years old and finishing up her last year of Montessori school at St. Edwards.  This year she was diagnosed with moderate ADHD, so I have been learning more about how to understand how she learns differently than the other kids and how to manage her behavioral "quirks" that are now apparently symptoms of it.  She is a sweet caring little girl that loves hugs, learning about sharks and bugs, riding her bike and playing video games when she gets the chance or we're not dragging her to all of her older siblings' events.

I am thankful for the wealth of resources available at my fingertips these days that help me to recognize her struggles and how to help her work through them at this early age.  I know that so many kids and their families and teachers that have battled their way through school because it's not always an environment that caters to the way neurodivergent brains work and process the world around them.  They often get labeled as rambunctious, lazy, rude, impulsive daydreamers that can't sit still or be quiet when they need to.  But their gift is that when challenged with a time clock, an impossible task, a creative mindset, they can hyperfocus to accomplish amazing things and getting them through school mentally & socially is the toughest part.  

Jason is loving his horseshoeing business and has a new side hustle selling firewood.  He spends his spare time learning more about both of them between all of our kids' activities.

I am trying to do my best to manage our family as well as work a few hours a week as Seth's (Jason's brother) administrative assistant.  It's just enough to help him out and get me out of the house to earn a little cash.  

We're still learning new things about each other as we navigate having kids at home ranging from ages 7-21 and the constant mental shifting that requires.  Our lives are super busy, but we take each day at a time knowing that every moment together is precious, and that the ups and downs are part of what make this roller coaster of a life so exciting, fun and thrilling.