Conner's Last Day of Middle School

Today I was quite sentimental (and still am) as I said goodbye to Conner and McKenzie on Conner's very last day of middle school. I watched them walk down the street together, happily talking to each other as they went to catch their bus. Today was the last time that they will walk to the school bus together. I smiled thinking about how great of friends they are. They definitely do their fair share of fighting, but they still hug and kiss each other and tell each other "I love you." After they left today, I spent time thanking God for our kids and kept thinking about how Conner really is growing up. Wasn't it just yesterday that he finished preschool at Little Green Apple? Wasn't it just yesterday that he was on top of the world as a big fifth grader at Rock Creek? Wasn't it just yesterday that he started sixth grade at Stoller? Time sure has gone by quickly, but we are all really looking forward to his new adventures ahead as a high schooler! We got a newsletter in the mail from Westide Christian that was written by freshmen students. They encouraged the new freshmen to take risks by trying new things and making new friends. After Conner read the whole newsletter, he said that he is thinking about wanting to play basketball. My heart felt so happy to hear him say this because we know that he really enjoys basketball and plays it almost every day during lunch at Stoller. However, when he played on a middle school team he really seemed to lack the confidence because others were better than him, and the team was so competitive. It is so refreshing and inspiring to read in the Westside newsletter that there are so many different ability levels on their sports teams. They encourage kids to try out for teams even if they have never played the sport! Sure, they may not have the most skilled athletes and are a 3A school, but they have coaches who believe in the kids, inspire them to try new things, and challenge them to be the best that they can be. As Conner hears about and reads about what his new school stands for and believes in, you can visibly see him feel more secure in taking risks and see such a glimmer of hope and excitement in his face. We are so grateful that he is about to begin a new chapter in his life and feel so blessed that he has such an exciting opportunity ahead of him. So we say goodbye to the middle school years and can't wait for high school!!