Just thought I'd throw out a few quick updates since we have made so many changes lately.

1. Ryan is doing fabulously at school! He was so ready and hasn't missed a beat. He HATES rest time and he'll tell you all about that.... but... other than rest time, he really likes school.

He's getting pretty good at writing his name. Sometimes he writes it backwards and sometimes he does it the right way.

2. Ryan is also getting active in sports and enjoying them too. He started ice skating lessons two weeks ago and seems to be enjoying them. I wouldn't know as Russ has taken him to every lesson. Apparently Ryan's teacher is very easy on the eyes :)

He's also playing soccer again. He just started last week so we'll see how this season goes. The picture below is from his game this weekend. The shirt they gave him is at least three sizes too big and he had his brother's shorts on... geesh ;)

3. Reid is doing well too. School is going pretty well. We're getting the same feedback we have for two years - he is very bright but sometimes needs a cattle prod to get him to get his work done. Reid is up for graduation to the next belt level in karate. He will test on Sept 14 and then on Sept 24th he will have a graduation to a gold belt. He is very excited for that.

4. Ross is a bit challenging right now. He's doing well AT school but drop offs and home time have not been a lot of fun lately. He's clingy, whiny, and opinionated. He does pretty well with Russ but if 'mom' is in charge, he's a mess. I remember going through this stage with Ryan and I know he's been through some big changes lately so I'm just trying to take it day by day and know that this too will pass.

5. We have a new hockey kid. His name is John Teets. He's from Alaska and VERY quiet. The boys are starting to break him in a bit. He seemed to perk up the other night when Russ mentioned Ryan's skating teacher and said that he thought he might need some skating lessons too. We miss hockey Ross terribly and speak of him a lot so the poor kid probably feels like the ugly stepchild :) I'm sure things will become more comfortable with time.

6. Russ finished a hockey season this week. His team won but missed playoffs by about the narrowest margin ever. His work has been insanely busy and stressful lately so he's not done much for "fun". He turns the big 4-0 this coming weekend and we have nothing planned.

7. I have 37 days until Chicago. My mileage has been getting quite high lately and my body is sure feeling it! I haven't ran today and I need to but I just haven't found the motivation. I did a hard, hilly half marathon on Sunday and I can still feel it in several spots. My schedule last week and over the weekend had me behind on sleep and that's all I want to do right now :) I'm hoping to get back on track this week!