{friends}

Tre has really great friends here. There are 4 of them that like to be together. Tre, Nate, Henry & Josh. I love these boys. They are good boys. Just the kind of friends I had hoped Tre would find. The boys play on the same flag football team this year. I am so grateful for the moms of these boys who I call my friends. Without them & their help there is no way Tre would make it to & from practices each week. 

My big camera is being serviced. I have a very generous neighbor who leant me her camera for the game. But It is hard to not have the camera at my disposal all the time. I feel like I am missing lots of moments. I could use my phone camera but It just is not the same. 

In other news Tre was elected to student council at his school. It was very important to him & I worried all day long after staying up all night working on his campaign video, which turned out pretty great if you were to ask Tre's classmates. I was so relieved when I saw that smile come off the school bus. I knew right away he had made it. & thank goodness. His little heart is not so good at disappointment. 

Maddox is continuing to be his lively self at school. We get fun little notes about his bad choices. Some funny, some really not funny at all. He tries. sometimes. 

Presley had a horrible rash. Her face was swollen and wrinkled, red. It was our families very own medical mystery. Until one night I went to her while she was in her bathroom. She was "washing" her face with her antibacterial hand soap. I asked her if she had been putting her soap on her eyes & face. She said yes. I asked her if she has done this before. She again answered yes. Super. The poor thing had burns from the soap all over her face. After explaining to her that she should not do that again it took a few days for swelling to go down & then came all the peeling from the swelling & burns. She really is a sweet girl with ideas of her own. 

Britton is bringing home 100% papers. ONLY. The boy is devouring books. One after another. & not simple books either. He has read Percy Jackson novels & the first harry potter book (Mom won't let him read the others just yet.) He is plowing through the magic tree house series too. I love watching him learn. He quotes things he reads & teaches me new things every day. I am anxious to see where life takes him & what kind of man he becomes. 

Cooper is talking. Oh boy is he talking. He tells his brothers to "let go!" "give it to me" "go away" He's a bossy little buddy. He makes us laugh. He loves cars. he wakes up every morning asking for his cars. He loves car rides so he can point to the cars. He favors the "big trucks." 

Rod is working so hard for our family. He finished 6 weeks of nights & then his schedule let up for about 2 weeks. He is now back at the grind & we are looking at a 2 month separation coming up during the holidays. But we are starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel. this is Rod's final year of anesthesia residency. We really could not have made our way through graduate school & residency without our families. They have offered us emotional support & financial support. My heart is swelling with gratitude just thinking about it. The past 8 years of this journey have been hard. We have grown up so much. But when I reflect on the past few years I remember the best of friends & our 1st home, new babies, new places. More good than hard. I know these have been some of the best years of our lives. 

& that's where we are in life. 

some phone images of the past few weeks....