Can I dote for a minute?

I know I'm running really behind on updating the journal (and I'm sorry about that!!), but I just need to take a minute and brag on Tyler.  Let me preface by saying that the only phone calls that I receive from the school are complaints regarding Ty. So, today when my phone rang and identified CMS as the caller, naturally, I cringed.  To my surprise, it was his math teacher calling to report that Ty made a 93 on his math test today.  Although, that is a wonderful grade and we are proud of him for that, I couldn't understand why it warranted a phone call home. He has made higher grades before and I didn't receive a call. Apparently, this test was extremely hard and very few people passed the test at all.  Tyler had the second highest grade in the class. I took the opportunity to ask how Tyler was doing overall and Mr. Young had many good things to say about him, praising him greatly. To some, this might be a normal way of life, but not so much for us.  This was excellent news from the school today!  That is one phone call I didn't mind taking!  Way to go Tyler!

Highlights from the past few months...

A lot has happened since my last post.

Scouting!

In May, Connor and Tyler concluded the 2012-2013 Cub Scouts year.  Connor has stepped up to Bear status.  Tyler completed all of the Cub Scout requirements and crossed over to Boy Scouts.  He also earned the Arrow of Light Award.

Sports!
Connor has played on two baseball teams since the spring.  Over the summer, Tyler decided to try his hand at baseball and joined a team as well.  They both played very well and gained a lot of experience with the summer league.  Currently, Connor is playing on another baseball team and Tyler is playing soccer.  Practices just started last week.  I love watching my boys play sports!

High five for stealing third base!! Go Connor!

                        

Tyler is up to bat!

Vacation!

We spent a week during the summer in Cape San Blas, Florida.  This is our all time favorite place to be.  Typically, we stay for 4 nights.  This year, we took the plunge and stayed a week.  Needless to say, we had a great time!  The weather was beautiful the entire stay.  On the last day, a storm was brewing and drew sharks to the shore and Connor actually caught one with his net! 

Helen, Georgia

With my mom living in South Carolina, Helen is halfway between us. We met there and rented a cabin near the Unicoi State Park. We tubed down the Chattahoochee River, then filled our bellies with a wonderful meal and topped it off with goodies from the candy shop! 

New School Year!
Tyler started the 6th grade.  Connor is a big 3rd grader!   Baylee sure did miss the boys when they started school!  She moped around the house for days.

First day of school

College!

Sarah made the transition to dorm life on August 16th.  She truly has the cutest dorm on her hall!  

Panoramic view

Her classes started on the 19th and she is already smothered in homework and tests.  She says she loves it, though!  So far, she has come home every weekend :)  Yes, I know...that won't last long, but we are soaking it up while we can!

Two Freckle Monogram Boutique!
Sarah is off to college and the boys are getting older.  I considered applying for a part time job, but figured it would be more fun to combine my two loves... sewing and monograms! I love sewing and I love anything monogrammed!  So, I combined the two.  I have been creating the sweetest baby burp cloths, trendy pocket tees, monogrammed tanks and sweatshirts, and adding personalization to kitchen towels, bath towels, beach hats, and so much more.

To see some of the my items, please visit Two Freckle Monogram Boutique on Facebook.  Don't forget to like my page while you are there!

We are very proud of our kiddos!

Connor did very well this year in school.  He received a certificate for "Being the Fastest Reader While Comprehending".  He worked very hard this year to earn that award!  He also received a physical fitness award for improved health and performance. 

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Ty ended 5th grade with straight A's, perfect attendance, and an award for having the second highest Accelerated Reader points in the 5th grade!  Each semester the kids take tests and earn points on books they have read.  They are required to earn 16 points.  Tyler earned 492!  He did very well on the CRCT this year as well.  A score of 800-849 meets the standard and anything over 850 exceeds.  He scored the following:

Reading: 841
Language Arts: 839
Math: 851
Science: 921 
Social Studies: 843

As you could probably guess, science is his favorite subject!  He also received a class superlative certificate for wittiest classmate.  Seems very fitting for him!

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Sarah graduated with straight A's and a 3.7 GPA.  She is very excited to have earned the HOPE scholarship.  She received a plaque for earning her academic letter (earned for having an A/B average) all four years of high school.  She was nicely decorated on graduation night, too.  The gold cord is for graduating with honors.  The blue and white cord is for serving all four years of high school in HOSA (Health Occupations Students of America)  The medallion is for having over 250 service hours in HOSA.   

Graduation slideshow

A big thank you to Sam, Nanci, Jenny, Bryan, Lauren, Jennifer, Stefan, David, Sherry and Gene for taking time out of your busy schedules to attend Sarah's graduation!!  I created a slideshow of Sarah from birth through graduation night.  You can view it by clicking here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ef8Syg87M9k&feature=youtu.be

Where did the time go??

Today is Sarah's last day of high school.  She ended her senior year with straight A's and a GPA of 3.7!  She has earned the HOPE scholarship which covers 90% of her college tuition each semester that she maintains a 3.0 GPA in college.  We couldn't be more proud of her!!

She changes from shouting "Go Trojans" to "Go Night Hawks" when she moves into her dorm on August 16th.  Classes begin on August 19th.  We know she will do great!!

Senior Prom

Sarah's had a great time at her senior prom!  She looked beautiful and Daniel cleaned up pretty good, too!

Happy Birthday, Bay!!

Baylee has been such a wonderful addition to our family. She turned 1 year old on April 22! She topped out at 55 pounds.  She is so sweet and energetic and loves to play soccer and fetch a tennis ball.  She has learned so much in the past year.  She knows the following commands and is still learning more every day:

Sit
Down
Come
Stay
Stand
Twirl
Kisses
Shake
Watch me (stare me in the eyes until released)
Off
No
Leave it
Take it
Go potty (on demand)
Bring it (she loves to fetch!)
Get the paper (she will get the newspaper from the end of the driveway and bring it to me)
Go to bed (lay on her bed until released)
Okay (her release word)
Back (if she is walking too far ahead of me on leash, she will slow down and get behind me)