First day of 2nd and 6th grade

 Here is my 6th grader......hanging from a tree.  I told the boys last night each of them have something that is very special about them.  With Jay it's his sense of adventure.  He has the most adventurous spirit.  I love watching him as he's often fearless which can be scary but I'm aware of how he craves adventure so I try not to hold him back very often.  Last week we went on a hike in TN.  This hike consisted of several bridges that had to be crossed over water.  Jay didn't use any of the bridges.  His adventurous spirit took him through the water to explore the rocks in the creek every time.  He loves to hang from trees and explore.  He really is one with nature.  I know he'll do great things in life but one thing is certain, whatever he does he'll be doing it outside.

Here is my 2nd grader.  How can Nick be in 2nd grade?  He has the same teacher as Jay did and I know I'll see wonderful things come from Nick this year.  The thing about Nick that makes him really special is his big heart.  If he thought you needed it, he'd give you the shirt off his back.  I'll blog more about this later but during a hike last week in TN I had packed him a sandwich.  Everyone was hungry by the conclusion of the hike especially all the kids.  When Faith and Curtis found out Nick had a nutella sandwich he hadn't eaten Nick didn't hesitate and gave up his sandwich to his friends.  He admitted he was hungry but wanted Faith and Curtis to eat.  That's the kind of heart Nick has - big and full of kindness.

And here they are, ready to start their first day.  Jay's position in the tree just validates what I wrote about him above (ha).  Nick had a great day.  We have some challenges with Nick that I know we'll face but his attitude is good and that's half the battle.  Jay loved 6th grade.  He told me tonight he thinks it will be his best year ever.  Things are a changing though.  Jay leaves the house in the morning, goes to school and then goes to Cross Country practice.  We don't see him until around dinner time.  I'm so thankful he has cross country as an outlet for him.  It really seems to be a good fit for him and he's most excited for the first race he has through the corn fields, imagine that?  Nick is playing flag football.  I'm excited to see both my boys in their sporting activities this fall.  Go Spartans!