Work/School, Sports, Sleep, Repeat

 The Thorne Family is BUSY with at least one (usually three) practice seven days a week. The kids are living their best lives with their parents as unpaid Uber drivers. :)

Maggie increased her gym commitment to 24 hours a week, including two 6:30am-8:30am practices. I have asked her so many times if she feels overwhelmed to let me know, but she assures me that she is loving every minute. After final evaluations, Maggie is officially competing Level 7 this year and will start meet season in December.

Jacob has found his spot in the defensive line and was named "Defensive Player of the Game" against Walton. The Hornets are working hard and increase their physical presence each game. I have to remind myself that the kids are only seven and eight years old. They do not admit to injuries or fatigue. They want to play and WIN!

Tuttle and I have grown a very close texting relationship because we constantly miss each other between work, school, and practices. Luckily we are part of a carpool with three other 8th grade boys, so my driving is reduced, but that also reduces my face to face with Tuttle. While the team has not brought home many wins, Tuttle is fully dedicated to improving and continuing his football involvement in high school. He has also agreed to try wrestling in the winter since he heard coaches value the skills wrestlers bring to the field. Middle school is an intimidating time to try something new, but that does not hold Tuttle back at all. He impresses me daily.

Dinner can be eaten at 4:30 or 9:30 with our schedules, and bedtimes are far later than ideal, but the kids are focused and enjoying their sports. I wish I had their energy and commitment. 

Next Stop: Los Angeles

 Tuttle and Jay were finally apply to officially celebrate Tuttle's 13th birthday with their weekend trip to LA! Our teenager had requested to attend a Dodgers game, so we waited for the Braves to be in town before flying the boys across the country.

Prior to the game, Jay and Tuttle explored Venice Beach. They discovered a car show and checked out several shoe stores. 

The main event pitted the two boys against each other, but after overtime, the Braves took home the win.

I love that we are so invested in traveling individually with the kids and making experiences the focus. The trip combined all of Tuttle's favorite things- Dodgers, shoes, and missing school! This was definitely a birthday to remember!

Hilton Head and Heat Wave

 After getting the kids settled in school, Jay and I planned a long weekend trip to Hilton Head Island to officially celebrate our 15th anniversary. It took a very complicated schedule that Gram was the lead on to get the kids where they needed to be all weekend, but thanks to our village, it was a complete success!

We absolutely love our spot at Palmetto Dunes in HHI, so it was an easy decision to return for a few days of relaxation and A LOT of eating. 

I was pampered for several hours at the hotel spa while Jay enjoyed our private cabana by the pool and made new friends. There is nothing like ditching your husband for an afternoon to celebrate your marriage! :)

We dressed up on our last night and tried a new-to-us spot in Sea Pines and then grabbed dessert in Harbour Town. I am so incredibly lucky to be married to Jay. We are looking forward to another 15 years!

Although I always associate back to school with fall weather, we are FAR from cool and crisp temperatures. The heat index hit over 100 last week, and it has affected the boys' sports. (Gymnastics is only cancelled if a tornado is on top of the gym...) Practices have been pushed back and game times have been cancelled or altered, but Tuttle and Jacob have shown up to play! Football is a huge commitment, and we are proud of our boys for working hard at a new sport, especially Tuttle who is also balancing difficult classes and interrupted study time.

Everyone in the family is adjusting to our new hectic schedule with a late nights and parent tag teaming to get each person where they need to be ("See you never!"), but our family is thriving!

ABC 123

 We cannot believe it, but it is already time to get back into a routine with school.

 To prepare for the new year, Maggie attended Camp '30 for a middle school boot camp. She toured the school, reunited with some friends from 5th grade, and completed an escape room. I think it made her feel more comfortable about the transition.

Jacob explored his 2nd grade classroom at Meet & Greet. His new teacher was not a new face to him because Ms. Wilson moved from the technology connections position into a lead teacher spot. He also stopped by to see his AIM teacher, Ms. Motil. I know this is going to be a great year for Jacob at Arnold Mill!

Maggie and Tuttle had Meet & Greet, as well, but Tuttle decided to just figure it out on the first day of school. Maggie and I trekked to her classes. She does not have any of Tuttle's 6th grade teachers, so it was new to both of us. She has a lot of walking during the day because her classes are across several floors and campus!

Jacob is the only Thorne kid left with the early wake up call, but he was dressed and ready for Mr. Bert to pick him up to head to school on the first day!

Maggie and Tuttle were able to sleep almost two extra hours before their turn to start the school year. Although the bus was over 45 minutes late, they finally made it to school!

Everyone is tired after the first week, but I know we will adjust to the routine and late nights. 

Happy New School Year!

Maggie Turns 11!

 This has been a month long birthday celebration for Maggie since her big birthday trip to Utah was at the beginning of July, but she is easy to celebrate!

We hosted a low-key pool party this past weekend at our house for her gym besties. The girls spent three hours competing with hand stands, tubing into the pool on the air track, eating pizza and watermelon, and singing to Maggie with popsicles. Maggie is so lucky to have these sweet girls in her life, especially because she practically lives with them at practice!

Our birthday girl is the most organized, focused, clever, loyal, and fashionable person I know. As she begins a new chapter in middle school next week, I know she will only continue to amaze us with her tenacity. Happy 11th Birthday, Maggie Moo!

Happy Anniversary!

 Cheers to FIFTEEN YEARS!

We have fit a lot into the last fifteen years together. From Athens to Atlanta to Roswell and adding three kids into the mix, we made sure to never have a dull year together. I love tackling job changes, packed schedules, and life's twists and turns as a team. I cannot wait to see where we are in another fifteen years!

Happy Anniversary to my favorite guy!

Utah, PRR, and Camp

 Maggie and I went on an adventure to Utah with memories that will last a lifetime. 

Maggie found out one of her favorite collegiate gymnasts, Rebekah Ripley, was offering floor choreography, and she needed a new routine for Level 7. I connected with Rebekah, and we planned out trip to Salt Lake City, Utah for the training. Maggie and I agreed that this would be an early birthday gift, so the grandparents contributed to the trip as their gifts. It was a whirlwind trip with only 24 hours in Utah, but we were able to fit in a lot of fun!

Maggie had an outfit change during our layover in Denver due to an apple juice spill on the plane. The Denver airport was really nice.

After a quick nap for me at the hotel in Salt Lake City, we explored a local outdoor mall that was recommended on our flight. Maggie was living her best life with some shopping at Lululemon and Kendra Scott. We ate at the food court before meeting Rebekah for our first choreography session.

Maggie and I were both eager to see what Rebekah had designed with the music we went to her a few weeks prior to our visit. We absolutely loved the routine! It was full of personality and unique moves that matched Maggie's personality. I knew that the trip was completely worth every mile and every dollar after watching Maggie work with Rebekah!

The next morning we were up bright and early for our second training session with Rebekah. The hour focused on cleaning up the routine and facial expressions. I was shocked that Maggie remembered every move! We are looking forward to sending Rebekah videos with all the tumble passes and leaps incorporated into the choreography.

Another highlight of the trip was connecting with one of Maggie's gym Instagram friends. She had been following Greta as she is a brand ambassador for Chalk Warrior, a favorite leo brand of Maggie. We met Greta and her mom for breakfast, and they were the absolute sweetest! We enjoyed hearing about Greta's gym, her commitment to the Mormon faith, and discussing Utah.

I will cherish memories from this trip with Maggie. She was definitely in her element, and I loved watching her smile. The flight home included a layover in Dallas, Texas and took about 12 hours from start to finish. We crawled into bed at home and slept late!

Our next summer event was my favorite: The 4th of July! In Thorne Family fashion, we started our holiday at the Peachtree Road Race. This was Jay's 19th consecutive race and Maggie's 2nd run. The boys and I cheered them on from our spot near the four mile marker. Rosie joined us this year and was the star of the show. SO many runners stopped to pet her and compliment our sweet girl.

Tuttle's traditional photo marks 11 years of waving the flag. We missed one year due to a global pandemic.

We spent the rest of the afternoon at the pool with our favorite neighbors. I brought white chocolate dipped strawberries that were quickly eaten up!

While our summer has already been packed with activities, the big kids had their grand finale with overnight camps this week. Maggie and I drove to Crossville, Tennessee for Flip Fest while the boys took Tuttle to Lake Allatoona for Camp High Harbour. (A big thanks to Grandmommy and Grandaddy for Tuttle's week at camp!)

Jacob is experiencing life as an only child this week. He has football camp to fill his mornings and is soaking up all the extra attention in the afternoon.