Changes

This has been a very different sort of year so far. Besides Juan's senior year activities, I can't forget to mention that David is now a freshman in high school, too. Jumping into high school was not the easiest transition for him the first few weeks of school, nor was the shift toward an earlier morning routine. In middle school, he got out of bed just as everyone else left the house. That gave him plenty of time to wake up, eat breakfast, and take care of himself on his own. He didn't leave for almost another hour after everyone else.

This year is a different story. His high school is the same distance from home as Juan's, but since it's in the other direction, we have to leave no later than 6:30 in the morning in order for me to get through all the school traffic and still make it to my school on time. He no longer has the luxury of taking his time and waking up slowly on his own. Now it's a jump-out-of bed routine and a fight for the bathroom. It's been quite a difficult transition for me, too, with a very shortened quiet time, and then having to fight for my bathroom space. When we leave on time, I get to school pretty early and can start the morning on a calm note. When we leave just a few minutes late, the school traffic picks up and I barely make it to school on time.

David started working for the first time in his life as a referee for the soccer association that he plays for. He's gotten his first two paychecks already, so that's been a big step in his life. I love how he immediately started thinking of gifts he can buy for his brother and dad's birthdays coming up before he even thought of spending any of his money on himself. He's always had a heart like that.

He made sure I didn't post this picture on Facebook, but I never said I wouldn't post it on my blog! I am really proud of him for how seriously he takes his new job, though we're still working on the importance of actually putting on sunscreen while working out in the sun all day. Sigh. Teenagers.

Soccer has become a bigger ordeal at our house with Mike taking over David's team as the coach and having Juan assist in that coaching. Juan hasn't really stepped up to the title with the enthusiasm we thought he would, but Mike has definitely taken the position very seriously and treats the boys with a lot of respect. It's definitely a big time commitment, though, one we didn't really want to add to our plate at this point in life. However, it is what it is, and the other parents have let us know how thankful they are that Mike stepped in to keep the team together at the last minute. The season will be over by the end of the month, and I pray Mike will be blessed for the time he dedicated to his son and the other boys.