The boys had their last day of school yesterday.  Austin received and award for making the Honor Roll for every grading period in the year and Tyler won the award for Most Accelerator Reading points in his class!  He also made the highest grades possible (they use a 1,2,3 grading scale now..I hate it!)

Summer will not be boring at our house!  Austin leaves this Sunday to go to Camp Cherokee until Thursday. Several of his friends are also going and he is very excited to go! Tyler will have Tennis camp Monday - Friday, so he will be busy also.

The entire summer is taken up with camps and practices of one type or another.  I'm sure it will be gone in a flash....

This past weekend our basketball team competed in a tourney in Chattanooga.  Sadly, since we have tall, talented kids the refs feel the need to try to even out the competition.  So...our boys had to not only play against the other team, they also had to play against the refs (who were letting the other team basically beat up our kids, while we had fouls called on us at the drop of a hat), the crowd (the parents of the other team were yelling to their kids to "use your elbows!".....thanks to that advice Austin got a black eye!) and the clock keeper (who kept messing up at just the right times.)  Even though they had everything against them...WE WON!!!!!  I am so proud of these guys!  It is such a joy to watch them play!



After a win like that....the only place to take a bunch of 12 year old boys was HOOTERS...lol.

Guess which kid was more excited to see what the Easter Bunny had brought?



Here is a photo of our boys looking handsome....



This past week, Tyler was chosen as the "Clubhouse of the Week" on a reading website called www.tickettoread.com.  The principal of his school announced it to the entire student body and also personally came to Tyler's classroom to congratulate him!  Way to go Tyler!!!!

Austin and his basketball teammates were in the Cleveland paper yesterday because of their Championship win last weekend!  Yay Crossover!

We were in Pigeon Forge this past weekend for an AAU basketball tourney.  It was a really good tourney and we all had a great time.  Here is a photo of Austin grabbing a rebound!




The kids also had fun in the hot tub!!!

Last week, Austin turned 12.....  If you look up "typical 12 year old" in the dictionary, you will find Austin's photo...lol.  He is SO much fun!!!

Tyler was named as the Character Trait representative for his class this month!  The trait is "Honesty."  He is so proud....and we are proud of him as well!!!

AAU is going well. We may have a tourney this weekend in GA and will host a tourney next weekend here in Cleveland.  YAY!!!

The CMS 6th grade boys completed their season undefeated (their only loss came to a 7th grade team, so that doesn't count! )  They won the county championship tourney yesterday!  Below is a photo of the boys (minus 2 boys who left before I shot the photo)  Notice that Austin is almost as tall as his coach...lol.

Tyler won the Pinewood Derby!!  He is SO excited!!!!

I guess the most exciting thing that has happened here since last week is that the kids were out of school two extra days recently.  Last Friday, they were out because of the very low temps and yesterday they were out because of icy streets.  We actually had a dusting of snow and the boys made the very most of it.  They scraped up as much as they could and had a snowball fight.  I'm hoping for an even better snow before Spring gets here. :-)

Here are some of the 58 deer we saw while visiting the Chickamauga Battlefield.  There was an open field with several groups of deer.  I think we counted around 28 in this field at the time.

Tyler is VERY excited that he will be attending his first Chess Club meeting at his school on Wednesday after school.  He also has Scouts tonight and Science Club Thursday after school.  He's a busy kid this week and loving every minute of it! 

Both boys received their grade cards last week and they did great!  Tyler's grades are on a 1-2-3 scale and I have to say that I absolutely hate it.  I don't really understand the ins and outs of it...but I do know that he did very well!  Austin had 5 A's and 1 B!!!  Not too shabby for Honors classes!!!

I was hoping for some snow showers or at least flurries today, but it looks like I'm out of luck once again.  I'm still keeping my fingers crossed for some of the white stuff sometime this month!

One of my resolutions every single year is to become more organized.  This year, that involves consistently posting to this Blog.  I am going to use my planner as it should be used and will add a "post to Blog" entry for each week.  We'll see if I can keep up with it...

We have had a great Christmas vacation. It has been very low key and we have just enjoyed being together.  Tyler was so overwhelmed and happy with his Christmas gifts that he had a mini-breakdown on Christmas morning and just thanked us over and over and over.  It's good for a kid to have at least one overwhelming Christmas.  Austin was happy with his gifts, also.  More importantly, the time with family and friends was fantastic.

Due to the flooding, the boys have one more day of Christmas vacation today.  I'm glad to have them home.  School basketball has started back up and we are beginning to form this year's AAU team.  I am so grateful that we have had the opportunity to be involved with the AAU teams.  It is such a wonderful experience for Austin.  I'm looking forward to another great season.

Tyler will have Science club again tomorrow after school.  He really enjoys it and I'm grateful that there are folks at his school willing to volunteer their time to provide this experience.  He is SUCH a good reader and is thirsty for knowledge. He loves to learn new things.  Both of our boys are very smart and work hard.  I'm looking forward to their grade cards on Friday.

Michael has made positive changes at his office and is looking for 2009 to be an even better year than those past.  We took him to the Chickamauga Battlefield for his birthday.  He seemed to really enjoy the visit. The weather was rainy and foggy.  This allowed us to see a record 58 deer along the driving tour!  It was fantastic! 

As for me, I'm still trying to manage the house and keep everyone on schedule.  I just finished up a 9 week stretch of teaching Sunday School (1st and 2nd graders) and loved it.  I'm glad to be back in my adult SS class now, though. I have much to learn. :-)

Things are going well at the Massey house.  Tyler has his new glasses and he looks SO cute!  I'll try to post a photo soon.  He loves wearing them and is so happy to be able to see better.  I think he didn't realize what he was missing.  He has been attending Science Camp at school once a month and really enjoys it.  He has already decided that he wants to be some sort of Scientist when he grows up. :-)

Austin played his first Middle School basketball game on Saturday.  We won the game and Austin did well as did the other boys.  The first part of a season is always difficult when you are bringing boys together who haven't played as a team before.  There are several boys from the AAU team on the Middle School team along with several who weren't.  It's always a matter of everyone gaining trust in everyone else.  I suspect that this will be an awesome team!

Michael was in Nashville this weekend attending a Nutritional seminar.  He knew most of the information, but it's always good to get a refresher. 

We are off to Athens this afternoon to begin a basketball tournament.  Hopefully the boys will do well!

Our church had the annual Trunk or Treat last night.  We all had a great time. Here are a couple of photos:


Tyler with his best friend Hayden, Hayden's little brother Conner and Austin's best friend Derick.


Austin and his best friend, Derick.

After celebrating my nephew, Jackson's, birthday at my Dad's cabin we took our now annual trip to the Pumpkin Patch in Riceville.  It is a really nice place to go and I think we all enjoyed ourselves even though Pa and Marina were stung by yellow jackets.  The kids managed to make it through the Corn Maze by themselves. (We didn't notice that the instructions stated that children were not supposed to go through the maze without an adult...Oops)  The kids really enjoyed the petting zoo and then we took the hayride out to the Pumpkin Patch. Everyone was able to find the perfect pumpkin before it was time to leave.  I always enjoy this trip and hope that we continue it for a long long time.

Tyler is super excited today because it is his first Science Club meeting at his school. This is the first year for the program and I am so happy that he is able to participate. He is also excited because he gets to ride home with one of his good friends. He went home with another friend on Tuesday, so he is convinced that this is the Best Week Ever!!!

Austin has his last football game of the season tonight.  He has really enjoyed this season and is sad to see it end. (I agree!  I have also enjoyed it!)  He had a super game on Tuesday with 3 QB sacks!!! 

We went to the River Maze this past weekend.  That was fun, but I like the Pumpkin Patch in Athens better. The maze at the River Maze was just way too big. We did a lot of short cutting!  I'll try to post some photos soon.

Austin found out yesterday that his first Middle School Field Trip will be to see the King Tut Exhibit in Atlanta in December!  How exciting!!! I'm going to try to figure out a way for us all to go! 

Both boys are doing well in school after a bit of an adjustment.  It was tough with both of them moving to new schools and Austin starting Middle School. Things have calmed down now and we are all doing well.

Tyler is beginning scouts next week. He really enjoys the time with his buddies. He has begun AR (Accelerated Reading) at school. He was upset this week because he was place on a reading level lower than he knew he should have been.  After an email to the teacher and librarian, he was placed on a higher level.  The kid LOVES to read!  He's going to do great with AR!   He even got into trouble for taking an AR test on a book WAY above his perceived level at school.  LOL  You can't blame the kid for trying.

Austin is really enjoying football and is doing well.  This past Tuesday was a very exciting game! He ran for a touchdown after catching a pass. Then on the next possession, he was playing QB and tossed it to the kid who had been playing QB previously and he ran it all the way down for another touchdown! It was very exciting!  Especially, since these guys are good friends!

It took a little while for Austin to adjust to Middle School, but he is doing well in his classes and is fitting in nicely. He really loves it.

Mike is as busy as ever. September is his traveling month, so he's been out of town a bit.  I'm just still trying to keep everyone fed, clothed, clean and on schedule.

Here is Austin and some of his football buddies.  We brought these guys home from school today, fed them a good meal and took them back to win their game!!! Go Raiders!!!!

Our family attended the Cleveland Middle School 6th Grade Open House tonight.  Michael had the chance to meet Austin's teachers (one we already know from church), see his classrooms and tour the school. We signed up for the Booster Club and found out that the Moms get to help out with the two school dances!  That sounds like hilarious fun to me! 

Michael and I had this strange feeling of deja vu.  As we walked along the halls of this Middle School, we kept passing people we had passed in the halls during our time in Junior High School around 30 years ago.  It's nice to know that our friends' children are going to school with our children.  All things old are new again....

The boys have been in school two weeks now and I think they have both settled in very well. Austin had the biggest adjustment moving to Middle School, but he loves it!  Tyler likes his school as well, so for the moment everyone is happy. Soon we will be into our usual Fall routine...Austin playing football, Tyler going to Scouts and Michael traveling on and off.  And me...I just try to keep it all together and running smoothly.

We recently purchase a Wii Fit and it is fantastic!  It is a brilliantly designed way to trick a person into exercising. We are all loving it!! It's probably the best money we have spent in a long time. I would recommend it to anyone at any fitness level. It's a load of fun!

It's that time again!  Here is the newly updated First Day of School Photo sideshow.  Hope you enjoy!

One week from today is the first full day of school for my guys.  I have really enjoyed this summer and will be sad to see them go back to school.  They are both moving to new schools, so there is a low level of anxiety in the house.  Tyler already knows who his teacher is and which kids are in his class. He has several of his good friends and more importantly his Best Friend in the Whole World in his class.  That is helping his attitude greatly!

Austin will be starting Middle School, so that is a major adjustment.  We have been in the school a zillion times so at least he is familiar with it.  I think he is going to have a great time in Middle School! 

Austin had his first day of football practice in pads yesterday. He said it was a little hard to get used to the heat (95 degrees!), but he did well.  he has a few bruises this morning and is a bit tired, but he's ready to go back at it today. :-)

We are so proud that Austin made the Cleveland Middle School Football Team! Over 80 boys in the 6th and 7th grades tried out for the 7th grade team, so it is a real honor for him to be on the team.

School starts in less than two weeks.  We have had a great summer, but it always goes by so fast. Both boys will be moving into new schools, so there is a low level of anxiety.   I'm sure both of them will love their new schools!

Tyler and his Pirate Birthday Cake



The thing that Tyler wanted most for his birthday was to be home.   So, we cut our Mexico Beach trip short by a couple of days so he could wake up in his own bed on his 8th birthday.  He also got great gifts from the family and had a wonderful time playing with them all.  I still can't believe that my "baby" is 8!!!

Mexico Beach turned out to be exactly what we had hoped it would be.  Small, quiet, lazy and uncrowded.  There are no franchise businesses there...not even a McDonald's.  There are a few locally owned restaurants and one grocery store. This small store was surprisingly well stocked with items that were not overly priced.  The majority of the visitors to the beach were families just like us.  The hotel where we stayed (one of the two hotels in town) was old, but clean.  It wasn't anything fancy, but it was just fine for a lazy vacation.  It is the perfect place to unwind and relax.  We did hop over to Panama City Beach a couple of times to ride go-carts, go to an arcade, eat at Pineapple Willies and shop a bit. It was a wonderful vacation!

I have so much to write about our trip to Mexico Beach, but for now I will just share a store between Mexico Beach and Panama City Beach that adds new meaning to the phrase "One Stop Shopping."

Yesterday was the last day of school for this year!  Since Michael was in Nashville for a meeting, I attended both boys' Awards Ceremonies.  AT THE SAME TIME! That was quite interesting. Luckily, their schools were right beside each other and I was able to first see Tyler get his "Top Reader" award and be recognized for creating the slogan for the school's artwork gift to WalMart for their contributions to the school this past year. Then, I hopped over to Austin's school just in time to see him receive his award for "All A's and B's" and "National Fitness Award." Whew!  Next year, Tyler will be at Ross and Austin will be at Cleveland Middle School.  MIDDLE SCHOOL? It is already time for that? We've been over there quite a bit already.  He's been to the Spring Football and Basketball "practices." They get kids together who have an interest in the sports and put them through a sampling of what they can expect next year. It also gives the coaches a chance to see who's interested and lets the kids get to know the coaches. Austin enjoyed it and it went well.  He's already had his sports physical, so he's good to go. :-)

Tyler will be at Ross (grades 3-5) next year.  They are going to have a Science Club next year.  He is so excited about that!  I think it's great! Tyler is SO smart.  He enjoys reading and has a photographic memory just like his Dad.

Both boys will be attending several camps this summer. Whatever happened to lazy summer vacations? 

Our AAU Basketball team qualified to go to the State Tournament in Memphis in two weeks! These boys have worked so hard this season. I'm so glad they have the opportunity to compete at this level!  Take a look at these faces! We love these boys!!!

Austin can see!!!  He got his contacts on Monday.  The poor fella had to put them in and take them out before the Dr. would let us leave the office with them.  He spent 1 hour doing that. Of course, 15 minutes of that time was taken up trying to get a contact out that had already flipped out!   I was SO proud of him. He was so patient.  He WAS very frustrated, but he stuck with it!  The lady helping us said that they have a high school patient who has been to the office twice and hasn't gotten the first contact in yet, so Austin did GREAT!  He wasn't able to get them in on Tuesday, but he did get them in last night.  Wow!  It must have made such a difference for him. He was SO happy and excited!!!

His basketball team will be playing in the AAU Sub State tournament in Knoxville this weekend.  We have already played, and beat, two of the 4 other teams in the tourney.  However....teams area allowed to add to their roster, so there isn't any guarantee that they will be the same kids we played against the first time.  I really do think they have a shot at this, though. They have never lost to an 11 year old team. The only teams they have lost against were a year older than they are.  If we are one of the top two teams of the tournament, we go to Memphis in two weeks for the AAU State Tournament!!!!  Graceland here I come!!!!

Tyler has been drawing a lot lately.  Of course, the majority of his work is Star Wars related.  It amazes me how well he can remember scenes and then draw them.  He must have his Dad's photographic memory!  His reading also amazes me.  His reading class just finished a book about Albert Einstein.  He knew 95 percent of the words and really the only ones he had trouble with were German names that I had no clue how to pronounce either.  I have no doubt that at 7 he could pick up any average adult literature and have no trouble reading it.

I have two amazing boys. They are both smart, sweet, funny, handsome, etc., etc.  We are so blessed to have such a wonderful family.  For that, I am grateful.