September 28

Two of my kiddos celebrated achievements today: Isaac got his butterfly ribbon at swimming, and then a little later, Abby received her certificate for earning straight A's during the spring semester. By a coin flip, this is the image I'm using, but it could easily have been Isaac at the pool!

I sometimes worry about Abby when it comes to the social aspect of middle school. She had a bad friend-related experience a few years ago, and as a byproduct of that, she's extremely careful when it comes to choosing the people with whom she spends her time. Tonight, it did my heart oodles of good to see her immediately greet someone the second we walked into the MPR. It did my heart even more good to see her coursing through the crowd --and animatedly chatting-- with a different friend after the photo op concluded. Those little moments of parental relief are such blessings.