The Noblitt Family: Back to School!

So, apparently I am not at all keeping up with our family blog like I had planned on! Maybe now with the kids back in school I can do that. The Summer flew by and it is hard to believe this is the start of the boys' third week of school already. Where does the time go? The first half of our Summer was spent by and large on SWIM TEAM! This was the first year any of our boys have participated on a swim team. They were on Smokey Row Swim Club's team and they did fantastic. I was especially proud of Sam's efforts, as it was much harder for him to start something new at age 11! He worked very hard and, I think, enjoyed it. Will was in the 7-8 age group and he did well, too. His best strokes were freestyle and backstroke. He truly looked like a "California Boy" with that bleach blonde hair and tan body. He definitely looked like he belonged on a swim team. Tim and I were blown away by Tommy. Swimming has proven to be his thing! He was in the 6 and under age bracket and he was such a strong swimmer. He loved every minute of it, even practices, so now we are looking into him joining the Carmel Swim Club which is basically year-round swimming. In the Invitaitonal Swim Meet this Summer, Tommy placed 7th overall for his age group amongst all the teams in the conference. Go Tommy!

The remainder of our Summer was spent on a vacation to Cedar Point, pool time, bike riding, hanging out with friends and typical Summer stuff. August 9th came way too early and none of the boys were ready to go back to school. We will be attending a family camp at Spring Hill Camp in Seymour over Labor Day weekend with Chris, Ginny and the boys. So many fun things--we are very blessed!

These past couple of weeks have been huge for Sam, as he officially is now a middle-schooler. He started 6th grade at Carmel Middle School and hasn't looked back at all! He said he does not miss Mohawk Trails and that middle school is WAY cooler than elementary. He has done well so far with managing his locker, an earlier bus time, 6 different classes, playing the clarinet, etc. He never ceases to amaze us.

Will is in 3rd grade at Mohawk Trails and it is hard to believe that he will turn 9 next month! He continues to be a sweet, caring boy with a good heart...but he also continues to struggle MAJORLY with anxiety and mood issues. We continue to work on that with doctors, therapists, etc., and just keep him in our prayers constantly. No matter what he is going through, though, we know his heart is in the right place and that God holds him close. We know God has wonderful plans for him!

As usual, Tommy is just going with the flow with a smile on his face. He is in first grade at Mohawk Trails and loves school. Having Autism, he has his share of struggles, but so far so good with the new school year. We pray specifically that God would bring him a special friend this year.

Tim continues working hard at Lilly, running, being an involved, awesome dad, and just being an overall wonderul husband, father and family man. He is a blessing to us all!

I am enjoying my "alone" time with the boys in school, but am keeping busy. It always seems there is something to clean, an errand to run, an appointment to go to, keeping up with my running, etc. Plus, we got a new puppy a couple of weeks ago and he is, of course, requiring a lot of time. He is worth it, though.

Here are some photos from our summer: