Thursday afternoon Jeff & I headed to Spring Valley High School in Columbia to see Clara in action on the soccer field again. Lindee was with Mallory at the Admitted Students Event at Furman University, and Jackson was there but coaching, so we went down to sit in the stands and cheer her on. They introduced the starting lineups before the game, which I don’t think we’d ever seen done at any other schools. Clara is in the middle of the white line with the orange cleats.

Not many action shots of the game, but I did get this one of her getting her bags off of the bus, after the Clover Lady Eagles JV victory. She was riding home with us since Jackson had to stay and help coach the varsity girls, and she had a lot of homework to get done :-).

On our way to Clara’s soccer game on Tuesday we were checking out our flower bed between the house and the driveway, and I was so excited to see that we are getting some blooms! Most of those flowers are summer bloomers, so it’s always exciting when that starts up.

I didn’t get a picture until after Clara’s game that evening. She had already changed out of her uniform to get ready to head to chorus practice, in preparation for a competition they were attending the next day.

Sunday after church Meg and I headed to Mount Airy to meet Zollie & Renee’s newest grandson, 9-day-old Heath Joshua Calloway, their daughter Olivia & her husband Taylor’s brand new baby. He was sweet and perfect and everything good. I absolutely fell in love.

Jeff is finally starting to get his strength back enough to get outside & do some piddling out in the yard again, which makes him much happier.  Thursday he went out and did just a little bit of chainsawing on some small trees that had fallen in the woods, and when I was dragging the pieces to the fire pile I noticed these cool looking mushrooms growing on one of the limbs.  It does feel good for the weather to be pretty enough to be getting outside again.

Yesterday Jeff & I were at Saluda Trail Middle School in Rock Hill for Adam’s first track meet of the season. This year he is doing discus and shot put, and yesterday also ran a lap in the 4×400 relay. It’s his first year on the field events, and he ended up coming in first place in the discus throw. 111 feet – his PR. We were so excited and proud, needless to say. I’m not sure if this picture was while he was taking his best throw, but it was exciting at any rate.

This past Sunday afternoon I was in Spartanburg to see June participate in her second competition of the year. In the first one I hadn’t been able to see her do this small group Musical Theater dance – it’s one that I had to miss as I was driving to see Clara dressed for her military ball. They are stewardesses in the dance, and it was just the cutest thing. June is the tall one in the middle.

Sunday before last Joshua and Hillary were in King for the Feed Stokes 5K, and for 4-month-old Jack’s first visit to North Carolina. Meg & I went up on Sunday afternoon for a very nice lunch at Hillary’s folks’ house, and to meet him for the first time. He was asleep when we got there, and Josh woke him up after about an hour, so he wasn’t as happy as he normally would have been – but was still just so, so cute.

Saturday I had to miss a couple of dances at June’s competition to get back to Clover in time to see Clara dressed up to go to the Military Ball. I got this picture of her posing while she was facetiming with Mallory, who was out for supper to celebrate a friend’s birthday. I know seeing and hearing Mallory and all of her friends oohing & aahing over her made Clara feel even more beautiful.

I got home in time to see some of the awards as they were being livestreamed from June’s dance competition, including the biggie for Best Dance Studio. That’s June in back right under the A in Arts. That was really exciting and I am so proud of them all.

…of the season, and the first with her new studio, Elite Dance. I was there for a good part of the day, but didn’t get to stay for all of her dances. This was one jazz dance, Cinema Italiano – that’s her second from the right in the front row. I love these costumes, and they did a great job.

and in her other jazz dance, Toxic. Both were really, really good – I was so proud.