I normally look forward to writing these every year and reflecting on all the accomplishments, growth and even some of the not so fun memories that have led to character building or positives each year. I really enjoy reading them and seeing all the photographs associated with each year. It is like my scrapbook all on one page. I have been dreading writing this year's post and I am not sure I ever will be able to look back on it and think of it in an overall positive light. I am not sure I will ever see the redemption of it this side of Heaven. This has been and continues to be the most difficult year of my family's life.
To watch my children go through this year has been gut wrenching. I lay awake in bed wondering how God is going to redeem and protect them through this. Lowery has already been through so much in his life. His very first day of life was filled with trauma and here we are seven years later adding more trauma that I can't prevent from happening. In his short seven years of life he has endured so much!
When I look back on this year, I try to find the joy and there has been joyous moments in the midst of the heartache. To be completely honest the first part of the year started off great and I was so looking forward to what God had in store. Lowery graduated from kindergarten and worked hard to be accepted into the GT program. He continues to excel in all academics and believes that everything should come easily to him. He will get frustrated when a spelling word doesn't get memorized as easily as he thinks or when he can't multiply like he wants too. His teachers comment all the time how smart and bright he is and I hope that he continues to have a love for learning that carries him through his education. His first days in 1st grade were a little rough but as soon as he established relationships and felt comfortable he started thriving.
Emmalynn and Lowery are in the same class this year. This was planned before July 4th and I am so thankful they are together. They may fight like siblings at times but for the most part they are doing extremely well together. They love on each other and support one another as they navigate a new school with new friends and finding new normals.
To say Lowery is competitive is an understatement. He wants to be the absolute best in all his activities and hates to lose. He is fast, strong and understands the game and how to win. He knows when the team wins or loses even if his teammates are not aware. If you ask him what his favorite sport is, it is the one he is currently playing. He loves playing football at recess with his buddies and continues to love to be outside as soon as he gets his homework done. He loves snow skiing and learned how to water ski and wake board this last June. We didn't get a chance to see him show off his skills in July but I am sure he will pick it right back up in summer 2026. This fall he earned Offensive MVP in the final flag football game - the only win they had all season.
While I had major hopes and plans for fun this last summer that didn't play out the way I would have liked them to, there were some joyous moments. Lowery and I got to go on our mother son trip and we loved every minute of it. We went to Dixie Dude Ranch where we enjoyed homestyle cooked meals, rode horses, swam and fished together. I think Lowery's favorite part was fishing and riding his horse on the trails. It was good to spend quality time together while the rest of our world felt like it was crumbling around us.
I end this post with some perspective on the last 6 months. God is good even still - I believe this and I can feel him giving me strength on the hardest days. Through the loss of Kellyanne, Becky's stroke and continued health problems and the loss of my brother, Triple, I know that Jesus is Lord and His promises are true. I have learned that our community that we have built in Alamo Heights and beyond through friends and family have shown up and will continue to. They have wrapped us in prayer, encouragement, meals, spreading kindness to all and then some. These special people in our lives will never cease to amaze me and I am so grateful. To those who truly show up no matter the time or cost, know that we see you, feel you and continue to be blown away by the outpouring of support and love. I hope that Lowery can see this and feel this and know what it is like to be the hands and feet of Jesus.
My prayer for my kids is always to show kindness and spread the love of Jesus to others. I pray this over them everyday on our way to school. Even though Lowery is young in his faith, I know he believes and knows that Jesus died for his sins. I am so thankful that our kids understand and know the hope we have in Jesus.
This last year in Lowery's perspective:
 |
| Happy 6th Birthday! |
 |
| Hanging on 20 with no where to go! |
 |
| Made it to Alabama! |
 |
| Ludwick Cousins and Netta & Pops! |
 |
| Hanging with Jude! |
 |
| Walk in the park! |
 |
| A True Polar Bear Plunge! |
 |
| Happy Birthday Lunch at School! |
 |
| Snow in San Antonio! |
 |
| Monster Truck Birthday Party! |
 |
| Loved watching the big trucks! |
 |
| Helping my mom raise money for Howard! |
 |
| Visiting GDaddy on Valentine's Day! |
 |
| Hanging with Julian! |
 |
| SA Zoo Field Trip! |
 |
| Bowling with the cousins! |
 |
| I love Emmalynn! |
 |
| Lollie & PT came too! |
 |
| Two peas in a pod! |
 |
| Baseball Life! |
 |
| Spring Break 2025! |
 |
| Ready for Ski School! |
 |
| Carrying all my gear! |
 |
| Caught on again so quickly! |
 |
| Ready for family ski day! |
 |
| Found Clay! |
 |
| Family Run! |
 |
| I am obsessed with skiing! |
 |
| Snow angel! |
 |
| Enjoying the views! |
 |
| Ready to do the parade! |
 |
| Showing everyone my skills! |
 |
| Family Dance! |
 |
| Life of the Party! |
 |
| Waiting for our turn! |
 |
| More dance moves! |
 |
| Night #2 |
 |
| Bad News Bexars! |
 |
| Mrs. Duce came! |
 |
| Playing catcher for the 1st time! |
 |
| Maddox's birthday party! |
 |
| Emmalynn's Birthday! |
 |
| Ear Tube Removal! |
 |
| Success! |
 |
| Final Four Game! |
 |
| Camp La Junta Father Son Weekend! |
 |
| Love dogs! |
 |
| Checking out the views! |
 |
| Meeting Mrs. Killion! |
 |
| Lyndi helped me learn all about Cambridge! |
 |
| Easter Saturday at SACC! |
 |
| I found the Easter Bunny! |
 |
| Morgan's Wonderland with Maverick! |
 |
| Field Trip Fun! |
 |
| Loved this sweet team! |
 |
| Happy Easter! |
 |
| Reading to Mrs. Guerra's class at St. Davids |
 |
| I love Mrs. Guerra and Ms. Lucy! |
 |
| Daddy had to give my first set of stitches! |
 |
| Happy Mother's Day! |
 |
| Library Time! |
 |
| Silly as always! |
 |
| Kinder Splash Day! |
 |
| Hanging with my mom - PTO President! |
 |
| Wrap of Coach Pitch! |
 |
| End of the year party! |
 |
| Lunch with Daddy! |
 |
| Kinder Graduation! |
 |
| Look I did it! |
 |
| So proud of myself! |
 |
| I love Howard!! |
 |
| Mules Up! |
 |
| Last Day of Kinder! |
 |
| Headed to Cambridge! |
 |
| Happy Birthday Palmer! |
 |
| Lyndi's graduation dinner! |
 |
| Helping Mrs. Duce Clean Up! |
 |
| Snuggles with Mom! |
 |
| Samantha my birth mom came to visit! |
 |
| Happy graduation to Julian! |
 |
| He is my big brother! |
 |
| Boat ready! |
 |
| Wakeboard Ready! |
 |
| Perfecting my skills! |
 |
| Trying to learn for the 1st time! |
 |
| Ski School Success! |
 |
| World War II Museum New Orleans! |
 |
| Sea Island!!! |
 |
| Ready for family pictures! |
 |
| Success! |
 |
| Sea Island Sunsets! |
 |
| Bingo Night! |
 |
| Dance Party! |
 |
| Watching the Bagpiper at The Lodge |
 |
| Family Photo! |
 |
| Golfing! |
 |
| Fishing! |
 |
| Sand Castle building with Lollie & PT |
 |
| Hitting balls at the range! |
 |
| TBarM Day Camp! |
 |
| Loved my group! |
 |
| Mother Son Trip! |
 |
| Wanted to fish immediately! |
 |
| Catfish #1 |
 |
| First Ride! |
 |
| Loved my horse! |
 |
| It was hot but I loved it! |
 |
| Safari Time! |
 |
| Loved feeding the birds! |
 |
| Bowling! |
 |
| Headed to Tellruide! |
 |
| We landed! |
 |
| Exploring with Emma! |
 |
| Climbing! |
 |
| Gondola Ride! |
 |
| Spurs Basketball Camp! |
 |
| Toasty! |
 |
| Meet the Teacher at Cambridge! |
 |
| So pumped to have Mrs. Killion! |
 |
| First day of 1st Grade! |
 |
| Sitting next to Emmalynn! |
 |
| A new chapter at Cambridge! |
 |
| Ms. Boyer is the best! |
 |
| First lunch with Mommy! |
 |
| Happy Birthday Ford! |
 |
| Sweet time with friends at AH Pool! |
 |
| Kindness for Kellyanne tshirt |
 |
| Flag football support for Kellyanne! |
 |
| St. David's Chapel for Kellyanne! |
 |
| Missing our girl! |
 |
| Support KEL! |
 |
| Hooah Huddle with Dad! |
 |
| Lake Day! |
 |
| Look at me! |
 |
| ASK Bible Study Group! |
 |
| Lunch with mom! |
 |
| Mrs. Duce and Mrs. Hammer at Cambridge! |
 |
| My "girl" friends! |
 |
| Mule Games! |
 |
| We raised a lot of money! |
 |
| Field Day at Mule Games! |
 |
| Mule Games! |
 |
| Love it! |
 |
| Again! |
 |
| Tiger Football! |
 |
| Real Tiger Football! |
 |
| Kalahari Weekend! |
 |
| Family Fun! |
 |
| Mules Up! Enjoying the game! |
 |
| Loving on LilyB! |
 |
| Hanging with her at lunch! |
 |
| SACC Spooky Night! |
 |
| Offensive MVP! |
 |
| We won our first game - the bowl game! |
 |
| Rose Bowl Champions! |
 |
| Look at what I found - turtle! |
 |
| Sleepout Success! |
 |
| Cheering on Lyndi! |
 |
| Spooky Parade at Cambridge! |
 |
| Halloween Fun with Aunt Emily and Uncle Ted! |
 |
| Relaxing at Boys Weekend at Leakey! |
 |
| Hunting with Dad! |
 |
| Lunch with Mrs. Vanham! |
 |
| Love Emma! |
 |
| Veteran's Day Ceremony! |
 |
| Kindness for Kellyanne Day! |
 |
| River Fun at Leakey! |
 |
| I love Mrs. Killion! |
 |
| CNN for Kindness for Kellyanne! |
 |
Mrs. Boyer is the best!
|
 |
Triple's service
|
 |
| Thanksgiving Day - releasing balloons for KA and Trip! |
 |
| Thanksgiving Lunch! |
 |
| Loving on Fordy! |
 |
| Pickleball Fun! |
 |
| River Walk Fun! |
 |
| Cookies with Santa! |
 |
| Holiday Party and early Birthday celebration! |
 |
| Polar Bear Plunge! |
 |
Christmas Prairie Lights!
|
 |
| Christmas Eve Service |
 |
| Santa Came! |
 |
| Disney World - "Misery World" |
 |
| Polar Bear Plunge |
 |
| New York!! |
 |
| Archery lesson! |
 |
| Happy 7th Birthday!! |
Comments
Post a Comment