Welcome Oakley

This afternoon, after having said farewell to Dobson almost 3 years ago, we welcomed Oakley, a 6-year old yellow lab, to our family.  While William would talk about Dobson periodically and had been asking about having a dog for quite some time, we told him everyone in the family had to be ready for a dog in order to get a dog.  Not surprisingly, William took it upon himself recently to ask each family member, "Are you ready for a dog?"  He got quick affirmatives from me and William, and the past several weeks, he had been asking Bobby daily, "Dad, are you ready for a dog today?"  While we made the decision in mid-May to start looking, Bobby would answer, "Not quite yet, but closer."  And closer...arrived.

We found Oakley through Lucky Labs Rescue in Charlotte.  Through several conversations with LLR's director and Oakley's foster family, we decided he may be the dog for us.  Upon arriving at the foster family's home and meeting Oakley, the foster mom asked the boys if they wanted a dog.  William quickly answered, "Yes, but dad's not ready for a dog yet."  Needless to say, all the adults got a chuckle, and we believe the boys were surprised when Bobby said he was ready and Oakley was coming home with us.

We loaded Oakley into the back of the car; however, he quickly jumped over the seats to lay in the floorboard at Thompson and William's feet the entire way home.  He is a fabulous dog, who is laid back and LOVES affection.  We are lucky to have him as part of our family!

Father's Day

Emerging Leader

With the school year wrapping up next week, Thompson's school had their final PBIS assembly today.  He came home with his trademark happy-sad expression, carrying a poster and trophy, to which he humbly told said Mrs. Hart recognized him as the student in her class that exemplifies a model ACES student.  He consistently respects himself and others, acts safely, models responsibility and shows self-control.  Thompson, we are extremely proud of you and the young man you are becoming.

Fletcher Flyer Fun

Yesterday, Bobby, Thompson and I participated in the 11th Annual Fletcher Flyer along with 1000 of our closest friends!  The ride departed from Oskar Blues Brewery in Brevard and traveled throughout Brevard, Pisgah Forest, Etowah, Mills River and Fletcher.  Bobby rode the Metric Century (62.5 miles) alongside Team Training Wheels members Herb, Wes and James.  He finished with a time of 3:26.55.  

Having participated in last year's Hilly Hellacious, Thompson was eager to give the Fletcher Lite (31 miles) a go.  He and I rode it together, finishing in 2:30.  He finished strong and said he felt like his legs could have taken him a bit further.  Thompson received recognition in the local paper as well as at the event as the youngest participant at age 8.  As a mom, it is wonderful to see the encouragement seasoned riders give to young riders such as Thompson. 

pre-ride "selfie"

Prior to the ride, one of the organizers was thrilled to see Thompson riding and told me that by supporting his desire to ride the FF, we are giving him a gift - the gift of cycling, which can be done throughout your life.  I pondered this remark a lot during the ride and was humbly reminded that by giving Thompson this gift, he in turn gives gifts back to us - the gift of time with our son and our health.  For as  long as he continues to ride, we'll ride with him, which is only going to keep us healthy!

Pedal on...

CYMBL Race #3 - Final

Saturday morning, Thompson rode CYMBL's final race of their Spring Series.  This race took them to the beautiful grounds of Christ School here in Asheville, and while I didn't ride it, a parent told me he thought it was the best overall course of the season.  Thompson completed three laps for a total of 4.5 miles and finished 5th with a total time of 41:53.  In the end, he finished the season in 5th place out of 18 boys in the 9/10 division.

Spring Soccer Summary

Spring soccer season concluded this weekend.  William's eagerness to play made him the primary goal scorer for his team this season.  He can quickly transition between offense and defense and has the uncanny ability to know to put himself between the ball and his goal when on defense.  Amazing to watch.  William also enjoyed being an honorary teammate on Thompson's team.  Coach Nathan was beyond kind to let William participate with Team Portugal at practices and warm-up with them on game days.  As for Thompson, his team showed significant growth in learning how to play with one another.  At the awards presentation, Coach Nathan recognized Thompson as the team's resident triathlete and a young man who is a team player and demonstrates great leadership skills.  Proud of you T & W!