first day of school...

 Today was Marley's first day of 3rd grade and the first day of my 19th year of teaching!  It was so nice to have a little "normalcy" this year.  Adam was able to walk Marley in unlike last year.  It is so strange for me to think of Marley as a 3rd grader since I have spent the majority of my teaching career teaching 3rd.  I know she is going to ROCK this year!  She has 2 amazing teachers, Mrs. Gibbs and Mrs. Thomas, and we can't wait to see how she blossoms this year!

Matching bracelets by Marley to help us think of each other throughout the school day!

made new...

 August 15, 2021 was the day every parent prays for from the minute they find out they are pregnant.  Marley was baptized!  She attended our churches baptism classes last fall and due to COVID had to wait for actual baptism.  We were so lucky that baptism was during our favorite event every year at church...our "Family Reunion".  Our church celebrates the end of summer with a big "family reunion" with games, food trucks, fellowship and baptism!  We are so proud of her and loved getting to celebrate with our church family in such a big way!  There were 35 baptisms ranging from 8 years old to 73 years old!  What a celebration!

pine cove in the city...

 I can't believe I missed documenting Marley's time at Pine Cove in the City Camp!  She has been begging us to go to Pine Cove overnight camp, but we figured this was a good compromise this year. 

(I think the issue is more with Adam and I letting go, than her.)

Right after school was out she got to spend a week at our church growing in Christ.  I LOVED hearing about all that she learned and did each day when I picked her up.

On the last day her counselor presented her with a wooden disc with the character traits they had witnessed that week in her and bible verses to go with it.  

Her words were:

Eager

Forthright

Hopeful

Absolutely accurate descriptions for our sweet girl!