Carpool Line

One of the great things about my job is its flexibility. I have had the pleasure of taking the girls to school at least twice a week for several weeks now. This week, I managed to take them on Tuesday and again today. I love going through the carpool line and dropping them off! It's so sweet to see them hop out of the car with the teacher and walk over to their designated waiting spots. They are always so excited to get there and obviously feel very big!
I wish that I could pick them up but I haven't done that yet. Maybe I can do that next Wednesday when I have the afternoon off and Nana comes to visit. But today, as usual, they will walk with the Ms. Julie crowd back to Ms. Julie's house for lunch then naptime.
Tonight, we are going to dinner at friends' house. This is a young couple who moved here with their little girl almost a year ago from Atlanta. Their little girl, Anne, goes to Ms. Julie's and also to Happy Apple, although she's 3 so she's between Mary Grace and Elsie. We are all looking forward to a fun time!

Busy Back to School

It's been a busy few weeks for us with the start of school, sports, and church activities. We are settling into our schedule, finally. Mondays, Mary Grace has ballet from 5-6. On Tuesdays, Mary Grace has soccer from 5-6. Wednesday, we have church, and Saturdays, we have soccer games in the mornings.
Mary Grace had her first soccer game last weekend. All of the kids did a great job and had fun. They were actually much better than I expected. No one sat on the field or cried. They all were enthusiastic!
Both girls are doing well in school. They both love Happy Apple and are especially excited on the days that they get to go together.

Legacy

Don't know why, but for some reason legacies have been on my mind a lot this week. Maybe it's the start of school, maybe it's the start of football season. But something's got me thinking.......
Merriam-Webster defines "legacy" as something transmitted by or received from an ancestor or predecessor or from the past. Legacies can come in all sorts of forms. In the South, it's often the family land or grandmother's silver.
This photo shows two fourth-generation Georgia Bulldogs. That's quite a tradition and definitely something to be proud of and to hold onto. The photo also shows two Phi Mu legacies. Not as much of a feat but something special, nonetheless. These girls also inherited the legacy of their names. "Mary" goes several generations back in Stephen's mother's family. Stephen's sister is a Mary; Stephen's mother's sister is a Mary; and Stephen's grandmother is a Mary. My mother's sweet grandmother was "Grace". Even when I was a little girl, I knew that my first daughter would be "Grace". Elsie carries on Big Steve's mother's (Elsie McNeal Kinney) name. Clearly, legacies are special to us. They give us a sense of belonging and importance. We know that no matter where we go or what we do, we belong to something and come from something important: our family.
Infinitely more important, though, is our legacy of being part of Christ's family. I couldn't even guess at how far back this legacy extends. My earliest memories are centered around church, Bible lessons, and the unconditional love that only comes from a personal relationship with Jesus. I picture my ancestors in some little white church in the mountains of Alabama. Mabye that's a romanticized notion but it may not be that far off. Stephen and I both were blessed with Christian homes and families. We are carrying that tradition on in our own home. It's woven in the fabric of our family history and is the greatest legacy we can pass down to our own children and grandchildren. We don't live near our blood family but we have our own church family right here with us. We are thankful for all of you, near and far, still in this life or passed on, who are carrying on the tradition.