The Latest from the Woods'

Wow! Time has flown by the past several months!! We have made the big move to New Jersey. Bill came out to Morristown 2 weeks ago and the boys and I have been here for one week. He’s busy adjusting to his new job while I am busy unpacking boxes and keeping the boys out of trouble. I’m going to back track a little to my last day of work at Summit. What an emotional day for my co-workers and my students:( I worked as an elementary teacher at this school for the past 8 years. I’ve made so many friends during this time and taught many wonderful students. For our end of the year party, we had a red carpet event and presented each student with a special award that shares something unique about them. When we began the ceremony, the tears started flowing (girls and even the boys)! By the time we reached the end of the awards, nearly everyone in the room was in tears. I don’t think there were too many dry eyes. I will never forget my last day at Summit. I was truly blessed to have worked with the staff at Summit and all of the children I’ve had over those 8 amazing years! We spent our last weekend in Michigan with family. A great time was had by all! We spent Saturday afternoon at the beach with my mom, sister, niece and nephew and my aunt and uncle. The kids had a ball! The water was too cold for swimming but the kids took off their shoes and waded. Well, that wasn’t enough for my niece! She decided to strip down to nothing and swim in her birthday suit!! Her delighted squeals were precious, although my sister didn’t think so. Because she stripped down, Lawrence and William thought it would be a great idea too. I managed to get them to stop at their shorts and they spent the rest of the afternoon frolicking in the water and sand in their underwear. Neither of them had ever been to the beach, so I had to let them enjoy feeling the sand on their skin. I have many pictures and video clips to cherish forever. Mom, Aunt Sandy and Uncle Mic, thank you for putting the picnic together. We all enjoyed ourselves. The following week after school got out, I had 2 more staff days. Bill was already in New Jersey, so I needed to find a sitter for the boys. My wonderful sister came down for a visit and watched the boys and her 2 kids in my classroom while I worked. Bless her heart! She had the patience of a saint! The first day, all four of them were wired and she was exhausted by the end of the day. The second day was much better because they had worn themselves out the previous day. The 2 little ones spent their evening chasing and taking down the 2 oldest. They were a riot! They kept high-fiving each other and saying, “We got ‘em!” Thank you, Lisa, for watching my angels! Now, to the move! We left last Thursday for New Jersey. We traveled through Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and into New Jersey. The boys were fantastic travelers considering it took 11 hours to get there! The construction in Pennsylvania was awful. They had their portable DVD players, lots of movies and backpacks full of toys. William slept about 3 hours and Lawrence never slept a wink. He doesn't like to miss anything. Lawrence was a great big brother and helped William out when needed. We stopped a few times for potty breaks because of course neither of them had to go at the same time and we also stopped for lunch. I’m grateful they were good for the drive! We are all excited about what’s to come here in New Jersey! The boys love their new home and are looking forward to all the things to come! Lawrence can’t wait for school to start. He just finished kindergarten and he’s ready for first grade! Sooner or later, he will understand what summer break really means and maybe not be as excited about the start of the school year! Sorry this had been so long! I will be trying to update every other day and share the little things that happen in our lives. Feel free to post comments and keep us posted on life back in Michigan! Peace & love, Kelly, Bill & the boys