Wreaths Across America...

While Roen was out on the court, playing his first Kraken game, Remi was over at our local cemetery, making me one proud mamma!

Saturday was National Wreaths Across America Day. Through NJHS, Remi was able to be a part of this holiday, volunteering to honor our local Veterans. Remi was given 10 names of veterans who have passed on. He had no idea what to expect, just told needed to practice the names he was given, along with their branch and years of service. He was given one tiny piece of paper with all of these names bunched up, in italic font. The first thing he told me, was that he couldn't read the italic. I retyped it all, in a sans serif font and lots of spacing to help him practice easier. 

Once we arrived at the cemetery, we both realized he would be saying these names at a podium, on a mic, in front of everyone. I had an inner freak out moment, but just acted like it was no big deal. When he realized he was having to speak in front of everyone, while reading a bunch of really hard names to pronounce, he immediately decided, he didn't want to use the paper I had printed off. A big part of him is still so hesitant to stand out in this way. But, I just went with it and when his time came, he walked up to that podium confidently and inched a little bit higher on this mountain he climbs daily.

After the students finished speaking, we each grabbed some wreaths and walked the cemetery, laying them on the graves of veterans. It was such a special morning with Remi, who spent his morning honoring his community, choosing to step out of his comfort zone and embrace the hard. 

It was one of those moments that I knew I was watching a big part of his transformation. Witnessing him take a challenge head on, not cowering, not complaining, but realizing he may have signed up for way more than he thought, but pulling those shoulders back, walking right up to his own version of 'hard' and doing it anyway. 

Well done, Remi, well done!

National Junior Honors Society...

It was 5th grade when the gaps created by his dyslexia had us facing challenges I wasn't sure we would ever overcome. In the past two years, this boy has been relentless and done what we once thought was impossible. Remi's induction into the National Junior Honors Society represents so much of his resilience in this journey, that may never be easy, but what contributes to what we love most about him.

Words can't really describe the emotions this accomplishment stirs up. As a mom, I have watched this boy go through the trenches with teachers, schoolwork, but mostly himself. It is a constant battle of giving what doesn't come easy, meeting expectations that seem just out of reach, wanting to mask his struggles, yet needing to excel in order to keep his motor going. It has truly taken so much behind the scenes work from us all. But regardless how much support he has had to get where he is, it is his deep desire, that onward and upward mentality that has been the driving force behind it all. 

There was a time, not too long ago, when people gave up on Remi. People who were supposed to be in his corner. People that wanted to throw in the towel and blanket him with being flawed. I think of this often, and how far he has come, how much work he has put in to building himself back up, from the inside out. This is a quote I stumbled across awhile back, and it has served as my inner inspiration for this journey I share with Remi...

"Throw me to the wolves, I'll come back leading the pack."

I'm not sure anyone can fully understand what this journey is like, not really. It is hard, it is heartbreaking, and it is utterly exhausting, BUT, when we get to conquer and stand tall on these mountains, it is also glorious!

I pray that Remi can keep plowing through, leading the way for stragglers, for those who struggle to keep up, for those that have been given up on. In all of this, it will always be about turning around and helping those behind us, so that one day, everyone can have that chance of a mountaintop view.  

TMSCA...

Oh, how I love my little mathletes!

This is Remi's 2nd year and Roen's 1st year in TMSCA- a competitive math and science organization. Because of basketball, Remi never got the chance to compete last year, but really enjoyed the class. This year however, basketball didn't interfere and so they both got to go to meets!

They had a practice meet early on and then there were several more meets where they got the chance to qualify for state. I am so proud of these boys, not only did they BOTH qualify, but they both qualified in two events. There were only 14 total, 6th-8th graders who qualified from our school and only a handful had more than one event. All this to say, it was quite an accomplishment for both of them!

As different as they are, they are so much alike at times, it's crazy. Out of 4 events, these little toots both went to state in NumberSense and Mathematics. NumberSense is math done in you head and Mathematics is math worked out on paper. I very often have people flabbergasted that Remi doesn't do the science event. This is one of those cases where his dyslexia and the lack of understanding from non-dyslexics collide. It is so much reading and text that he just can't do it. In a perfect world, it would be able to be read to him and I have no doubt, it would be his very best event, but we don't live in perfect world and this momma is only capable of fighting so many battles, so for now, we let it go and soar with what we have.

Neither boy placed over all, but Remi was one of the top 4 NumberSense scores from Callisburg Middle School. They both balked at their scores, saying they were pretty terrible, but I secretly don't give a hoot about their scores, I'm just proud of them. Proud of the passion they have for extracurricular academics, proud of their efforts and proud that they got their daddy's math brain and not mine!

They got to have the fun journery of busing to San Antonio with their TMSCA buddies and spent the night in a hotel in a room with friends. I met them up there so that I could take them home after their events and they could avoid the very long drive home on a bus! It also meant I got some time with Cici and Kim, so it was fun for us all! 

In His Science Lab...

I remember when the fascination of scientific study and his mathematical way of observing the world started flourishing in Remi as a very young child. I often wondered if it was a phase. I wondered if it was just a passing obsession, much like a child who is just discovering dinosaurs for the first time. But, as the years have rolled by, his passions are picking up speed, gaining more and more depth like a snowball growing in size. His Discovery toy microscope has turned into the real deal microscope, where he handles the lens with expertise, preparing slides with a steady, confident hand. His creative little hands that used to build contraptions with recycled junk around the house has melded into printing usable products on his 3D printer, coming up with solutions to everyday problems that he could sell as business opportunities. He finds obscure theories and does research, coming up with his own ideas on these scientific studies. He takes complex ideas, turns them over and around in his mind and then produces a tangible representation. 

This journey with Remi is beyond anything my artsy, bookworm brain can really fathom. He is a child who is so different, we flop from being astounded, to being proud, to being mildly perplexed at times. This boy who dreams of being a world changer, who craves something just a bit beyond a teenage life, is taking us on the journey of a lifetime!

Remi, the way you do you, chasing your crazy ideas, not just thinking outside the box, but living outside that box,  is the most refreshing thing I think I've ever seen in a 13 year old child. These next 5 years, watching you as a student will prove to be some of the best years of this momma's life, I have no doubt. I hope you continue to keep your sights on these dreams that are so big they consume your mind and light your fire something fierce.... all the way up to that space station you dream about!

--------  --------  --------  --------  --------  --------  --------  --------

*There are several different things I'm sharing... 

For Christmas, Remi asked for seeds to grow things he could eat. This was inspired by his science teacher who is letting her class grow lettuce for the cafeteria to use. Pops got him an indoor seed starter station. He has loved the growing process and has tended to his plants faithfully! He has already had to transplant a handful to bigger pots! The sweetest part, is he chose vegetables that Micah and I liked specifically!

The next pictures are of Remi in his science lab dissecting a worm. His science teacher has really been such an inspiration to Remi this year. After classroom dissections, she sent home a few leftover worms and frogs, along with a dissection kit for Remi have. That very night, he had a worm out, teaching me about its different organs and then putting different specimens onto slides to study.

The last picture is Remi's way of trying to create a visual of the 4th dimension. He says there is really no way of showing 4D accurately or explaining it, because our minds can't wrap around this concept, but that this little cube he built, was his closest visual version. I can't even pretend to know what he is talking about sometimes, but it is quite fascinating, nonetheless!

The 1st 6 Weeks Photo Dump...

Well, the 1st 6 weeks of school has come and gone! 

So far, we are loving every minute of junior high. Roen is embracing all the freedom that comes with being a 6th grader and Remi continues to love his AP math and science classes fiercely. 

Both boys came away with straight As this 6 weeks, making this the first time in a very long time that Remi was able to pull an A in reading class- he was ecstatic over his 94 and is truly enjoying his reading teacher. For him, this is huge! Huge that he is thriving in this class, that his teacher is creating an environment he can be successful in and huge that he is finding ways to overcome his challenges! Watching Remi's challenges be molded into some of the strongest pieces of his character has been one of my favorite parts of being his momma!

Roen is 100% my social butterfly. He wants to do all things with all the people! He isn't one to stress about school in any form or fashion. He shows up, does the work, and then moves on. Sometimes this is straight As and sometimes this is As and Bs. You never really know what you are going to get from this boy- well, except a smile, you will always get a smile out of him. Because Remi is so intense about his grades, it is a welcomed balance that Roen can shrug off a bad grade and give it a 'I'll do better next time' attitude! Roen tends to put his greatest efforts into PE- always doing his best to finish their mile run workouts in 1st! These boys are so different, in so many ways, and I love that they keep life a well-rounded ball of fun for Micah and I!

This is just a little photo dump since school has started. Remi spends lots of time fishing with his buddy Brenden, I spend lots of time with my fur babies now that my days are quiet, Roen is always out and about on his bike finding buddies to play with, Remi has loved the times he gotten to go watch his buddies play football and Roen has enjoyed getting to be on the sidelines with his team (he is sitting this season out due to his collarbone). They have had trap shooting practice, birthday parties, lots of time with Anne, are really enjoying Micah's new golf simulator and Remi was over the moon excited when he discovered his neglected watermelon plant at the old house had actually grown a giant melon! I'll be catching up on all our other activities in posts to come, but this is a little nutshell of our back-to-school days...