The Boy is Home for Spring Break. . .

It is so hard to believe that I have one finishing his first year of college thirteen hours away and one finishing his sophomore year of high school.  I am too young for this.  Look at this sweet face below, I just loved those chunky cheeks and that big ole smile.  Sprat was a very happy little boy and seems to be a very happy young man.  I was so happy to see him when he got off that plane, you would not have believed he had only been gone a few short weeks.  It seems like a year since I last saw him, all those gushy mom feelings came flooding over me. 

Is this not the sweetest face ever???

I got a few hours with him last night and then he was off making his rounds to see his buddies that were also home on break.  He even took Big T with him to make the rounds.  I got to hear all about Boston and his possible new school.  Lots of things pending right now so I do not want to share anything until we are 100% sure but things are looking great for this guy.  We are very excited for him, lots of changes and great new opportunities opening up for him.  It is very true that when God closes one door or college in this case, he opens another better door and guides you through.  This has been a wonderful teaching moment and learning experience for us all.   It would be very easy to be bitter and ugly about all of this and it has had Sprat down a little bit but I keep pointing out that God took him there for a reason and we need to embrace this as what it is, a wonderful opportunity for him to continue his education. 

Stay tuned as we figure all of this out and sort through the mire that is College transfer. . . 

A Little Hiccup in the Plans We Make. . .

I have said many times that God puts us where we are suppose to be.  I especially felt this when Sprat was first talking about going to Boston to college.  We prayed a great deal about this move and we talked about it at length with each other.  There were those that thought we were crazy to let our son go off to Boston by himself not knowing anyone and not having any family near by.   The hubbs and I put our faith in God and His plan for our son and we were at peace with this decision.
We found out just after Christmas that the school will be closing due to financial reasons.  They are not in any academic trouble.  To add to the trouble they are not going to have enough kids coming back to have a lacrosse season.  This is very sad for the kids like Sprat that came a long way to play lacrosse.  Several of the kids are not coming back for the Spring semester due to the school closing.  Sprat is going back to finish his freshman year.  He wants to continue his education in Boston so, we are looking now at other small colleges in and around Boston that have a men's lacrosse team.  I am very proud of Sprat and his first semester away at school he finished strong and I have great confidence he will finish as strong if not stronger in the Spring.
The college has several other colleges in the area that are going to help the kids finish their education, one in particular has reached out to Sprat and he is going to tour their campus when he returns for Spring semester.  He knows some of the students that attend this other college through working with them at the Boston College football games. 
Sprat was very sad to learn his school was closing, he loved the small campus with big city atmosphere just a few minutes away.  He also really enjoyed his classes and his instructors. We know that God has a plan and that he would not have taken my sweet boy to Boston to leave him hanging so, we continue to pray for discernment in this process.  Stay tuned as we are on that college hunt once more due to unforeseen circumstances.

Look Out Boston... Here Comes Sprat. . .

Road trip!!!!  We got the package and it is a full academic scholarship and we met with the lacrosse coach this week.
We always talk about how we want our kids to grow and go out in the world and do great things, I just never thought my sweet baby would go 13 hours away to start.
We met the coach on Friday for a tour and to see if this was going to be a good fit for Sprat. The school is small but it is only a short distance from Fenway Park.  I like the coach and his philosophy on things.  This coach is very smart. He took us on a tour of the school then showed us how easy it is to get into the city from school.  We took the subway into the city, three short stops, to the Bleacher Bar in the outfield of Fenway Park. We ate lunch and talked at length about how the coach saw Sprat impacting his program.  After lunch we took the subway by some of the local college hangouts for this college as well as Boston College.  The dorm rooms are pretty big for a dorm room and this college has a culinary school, so many times the culinary students are cooking in the school cafeteria.  No cars on campus, the blackberry stays at home.  All of his Lax gear is provided except for his stick and cleats. Since this is their inaugural Lax program these boys get to help design their uniforms. 
Sprat ' s only concern was the fact that we are 13+ hours away.  On a positive note they do live stream the games, so I will not miss them.  The coach also pointed out Sprat would have 19 new brothers, some coming much farther away than Sprat.
I have been praying about all of this and praying that God's hand will be in this decision that he makes.  It is a very exciting time to see your kid be excited about his future.

I am not sure I am ready for all of this.  A whole lot of changes working in our family right now.

Lax practice fields 

Campus

Boston Tragedy. . .

I was getting ready to post about all this tragedy yesterday and I was talking with my dear hubby and I decided to wait.  My original post was pointed more toward the whole terrorist Al Queda thing.   My dear hubby brought up some interesting facts that made me re think my post.  We talked about the fact that Monday was April 15th our tax day, it was Patriots Day, and Boston the infamous place of the Boston Tea Party.  Hubby seems to think it may not be foreign terrorists but some crazy American opposed to taxes, Patriots, or government in general.  He recounted all the nuts that have bombed us before that were Americans.  There have been a few.  I guess we should not jump to conclusions just yet.   I hope the FBI and any other government agency investigating has thought of these things.  Sometimes they are too involved in the big picture to think about dates, and locations.  I have not seen anyone mention those connections in the news either.  It is something to think about.  I hope the powers that be will.