August updates

 August is FINALLY over.  August is a hard month for all of us.  This year was no exception.  A few updates:

Band-O-Rama
August 15, 2026
Band-O-Rama was a full circle moment this year.  Mommy and Daddy marched in the very first Band-O-Rama in 2020 and this year Abby marched in it!!  The first football game of the high school season was last week and the band got dismissed early due to weather delays, so they didn't get to perform their halftime show.  They did get to perform pregame.  So, Band-O-Rama was the first time they performed their halftime show, complete with their cowboy hats!!

Update from Ava
We got to talk to Ava on Saturday, August 22nd.  We were all home and ready for the phone to ring at 9:00 AM, but it was after 2:00 PM before she got to call.  We were so afraid they were in trouble, but they had been busy.  We got to talk for about 45 minutes and she sounded SOOOO much better than two weeks ago.  We are now up to 12 letters and she's in her 7th week of bootcamp.  Up to this point, she's passed her swim test, her (Mommy's words) housekeeping test, physical test (complete with a 3+ minute plank), and the gas chamber.  She says the food is pretty good and her favorite thing is marching.  We have made our VRBO reservations and bought our plane tickets, so its getting very exciting to know that we are so close to seeing her again!