Carter tries track and gets braces

As spring approached, Carter mentioned his interest in running track for Amherst.  We were all in!  I love when he is willing to try something new!  He competed in events such as 100 meter dash, 200 meter dash and long jump.  We loved watching him compete and get better at each meet.  

One evening he came home from school and said, "Mom at the next home meet my friend Trae and I are going to sing the national Anthem." Wait, what???  Apparently him and his friend have been practicing for over a week with this choir teacher to confidently sing the national anthem.  

In pure teenage form, here is the best photo I could capture of him with his friend Trae right after they sang the national anthem. It was a proud parent moment for sure.

At the beginning of May at a super cold track meet in Berea, while running the 100 meter dash Carter began to limp toward the end of the race.  When complete the track coach thought it was a hip injury and encouraged us to take him to an orthopedic specialist.  The next day we had x-rays and got into a specialist who diagnosed him with an "avulsion fracture" in his right hip...this means that the muscle pulled part of the bone away.  This put an abrupt end to his track and soccer season and a damper on his baseball season because he was on crutches for 3 weeks and no sports for 6 full weeks. 

Us freezing at his track meets cheering him on!


Not long after getting hurt, Carter got braces to help straighten that smile.  The first ten days were super rough and he could barely eat anything that he would have to chew.  Now he is dealing with it much better.  We hope to have it done in 15-18 months. 

The teenage years are here and it is a tough place to be...lots of teaching moments for both him and us as parents.