First Day!

 We made it. Through the summer that was absolutely incredible. We did a million-zillion things and now we are done. DONE-SKIS. We got to the first day of school and the kids are thrilled. Seriously. They love their teachers, their school, their friends. They have a zest for life that I really need to take ahold of. They love everything-except for maybe the things that I ask them to do. (story for another day) But here we are! School year 2013-14! 180 days until next summer. Let's do this!

Asher: 8 years old. 

Third Grade. 

Mrs. Gillespie and Mrs. Holly. 

He is in a new system of being team-taught. He is so excited about having two teachers this year and not just one. He has also applied to be a "library helper."  Fingers crossed! 

Lucy: 6 years old

1st Grade

Mrs. Barnwell.

Loves wearing earrings and bracelets. 

We had to get her a desk because she has so many on-going craft projects that they have been taking over our house. She also gets her own trash can for said craft projects. Sometimes called "crap projects" when they don't turn out so good. 

This was her heading into her classroom. One last look back at mom! Gah I love her. 

Asher right after he got off the bus. He had a great day. So did Mom. We all missed each other just the right amount!

The neighborhood clan that rides the bus! Love these kids! 

YAY for school! Love our teachers. Love our neighborhood. All is right in the world right now. :)

Apache Boy

We just dropped my 8-year old off for two weeks at Ridgecrest Camp for Boys. 

Two whole glorious weeks just for HIM.

Many parents would think that we signed him up for US, but that would wrong. Asher is a great kid. He does almost everything right. He lives by the rules, the clock, the schedule, the system. In fact, camp is a GREAT place for him because of such regularity. But he needs freedom. He needs to run around with his shirt off, to talk loudly, to tell nonsense stories (over and over) and have someone else tell him "we heard that before" or to laugh super hard at him, he needs someone else to play with, run around with and to teach him things that we simply don't have the patience right now to do (i.e. chess, how to build a fire, a dam in a creek or any of the other crazy things he is going to get to do).

The biggest reason he is going? He gets to be a boy. ALL BOY. So much of school these days is geared towards sitting in your seat, being polite, standing in line and having your finger on your mouth. Which are proper and fine things.

But at Ridgecrest, he gets to be WILD. And totally accepted. And loved. And his leaders will tell him how loved he is because of the God who made him. And that is why life is important and full and worth living to the limit.

I can't wait to see him at the end after sock wars, paint wars, bedlam ball, camp outs and everything else they are going to do.

This is a typical day at camp:

Typical Schedule
7:30 AM     Reveille
7:45AM      Morning Assembly
8:00 AM     Breakfast
8:25 AM     Morning Watch
8:45 AM     Quiet Time
9:00 AM     Cabin Clean-Up
9:25 AM     Inspection
9:45 AM     1st/4th Skill begins**
10:40 AM   1st/4th Skill ends
10:45 AM   2nd/5th Skill begins
11:40 AM   2nd/5th Skill ends
11:45 AM   3rd/6th Skill begins
12:40 PM   3rd/6th Skill ends
12:45 PM   Free Swim (Lake Open)
1:15 PM     Waiter’s Call
1:30 PM     Lunch
2:00 PM     Rest Period
3:00 PM     Canteen
3:30 PM     Afternoon Activity
4:55 PM     End of Activities
5:00 PM     Free Swim (Lake Open)
6:15 PM     Retreat
6:30 PM     Supper
7:00 PM     Evening Activity
9:00 PM     Go to cabins/showers/devotions
10:15 PM    Taps

Yes, they wake them up with a trumpet blowing Reveille every morning and go to sleep with a trumpet playing Taps every night. Seriously. 


His six skills this week are:
Archery
Outdoor living
Chess
Baseball
Crafts
Swimming

The camp is split up into tribes based on ages. Asher is an Apache this year.

He's going to be a well-rounded Apache beast when he gets home. In Wikipedia, it says this about the Apache tribe: The fame of the tribes' tenacity and fighting skills, probably bolstered by dime novels, was widely known among Europeans. In early 20th century Parisian society, the word Apache was adopted into French, essentially meaning an outlaw.

I love that! Asher with tenacity, fighting skills and a little outlaw in him will be exactly what we are looking for.
Check out this video for a little bit more of a taste of camp:




If you want to send Asher mail at camp, go to the Ridgecrest website and look for the mailing address! 

You can also follow along this week at camp on Facebook and "like" them if you do that sort of thing: Ridgecrest on Facebook

Welcome Back

Asher started the 2nd grade today.

He was so excited. He got the teacher he wanted. He has an awesome lunch box. All his school supplies. He was fired up.

Then as we approached his classroom he started yammering, "You know what? Summer was awesome. Let's do the summer over again. Let's leave. Let's get out of here and just keep on doing summer. Seriously mom. No to school. Let's just have more summer." 

Sorry bud. 

2nd grade is here to stay. 

Can't wait to see you at the end of the day!

Lucy starts school tomorrow. 

Stay tuned for this nut case: 

A Months Worth of Pictures

With my camera lens having broken while we were in France, I haven't been very motivated to take any pictures. But that changed when I replaced it with an upgraded 50mm lens. 

This glass is SOOO much better its unreal. 

Example 1.

This is inside with no flash.

 Example 2.

I have not been able to get pictures of Ranger because his coat is such a weird color it doesn't show up well in pictures. NOT ANY MORE!

Look at my beautiful dog. 

 This is a ridiculous picture of Lucy just to show you how much she's grown this summer. 

This was a suit that fit her in June. 

She insisted on wearing it. 

I laughed the entire day. 

 Our prizes at the state fair. 

 Asher is now playing flag football. 

I have always used the line "don't smile" to get him to smile. 

So now that I am trying to get a picture of him being "tough" he can't help it, he has to produce the biggest grin you've ever seen.

 Gah, I love this handsome boy. 

 Lucy is as silly as ever. 

We were hiking and she got herself next to a rock and said "Mommy, this will be a good one."

 Then struck this pose. No lie. 

 A boy and his dog. 

I am so glad I captured Asher's expression here. 

Priceless. 

What?

I am so completely confused by this.

.

Soccer Season

Our families first soccer season has drawn to a close and we went out on a high note.

It snowed on our final game of the season.

I felt like I caught a glimpse of all those games that my mom endured wearing the ugliest clothing combinations that she could muster all in the name of warmth. And I understood.

We had the pleasure of not just one game but two games. An hour or so apart. In the snow. And sweet Amy Noll WANTED to watch three year old and five-eight year old soccer-why? I don't know. Because mainly it looks like this:

Yes. That kid is eating the soccer net.

The other kid is simply growling at the other team.

Not kicking the actual ball. Just growling.

This was the only time Lucy ran during her whole game.

But this is what Y soccer is all about.

1. The trophy.

2. The friendships.

Look how big my boy looks!

3. Learning patience. Waiting your turn.

5. Fundamentals of the game.

How to absolutely destroy a ball into the back of the net.

Look at that focus. Just like his mom.

6. Letting fans of other teams touch us. Until we destroy them in the Swamp.

7. Learning how to cheer on the count of THREE!

8. Perfect the art of the soccer boy stance.

9. We're back to the trophy.

It's all about the trophy.

Not Such A Good Day

It Has Begun

The day that I have been waiting for since I saw that little plus sign on stick came yesterday.

Our first soccer practice.

We've had a few practices around our house to get ready for the big day.

But yesterday, was the big day.

Germany and Brazil.

Here we come.

The swell of pride can hardly be contained.

I did my best to just stay on the sidelines. No coaching emerged out of my lips. Simple encouragement to stop cutting the grass, sitting on the ball and watching the planes take off from the airport. That's ALL.

Check out my ballers.

It's gonna be domination station.

Watch out YMCA league.

You will never be the same.