The Great White Hunter

Chip has recently discovered the pleasures of fishing. He wants to go every single evening and usually does. Our pond is great for a little boy to fish in because it is so overstocked with fish that they are practically climbing right up on the bank to get out. Each time a hook is thrown into the water, a little fish clamps onto it and is yanked from the teeming masses.

Here is Chip waiting patiently for a nibble. He is still having a bit of trouble remembering exactly what the bobber is for and what he's supposed to watch for it to do. Like, perhaps, to sink thus notifying him of the presence of a fish hankering to be caught. (Note: Yes, I notice the absolute nightmare that is the outfit Chip is wearing. Please do not fear; this is all for research and will be covered in a later post right here on the friendly Blog.)

Success!! A fish, live at that, is pulled from the murky depths!!

It is one thing to catch a fish at the end of an impersonal pole; quite another to come face to face with such a creature.

But when it's all said and done, there is nothing like showing off your proud accomplishment with your dad. Good job, Chip!

The Twilight Experience

I know it seems an unlikely thing for me to admit, but here I go. I am a Twi-Mom, a Twi-Hard, Team Edward, whatever you want to call it. I dearly love the Twilight Saga. All of it, the books and movies. And Edward.

Speaking of movies, the latest installment premiered this summer. My fellow Twi-Mom Rebecca found out about a really neat deal. Turns out we could watch all three Twilight movies in one very long, very fun night! Well, we certainly couldn't pass that up, now could we? So we donned our 'Team Edward' shirts, fought crowds of women, hooked up with Edward in the lobby, then over-loaded on Twilight. ;o)

What a neat night that was! We can't wait now for the next movie. Granted, that's not coming out til fall 2011, but we Twi-Moms are nothing at all if not patient. We'll be there. Front row with a big bucket of popcorn. And Edward....lots of Edward.

What a magnificent Vacation Bible School we had this year! The weather was just about right: hot, but not unbearable. We had a TON of kids. The air conditioner did a great job of keeping the building cool. I didn't run out of Coke Zero. Like I said, MAGNIFICENT!

I'm sure you'd like to see a few pictures from the week. I'm more than happy to oblige!

Here is a lovely portrait of this year's directors. Chip did a superb job and graciously allowed us to help. HAHA!

Each day we started off with some rousing tunes. Wanda and Darrell really got into the music!

Every day, Bob, Sandy and Pam taught a thought-provoking lesson for the kids.

One day, we even had a real-true-to-life cowboy come and show us some neato rope tricks! He was a big hit with everyone!

We made photo frames in crafts and gave everybody their own picture to display in said frame. Here are Tyler's and Chip's pictures. Poor Chip was pretty nervous about sitting way over THERE away from Mom, but he was a real trooper!

Here he is again with his buddy Garrett.

Luke and Nick helped out in Recreation. They had a blast!

Now you can easily see how much fun we all had. Thank you to everyone for making this the best VBS EVER!!

This spring we all really enjoyed our first foray into the world of Track. Luke and Nick both participated and both did very well. Unfortunately, I didn't get any pictures of Luke. There is no reason to look at the screen disapprovingly. I already know how bad that is. I shall stitch a scarlet letter of some sort to my bosom to show the world that I am a Bad Mother. Good enough? Good.

Let's move on then, shall we? I did get some magnificent photos of Nick! He is not only speedy, but seems extraordinarily gifted in high jump. Watching him jump is just beautiful to see. I think you'll agree!

Here we have Nick bearing down on the finish line.

These photos show him approaching the high jump bar then SPRING! lightly arching over said bar. Makes my back hurt just looking at him.

It is worth noting that he was named League Champion for High Jump! This last picture shows his winning jump.

I truly enjoyed everything the boys did this year, but I think I might very well be hooked for life on Track. GO EAGLES!

Pomp and Circumstance

Nick hit a big milestone this spring. He graduated from Middle School and will now officially enter High School in the fall. We're very proud of him! He was not only an excellent student this year, but also a great athlete. (More to come on that in later posts!)

Nick was awarded several certificates: one for each sport he played, as well as one for outstanding English achievements. That's my boy! Respect that language! ;o)

Here he is with us, minus Luke who was at work. Chip is not nearly as leery as he appears. He's just concerned about when he's going to get more candy.

And here he is with Sandy and Jim. Joe came too, but slipped out before all the picture takin' got started.

Finally, I snapped him with Grandma and Grandpa.

We are all so proud of you, Nick!!!

Topeka or BUST!

Just before school was out for the year, I got to go on a field trip with Tyler's fourth grade class. We went to the state Capitol in Topeka then on to the state historical museum. Our tour of the Capitol was very fast but informative. A good portion of the building is under renovation so I didn't take too many pictures.

Here we are just before our tour began.

The museum was really neat! Here's Tyler in front of some art work featuring good old Kansas wheat.

There was a hands-on area where kids could dress up in old-time clothes and 'horse around.' (Get it??)

And here we have Tyler and his friend Tristan peeking out from a tipi. Hello, Boys! It was a perfect field trip!

Muffins for Moms

One of the special things about having a child in elementary school is events like Muffins for Moms. Now I'm sure you can tell just from how I typed that last sentence that I'm not terribly bowled over about Muffins for Moms. Not that I don't like muffins every bit as much as the next mom. And I'm definitely a mom, which more than qualifies me to rightfully attend Muffins for Moms. It's just the fact that Muffins for Moms is held early. Quite early. TOO early. As in like 7:20 early. I'm all in favor of being awake at 7:20, mind you, but I'm not ready to have on makeup and public-ready clothes. Nor am I ready to eat a muffin with a little 3/4 cup carton of milk, chocolate or otherwise.

That said, I wouldn't have missed this FOR THE WORLD. And this kid right here is the reason. :o)

This kid enjoyed himself too, although I think he might have still been half-asleep. I'm just guessing here, but the dazed look on his little face lends alot of weight to that idea.

Overall, Muffins for Moms was a splendid event. I can't wait til next spring to do it again!

I really like this picture and wanted to share it with you! It's not often that I am given roses (hint, hint) and I'm always delighted to receive them. I usually take pictures of any flowers I get my hands on, but this one really makes me happy!

Happy Easter!! Better Late Than Never....

Hello, Lonely Blog Readers. I've decided to play catch up over the next few days! Prepare for inundation of the best kind.

So I bet you've all been wondering what we did for Easter. Well, I can barely remember it myself, but I feel certain we had fun!

We went over to Sandy's house the day before and had an Easter Egg hunt! Everyone had a great time. Chip and Colter really know how to hunt down those eggs. Brightly colored eggs with candy in them don't stand a chance around these two!

Jack and Jude don't get the whole 'hunt' mentality just yet. They just look cute and that's enough.

Tyler is the pro here, of course. It comes with age.

Sunday, we went to Grandma's. Here's a great picture of Grandma and Grandpa with most of the grandkids!

It was a beautiful weekend! Whew! I'm sure we all feel better now knowing what we did for Easter. ;o)