Worlds of FUN!

Well, not long ago, we got ourselves a wild hair and decided to take All Those Boys to Worlds of Fun.  You see, it had been literally years since we'd been.  Poor Tyler had never been and that is Just Wrong.  So we spent practically enough money to feed Ethiopia for two months on tickets and headed up the road to, by golly, have fun...not just any kind of fun, but WORLDS of fun.  
Here you can see 75% of the boys all loaded up and ready to go.

Where is Luke, you may ask?

SHOTGUN!  When do I ever get to ride in the front of my own vehicle? Very little.

So all the kidlets are loaded up and ready to roll. Upon arrival, we had to take a picture because this mom knew, as only moms can know, that this would be the one and only single solitary picture I would get of Luke or Nick for sure and for certain.  Tyler?  Maybe if I were to threaten his life, but that's so awkward with all those strangers around recording any abuse on their iphones.  So I knew going in that I'd have to take what I could get.

Casual, candid, nothing special...but I like it.

So that was probably the only pixels I'd get of the older boys, but Chip was another story.  At first, he was very annoyed that he wouldn't be allowed to jump right on the Mamba and would have to settle for the Snoopy cars, but pretty soon he found himself having fun!

He rode on everything in sight!

Rest assured that just because I don't have photographic evidence of the other kids' fun, they did in fact have a blast.  We all emerged unscathed and traveled home tired and ready to relax from our big day.  

It truly was an awesome day with WORLDS OF FUN for all of us!

Chip played his second season of soccer this spring and, man, had he improved!  This was a big...scratch that...BIG deal to Chip.  I had trouble keeping him from getting dressed in his uniform upon awakening on game days.  He truly felt like David Beckham, I think.  It's kinda funny being the youngest kid.  He's watched his older brothers play so many sports, it probably seemed like it would NEVER be his turn...but then it was!

We were all so proud of our soccer star and loved watching him run that ball down the field!

GO CHIP!!

Judging from what I saw this season, the Stinky Yellow Socks had quite a year!

One day we got a wild hair and decided to load up as many kids as we could fit in the Big Ride and take them on an outing.

These are the darling children chosen: Hank, Chip, Anthony and Ty.  We strapped them down and set off for the bowling alley! 

Tyler proved to be quite a bowler.  Of course, everything Tyler tries he turns out to be good at, so such is life. Weirdo.  I'm kidding! Note how he makes even those awful shoes look so darn cute!

Here are the two who were SO excited they could hardly contain themselves!  

And here we have those who are maybe not quite as excited.

No matter...Chip and Hank very thoughtfully sized up the situation before planning their mode of attack.

Looks like maybe some equipment is in order.

Teamwork!

Must've been a good one!  What a fun day we had!  The boys were good as gold and really enjoyed bowling.  I think we may have to wander up that way again soon!

Academic Awards Banquet 2012

The end of school brings with it certain ceremonies honoring students for their hard work over the year.  The Academic Awards Banquet is always such fun!  Who doesn't love seeing your kid stand on the stage, looking precious, while nice things are being said about him?  I'm in!  Luke was recognized for his work as a Mentor.  Mentors work with incoming Freshmen and help them to become familiar with high school.  See how helpful and Mentor-like Luke looks?  If I were a Freshman, I would feel much relieved knowing Luke had my back.

 Nick was inducted into the National Honor Society that night.  He had to light his candle signifying his membership.

Note the carefully placed fire pager. 

Just. In. Case.

Nick then joined all the other inductees in pledging to behave in accordance with the NHS standards.  Do you suppose there is a National Honor Society police force that watches these kids?  That would sure help them to sleep at night, wouldn't it?

We enjoyed a great dinner and loved watching the boys be recognized! Good job, Luke and Nick!

Growing Like a Weed!

Spring means getting the garden off to a good start.  Plants need lots of water and sunshine.  We can't control the sunshine part of the equation, but we have a secret weapon when it comes to water.

Chip dons his rain jacket and boots, then takes to the garden to give each plant a good drink of water.  Let's hope he can keep up with this task during the hottest part of the summer!

Prom 2012

One of the most exciting high school traditions would have to be Prom!  I honestly never even thought about having a son old enough to go to Prom...but I blinked twice and here he is.

 Of course, children never get where they are in life without alot of help from dear old Mom and Dad.  That counts double for a tie.

Luke looked great and was a perfect gentleman...placing Katie's corsage just so. 

And although I think he was pretty concerned about getting stuck with the pin, his flower went on flawlessly as well. Whew!

After the Beautiful People were safely ensconced in Luke's borrowed ride, they were off for a blissful evening of fun!  But first......

PICTURES!  Yes, every Mom's dream:  all these kids dressed up perfectly and willing to pose for photo after photo.  These are just a (very) few of the pictures we took, but enough to whet the old appetite.

 Here we have Luke with his lovely Prom ladies. What a playa.

The proud Junior Fire Fighters.  Look at how intently they are scanning the horizon for wayward smoke!

Look at how well these boys clean up!

After pictures, it was time for the time-honored Prom Walk.

Luke walked with two lovely ladies this year.

Then it was off to the dance!  Of course, I wasn't allowed to see any of that.  Oh no, I was stuck in the kitchen for four hot, steamy hours first scooping up dinner for the Beautiful People, then washing every single dish that school owns...by hand.

But when I see these happy faces, I don't mind one little bit!

Yes, I know Christmas has come and gone.  Frankly, I'm okay with that, but you know how I am about the Blog.  It's amazing that I'm adding a post about Christmas and it's only January 16th!  Plus these pictures are just too good not to share, so here we go...

First and Second Timothy decided to try their hand at decorating yummy homemade sugar cookies one afternoon in late December.

They gathered up all the necessary ingredients....

 and got to work.

Intense concentration was needed.  

And maybe a lick or two!

I think they turned out just about the prettiest cookies I've ever seen!  Good job, Fellas!