First (Annual?) Family Olympics

First off, I just read that (I think) Blogger won't be emailing out posts anymore, so if you're interested, which I'm assuming at this point is only our immediate family!, you'll need to come to this link.

 Lots of our friends were out of town the first week of July but we banded together with the Bakers for a fun July 4th bash with an Olympics theme.  But first, camp pics from Gray and Julia...

They sure did love camp and can't wait to go back!

A couple days later was Family Olympics July 4th celebration...

The torch and opening ceremonies.  

Opening ceremony entertainment from these girls doing the "church clap" dance.

The first event was a costume race, which I remembered doing at my childhood birthday parties.  The best part was that some of the costume baskets were placed around the corner where we couldn't see so it was a surprise when the racers ran around the corner all dressed up!

We had an obstacle course that was timed.

There was a balance beam event and trampoline, both of which were very interesting with parent participation.

These guys enjoyed being the participants for wiffle golf.  We liked it so much that the kids and I played again the next night!  We also had a frisbee golf event, water gun target shooting, Cheerios stacking, Lego building, and a basketball shootout (that got very intense with a tie for third between Matt and Joshua)

Closing ceremonies included a whipped cream tossing contest that was hilarious.  My favorite moment was when Joshua flipped his in the air and it went into Gray's mouth instead!  Gray was definitely the champion on this one!

We had a medal ceremony with Gray playing the national anthem, which he learned that day, except when it was his turn to get a medal.  :)

We ended with fireworks in the driveway...always a hit!  What a fun night we had!!  Kids are already planning for next year.  :)

Our last week before break, we did some skating, lots of packing, visiting the newly reopened library (we got there a few minutes before the doors opened for the first time since last spring and there were cheers and warm welcomes from the staff...very happy to be back there!), reading, and Allie got an early birthday celebration with Nanny and Pa.

So much candy and slime, which she loved!

Summertime Chapter One

It feels as if we are ending one chapter of our summer.  Today marked my last day of teaching summer school.  I'm so glad I did it.  It took a lot of work initially because I needed to make up most of what we would do, but once I began and got a feel for what our days would be like and what the kids most needed, it went really well.  The kids needed a lot of one-on-one to complete most things, so it could be tiring, but it was wonderful to see them learning, growing in confidence, and excited about their new skills.  

Also, Julia and Gray came home from their sleep away camp today.  They both declared it the best year of camp ever.  Gray was pleasantly surprised he can keep going through high school and Julia was a bit wistful that she'll have to move up to the older camp next year.  They came home jabbering away about stories of counselors' testimonies and Gray's bets.  Yes, we are in trouble because Gray continues to thrive on following through with whatever people dare him to do.  Back in his early elementary years he was eating insects in car line and apparently at 14, he's not given that up.  He ate a lightning bug at camp (declared it tasty, "kind of like a leaf", and ate another one in our driveway to demonstrate), licked a 4 foot stretch of sidewalk, and ate a corner of a bar of soap...each of these to achieve a different reward.  It's benign now, but I worry more than a little about what he may one day do on a dare.  

As for Allie, she had a remarkable week in that she finished up her very first summer day camp.  She didn't know anyone, but made friends right away and had lots of stories about being silly with her new buddies.  She did a lot of playing, swimming, and skating, and it was perfect timing so I could get through my last week of school.  She also finished up her first round of swim lessons and will now willingly jump into the pool and put her head under.  She'll learn to do some floating and swimming without assistance her next round of lessons.  She recently passed Basic 3 level of figure skating and will start Basic 4 soon...which is the level that Julia was in last fall.  Julia is now doing jumps and spins and is quite graceful, getting lots of compliments from her coaches.  She is advancing quickly and absolutely loves learning new skills each month.  

Joshua just finished his 4th week of 40+ hour work.  He zonked out on the couch about 9 last night and I had trouble even waking him to go to bed.  He says he likes his job and definitely is loving his bank account growing.  He is so busy and still tries to get in practicing lacrosse and basketball and lifting weights.  

Our next chapter will be marked by our big trip to Maine/Boston and I'm feeling ready for it!  Bring on the packing!  We've planned a whole lot of it, but now it's starting to feel a bit more real, especially now that I'm gathering things for Allie's birthday, as she will turn 6 in the middle of the trip.  I have about a week on either end of the trip before I launch back into another school year and it feels very weird, but good to have a break.  

Other happenings this past month...

Our dear friends the Bakers hosted a little girl for respite care for about 10 days and we got to share in the fun of showing this exuberant girl a good time in Hillsborough.  There was a cookout, splash pad, zoo, play dates, and pizza in the park.  She is a one-of-a-kind girl with such a contagious enthusiasm for everything.  We loved getting to know her.

Gray got his annual trip to Mimi and GrandGene's and this year they, along with cousin Jackson, had a wonderful trip to Uncle Rick's mountain cabin.

My good friend Robyn's twins, which I've known since they were babies, are middle schoolers now and love the stage.  They did a theater summer camp and we got to go see a performance.

Not pictured, but noteworthy, Matt and I got to go with a group to the movies for the first time since Winter 2020.  Also, the kids got a few days with Nanny and Pa and went to museums and a trampoline park.  So nice to get back to normal!

Summertime and the Living's Easy...or busy

 Well summer is officially in full swing at our house for the kids, but it's not exactly relaxing!  Since school let out, Joshua started a job, I have continued to finish up the school year at my school while preparing to teach summer school, there were vaccinations, graduations, first swimming lessons, check-ups for all 4 kids, and skating.  

Allie is going to learn to swim this year.  We are determined!  Thankfully she wasn't scared like I thought and is excited to go back.

2nd covid in the books for the boys.  Joshua had no reaction but Gray felt terrible the next day and had to adjust his 8th grade graduation plans.

4 shots and blood draw for this pre-teen.  

So far it is a "take it one day at a time" kind of summer!  This will be the first time I haven't been home with the kids for summer.  I will get a 3 week break between summer school and starting back up for next year, but theoretically, that feels okay since we spent so much of the past year at home.  But for now, it's full steam ahead each day for us working members of the family;) Joshua left for his job at 6:15 in the morning and didn't get home till about 6:30 that night on Day 1!  This is sure to be a defining summer in his life, as he has passed the summer of play into the summer of "hard working man".  (If you don't know the Brooks and Dunn song "Hard Workin' Man, please click here for your listening pleasure.  We've been singing it to Joshua this week, which of course he loves.)  Seriously, though, he is working HARD, doing labor outside all day long.  Thankfully, 3 of his best friends have the same job and sometimes they even work in our neighborhood.  One of the moms snapped this on Joshua's first day as a few of them arrived at work.

End of school year has us all a little tired!

We had a fun backyard movie night with friends...and their foster kittens!

We enjoyed a Mother's Day lunch with Matt's side of the family at Stacy's.

Stacy received a very touching gift from her daughter...a blanket letter!

The girls love Stacy's dog.

As school wound down, we entered new phases of fun...the ever-popular Geo Safari and lately, Spiderman Monopoly has been the hit.

Joshua loves matching Gray!

Didn't know they did this, but later saw that at the end of Gray's conditioning lacrosse sessions at the middle school, they dressed in uniforms and did group pictures.  School sports are the best!

Lunch at Nanny's.  She's not afraid to meet Gray's tetherball challenge!

We went to a very sweet and personal homeschool graduation for Sophia and 11 others.  So proud of her and proud of Abby, my other smart, kind and beautiful graduate! Love these girls.

Julia loves "special breakfast" with Daddy.

Allie's end of year class party was a Christmas theme, complete with gingerbread house decorating, to make up for missing out on Christmas festivities in December.  She has loved school the whole year, but particularly has thrived being in person and is such a social girl.  She is self-motivated to keep up her learning this summer and will sit down and practice her "popcorn words", reading, writing, and math on her own.

Last day of school...Um, what is that smile, Allie?

Okay, that's better!

Julia's teacher put this in our yard to celebrate.  We try not to think about it too much, but boy did Julia miss out on a lot of the classic Cameron Park fun for 4th and 5th graders...field trips, parties, etc.  Thankful that she did as well as she did, loved her teacher, and even seemed to be making a wider group of friends this year.  She is ready for middle school and I'm actually not feeling nervous about that anymore.  She has grown so much this year.

Julia's drive-through graduation was a bit of a bust.  I got off work late and we were maybe the last ones to go through the line.  By the time we got to school, the place looked like a ghost town.  :)  We pulled by the front of the school and a small band of teachers mustered their energy to shout congratulations, which I'm sure was a little old by the 4th hour of the "parade" window!  Then we pulled around back, got a few pics and Julia got a few hugs and we were done.  Sayonara Cameron Park.  Julia's our first kid to go all the way through, and though it's certainly not the same as the "old days" where I knew everyone and made it my home away from home, volunteering all the time, it's been a great experience from start to finish.  And of course, we've got another 5 years of it!

We celebrated end of school with neighbors and ice cream.  The little ones hung in with the big kids, stayed up late, and had more treats than I want to think about!  

We had quite a crew of kids and they had a great time playing "knock out"...from 3rd graders to 10th graders, boys and girls.  Love when they all play together.  

These two little ladies closed down the party.  How fun that they got to finish the school year in the same class.  They learned so much and both are so ready for 1st grade!

All that partying called for some lounging.  These three (plus Matt) are our biggest snuggle bugs.  Lately in our down time at home, we've enjoyed watching Family Feud, Shark Tank, and the second season of The Chosen.  We've also done some yard frisbee, (re)started a family devotion, and read a novel about a kid in Maine.  We are so looking forward to our big trip next month!

Eating out is way up there on Matt's favorite things to do, so when he's in charge of dinner, we may end up eating Cook Out in the back of his truck at a park.  

Gray had his graduation drive-through Monday.  This time, we went at the start of the allotted window and it was much more celebratory!  So fun to see the many teachers we know from both boys' time there.  I forgot until we pulled up that the kids were supposed to sit behind the driver, but never fear- Gray kind of likes Allie's carseat, so he just went through the line like that, much to the amusement of his teachers.  We don't really know what he's been up to this school year.  Really.  But we know he does sooo much better in person and by the end of the year, had really made some progress in getting his grades back on track.  Some of his teachers alluded to him making them laugh in class, so he must have let loose and given them some of his personality too.  He's really growing up like the others and is showing a glimmer of responsibility that one hopes comes with being a high schooler.  I think he's ready for Orange, but regardless, I'm sure, like every with Gray, it will be quite a ride.