Happy Halloween!

from those meddling kids!

Day to Serve

September 29, 2012 has been declared by the governors of Virginia, Maryland, and West Viirginia, and by the mayor of Washington D.C.

A DAY TO SERVE

and

A DAY TO END HUNGER

Please go to daytoserve.org to find opportunities to serve in your community.  You can participate in any number of service projects in your area, give to a local food bank, or get a group together and plan your own project.

If you happen to be in the Fredericksburg areea, stop by the LDS chapel on Bragg Rd between 10 and 2.  There you will find over a dozen service projects ready for your willing hands and an expo of 30+ service organizations sharing what they need from you!  Also available that day will be a Red Cross blood drive and food trucks from Fredericksburg Area Food Bank and SERVE (Stafford Food Pantry), both ready to accept your non-perishable food donations.

I know we're busy.  And I know times are tough and money is tight.  Trust me, I know.  But the Lord has asked us to be His hands here on earth.  We can share what we have been blessed with - be it our time, our goods, or our love - with those less fortunate.

Together, we can make a difference in our community.  So please join me and let's get out there and help each other!

DAY TO SERVE

Dedication

 

You know your boy loves the sport when he's willing to play the first game of the season in a torrential downpour.

You know you love your boy when you're willing to watch the first game of the season in a torrential downpour.

And you know your other kids don't get much say in things when they spend their Saturday afternoon watching a soccer game in a torrential downpour.

That's the way it goes around here.  And don't worry.  Cam's got some football sidelines with his name all over them.

And Nico?  Well, he's just along for the ride.

Blogging, Not Weeding

Look what my darling boys found in the garden.  It's body alone is over an inch wide.  I promise I'm not exaggerating.  I do that sometimes - exaggerate, especially about bugs - but I'm not doing it now.  This bad boy is big.  And creepy. And he makes me shiver.

Needless to say, I'm not weeding today.  Or maybe ever again.  One simply cannot weed while one is shivering so violently.  Still shivering over here.

Let's move on, shall we?  No need to dwell on tonight's nightmare before noon.  Here's to a little distraction...

Yesterday, Nico and I went out and bought cabinet locks.

I guess today I should actually put them in.

Last week my boy became a man.  Or at least a Bobcat.  You know, some cultures send their young men out into the wilderness to survive on their own for months.  Others do other things.  I like this one, personally.  

You know when you promise your kid a birthday party and then three months go by and you're starting to think,"Hey, maybe he forgot!" and he comes to you in the middle of the night to ask when he will get to have that party?  Oh, is that just me?

We finally celebrated Cam's birthday with friends.  Good, wonderful friends, whose parents didn't even say mean things about me (at least not that I could hear) because I called them up the day before about this very late, very last minute party.  It was thrown together fast, which meant we played with water balloons and stuffed them full of candy.  The perfect party, I'm thinking!

Oh, and let's get a better look at that cake.  'Cause I'm feeling a little bit pleased with myself.  I may not be doing any wedding cakes any time soon - or ever - but my kiddos think I'm pretty awesome.

And on that note, let me leave you with a sweet little moment.  I love catching them unawares.  And I love that my boys' buddies are so comfortable in our home.  Please, please, please can we keep it that way for always?

Have a happy day!  And let's try not to have those nightmares, 'kay?

The Obligatory First-Day Pictures Post

My big boys went back to school yesterday.

After seven months home with me.

And no, I wasn't ready to send them away.

Not yesterday, at least.

Maybe if school had started last Thursday...

But that's a totally different story. 

Yesterday, I wasn't ready to send them away.

But, away they went.

And I was excited for them.

Because I know we made the right decision.

And they go to the best school in the world.

Good thing, too, 'cause these are just about the greatest boys you could ever hope to meet.

Those fourth and third grade teachers are pretty lucky.

If I do say so myself.

Camden's Biggest Day

We're so proud of our sweet Camden for making the decision to be baptized.

To follow the example of the Savior, and to pledge his life to Him.

It was a wonderful day full of family, friends, and most importantly, the Spirit.

Oh, how I love this kid!

Beat It!

I'm thinking it's probably about time I moved on from the vacation posts.

So here's just one last look at Reunion 2012.

And now, I'll beat it.

Bacon

If you want to eat well while camping, get yourself an Uncle Bob.

I highly recommend it.

Quiet Moments

The beauty of vacation is sometimes found in the adventure.

And sometimes it's in the quiet moments in between adventures.

It's during those quiet moments that you can take a little stroll with your Granny...

and meet your first deer.

It's during the quiet moments that you can get out the games...

and the crafts.

It's during the quiet moments that you can explore the world while still sitting at your mama's feet...

or help your mama with a puzzle.

We love our adventures, but we really love our quiet moments.

This was a good year for those.

The Lake

Legend has it that when Indians destroyed settlements along the New River, a woman and her child were kidnapped.  They eventually escaped and wandered through the wilderness eating nothing but berries.  Molly, the mother, collapsed, and her child wandered along a creek.  When the child was found, the only words he could say were "hungry mother."  The search party did find Molly, but too late to save her life.

They named the mountain Molly's Knob.

Later, the area was preserved and became a state park. Hungry Mother.

Such a tragic story.

Thank you Molly.  We really love your park.

Molly's Knob is a great hike.

And Hungry Mother Lake is pretty much perfect.

See, there's a high dive.

And sand.  And cute babies.

Lots of space for throwing children.

This may be the last year of that for a while.  Until Nico get's big enough.

His brothers and cousins are getting harder to launch!

 I have a picture exactly like this one from every single year of family reunions.

Since he was two.  That was twelve years ago.

This boy loves his drip sand castles!

Oh, and my boy's a stud.

But he still needs his mommy when he gets tackled a little too hard.

Thank goodness.

Rook-ers

These three love a good game of Rook.

Unfortunately, Rook is a four-man game.

Totally Inappropriate

Fall sports are well underway around these parts.

Feels like they start practicing earlier - and stay out later - every year, doesn't it?

And on a totally unrelated note, Nico found a new teether.

Colored Water

Best beach game ever?

Yes.

Most Popular

We don't actually have a popularity contest at our family reunion.

But if we did, this year the winner would probably be...

Nico!

Sweet little wild man went and charmed the socks right off all his family.

It didn't hurt that he played a little hard-to-get at first, too.

Makes that hard-won baby love even sweeter!

Missing the Mountains

Last week, we were in the mountains.

It was calm and beautiful.

With lots of our favorite people.

It was relaxing and perfect.

Then we came home.

Soccer camp, football practice, doctors, dentists, meetings, calendars.

None of these things exist in the mountains.

Just sayin'...

Surprise!

Last weekend, before the sickies descended, we headed up to Bubby and Poppa's house... to surprise them.  Well, weren't we surprised when Della was there for the weekend, too!  Fun times!

Lots of thanks for the prayers for our croupy baby.  Nico is doing much better now.  In fact, he's unfolding my folded laundry as we speak!  (One of these days I'll learn to put that stuff away...)

The Croup

photo from a happier time.  silly face.

My baby has croup.

It is the saddest thing I think I have ever seen.

We're on day three - the worst - and we're trying hard to avoid a night in the hospital.

Prayers welcome.

Three Things

What?  This isn't how you watch a movie?

Nico's most favorite thing in the whole world: playing the guitar.

And then clapping for himself.

He knows he's good.

And finally, it's mopping day.

Can you find the baby?

On any given afternoon...

... you might find something like this going on in my backyard.

Just the way I like it.

Swim!

We got home from Key West about three weeks ago, and dove right into the summer swim season.  Two days after we pulled in, my boys were swimming in their first meet.

I love to see how hard these kids work all summer.  No lazy summer mornings around here - we're at the pool by 8:00 every day. And thank goodness these boys love it, 'cause nobody wants to get up early in the summer!

They're getting really good, too.  Their times are improving with every meet and I love to see the increase in their stamina.  Jake even swam his first 100 meter race last night.  Against 11- and 12-year-olds!  Despite being so nervous - and so tired by the end - he made it.  And this is one proud mama!

Jake's relay team.  What a great group of boys!

Our little competitor. Cam wants those ribbons so bad - and works hard to get them!

Swim team is not for the faint of heart.  Or the tired.  We may start practice at 8 am, but don't be surprised to find us at a meet until well after dark.  10 pm with little ones?  No problem.  (Not my favorite part.)