Annual Labor Day Camping

The kids look so forward to this camping trip every year.

Tim and I do until it's time to start packing and then we start to second think it.

After making it through all the grumbling of packing we made it to Melvern Lake and settle down and enjoyed camping.

If Kansas wasn't so damn hot, we could camp more often.

Until we decide we have had enough of this Kansas weather, I guess one camping trip a year will have to do.

Believe it or not, we all have our own tents.

Brooke even had a tent on her Christmas list last year.

Santa came through, the little red one on the left side of the big tent is hers. I think it was just for show, when it came time for bed she was always sleeping with someone else. That poor little tent was lonely.

Tim preparing food for one of the meals.

Come and get it!

We were blessed with a beautiful sunset one of the evenings.

Not only does this lake have a sand beach, but our camping site had a sand volleyball pit as well as a playground with swings and a slide. Cassidy still communicating with her friends back at home.
This is going to be one funny looking tan.

We had beautiful weather this year, upper 80's, lower 90's. Evenings cooled down enough we needed several blankets to sleep. In fact the first night Cassidy said she froze so she had someone sleep with her the second night.

We have camped in temperatures from 100 to 105, and not cooling down at bed time. I remember it being so hot we pulled our bedding out of the tents and slept on them on the ground. Even then we really never slept.

I also remember it raining so hard we have to move into the vehicle because the rain runoff was flowing through our tent. Oh, the memories.

Yearly ritual, S'mores! At least this year it was cool enough that the bonfire was more than just for S'mores, we needed warmth.
Even Heidi got to go on her first camping trip. She did wonderful.

Dylan, poor Dylan was feeling a bit under the weather, except for the last day, but I did manage to get a smile out of him. This is pretty much where he roosted the whole time.

Until next year.

Loving sisters

I decided to upload the pictures from my camera the other night and asked
Cassidy if I could do the same with her camera.

It was amazing what I found.
Some of the pictures I had already seen but others were a surprise.

Check the fingers out above Cassidy's head.
Brooke can be so full of it at times.

The more that I uploaded, the more I laughed.

These will be treasured for a long time.
Just hoping I don't get in trouble.

Peppers-O-Plenty

Not bad for a single days picking.
The tomato plants are still progressing slowly but as you can see
my six jalapeno plants are quit prolific.
These are only the large ones I have picked
there are this many and more yet to come, not counting the blooms.

Cassidy started some cantaloupe from seed and transplanted them to the garden.
There are having a very rough go at it, but we are doing our best.

A lesson in Monarchs

One day while working in the garden with her Daddy,
he saw something and had a great idea.
Tim told Brooke about how he used to catch Monarch caterpillars
as a child and he and his Mom would put them in the window.
Between the window and the storm window they would
make magic. This of course had Brooke's attention.
She wanted to see what this magic was all about.

The bindweed flowers near the garden were very aromatic
and full of every pollen loving insect imaginable.
Amongst the wasps, hornets, bumble bees, honey bees, ants, moths, and
butterflies of every color including Monarchs, Brooke and Tim found
seven Monarch caterpillars.
Brooke lit up when she told me she had the perfect cage to put them in.
As she dashed to her bedroom to fetch the butterfly house
Tim harvested some of the weeds and collected the caterpillars
to meet her on the porch.

In the next couple days, things were happening.
Chrysalis were forming and color was already changing.
Notice the freckle face grin in the back.
We tried describing what was to come and then Brooke
suggested to google it.
http://www.monarch-butterfly.com

We found lots of time lapse footage of Chrysalis formation
and butterfly emergence. The happy dance was amazing.
She was thrilled at the color changing that took place before hatching.

She learned how to tell the difference between male and female butterflies.
Notice this one on the lower set of wings, has a dark spot or "ball"
in the middle of each wing. This indicates a male. (of course)
The wings are not quit dry on this one yet and still are growing.
Brooke couldn't believe how large they get.
We also showed her online the migration destination
with thousands of Monarchs.

Proud as a Mommy!

Fall sport kick-offs and aces

Football scrimmage was a smash!
Admission fee was Gatorade, which will be disbursed to the players throughout the season.
The scrimmage was wildly frustrating because they did not wear game jerseys.
We had to pick our child out by one of several ways;
sock length, stance or the way they walk.
This of course made it easier to pick out our child
but hard to tell who they were up against.

Dylan is the one in red!

He is in the middle of this picture with tree trunks handing from his shoulders.
He has thinned out and beefed up a lot over the summer.
He is so ready for football, he can't stand it.
This year it all clicked for him. He understands the game better
and his skills have improved dramatically.

The seniors that go up against him hate the way he plays.

The seniors that rely on his blocking love the way he plays.

Down!

Set!

Crunch!

It's hard to believe that last season we were only hoping that
Cassidy would just get the ball over the net when she served.

My what a difference in her game now!

Her love and desire for this game has soared.
Tim has flashbacks of watching Leslie play in high school.

Cassidy can place the ball just a hair over the net to drop in the front row,
then do a change up and drill it to the far corner,
earning an unexpected "Ace".
Her serves really frustrate the other team.

"Just like Mommy used to make them."

When she is on top of her game, she knows it and she feels it.
We see pure joy in her smile as she digs for the ball
that no one else thought would be obtainable.

The two volleyball camps that she attended this summer
have truly made an impact.
She was a setter last year until coach saw her vertical jump
and said, "Girl your going to be a spiker!"
What an honer for Cassidy.
This was as much of a confidence builder as anything for her.

First day of 11th, 8th & 3rd grades

This is a fortunate picture.
It seems the older Dylan gets, the less he thinks he needs
to waste time with things as petty as pictures.
One more to go and we will have them all.
Let's see if Mom can catch him again next year.

So far school is off to a good start for Dylan.

As you can see, there are no bandages, crutches,
splints, slings etc... but the year is still young.
(and he is Tim's son)

A whole new year, a whole new girl.

Cassidy is evolving more into the person that she wants to be.
Very exciting for everyone. This beautiful cowgirl/cheerleader is
turning more heads than her father is ready for.
She now rules the school!
She has waited her whole life to be a big bad eighth-grader.
No longer the meek, mild, timid little girl.
If you cross her you can bet your sweet little bippy she's going
to let you know about it and put you in your place. We are liking the fact
that she is not afraid to stand up for herself anymore. Except when she puts
her Dad in his place; which is quite necessary at times.

Little Miss Independent.
Talk about changing over the summer.
A few inches taller than she was just one year ago.
She enjoys being self reliant as well as a great caretaker of others.
Now in the 3rd grade, she has moved over to the "Big Kids" hallway.
She can see down the hall to where her
sister's (the mighty eighth-grader) locker is from her classroom.
I think we're in trouble with this one!
Her ideas and creativity are definitely all her own.
She is as much her own person as her sister is.

Next year Brooke will be the only one entering these doors.
More frightening still Cassidy will be entering the High School with her Brother.
WHEW!