Not Me! Monday

The fabulous Monday time in the confessional box!

I DID NOT serve my 14 month old skim milk with half and half because I was out of whole milk. I especially DID NOT do that because there was another full gallon of whole milk in the other fridge that I thought was skim. NOPE, I am totally aware of our home grocery inventory and substitute accordingly.

I DID NOT throw away Valentine's Day candy I found in the cupboard where I put the Halloween candy. I also DID NOT find some Halloween candy from last year either. NOPE, absolutely not.

I AM NOT obsessed with Snuggle Blue Sparkle fabric softener. Really NOT at all obsessed. I DO NOT smell every piece of laundry I fold because I like it so much. I DO NOT open the kitchen window because it is by the dryer vent and the fragrance can waft through the house. NOPE, not at all.

Sabrina DOES NOT make up her own worship songs all day long. They are NOT full of great theology. I AM NOT amazed and proud of this.

I WAS NOT disappointed that the soccer season for Chase & Stu is over. I WAS NOT surprised at how much I enjoyed practices and games!

I AM NOT eating up this little girl right now. Her personality HAS NOT arrived in full force!

I AM NOT quite strict about "screen time" in our house. So of course, I DID NOT put on a video for the girls to watch while I finished this post. NOPE, I would NEVER use the television as a babysitter. So I was of course NOT disappointed when Annalise didn't care at all about the video and continues to bring me books to read!

Happy Monday, all!

New shoes

Hey, I put some new shoes on,
and suddenly everything is right,

I said, hey, I put some new shoes on and everybody's smiling,
it so inviting,

Oh, short on money,
but long on time,
slowly strolling in the sweet sunshine,

and i'm running late,
and i don't need an excuse,
'cause i'm wearing my brand new shoes.

Camp Whitmer

Last Saturday we invited eight 8-year-old boys to "Camp Whitmer".



After a pick-up soccer scrimmage...


We lined up the boys in order of birthdays. It's always funny to me how long that takes kids to figure this out!


Everyone got their camp bandanas.

 

Next, we made compasses and found our bearings around the house. Making compasses was a total hit and so easy! They had to find their own leaves, magnatize a needle by swiping it in one direction over a magnet. (We used the letter magnets from our leapfrog refrigerator game.) Fill a paper plate with enough water in it to float the leaf.  Rest the needle in the leaf and it will swing around to North. The boys really enjoyed it!
 
 

The littlest girl just watched and smiled.


We had an egg toss. Yes, real raw eggs. We live on the edge.


After the eggs, they had a scavenger hunt that we found hysterical. One group worked well together reading the clues and thinking before running. The other, well, they were really good at running.
 







 

Michael went over some fire safety before we gave the boys sharp sticks and let them roast hot dogs. Just so you're aware: a large group of 7 and 8 year old boys roasting hot dogs will have a lot of conversation about wieners. They think they're funny. Me, not so much.



We were still making banana boats (bananas, chocolate chips, and mini-marshmallows) and putting them in the fire when the parents started arriving! We had more activities planned; I had my guitar ready with camp songs, as well as another game or two. Chase really had a great time and it was fun to see him with his friends. Camp Whitmer may open again for another party!

The Chase Man

Eight. Really, he's eight? I'd like to be in denial that he's reached this sage age. (I did outlaw fractional ages this year. He was still 7 on Sunday, no matter what he said!) It helps that he is small for his age. I can pretend he's still a little boy.

He's been an old man for 8 years, but an old man who has an unquenchable desire for information and knowledge. He would sit for hours being read to.


I think the only thing that rivals his love for knowledge is love of food! (I'm kidding, sort of)




His bright eyes and sweet smile always something that warm my heart.
Age 3

Age 4

Age 5

Age 6

Age 7


He's wicked smart and so wants to please. His sense of humor and boisterous nature are well, growing. He definitely has a joie de vivre.

Happy Birthday, my first born!

Chase's Soccer

I finally got to watch Chase play soccer! His first two games we were in Prague, so I was estatic to get to watch Chase for my first game!

Chase lead the warm-ups! 

(His push-up form was actually really great, but in the shot, he was starting to get up)

Game Time!

Chase is focused. (The other CCS kids in the yellow are playing for the other team because they were short players. Rather than forfeit, we traded players every quarter. How great is that?)

His fan section

Chase may be small, but he's scrappy.

 

The Post Game Snack!

Card, no, Snack-Carrying Soccer Mom

Even though Chase's game got canceled, Stuart's first game of the season was on! (It was my first game as an official Soccer Mom.)



They stretched, ran lines, and huddled up for a prayer and a pep talk.






The whole team played well. I was so impressed with their skills!
 

They "live and die as a team." Stuart and friends celebrated for teammate's goal with the enthusiasm of world cup footballers!




When he was the goalie, Stu had two great saves. He was not afraid to get in all the feet and grab the ball.



"Mom, I can't believe we won!" Winning your first soccer game 2-0 is a wonderful feeling!

The Summer of the Hideout

My boys have found the best boy place ever to play.

They call it "The Hide Out".

In the mind of boring adults, it's a dirt pit.

They have been excavating and digging the entire summer

Offering Car Washes

The full service is they will cover your car with dirt for you, then wash your car.

Job security or racketeering?

And leaving pieces behind, but never a moment without fun

Labor Day Weekend

Soccer with Dad
 


Wanting to play along



Determined scootering



Roasting giant marshmallows in the grill (after we tried roasting mini marshmallows!)