A Freshman. Already?

Oh, mercy! Another milestone. My oldest son left this morning for his first day of high school! High school!!!

For years parents of older children have advised appreciating every moment as it goes by so quickly. I have smiled and nodded thinking they were overdramatic and sentimental. After all we are talking about 24 hours a day, 365 days a year for fourteen years!




At times over the years I have to admit to thinking, "oh, when they are grown up and we have the house to ourselves, we will...", especially when the boys fight incessantly over a game, track yet another pound of mud into the house, or dirty every dish we own.

But somehow those words would echo in my mind..."it goes by so fast". I would think to myself, don't wish this time away, just round 'em up and get them washing dishes. Ha! ...or sit and listen to their stories.. ...or watch them puzzle out a problem. ...or marvel at the 7th-8th grade growth spurt. ...or enjoy another sporting event.

Fumbling with the camera and a deluge of emotions, I watched him walk away. He's so ready for more challenges, more learning, more life. Am I ready? Yes, I think I am. I'm so proud of the young man he's become and am anxious to see him tackle, sometimes fall and get up again in all things high school. Go for it, Oldest!

*Incidently, those girls saw me lift the camera and teased him, so I'm in big trouble when he gets home!

Raising Good Marriage Material

The ability to feed one's self something other than fast food or a TV dinner is an enviable skill.

Let's go a step further and say that one incomparable gift that a mother may give to her sons is some cookin' and cleanin' skills.




With this end in mind, I've encouraged each of the boys to learn to cook. We've started small with opening a can and heating up soup, and have progressed through mac and cheese, pancakes and cookies. I've found a heavy emphasis on favorites has increased interest!





I fully understand the mess potential here. At times it makes me shudder a bit. At these moments, an interview I watched years ago strangely pops into my head. In it, Steven Speilberg's mother said, "I would let Steven create whatever he wanted in the kitchen as long as he would clean up." I'm thinkin' Steven turned out pretty well.





My youngest came into the kitchen a few days ago and announced that he was going to make pancakes for himself and his brothers. He set to work and the only help he needed was my reaching the cooking oil on a high shelf. Halfway into the pancake making he decided to make scrambled eggs, too. Oh, mercy...he even helped with the clean up!

Girls Can Drive Boats, Too

Do you have a hobby that brings you deep happiness? One that refreshes your outlook? One that you are able to share with your family?



How about boating? My family had a boat since I was able to look the family beagle in the eye. Sometimes we would go boating in lakes near home and once a year in the Gulf of Mexico, after hauling the boat and four children in a station wagon for more than 20 hours straight. Were my parents crazy??? Oh, the memories.



My husband and I walked the gang plank a few years ago and bought a boat and on Friday, we hauled it over to Milford Lake. Milford is a beautiful lake with limited development along it's shores. A couple of marinas, some beautiful wooded campgrounds and two towns: Milford and Wakefield grace it's shores. The lake is big enough to anchor peacefully, run the throttle full out or turn circles draggin' a tube.



This boating trip included some firsts. On the way we needed to stop at a marina to by a plug...without a plug the boat sinks and ours was mysteriously missing. After several years of tubing, the older boys were ready for something new, so at the marina they picked out a knee board and off we went.



The weather was gorgeous, low 80s, sparse, white, bushy clouds and no wind. As the day wore on thunderclouds formed on the horizon and rather than be threatening, they added to the beauty of the day. The boat has been in the neighbor's barn for six months, so there was a long moment of silent prayer and hopeful thoughts, when my husband turned the key. After a few false-starts and sputters the boat hummed to life and we cruised into the lake.



Not to waste an ounce of gold-laced gas, we threw a kid in the water right away. Knee-board, shmee-board, Mason conquered it in a flash. By the end of the day, he figured out how to turn backwards and board in reverse. Dane was next and he, too, took to the knee-board like a natural. Later in the day, he rode the tube, which by that point felt rather easy for him to master...so he did some hotdogging. He turned backwards and showed us his rear, rolled over to get a good tan and stood no-hands. At 25 miles an hour, I was laughing one moment and sucking air the next. He didn't fall off until we needed to slow down.



Spencer waited patiently while the older boys rode the new knee-board. You see, Spencer has enjoyed watching for several years. During thefinal outing late last summer, he rode the tube once. Look out, this year, the little man is ready! He hit the tube full of excitement. We have developed hand signals over the years...slower, faster, I'm done, turn, circles, just right. At first his hand was stuck in the faster signal and then it moved directly to circles. Circles are where you drive the boat in circles so you can run over your own wake. Our boat makes a rather large wake for it's size. Not good for water-skiing, great for tubing! The sheer delight on his face after hitting the big waves made us all crack up.



When we got hungry we headed for Nudee Beach. We've never seen anyone nude there, just lots of boats...only this year, no beach. The lake is up 10-12 feet, so the usual beach is under-water. We did find a few feet of mud off to the side where we anchored. Reaching land was an adventure because the mud/sand of shore was quicksand. "Honey, could you throw me a life preserver. Well, no, I'm not drowning exactly."



After chowing down, a little more knee-boarding and tubing, we headed back to the dock. Bart and I take turns backing the trailer into the water or driving the boat onto the trailer. It was my turn to drive the boat onto the trailer. Girls, I'm sad to report sexism is alive and well. It kind of cracks me up. As I drive the boat toward the trailer, the fisherman and other ski boat operators (almost all male) will stop what they are doing mid-activity to stare...not just look, stare. If I manage to drive the boat on first try, their jaws drop open and I get comments ranging from "Good Job there, little lady" to an astonished "Wooooow". I once heard "How'd you learn that???" Uh, let's see, probably the same way you did! Yesterday... two "Good Job"s. Noone notices when Bart drives the boat on. The most satisfying comments come from the other gals, "That was great", "I need to just try it!"



We drove home, unpacked, took showers and headed for deep slumbers. A good day - full of new memories.



I'd love to hear about your favorite hobby!



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My Little Davids Take on Goaliath

When we finished the house last spring, we had a concrete pad poured outside the garage. It was rather small and in our haste to complete the project we didn't pay close attention to the steady downhill incline of the driveway until we had a bit of a water issue.

We knew we needed to address the "puddles" that formed with each rain, but much more importantly we needed more room for the boys to have a basketball area. So we had the wonderful earth-moving man and his concrete pouring sidekick make a visit to our house.

Wah-lah...

Isn't it beautiful? Something is missing though. Yes, something is definitely missing!

Where we live, we have mighty Kansas winds. We also have three mighty boys. Often the three multiple to four, five, six or more boys. Girls, too! What's missing is a heavy-duty basketball goal. Our solution, the GOALIATH.

The GOALIATH means business. It's not for any meek, reserved, wishy-washy b-ball players.

My two oldest boys and my husband began to assemble this behemoth system.

I noticed that my 14-year-old was READING THE DIRECTIONS. Sniff sniff, I'm so proud!

Later I caught him teaching his father how to read the directions! Who knew the GOALIATH would be a miracle worker.

The hanging day came. People from miles around came to help. Well, ok, it was just our neighbor, Matt. They worked, sweated,... worked and sweated some more, until they accomplished the unbelievable, the GOALIATH was fully assembled.

See that box up there... it's a light.

Yup! We have 24-hour basketball playing capabilities, right here at our very own home!

Aaahhh, no more extra "puddles" and a great area for basketball playing. You should see Bailey, the dog, play. She was telling me all about it here, and I think she may be drafted.

Here are my boys making their NBA tryout tape...

Alma, Where Landscaping Work Will Get You an Ice Cream

A quiet, quaint, small town rests in a valley about 20 minutes south of us: Alma, the city of native stone. Some uniquely crafted limestone homes can be found in Alma...hmmm, maybe a good post for the future. Also, in Alma, a funeral chapel. One of ours that was in desperate need of some landscape TLC. The bushes had engulfed the front of the building in a way that made me think they might just swallow the building whole. The dead twigs seemed to be strangling the flowers and the dandelions were having a party. So the hubby and I packed up ourselves and the three boys, and headed over to tackle the job.

Specific instructions, and days and days of pep talks seemed to work wonders. Each boy attacked, ...no, dove into, ...uh, no, made an effort at his assigned task.

Does stopping to have one's picture taken mean that Dad has to do more work?





"I will organize everything in the back of this truck. All of you - rake, trim, mow, weed and haul!" hee hee hee, I kid. This guy worked as hard as the rest of 'em!

A passing, official-looking helicopter seems like a good reason for a break!

All of the effort paid off, because the funeral chapel looks tended, loved, and cared for now! See...

Note: I may need a camera tripod, so as not to make roof overhangs appear to be hanging crooked!

You might think the boys were moaning and dragging their feet... well, a moan or two, but we were offering pizza for lunch to build up strength for the job and ice cream once the wilderness was tamed.








This inspired, little walk-up eatery is worth a visit. Hamburgers, bierocks, fresh-squeezed lemonade and ice cream!





You may also sort through and buy lovely potted plants, if you wish. Alma, an unexpected afternoon entertainment.

Play Ball

If it wasn't for that "country van" (ours), you might think this was a family-friendly used car lot! Nope, it's the parking lot at the new Sports Complex. Completed this spring, the complex includes four ball diamonds, a generous smattering of tennis courts, a couple of soccer fields, an already heavily-traveled walking trail and vast amounts of mini-van/suv parking.

The ball diamonds are a bit imposing. Can you see what appears to be tiny kids out there? They are actually 11 and 12 year old boys. From the grassy knoll, you can view four games at once by slowly turning. It's really cool!



Dane took a moment before the game to get in the zone and it worked well for him. He struck out six kids in three innings and only allowed one run! Overall? They lost 10-9, darn it! Not to worry, we'll be back ready for more baseball on Monday evening.

Next Stop: High School

Did you have a grandparent, great aunt or uncle who would pinch your check and say, "Oh, how you've grown!" or "You're just getting so tall"? I did and I would do an internal eyeroll and find the food table.

Now, I hear myself occasionally say it to my own kids! Yikes!

Today was a big day for our oldest son, Mason. He was "promoted" from 8th grade. I have to admit to being completely unfamiliar with this particular milestone and I headed to the ceremony with a bit of skepticism...is this really necessary? I imagine it was begun many, many years ago...possibly when it was 8th grade graduation. These days 8th grade might be only halfway in a person's education.

The Class of 2012

Moving from the middle school to the high school is a big step. Not only have the kids grown physically, Mason now looks me in the eye, but they have grown intellectually as well. They are ready to take on more complex, challenging courses of study. So, yes, let's celebrate this milestone! Let's honor the successful navigation of middle school and give the students our encouragement and pledge of support as they head for the rougher, more demanding waters of high school and beyond.

The ceremony was very well-done. Several kids spoke briefly and two young ladies sang solos. The second soloist has a career as a singer in her future! The, uh,... promotees, walked across the stage to receive a certificate. As their names were called, the MC also read a statement on what they were proud of from their middle school experience. Mason's was "being on the honor roll throughout middle school". Not bad!

I know, leaving the stage, back to the camera...sigh. I pressed the button as he was shaking the principal's hand, but my camera has a mind of it's own and usually pauses, oh, about an hour, before it takes the picture. I need a manual or a photography class or a private tutor or someone else to take the pictures!

Way to go, Mason!

Mason with buds, Sam and Ian.

Mini Society

At our local elementary school they have a wonderful activity called Mini Society. The kids learn about money systems, producing products, supply and demand, and other cool things about the real world. Spencer's company, Sports Rocks, co-owned by his friend Jacob, sold painted rocks with a variety of sports team's initials. The boys painted more than 100 rocks with a little assistance from their employees. I had the pleasure of being an employee. One of the activities is Market Day, where the kids, teachers, and parents are given "money" and may walk around the classrooms to purchase the items the kids have produced.

The proud owners of Sports Rocks

Jacob made this amazing stand to display the rocks.

"As soon as I finish my chex mix, I'll tell you about these rocks."

Things were hopping toward the later part of the market and a line began to form. "No pushing please, plenty of keepsake rocks available."

The boys had a ball and sold most of their rocks. They ran a short sale during the last ten minutes and announced free with a minute to go. All the rocks instantly disappeared. When they realized the class would be having an auction tomorrow of remaining inventory they humbly asked for just a few rocks back...please... three will be available for auction.

Mini Society is a wonderful experience for the kids and it has the the added bonus of mixing learning with fun!

D is for Drive

Oh, boy, yesterday was a big day!

Our oldest son, Mason, got his IP driving permit. IP stands for Instruction Permit. I think it refers to the people handing those licenses out "Insane People". A little background may be needed. In Kansas, a 14 year old may take a short written drivers test to receive an IP. An IP allows the teen to drive with an adult in the car. They need to build up and log fifty hours of drive time, so that when they turn the ripe old age of 15 they may apply for a restricted driver's license. With a restricted license, the teen may drive to school, work or home...alone. No other passengers other than an adult. Once he reaches 16 he then may obtain a full driver's license.

Mason was 14 in January and has patiently waited for his parents to summon the courage to allow him to drive. Now that he is nearly looking me in the eye, I figured I could not put it off any longer.

We have had many encouraging suggestions. One was to set up cones in the funeral home parking lot and let him practice how fast he could drive around them. His brother, Dane, suggested learning how to drift (back end of the car slides as you drive fast around corners). Another suggestion, by his Aunt Brett, was to let our friend, Jeffer, teach him emergency driving. Jeffer trains the new ambulance drivers for the county Emergency Medical Services. Huh? I'm thinking more along the lines of observing the driving practices of the older residents of our town...slow, very, very slow.

Mason demonstrated pulling into a parking space at our local high school parking lot and pulled in perfectly on the first try. After I pulled my jaw off the floor, he grinned and said "driving the golf cart has been very helpful". He has a good head on his shoulders, is cautious and not easily swayed by his peers. Mason will do well as a driver.

Silver-blue Town and Country Van

or White Suburban

Case your wonderin'.