Spring Has (Finally) Sprung

The windows are open and the cherry blossoms are in FULL bloom! I love the smell! It will only last a couple days, but it is always my favorite time of year.

I am so bad at this blogging thing. Actually, I'm bad at most everything except running to the next activity. But, as a wise empty nester recently shared with me, these days are short indeed. With Scout 16--and driving!--and PinkOne 13, we don't have too many days left. I'm trying to soak in each day/event/time together to save for when they fly the coop.

Spring saw the Family Easter Experience at church, two dance recitals--they ROCKED! and Driver's Ed for Scout along with all the usual things like homeschooling, housekeeping, etc.

Dog training has also started up again for 4-H and this year Scout and Emma are trying "off leash". The first week Emma actually sat at the agility course and cried until it was her turn. Too funny! She loves being off-leash. They have a lot of work to do, but the potential is definitely there.

September Memories

DH and I took a little trip--just a couple days--to one of our favorite places on earth to celebrate our 20th anniversary. It was pretty good weather, great conversation and fun to just chill with each other. We've decided to make it an annual trip, so I'll have to remember the camera next year. LOL

I'm in love...

Aren't they cute?! Their wool is gorgeous and so soft. Alpacas may have to be in my future somehow. (Way in the future though.)

PinkOne

She is healing just fine and the sling is gone. She can start to do push ups; a couple each day. So far so good. She did fine with her dance tryouts too--two extra group invitations. Since she watched the neighbors' cat last winter while they were vacationing for several months, she has the money for one group. We pay for one, so she didn't have to turn one down this year. She is very excited. The dance studio shuffled things around this summer, and put her in a new group. She is sad to leave her best buddy, but is loving her new group. It is a move up for her and we are so proud of her dedication and work ethic. I can't believe this is her 10th year of dance!

Scout

Tonight Scout passes on the Senior Patrol Leader position to another scout. He has learned a lot and grown in so many ways. But he is excited to go back "into the ranks" as he puts it and let someone else be responsible for the planning, etc. His new responsibility is Webmaster, so he won't even have to attend the monthly planning meeting. At the Court of Honor last week he earned a couple more Eagle required badges. He should wrap up his last required badge tomorrow night. The Eagle project is already in the works...

He got a job! Scout is a working man 10 hours a week. He is a page at our local library. It is the best first job ever. Mrs. K has known him since he was 1 1/2 and I brought him to storytime. He loves working for her. And the paycheck wasn't too shabby either. LOL He has visions of a snowboard--and a car.

August Memories

Yeah, yeah, I know. But here we go...

The Hike of the Year

The guys got back from hiking Philmont Scout Ranch safely. No bears--thank you Lord!--and all in one piece. I'm told they earned their man card with this one. Over 86 miles hiked and up to Mount Baldy and ...(some other mountain I can't remember). The pictures are amazing and a trip Scout will never forget. He loved it so much that he says he wants to move to "a house in the mountains in New Mexico". Guess it was that awesome!

THE Fair

Good year all around. PinkOne got FIRST--thank you very much!--for Junior Showmanship with her rabbit. Scout and Emma got a first for agility! They did well with obedience too--HA! (ho would have ever thought it; Emma is maturing into an awesome dog.) PinkOne's chickens went for a whopping $60 at the Silent Auction; thanks, Grandpa ;-). Scout won the pie eating contest--3rd year in a row. LOL Scout did well in rabbit showmanship also--but he doesn't think so. He's such a perfectionist! It was his first year as a Senior and he placed 6th.

Weather was great except for Thursday when we had tornado warnings. We finally made a dash for the car and headed for home only to find out that a tornado had actually cut through our subdivision at home! We had power, but most everyone else in the sub did not for several days. We were also blessed with no damage to our house or yard. There were homes damaged, but no one was hurt.

Misc. Happenings

Scout had a Senior High Youth Group retreat that was a blast; so I'm told. LOL He especially loved the afternoon of paintball with his buddies.

PinkOne fractured her radius/elbow during a dance class. She kicked really high--yeah!--but her other foot slipped out from under her--no!--and down she went. She finished up dance--of course--but started feeling the pain on the way home. We iced her, but by morning it was still hurting. Several trips to various doctors/hospitals later and we had it confirmed; broken. She didn't let it stop her though; dance try-outs were the next evening. She did her best with her arm in her sling.

July Memories

National Dance Competition. That was a quick girls' trip to a huge waterpark hotel. PinkOne danced her heart out and then we played all the next day in the pools. She had a blast with her galpal and I read a book by the outside pool for a couple hours. That was awesome!

Summer Dance. This is the time of year the studio decides which kids will make up which groups for competition teams. PinkOne has danced with the same basic team for 3 years. She is one of two 12 year-olds on the team; everyone else is at least 14/15 and up. They've been great, but I've been praying for a group she will have more in common and maybe/hopefully find a good friend or two for the long haul. Well, PinkOne got a new group. I'm thrilled--they are her age--and she is thrilled. The group includes 2 boys (yeah, Mom, we can do lifts now!) and they are a group that is better suited in work ethic as well. PinkOne is serious about her dancing, and so is this team. It's a nice group too--parents and kids all get along with each other. The only bummer is that her one friend from the old group--the other 12 year-old--was placed with a different team this year.

PinkOne decided to do a Poultry project this year for 4-H. We picked up the little darlings right after the fourth of July. They head to the fair next week. It's been a learning experience all right! It's a good thing they don't stay this cute for long. PinkOne is more than willing to sell them at the auction now.

PinkOne spent a week with her BFF at a church camp. They swam, rode horses (yep, she loved her horse, SpitFire), sang songs, and had a great time. Their counselor was the awesome Ms. Hayleigh--who showed the girls that you can be super-smart, fun and love Jesus all at the same time! Thanks, Hayleigh! And yes, when we picked the girls up they were still BFFs. lol

Philmont Adventure. DH and Scout headed out for the Scout High Adventure backpacking trip of a lifetime in New Mexico. I heard from them a couple times, once when they were standing at 12000 feet up a mountain. No bears--thank you, Lord--and they had an amazing trip. (So I've been able to piece together. They are currently stranded in Chicago waiting for their train to be fixed/swapped so they can head home. Phone signals have been sporadic.) They should be home sometime tomorrow. Can't wait to see them. Last I spoke with Scout, he'd taken about 600 (gasp!) pictures, so I'll have lots to see of the trip too. (LOL--he is his mother's child.)

June Memories

Scout's week of serving on the island with the MISST troop (Scout Service Troop). This year he even met the governor and shook her hand. (While we aren't that happy with the job she's done for our state, he thought it was cool to meet her.) And he was polite. Gotta love that Scout oath!

Emma's first trip. She rode in the van, slept overnight in a hotel, rode on a ferry boat--twice--and spent the (rainy--it really was NOT nice) day in a crowded town with very little options. But she got to see her boy after a week of being apart. I guess that made it all worthwhile.

Recitals--need I say more? PinkOne was in 4 out of 5 shows this year--sheesh!

First Dog Match. It was HOT! But Scout and Emma did well and learned a lot. Emma loves her agility! Scout actually learned that he needs to slow Emma down for the Novice class this year.

The Mother of All Estate Sales. I worked a lot of days to help wrap up this sale. Three houses emptied out and the family is pleased. Learned it is a LOT of hard, nasty, work; but I got paid well.

Cedar Point. Scout's first trip. He had a blast with all his Youth Group buddies.

Backpacking Prep weekend. DH did awesome! He was worried, but I wasn't. He bounced back from his hernia (double) surgery really well. Scout did well too.

Emma's first swim. We spent the day with Mom & Dad at the boat. Everyone--except my Dad--got in the canal and swam around. Emma loved it once she got in. She also took a dinghy ride with her boy. Scout did a great job driving!

Dance Competition--3/28

With makeup on and everything loaded into the car, PinkOne and I headed about an hour away on Sunday morning, early. (According to PinkOne WAY. TOO. EARLY. That's how much this one loves to dance!) We were there right on schedule--8am. She had 3 dances this time around and each of them did well. Not as well as she would have liked, but I can see such growth in PinkOne. The next competition is the first of May. Lots of time for improvement.

We were home by 5:30pm--just in time for my birthday dinner. Happy Birthday, to Me.

Catching Up--Recital

PinkOne did awesome. Grandparents and Daddy were equally impressed by the growth they saw in her. We all watched the show on Thursday. That weekend Scout and DH had a Boy Scout camping trip, so it was just us girls for her recital on Saturday. I got up, did some weeding in the garden and then woke up PinkOne for a lesiurely pancake and bacon breakfast. I was so wrong!!! I got a call from the other Class Mom on duty that day asking if we were okay at 10:45. I'd gotten the times messed up. PinkOne was scheduled for the 11am recital, NOT the 2pm recital. Her jazz group was the 4th dance in. Yeah, not a lot of time.



Now, it's a real production to get her ready. I grabbed all her costumes and makeup. PinkOne threw on her first costume and her hair in a ponytail. I raced to the high school. PinkOne ran through the doors while I parked. Apparently she made it just in time to run onstage--from the opposite side of the class--into her spot as they started.


Man! I NEVER want to live that one again! PinkOne showed great maturity and grace under pressure. She is growing up into a beautiful young lady.