Scott's Summer Adventures!

Scott lives for softball season!!!! (OK, or basketball season, or whatever season it happens to be!! He watches everything! Baseball, basketball, tennis, golf, soccer.....the list goes on!) He really enjoys playing softball and he's pretty good! Here he is getting ready to smash the ball! OK, so this might not have actually been a picture of him right before the game where he hit two home runs and either a double or a triple--I don't remember now....but he's still pretty good looking under that helmet!!

We've been hitting Graeter's hard this summer--the gift cards were burning a hole in my pocket! But they're all gone now, so I've been taking advantage of whatever deals they've had. One of the boys' favorites has been the free mini-scoop of cotton candy ice cream on Fridays in July. We all thought the little cones were just SO cute!!!

Then there was Cub Scout day camp! Of course it had to be during one of the hottest weeks on record--OK, maybe not, but it was high 80's or 90's all week, with a heat index in the 100's!!! Scott was a trooper!! He survived the whole week! Must have been the cool shades!! : ) (The camel pack definitely helped! And I'm guessing the pool at camp didn't hurt either!)

Alan's Activities

So Alan's summer has consisted mostly of Scout camps, mowing lawns and hanging out......without his Ipod, which he lost--so sad!!! : (  Ah well.....live and learn I suppose. OK, so I forgot to mention the totally cool fireworks that we watched from our house--that we helped set off--the purchasers of whom shall remain nameless......they were TOTALLY cool!!!! Alan had a blast--literally, with no injuries!! : )

I wanted to take a picture of him with his big ol' pack on after he got back from NYLT, but he wouldn't let me. This time I wouldn't take "no" for an answer, so here he is......cutest, uh, I mean the most handsome Boy Scout EVER!! 

I was so proud of him! He earned 4 Merit Badges and the World Conservation Award. (He got two more Merit Badges almost done, just one requirement each--he can get those done no problem!!) He earned his Star rank this Spring and could earn his Life by October/November--depends on how motivated he is and when the next Court of Honor will be. Either way, I'm pleased!! (He even sewed his Star badge on his uniform himself!! I should have got a picture of THAT!!) He wanted me to take a picture of the bite he got from the 4 foot long rat snake he tried to catch at camp, but I didn't get it before it healed up--my bad!!

 And of course

it wouldn't be summer without some softball--

how cute, uh, good looking, are these ball players!!!

My very own boys of summer!!

I'm such a lucky Mom!!! 

Nathan's Summer

Exciting event #1: Nathan got a new excavator for an "end-of-the-year" gift. He was so excited!!! I think that's excavator # 1,346....Anyway, I told him that he couldn't sleep with it in his bed because he might roll on it and break it or hurt himself. So he found a special place for it. We got a fireproof safe for Christmas and Nathan decided that was the perfect place for his excavator!! So he tucked it all in and said "take a picture"--how can you resist that!! So I did.

Exciting event #2: 
I signed Nathan up to play softball, while he's not such a big fan of actually playing the game, he is a HUGE fan of all the dirt they have at the fields and the gators (John Deere gators that is) that roam around. One parked right next to the field where he was finishing his game. He promptly grabbed his snack and parked himself right on the gator to eat it!! So after he sits down he says "hey Mom, take my picture for the blog!" For the what?!? Unbelievable!! So here he is....

One of the draw backs of softball for Nathan is how ridiculously hot it can get standing out in the field. So one day he's outside playing and he comes in, grabs an ice cube out of the freezer (when did he get tall enough to get ice cubes out of the freezer?!?!?!), lays himself down on the chair, lifts his shirt and lays the ice cube right on his belly. I had to ask: "Nathan, what's wrong?" He says in his most pathetic voice "Oh Mom, I have a sweat!" A what?!? Ha! Ha! LOL!! Love it!! Fortunately, he recovered from his sweat and he was OK! Whew, that was close!!

Otherwise, Nathan's having a relatively productive summer....(being the cruel Mom that I am--it's true, just ask my kids!!!) I'm trying to teach the boys some life skills. I'm calling it Independence Training--boiled down, that's known as chores!! : ) Anyway, there are a few things that Nathan's working on......he's learning our address and he's working on writing his lower case letters. I have this placemat that has the lower case letters on it, so I'm having him trace them for starters.......he concentrates so hard.....cutie!!!

Next will be learning our phone number, tying shoes, making his bed & making sandwiches. Then we'll see..