At the beginning of September, the boys the month off by volunteering at the Tumbleweed Festival here in town. The Tumbleweed Festival is an acoustic music festival that has music like folk, blues, bluegrass, etc. The boys helped in the kitchen. Jack was appalled at the cleanliness of the kitchen. Along with the handling of the food. lol His food handler permit has opened his eyes on how to properly handle food.
The second week in September Jack signed up for a tennis tournament. It was a new experience for him so were so super proud that he was willing to put himself out there. He won his first match but lost the second. He felt good about his performance and was happy he participated in the tournament. I am so proud that he was also showed great sportsmanship during the entire thing.
This month at Court of Honor Jack ranked up to First Class and got lots of merit badges. He is doing well in High School. He is amazed that students are allowed so much freedom in High School. He has commented several times on how he just walks around with no adult asking him what he is doing. lol I reassure him that is because in High School students are trusted to do what they are supposed to do.
Amelia and Dad had their special weekend of just the two of them to be together. They camped at the same place as last year but this year they went to the amusement park Silverwood. Amelia overcame her fear of roller coasters and went on all of them.
Amelia has started several new activities at school. The first is she has joined Zero-Hour jazz band. She goes early to school to participate. The other is Family, Career and Community Leaders of America, or FCCLA. That is an after-school group that meets once or twice a week. The mission of the group is to promote personal growth, professional preparation opportunities, and leadership skills. The group does community services and project centered presentations. Amelia is joining with another two girls to create a presentation on family togetherness. Not 100% sure what that entails but I am sure she will do great!
Jacob ranked up to Star Scout this Court of Honor. He let Dad take his car on the Scouting campout weekend to Oregon this month. Unfortunately, the alternator went out on the car just outside of Arrlington Oregon near mile marker 143 on the way home. That is about an hour and half away from Pasco. One good thing is all the Scouts were able to make it home, no problem. However, Dad and Monica, a Boy Scout Council member, stayed with the car. I drove down to pick them up. Moncia used one of her free AAA car tows to get it back to our house. So, it all worked out fine it just took a lot of time to get it done. Jacob has since replaced the alternator in his car, so it is running great now. He also replaced another part that affected the climate control feature of the car. Jacob loves to be able to fix the car himself. He is doing a good job of it too!
We are having his car serviced on Tuesday. When we started driving it longer distances we noticed it needed an alignment. His car will eventually need new brakes but he and Dad plan on doing those themselves. So far we have paid for the repairs. He totally expects to cover the cost but is very appreciative of the financial help we are providing him.
Now that September is over, we are all in the groove of a fall/school schedule. All the kids are doing wonderful in school. The boys enjoy going to the Friday night football game. Amelia has many friends she talks with or hangs out with regularly. We can't wait to see what adventures October will bring!
