2019-2020 School year

Another school year has started! Geez it doesn't seem possible that summer is over already. I hope my brain catches up with the new routine. Amelia is in 2nd grade this year. Of course she is amazing and smart and will do great. This year she has Mr. Lugo as a teacher, her first man teacher. So far she says he is super nice. Jack has Mrs. Brinkley, who he wasn't too excited to get since he heard she is strict, but of course when he came home on the first day of school he was super excited to have her as a teacher. He said she was really nice and had tons of rewards to give out. Jacob has Mrs. Williams and he is in 6th grade!! Holy Cow! He said Mrs. Williams might be his favorite teacher so far and is looking forward to school each day. I just pray that they learn, grow with responsibility and kindness, and their teachers encourage them to be lifelong learners and good people.

Family Vaca - Bay View and Moran

Our family had a great time discovering some of the San Juan Islands this summer. We rented a cabin at Bay View State park and a tent spot at Moran State Park. For a couple of days at Bay View Josh, Beth and the boys stayed in the cabin next door. The kids had a blast playing with Burton and Dane. They rode bikes, went to the beach and played with other kids. The day after they left Jack told me, "well, we might as well go home; Burton and Dane left so we have no one to play with." -So dramatic
That day we did go walk around Deception Pass State Park. We all walked across the bridge and then played on the beach. We also found an old steamboat museum that the kids thought was real interesting.
The other fun thing we did was take the ferry. Moran State Park is on Orcas Island so the only way to get to the park is on the ferry. Oh my on the ferry ride out the kids couldn't stay still enough. We wandered all over the boat checking it out and looking at different views. They were so excited to be riding a ferry! The only thing that worried them was that Skipper stayed in the car. They wanted him up with them and was concerned if the boat sank he would drown. I had to assure them Skipper would be just fine and let them check on him once (he was sleeping when we looked).
At Moran State Park the kids fell right in with a big group of kids playing by a fort made out of logs and sticks. It was right next to a little creek that had some logs over it like a bridge. We hardly saw them after that! They loved playing down in the woods.
The other fun thing we did at the park was that Jacob, Jack and Dad jumped off a tree that hung out over the water and off a bridge into the water. Jack was a big talker, as usual, about jumping off the tree at 4:00 but once he was in the tree looking down he quickly got down. LOL  It took him a bit but he finally did it. The drop was about 8 to 10 feet so pretty high. Jacob, though, jumped right off, he loved it! After the tree they jumped off the bridge, which was a shorter drop. Jack said he liked the bridge better. Amelia almost jumped off the bridge but didn't in the end.
It was another great family trip, one to remember and cherish.

Summer Trip

For a couple days this summer we headed over to Umma and Uppa's. We spend the couple of days hiking and hanging out. Burton, Dane and Maysen got to come over for those days, which is always a great time. We are so lucky to have cousins to play with and be around. Another fun part about the trip was Uppa was around during the day! He usually has work but now that he is retired he is around.

Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation Stone

So this stone was actually a gift for Uppa for a wedding anniversary from Umma but she really could have gifted it to all the grandkids too! When they texted us a picture of the stone the kids went nuts with excitement. Of course the kids, especially Jack, needed the details of where it was (in Montana at teh Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation) and how it came to be.  They think it is sooo cool that their names are on a stone. We have been to tons of museums that have stones like this and it is always something they had wanted to do. Now thanks to Umma they have it!

Jacob

Jacob had another successful baseball season. As usual he really enjoyed the regular season and had a lot of fun playing with his team. He chose to participate in All-Stars again. He had a good time but not as fun as the regular season.
During the All-Star season he discovered his talent for playing outfield. He did a terrific job tracking the ball and making some great catches.
Baseball is full of life lessons on teamwork, staying positive and focusing on what you can control. I am glad he has the opportunity to experience these.

Jack turns 10

My Jack-Man is officially double digits! We got him 10 packs of gum and 10 New York Seltzers (his new favorite drink).  He was lucky because Umma and Uppa were over to help celebrate. He wanted to do a progressive dinner so we went to Applebee's for appetizers, McDonald's for french fries and 5 Guys' for burgers and shakes.
Jack is a naturally happy, funny kid. He likes to talk about EVERYTHING! And often starts debates at the house, such as: "If you could be a animal, what would you be?" or "Which would you rather have money or fame?" His favorite past time, besides talking, is watching TV and Youtube. He is a dependable kid that I have come to rely upon with helping with Skipper in the morning.

Amelia

For the school event "Night at the Museum" Amelia's class dressed up as a favorite animal.  People came by and "scanned" her so she would come to life and share some facts. She chose a kola bear. She, along with her classmates, really got into the project. As you can see we even got her a "eucalyptus" tree for her to hold on too. It was a lot of fun.