Cub Scout Day Camp

Noah was so excited to start his week of cub scout day camp!

Although he's still a Bear in our church pack, Noah's age in the typical cub scout world makes him a Webelo so that's where he was placed. He definitely got a great head start on all those Webelos requirements!

His church buddy Jackson was in his group as well as an old preschool friend, Cael. Cael's dad was actually the group leader and I considered it such a blessing that Noah was able to spend the week in his capable and enthusiastic hands.

Noah's busy week included working with clay

and painting...

so proud of their masterpiece!

Learning about rocks,

and CPR.

Keepin' cool on those super hot summer days

and playing fun games.

Shooting, which EVERY scout loves...

Engineering feats,

and building things.

What a face!

Woodworking,

learning about wildlife,

service,

and...well, I'm not too sure about this one!

Noah thought digging through owl droppings was incredibly awesome though he was so bummed he didn't find any skulls like some of his friends.

Lots of time to hang out...

and enjoy spending time with friends and eating good food.

More games,

digging through dirt,

and some water fun in a poncho made for a full, exciting week!

Pretty cool Eifel Tower!

The last day treat of a fire truck...

and snowies with friends - Evan and Nana.

Summer Swim

After several summers of watching cousins participate in swim meets, the boys decided they wanted to give it a try. I was all for it until I found out practices were at 6:30 every single morning!! Oh, well, what we do for our kids! Noah sure is cute with that swimmer's cap on.

Their very first swim meet! Our team was so small that there was never any possibility of us winning a meet so it was all about individual success.

Because Xander and Noah were beginners they only swam in the freestyle races in this first meet. Noah getting ready...

And there he goes!

Great job, Noah!

Xander waiting for his race.

Ready...

Swimming his heart out.

Thank goodness the top six in each race are awarded a ribbon - these boys were all smiles to earn their very first ribbons!

Summer Soccer

Soccer never stops but apparently my picture taking did. Savannah played in two different soccer leagues this summer in preparation for high school tryouts - Topflight, where she played for the Harford Tech team because Edgewood didn't have one, and a 6v6 league with Edgewood High School girls. In pulling pictures for this blog post I was amazed that in all the games she played with these two teams throughout the summer I only had about 5 pictures. Clearly I need to step up my game just like Savannah did hers. She continues to improve her game and is a joy to watch.

Goodbye, Elementary School!

The only bad thing about going to the VI...wait, is that even possible, to have a bad thing? Nope, can't happen. Okay, the only thing that bummed Xander out a little was that he missed his 5th grade graduation which I can understand. As soon as we got back from our trip we headed over to the school to pick up his final report card as well as let him say goodbye to the school that has served him well from kindergarten through 5th grade.

My elementary school graduate!

He was so pleased with all the different awards he earned.

He's been cleared to advance! Bring on middle school!!!

One other happy note - we also picked up Noah's report card and were so pleased to find out that he had made the honor roll the last quarter of school. Way to go, No!

Father's Day

We didn't just celebrate Savannah's birthday when we got home from the VI - that Sunday was also Father's Day. These kids have one of the greatest dads around so we tried to make sure he felt special. He got a few fun gifts...

including this painting by Xander! We love those paint by numbers!

Happy Father's Day to a most wonderful dad!!!

Savannah Turns 14!!

This lucky girl got to spend her birthday in the Virgin Islands!

But when we got home we had a little celebration for her as well. Our flight home got in super late Saturday night so we waited until after church on Sunday to open presents. A sweet brother who always buys gifts for his siblings.

A much needed accessory for this soccer playing girl.

Some favorite gifts included some new active wear (she says she's a Nike girl);

and one of her new favorite movies, The Boy. Super creepy movie and face!

Turning 14 also meant that Savannah moved up to the Mia Maid class which she was really excited about! In Young Women this year we celebrated each girl's birthday by having her sit facing away from the chalkboard and every leader and young woman would write one word that described the birthday girl. Here are the sweet things they wrote about Savannah.

And of course she got a candy treat.

The next day Savannah's cute friends, Celine and Jayna, surprised her with candy, a little cake, and some presents.

What thoughtful friends!

Make a wish, Sav!

Savannah's Favorites at 14:
     Color: navy blue
     Food:  shrimp and Chick-fil-A (it's kinda an obsession
     Movie:  Prince of Persia, Gone With the Wind (I'm obviously doing something right)
     TV Show:  Buffy the Vampire Slayer (once again, doing something right)
     Book: The Lunar Chronicles
     Animal:  lion
     Thing to Do:  play soccer
     Sport to Play:  soccer
     Sport to Watch:  football and basketball
     Sports Team:  49ers, Utes, O's
     Athlete:  Rinaldo
     Fruit:  watermelon
     Vegetable:  broccoli
     Singer:  Shawn Mendez
     Season:  Flag Day...because it's her birthday...even though technically Flag Day is not a holiday
     Candy:  dark chocolate
     Dessert:  ice cream
     Season:  summer
     Restaurant:  Chick-fil-A (seriously)
     Temple:  DC
     Scripture Hero:  Captain Moroni
     Place to Go:  the VI
     What She Wants to Be:  no clue
     Best Friends:  her "sisters", Carolyn