Grosser than Gross

I need to keep track of items I wash in the washing machine. It is quite interesting...from rocks, diapers, nails, screws and crayons to mp3 players and entire wallets.

Yesterday I freaked out when I saw a petrified frog on the floor...horrified that it had probably cycled through both the washer and the dryer! The worst part about the whole situation is I had to dispose of the thing because all my kids were gone to school!

First Day of School

Lizzie finally got to go to Kindergarten. She was so happy! Sunday she kept saying, "I'm a little nervous". Bret gave her a father's blessing on Sunday night, after which she said, "I'm not nervous anymore". Mrs. Ellsworth (the best kindergarten teacher in the world) helped her find her cubby.

This is the picture I took as I left...she looks completely content!

After school she had the best smile! It was a fun day for her...she made new friends AND she got to ride the bus!

First Day

Erin is in 4th grade with Mrs. White...she got to pick where she sits in class. I wonder how long it will be until Mrs. White changes the seating order!
Jillian is so happy to be in 7th grade with all her friends. She started volleyball at 6am this morning!
Kurt's first day of high school (what does this picture say? something like: Mom, do you really have to take my picture? AND Mom, don't you DARE walk to the high school with me). He has tough classes this year. He skipped Advanced Math and went right into Algebra 2. If he says on schedule, his senior year he'll be taking Calulus2 for college credit. He is loving football this year!

Family Vacation

Bret got to relax a little!

We took a family vacation 2 weeks ago to Coeur d'Alene, Idaho. Monday we went to Silverwood Park (a Lagoon type park) for a day. We swam at Boulder Beach--Lizzie's favorite was the wave pool and the lazy river. Kurt, Jillian, Erin and Bret went on the big slides. Erin was the only injury--she got a goose egg on the side of her head after her tube flipped and she hit her head on the side of the slide. We watched a "Vegas style magic show"--it was quite entertaining to watch the card tricks and disappearing acts. The rides in the amusment park were fun. Bret, Kurt and I went together on the "Plunge"--the one that takes you up couple hundred feet, then drops you like a rock. This one was a little hard for me...it is ok for me to take risk, but when it involves my kids...I kept saying to Kurt, "keep your head back!" The last ride we went on was Rattlesnake Rapids--our family of 6 were able to ride together--Erin and Lizzie got off that ride completely soaked. Bret, Jillian and myself were quite wet, but Kurt was dry. We laughed at that! We had fun, but Bret and I took Disneyland off our vacation list. The kids were too scared to go on too many rides!

Tuesday we toured Lake Coeur d'Alene. We walked on the longest boardwalk in the world, and rode a riverboat around the lake.

A nice lady approached me on the boat--she said "I was waiting to take a picture of something interesting, and I saw your family all lined up." She emailed me the pictures. Thanks Kathryn!

Proper Credit

I have to give credit where credit is due. I didn't help Kurt with his Scouts. Bret was his scoutmaster for 2 years, so I left merit badges up to the two boys.

But, I did supply homemade donuts, french fries and onion rings, chocolate chip cookies and dutch oven cobblers. And I taught the Family Life merit badge. I really like all the boys in Kurt's troop..it has been ALL fun for me!!!

p.s. this post in a addendum to the "Eagle Scout Project" post

Eagle Scout Project

For Kurt's Eagle Project, he chose to install a flagpole at the Two Rivers Community Park (new park in Adrian). He coordinated efforts from the Lions Club, Adrian School, the American Legion, his scout troop, and local businesses to complete this project.

Ready for the pour!

They used a flagpole Adrian School didn't need anymore. They used a backhoe to move it from the school to the park.

Cements Dry!

It was exciting to mount the pole.

Dennis climbed the bucket of the backhoe to stablize the pole while the guys were working to tighten the bolts at the bottom. I was nervous for Dennis, yet he acted so unafraid I was sure he had past experience.

All done!

4th of July Flag Ceremony

Kurt's project was completed in time for the 4th of July.

The flagpole has solar lights, so the flag stays posted day and night.