Backpacking

Avery went backpacking last weekend and had a blast. They hiked Ben Lomond Peak. They hiked 4 miles in the first night and then set up camp. On Saturday they continued to the top where they enjoyed lunch and then hiked back down to their camp.They hiked a total of 16 miles. He said coming back down was the hardest part and his ankles hurt when he got home. He kept up tradition and was the dirtiest scout. I guess his face was covered with dirt when Joseph picked him up. But the upside was that he wasn't sun burnt at all on his face. I am thinking the dirt helped keep him protected because he often times comes home looking like a reverse raccoon even though he always has a bottle of sunscreen.  

Park Fun

We have been trying to get in as much park time as possible before the weather gets too cold. We really like the High Adventure park because it is perfect for older kids. We also practiced playing soccer as a family before Logan's first game. 

Logan Udate

Logan was so happy when he learned how to hula hoop. He has also recently learned how to do the monkey bars and I will get a video of that soon.

Logan begged us for months to sign him up for soccer but when the day finally came he was not wanting to go. I gave him his soccer clothes to get dressed and left him because he likes his privacy. Later when I went to check on him he was not in his room. So I called for him and got no response. I then went and was looking for him because we needed to leave. Joseph and I found him hiding under his bed. He said he was confused and he had only put on his shirt. We had to get him dressed and more or less force him to get his shoes on. He was not a happy camper. We then all loaded into the car and left for the practice/game. We were fortunate that he more or less complied once we introduced him to his coach and teammates. He was also a little bummed when it was his turn to sit out during the last quarter of the game.( a good sign I hope) Logan is like most of the boys at this point and doesn't really know what to do but is at least willing to try. I don't think we will have any troubles next Saturday when we go.

I kinda think that being on a swim team may be in his future because of his love of water. We are signing him up for more swim lessons next month.

First Day of School

Logan started school two weeks ago. He was a little nervous and a little excited his first day of school. He has had a bit of trouble adjusting to his new routine and has been a lot more grumpy and tired. I am glad that we didn't test him out of Kindergarten because I can only imagine how tired and grumpy that would have made him if he was going to school all day. He doesn't like to talk about what happens at school and tells us that it is a secret and asked for a notebook to write about his days at school.  We are hopeful that things will get better as he gets more used to his routine. 

Aurora started 5th grade and is loving her new class and teacher. She didn't care for the teachers last year but really loves the teachers this year. She loves learning about science and many of our dinner discussions are about science and the things she is learning. She is great at getting her homework done early so that she doesn't have to worry about it on skating days. 

Avery is now in the eighth grade. Wow he is growing up too fast! He loves to learn as well. He is more quiet and doesn't say much about school but is happy that he will be learning more in Spanish this year. He said he learned more during his first day of Spanish 1 than he learned during his whole semester of it last year.

We are so very happy with all of our kids and the progress they each make.

Summer Wrap-Up

We had an awesome 12 weeks off together as a family. I seriously think Joseph and I have the best jobs in the world and wouldn't change it for anything. Every summer our focus has been to spend as much time together as a family doing various activities. This summer we decided it would be good for our kids if we made sure to spend more time with our extended families. So we visited Joseph's family twice and my family twice. We went on several bikes rides, a hike, camping, to the movies, swimming, etc... It is sad to see it come to an end  but I do look forward to having more of a schedule. I can honestly say that we had more positive experiences this summer than not. Our kids only felt excluded from one extended family activity that we had no control over. But we were able to use it as a teaching moment for our kids. And we hope that it taught them to always make sure that they are including those around them.

Lagoon

Aurora received an amazing discounted ticket to Lagoon at her last competition so we took advantage of the opportunity to get in for 30 bucks a ticket and went this last week. The weather  was in the lower 80's and the skies were clear so it was super nice. The kids had a blast on all the rides. I joined the family in the evening because I had already started work but was still able to enjoy many rides until the park closed. We had a ton of fun as a family. 

Free Skate 4 Compettion

She placed second at this competition. 

This girl of ours is still very much in love with skating and we are so happy that she has found something that she cherishes. She enjoys spending multiple hours on the ice each week and is working hard on landing her axle. We are very fortunate to have a coach as good as hers. Kelsey (coach) is kind and loving but knows how to push her skaters to be the best they can be.