Recap of Summer (Part 1)...

WOW! I can't believe how fast summer has come and gone. Next Monday is Labor Day, the official end to summer - although the weather here has already changed a bit and you can feel a chill in the air. Fall is on it's way. This post is a short recap of some of the fun things we did over the summer.

JUNE

The first week in June we went to my brothers cabin in Island Park again. We had lots of fun watching old classic movies, playing games, ping pong championship games, and playing the wii and exploring the dam at Island Park Resevoir and also headed into Yellowstone National Park again.

In between all of that David even got some relaxing reading time in.

Bryson and Dillon did the Junior Ranger Program at the park this year. They really enjoyed doing it and we learned alot of interesting things. One thing they had to do was listen to a Park Ranger. This guy was great - very fun to listen to.

Logan in one of the Gift Shops wearing a coon skin cap and trying out the pin wheels. Silly boy!

The boys after they had completed the program and earned their Junior Park badges.

Among the usual buffalo, elk and deer we saw a wolf and interesting water fowl. We talked to some people from Alabama and found out that we had just missed a mama bear with cubs take down an elk and another bear catching fish in the river. Next time we go we have got to work on our timing more. I have yet to see a bear in Yellowstone National Park. Next time for sure. :)

Then I headed off to Cub Scout Day Camp up at Krupp Scout Hollow with Bryson and Dillon. The boys always love this. This was Dillon's first year and he said it was awesome! It was a Circus theme. The start of the day - bright and early.

Waiting and ready to go!

Dillon trying to outrun this massive huge beach ball that they were playing soccer with. Bryson said this was his favorite thing there this year.

The climbing wall.

The tight rope walk - with eyes closed.

Playing around at lunch time.

Archery - they wouldn't let me get in front of the archery shooters (I don't know why! :) ) so this is the back of Bryson.

I snuck one in and got Dillon real quick.

Center Ring - jumbo marbles game.

Bike Course - this one was alot of fun for them too. They had a great time and didn't want to see the day end.

Winding down with baseball. This year they played minor league and it was a whole different ball game (no pun intended :) ). They could steal bases and it is player pitch. They really liked it and had alot of fun with it. At the very last game the coach told Bryson that he was going to be catcher because the catcher couldn't be there. He did a really good job for not playing that position before. I was really proud of him. I think they won all their games but one, but who's counting, right? It was a good experience for them and they had fun.

Dillon, getting ready to bat.

Bryson - up to bat.

Aunt Jo came and got Logan for his "Day with Aunt Jo". She took him to McDonald's and to the Zoo. He LoVeD every minute of it! He talked about the zoo for days after. Thanks again Jo!

In between everything going on there were some moments to just relax and enjoy, like the boys sitting on the porch swing one evening eating popcorn before bed.

Logan making Craisin Oatmeal White Chocolate Chip Cookies with Dad and being able to lick the spatula! Yum!

and reading, reading, reading. :)

Then at the end of the month brings Pack Meeting. We had another Raingutter Regatta. Another first for Dillon. This is always a fun event. The boys did such a good job on making their boats. Dillon's was a police boat and Bryson's was a detective boat. They designed their own boats and did a great job.

They both received awards from attending Cub Scout Day Camp.

Let the races begin! They had to race eachother and were the first race.

Dillon blowing away...

Bryson blowing and keeping an eye on the competition.

It was alot of fun for all of the boys. They all did such a great job and all had such great sportsmanship. Dillon with his certificate and ribbon.

All the cub scouts and cheeser Logan.

Once the results of the races were tallied up - Bryson had won first place! I think he was a little suprised. He was so excited. Great job bud!

Silly... crazy... boys!

Out for the Summer...

Wow - the boys are out of school. This school year has gone by sooo fast! I think anyone with children should be able to call the month of May, CRAZY month! It seemed that we had something going on every other night in May - things winding down for the end of school and things getting started up for the summer! It was a fun month though, just a little busy.

The boys both had their music programs for school. They both did really good and it was fun to see them perform.

The library was doing a Thomas the Train day so Logan went and his little friend Jace. They were so cute! Logan had so much fun!! They got a conductors hat, a bandanna, a train whistle, got to make a treat train (out of Twinkies, Oreo's and tootsie rolls), made a little craft, and got a Thomas the Train book. Channel 6 news was there and kept on recording Logan so I thought that he would be on the news that night. The library and some of the kids were on the news but he wasn't - oh well, maybe next time. It was alot of fun for him.

Aunt Jo came and got Dillon for his special day with her. She took him to the Army Surplus Store (he was in heaven) and let him get some things - a camouflaged t-shirt and baseball cap, a flashlight, candy and a loaded compass. Then they went to eat and to a movie. He loved it, loved it!! Thanks Jo. These will be great memories for the boys. :)

Bryson is in GT (Gifted and Talented) and they had a Science Open House for the end of the year and displayed and showed all of the projects they had worked on throughout the year. Bryson had chosen to make a car out of legos and then they wire it up to a computer and control it from the computer. Then they put a baby chicken into a ring of cardboard boxes and put the car in there and try to herd the chicken out of an opening back to his cage. But, they have to drive it with their back to the car - not looking at it. It was a fun night and interesting to see all of the different things that the other kids had come up with. Bryson and Dillon's favorite was "Ooblec" - named by the kid that invented it. :) It was a substance that when you picked it up in your hands it was like goo and then it would drip out of your hands like a liquid and then turn to a powder in your hands. Strange but interesting....

Bryson earned the National Physical Fitness Award at school. To earn this award they must score at or above the 50th percentile on all 5 fitness events. He was pretty excited.

Then he also earned 8th place overall in the Stuart school for the Accelerated Reading Honors Club. He earned 543 points!! (He also qualified for the 300 point party and had a blast!!) He was sooo excited about his trophy - I am so proud of him for his hard work - actually it wasn't all that hard because he LOVES to read but then he has to test on all of the books he read and his comprehension for the year was 96%. He received a shiny trophy and a $50 savings bond. He was really excited although the pictures don't really show it - he does a great job of down playing it. :) Great job buddy!! :)

Bryson had his very first piano recital. It was a circus theme - it seems that we have been having alot of circus stuff lately but it is a FUN theme and the boys don't seem to mind at all! They were to dress up as someone in the circus or to go along with the song they were playing. He did such an awesome job - he played "The Jolly Clown". Doesn't he look cute as a clown?

These are all of the boys - silly boys. The girls were in another picture. He has had so much fun this year - his first year taking piano and has really done well. Shelli does such a great job! Thanks Shell - he is excited for next year.

At the end of the recital she gives out awards to all of the kids - Bryson got the award for Attacking his Accents and a little shark. He really "attacked" the accents in his festival piece this year. He has affectionately named his little shark - Shark Bait, then later changed it to Bruce - from Finding Nemo. Too funny.

Of course Shelli was the ring master - it was such a FUN night!

Here is what the boys helped make for their teachers for the end of school to say THANK YOU! They had great great teachers this year again. In fact Bryson said he was excited for summer but that he wasn't sure he wanted school to end because it had been so fun this year. And of course we used cans again - gotta use those cans! :) There was a pencil holder, container with peanut M&M's with the poem we used last year (different teachers this year :) ), some post it notes and a scented apple candle.

The day after school was out was Pack Meeting. We did the Bike Ride and Box Auction again because it is so fun, simple and passes off alot of the boys' requirements for bike safety. They are to make their favorite dessert and decorate a box and put the dessert inside and then it's auctioned off with Cub Scout bucks they earn throughout the bike safety test, course and bike ride. Dillon wanted to make Muddy Buddies (yummy) and decorated his box like an army tank - Bryson wanted to make Cookies and Cream Brownies (yummy too) and decorated his box like a school bus. It was a fun evening and we didn't even get rained on or blown away! :)

Then that same weekend our neighbors mom brought over her 2 ponies and way way talllllll horse for everyone to ride and they let the boys ride the ponies and the horse. Again, the boys were in heaven! They loved it, loved it! Thanks Sadie and to your mom. They even let the boys ride the ponies by themself without them leading them after they got used to it. The highlight of the evening was when David rode one of the ponies. By this time I had taken the camera in but it was a good laugh - you just had to be there I guess.

This is the really tall horse that Sadie's mom has - look how little Logan looks riding it. :)

The boys have been into baseball a good month now - I will have to post about that later. They are loving the summer - just wish it would stop blowing so we could enjoy it a little more!! :)