The Seven of Us

This year was Kenna's last year on the 9-12  year-old softball team.  I think she's played three years now.  (She waited a year so her friends Riley and Dawson, both on her left, could also play.) She began the season catching,but was moved to third base toward the end of the season. (Kenna doesn't like to be hot, so it was a welcome change.)  McKenna  progressed from being a consistent batter to being a consistenly powerful batter, hitting  grand slam in Tuesday's game.  Kenna's team plays good defense and they hit well, too...well enough to win the Border League Championship.  This photo was taken in Ogallala, where today's temp. was just about 100*.  Tuesday the girls played in 108* weather.  Parents brought shade tents, igloo water coolers, and ice towels.  The girls used every single drop of water on Tuesday.  Today, they had enough left to do this to their coach:

These are some of the cute & funny things Corbin has said recently.  I  think I'll laugh pretty hard when I read these in a few years. "This is the Last Day of Supper"  for his primary talk (instead of "The Last Supper"). At bedtime, when he asked for bread and butter for his snack, he said, "DO you know how to make that?"  (He'd only been given that by Jared, never by me.) At the ballgame---Corbin came running up to me followed by Mason Bornhoft.  Corb was yelling, "He's going to tell on me!"  I calmly asked , "Why? What's going on?" after Corbin and Mason both tried to talk,  Corbin exclaimed, "He's being mean!!"  and Mason shot back, "But he was watching me pee!" At the dinner table on Friday, after he'd asked what the next day was:  "I thought you were meanting [meaning] it was Sunday. 'Cause if it was, boy I'd hafta get busy on Father's Day presents!" ...

Today I asked Corbin what his favorite part of summer is. Without hesitation he said, "Pot Fighting!". He pronounced the phrase strangely, and I had to ask him to repeat himself several times. Finally, it dawned on me... this is what he meant! (I know the pot looks dangerous. I'm tempted to say it's not. I know, I should know better than to let my kids do this, but it's better than TV, better than climbing on the garage roof, and much better than the squabbling these boys have been doing lately. So, for now, pot fighting stays.)

Field day is usually held just a couple of days before school is out.  My kids have always loved it.  The races (100 m dash and 400m run) and tug-o-war are always the highlight, but there are lots of other fun events, too:  softball toss, soccer kick, shoe kick, free throws, jump rope, hula hoop, long jump).  The kindergarten-sixth grade participate in field day and the 7/8 graders help with the events.  Here are this year's photos. Isaac, with his friends Kya Thacker, Cash Nab, and Ella Coffin. Caleb, Mason Edwards, tate Knapp, Aaron Michael, Megan Brown, Ashely murillo, and Callie Dickerson Kenna, with Eli Meakins,Molly brown, Riley Thompson, and Fernie  Isaac vs. Owen in the 100 m dash

Haxtun's annual FFA banquet was last week.  We felt very gratified that our  favoritist  FFA member won the Star Greenhand award.  In FFA, "Greenhand" refers to a new member.  The Star Greenhand is basically the best new member, or the highest award that a first-year member can receive.   Taylor's advisor, Jeff Plumb, recognized her leadership ability and the  effort she's put into her SAE project.  (Her job at the Daily Grind qualifies for the project.)  The video isn't the greatest; I'd just been given the camera (mother's day!) and the banquet was the first I'd used it. Taylor couldn't decide what her favorite thing was that she did this year was... Her highlights were attending the National FFA conference in Indiana this fall and becoming a Chapter Officer for next year.

It's no secret that kids grow up. Initially they're content with the simplest things.  They love their siblings unconditionally, Laugh spontaneously, And find joy in crazy, child-like pleasures. Then they get hormones. They get friends. They get busy. They morph. And one day they do this. ( Her prom date was Garrett Schafer, an old friend whose girlfriend had to go to her prom at another school that night.  They don't do many of the same activities, but they enjoyed their time together at prom. And I enjoyed knowing it was a "just friends" situtation.) They begin High School, get driver's permits, get jobs, play sports, start seminary, and their "but you said I could(s)" and eye rolls drive us crazy on a regular basis.  The good thing is, there are rays of sunshine which shine through the clouds and give even the most harried parents hope.  After prom, many of those rays came in the form of other's comme...

Just a  couple of things I thought would be fun to read in a few years.  I was getting Corbin to bed and telling him a story when I asked him, "How would you take a bath without a tub or a shower in your house? " He said, "I would dig a hole in the dirt and put water in it!"  Then he said, "But it would get all muddy 'acause the water would evaporate and go down into the earth!" We were in the car one day when Corbin asked, "Who makes the weather?"   I said, "Heavenly Father."  He replied, "Well, does he sit at the computer and press buttons to do the rain and the wind?" [He'd been looking at the weather on Jared's laptop.] Here he is:  My weather-loving, question-asking,  park-going four and a half year-old.