I made them write in their journals each day so that if they mentioned the 'boring' word, they could look back and realize that they did actually do some fun stuff.
One simple but very enjoyable thing we did was to visit a different ice cream joint each week. I think that's going to be a summer tradition from now on!
Parker and Landen both did a lot of camping with scouts, but poor Blake didn't get to camp out once :-( But while his brothers were gone, he got to have swimming lessons, and is proud to say he can tread water for 2+ minutes and swim the length of the pool.
We were really grateful that Parker got to attend EFY this year - his first time. He and his cousin Tanner went together to BYU and had a great time! Parker really surprised us by his socializing outside of home. Talking, hugging and dancing with GIRLS - wow! And even befriending some other teen boys, so much so that he needed to join Facebook as soon as he returned from EFY. But he has officially become a teenager, and by that I mean - a bit ornery, quiet-er (if you can believe), mumbling his words, listening to his ipod all the time, half-hazardly doing his chores, and testing his independence (and our patience). He's still such a good kid, but it is driving me crazy as I get used to this new 'phase'. Some people really like the teenage years - I'm afraid I'm not going to be one of them. I'll take a toddler any day!
On the other hand, Landen is becoming quite the responsible kid! And I am constantly amazed by his self-motivation to do things, and do them well. Probably also a 'phase', but one to enjoy immensely for now! He also loves to mow the lawn, and I don't think it's for the lame $5 we pay, I think he truly enjoys doing it and is very conscientious about making straight lines and not missing anything. He is trying hard to earn merit badges, and earned 9 this summer and finally got his rank advancement to First Class. He keeps talking about doing more, but his poor mother doesn't find the time to do all the work with him. He did however find out who all the merit badge counselors are for the ones he wants, made a list of them and their phone #'s, and keeps checking out booklets from the library. With this determination, he will probably get his Eagle before Parker.
Blake is growing like a weed! I think he'll be our tallest eventually, much to the chagrin of Parker, and his feet are now the same size as mine! He is always asking questions about everything, but repeats some of them often, making me think he's either dense or didn't like my answer. jk! - it's the later. I'll admit I don't always divulge the complete truth to him on some subjects - he's only 8! But he's definitely smart enough to know when I'm not giving him all the info he's looking for, so he'll try and approach the subject in a different way. Stinker! For example, he's constantly asking me why I don't like WalMart...? (I think most of you know I despise WalMart). He is constantly wanting to pass stuff off in his cub scout book, and I oblige him. It's funny how easy the requirements seem to me now, with him being my 3rd , and thinking back to when Parker first started cub scouts and it all seemed so overwhelming! Ha! I can totally empathize with first-time cub scout moms - just trust me, it's easy now! It's when they become boy scouts that the hard stuff begins.
to be continued...
3 comments:
Sounds like you guys are doing good. Our boys start school next week. I love John Schmidts music too. Have a good weekend.
What a great post, Darci! I loved hearing about your fun summer and how grown up your boys are getting. You sure are a great mother to them. We admire you. Keep up the super work!
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