Then and Now...

Time sure does pass quickly and photos prove that even "harsher" at times.

Sam was in fourth grade when he started traveling for a football team named "The Bombers." It's hard to believe that was three years ago.  I think it's even harder to believe how much Sam has grown!

 

Sam and Jason at the end of the football season when Sam was in fourth grade.

 And this was Sam and Jason last weekend. 

I don't know how much more of this growing I can handle!!

(At least Jason has been able to keep the same hat for three years!)

Wise Words...

A Little "Help" from Jack...

Hey, Jack. Can you help me out?

I was working on a post for the store about the Silhouette Cameo and it went wrong. The Cameo is a cutting machine that works with your computer. (I LOVE MINE!) To run the paper through the machine, you place it on a sticky cutting mat. 

 It is so sticky, that if you don't "unsticky" it, your paper will tear when removing from the mat. 

To make the mat less sticky, all you need to do is pat your hands all over it. The oils from your skin and hands help make the mat less sticky and easier to work with. 

Jack is doing well...to this point...and then it goes wrong. Or should I say, I turned my back on the little imaginative guy.

"If I put it on my face, that will help too! I have oils on my face! What does my face look like with the mat on it? Can you take a picture?"

"Jack, you realize that you will need to pull that gigantic sticker off your face!"

 Yep. That's what I thought. 

Ouch.

Not fun.

First Concert!

Sam and Jason had a guys night out last week. Not to a movie or dinner, but to the Def Leppard and Kiss concert!

 Sam got a new tee and was ready to rock 'n roll all night!

He absolutely loved it! He thought Def Leppard sounded great and Kiss put on an amazing show! He was a bit tired in the morning, but he talked about the concert and showed me pictures all the way to school.

There were people that couldn't believe we were allowing Sam to miss football practice (we have a tournament coming up) AND especially taking him on a school night!

Has anyone ever asked you what your first concert was? I bet you can tell them, because it is something you always remember. (Mine was Heart with my high school friend Lynn.) So, years from now, when Sam is asked, what was YOUR first concert? Sam, for the rest of his life, will say, " Def Leppard and Kiss...and my dad took me."

 I think that is pretty cool.

Just Like Sam...

 Football season for the boys is in full swing. They have been practicing and their games are just around the corner. Uniforms were passes out and Jack was super excited to share his!

 

Look Familiar?

Sam had the same jersey!

 

School is in Session...

The new school year is in full swing and I am happy to say that both boys are good to go. I always hold my breath hoping that it will be good and then relax when I get the "It's all good." from the boys.

Sam started 7th grade this year. These pictures took my breath away! The one on the right is Sammy at his locker last year. The picture on the left is this year. Check out how much he has grown. UGH!!

We headed to school to pick up his schedule and books and it was a very different experience then last year! This year is was all about seeing his friends while Jack and I "hung back." I knew this day was and would coming and it is bitter sweet when it arrives. I want Sam to be comfortable, happy, out going and secure at school, but I still want him to "need me." He shows "that side" when at home and I am ok with that. I was once a middle schooler myself!

 Look how much Jack has grown, too! Jack started third grade this year. I have a special place in my heart for third grade (after teaching it for 10 years!) I know he will have an amazing year, because he has my colleague I taught with for those 10 years and she is an amazing teacher and person.

 Jack had very few "the night before school" jitters.  He was excited, but not worried! At one time, Jack was bullied in first grade. He actually shared about this experience on a "get to know you" sheet that his teacher had him fill out for her eyes only. He told her he was very sensitive of how others treated and looked at him after that experience. I know that experience changed Jack, a lot. The spark went out of his eyes and his free spirit wasn't so free anymore. I have actually seen a little spark in his eye again. It makes me happy. I know that he feels safe in this classroom, which means that he can be himself...once again.

 When Jack got in the car after school he said, "That was fun!" 

When we picked up Sam after school, he jumped int eh car and announced,  "I had a great day!"

PHEW!!

End of Summer Fun...

The boys have always wanted to head out of town (20 minutes) and go to another local water park. So to celebrate the last day of summer, we did just that...it was a fun day, (but would have been more fun with friends!)

First stop, this water slide.

 

It was fast and as you can see, it shot the boys out!

The pool also had a "high" dive platform.

Perfect for splashy cannonballs by Jack.

And of course Jason had to try his skills out with a cannonball that got a collective "gasp" from the crowd. Jason's cannonballs make loud noises, so it sounds like a major flop! I even heard one "spectator" say, "Did he mean to do that?"

 

Sam flew right off and into the water!

No worries, he made the dive and didn't end up in a belly flop.

 That is it for pictures. I sat in on a chair, under the umbrella reading my book. 

Perfect way to end the summer!

THe Kissing Hand

Every year, on the night before school begins, the boys and I sit down and read the book "The Kissing Hand" by Audrey Penn.

Is

The story is about Chester, who doesn't want to go to school and would rather stay home with his mom. So, to help him on his way, his mom shares with him the secret of the kissing hand. She kisses his palm and folds his fingers around the kiss. That way, if he needs her during the day, he can put his palm up to his face and feel her love wherever and when ever he needs. He then does the same for her, just in case she would miss him while he was at school. (*sniff)

It is such a sweet book and has helped us through many "the night before school" jitters. 

After we read the book, the boys each sign their own book.  It's so fun to look back and check out how their writing has changed!

In years past, Sam would be in tears by the end of the book! But not this year. The book talks about making new friends, playing with new toys...Sam had to add, "And meeting new girls!" He also added that when he was in college, he would read the book and sign it for me! (*sweetie)

There are Kissing Hand stickers at the end of the book and Jack needs to put one by his signature every year. Usually one or two stickers find their way into Jack's lunch box or in a folder. 

So, another year has started and I hope that the kissing hand isn't needed too much today, but it's there if they do need it!

Bath Time!!

 What does our landscaping project have to do with Moose? Well, we do not have any grass or sod or anything but light fluffy dirt in our yard.  Moose LOVES it! She digs, she puts her nose in it and rolls in it!

Now, Moose is not the young lady that she was, so when she came around the corner with very little white on her face, I knew she had either just gotten her hair colored of had been out enjoying herself...in the dirt.

"Moose. Have you been in the dirt?"

"Yea. No. Yea. Just a little. Good smells. Nice and cool. Yes I was in the dirt! It felt so good! It makes me happy."

"Well, you know what that means...bath time!"

Look at this sad, sad face. 

Wow. I wish I got skinnier when I took a bath!

"I just don't understand how you can do this to me."

 "Now that you are clean, stay out of the dirt!"

"Ohhhh..did you say dirt?"

Papajohn's Sculpture Park...

The boys and I headed downtown to have lunch with Jason and then to enjoy some of the local sites, especially the Papajohn's Sculpture Park.

This sculpture was so fun to explore. The  panoramic awareness pavilion is transparent in parts and allows you to see into and through the glass. In other parts, it is a mirror and reflects back at you. It is crazy and plays with your mind a bit! It is super cool when you drive  by it on a sunny day.

 

The boys spent a good time in here trying to figure it all out! When I took this picture, Sam was right beside me, not over in the corner as it appears!

I stepped outside to take a picture of the boys inside. This is what I got...I love it!! All three of us in the picture and was SO not intended! I was thinking I would get Sam looking out at me, but he stood right where the transparent and mirror joined. Cool look!

 

This has always been one of our favorite sculptures to visit and today was no different!

 

 

I didn't take this picture, but the shiny building caught the boys' eye and they wondered what it was. It is actually the Downtown Public Library!  So, we thought we would check it out!

The library is HUGE!! The boys wanted to check out their favorite sections and much to their glee, the library had LOADS of the books they love. By the end of the hour we all had new library cards and a load of books to read! Jason works close to the library and heads over there to check out CDs, so he can return our books, too! What a great afternoon for new discoveries!

#TBT on ESPN!!

This is the tweet that Jason recieved on his phone:

NFL on ESPN @ESPNNFL  

It's ThrowbackThursday.Tweet us your NFL throwback jerseys pics. We'll show the#NFLLIVEtbt
best ones on NFL LIVE today at 4pm ET.

 Well, Jason was up for the challenge! He grabbed some props (AKA the boys) and snapped a picture and off to twitter it went!
That afternoon, Jason turned on the TV and guess who's picture was the first one!

 (took this of the TV)

 
Yep, Sam and Jack with their TBT jerseys on of Carter and Moss!

Jason's tweet read:
"One HOF'r and a future one! Skol vikings!" 

We are now officially into the football season!

July Randomness

A few things that went on in July that didn't make the blog, that I am sure you would want to know about!

 I have lower back issues. Have had them since high school. I honestly do not know what I did, but I got out of my chair one evening and could not walk. Seriously, I was bent over like a 101 year old lady...which is embarrassing to walk into the chiropractic office in such a manner. Well, I was bed ridden for 48 hours and sloowly got back on my feet.

 Sam tried his hand out in Lacrosse and LOVED it! May even try to play in the spring.

 Jack got a haircut and went without his hat for almost 24 hours.

 The boys crashed on the floor one night and slept in the next morning..did I mention I wasn't in town when this happened?

 Jason ran the local 5k race and got 3rd in his age group! Sam ran the one mile and ran a personal best!

While they ran, Jack and I took shadow pictures!

 Jack had a Minecraft party! More on that to come!!

Another successful and fun summer in July. That only means that August is here, which means school is starting soon, which means getting up early and making lunches..yuck! I don't want to be on a schedule again! Booo Hisssss!!!