Differences

Many times I marvel at the boys differences. Other times I get exacerbated by their differences. They do sometimes bring friction between them, and it would be nice if what worked for one, would work for the next. Usually not the case. But I would not take them any other way.

They are a unique work of art and their work of art shows it.

Here Nolan and Ethan were at the same art class, given the same directions with the same tools available to them.

Different results, diverse boys, I love them all!

A Boy in the House

Did you know . . .

There's have been a gathering at the coffee table?

And some construction on the living room carpet? No?

Maybe you should look around. There are some boys in the house and there are clues to be found! Is there are an army taking over your living room floor? Have you found cards all over the dining table? Are there books left about? There are boys in the house and there are clues to be found on the ground, on the couch, on the table, on the car, on the stairs . . . Lucky for me that Kiko, Nolinho and Pochini are nice . . . . . . for a team of cheese taking, troublemaking, house mouse boys!

P.S. Sometimes I just need to look at the humor and remind myself of the light side of having boys creativity everywhere I turn.

And the Trees Came Tumbling Down

It was quite a windstorm! Shawn and I had gotten back from the opera and as we were getting ready for bed, we heard this loud crackling noise. We ran out of our bathroom, since the noise sounded close. Fortunately, it was just the top part of an alder tree that barely brushed the corner of our house (where we were at the time).

The deer were quite pleased with the windstorm results. Some previously unreachable nutritious food is now on the menu!

The next day was sunny and calm as it can be. Which was a good thing, since we spent the best part of the day at the soccer fields for the last day of the season. It was a good season, and I'm not talking about scores, it was a good season because we got drenched by rain only once.

Merciless

Learning to extend grace and show mercy to one another is a daily goal in our house. We fail often, with the main offender being me, but we keep at it, never giving up. Except when it comes to Settlers of Catan, the one time we have a license to be merciless.

Christian had played before, but the two other boys were initiated a couple of days ago. They caught on really fast, beginning slowly and kindly until the trading began and the longest roads were built! Oh boy, watch out! At the end though, Christian was kind enough to aid Ethan(assisted by Shawn) to score the winning point. Maybe all that "Golden Rule" talk was absorbed after all.

Time with Friends

It was time to get away from the ordinary, (and from my testosterone driven home), and spend some time with the girlfriends! It was long overdue for all of us, so we made the most of it. Lots of good talking, lots of good shopping. We managed to acquire 7 pair of new shoes between the 4 of us. That should have meant that I would have come home with 2 1/4 pairs, but somehow, three of us only brought home one pair; one girl really scored!! The manis and pedis were very much appreciated and enjoyed by all, even if the pretty nails only lasted a while. Washing dishes, double knotting soccer shoes laces and opening those silly Costco milk jugs will ruin any nails, which makes having them done once in a while even more special. We finished a perfect day with dinner and returned to our homes quite tired but absolutely refreshed.How precious to have these friends!

Of course this was only made possible by my dear husband, who took the boys to two different soccer games, a belt ceremony, art class and a ski swap. I think I know who is up next for some time out.

Adorned with Gold

Nolan has been truly enjoying learning and practicing Taekwondo. This past Saturday he was able to put his skills to the test in the13th Washington Open Championship. He worked hard and broke quite a sweat, but it was all worth it. He earned two gold medals, 1st place on poomse and sparring. Way to go Nolan!

Boys at Camp

Last week, Christian headed on his first backpacking trip with with a group of scouts. He packed his bag, weighing in at 23#, and lugged it for 4 miles along Baker Lake to get to his destination. The weather was clear and beautiful, which also meant that the temps got quite low at night, in the mid 30's. Brrr! Not a problem to Christian, he was just fine wearing shorts and a light long sleeve shirt way into the evening. He must have figured that it was better to brave the cold then to rummage through the big pack in the dark to find warmer clothes. Just another reason why boy scouts is great. It keeps mom away and let's the boy figure some things out on his own. He had a great time and the only thing that he will do different next time he says, is to bring more food along. No surprise there.

Talking about boys scouts, Christian just made it through his first rank, he is now a Tenderfoot. He also earned his first Merit Badges; aviation, sailing and water sports.

Congratulations my son!