Another week has zoomed by

I really need to find time to post on a mostly-daily basis again. It will make it easier to keep up with all my photos! I didn't have time to edit these tonight... you are getting them pretty much straight out of the camera here. Sparkly eyes and colorboosting will have to come later.

When I last posted, Jack, Matt, and Josh were on a creekbank luring nocturnal catfish to their hooks. They didn't catch anything, but apparently some really big ones got away.

There was so much to do on Saturday that we didn't get to go to Crawdad Days again this year. We started our morning at Angel Food distribution. After a long night of letting the big ones get away, Matt was at the church at 5am to go help pick up the food, so when the rest of us got to the church at normal-people time he was beat. He went downstairs to sleep in a classroom, and we left him there until after we started heading home and realized we had forgotten somebody.

During the distribution, Todd and Kyle amused themselves by seeding Beth's hair with dandelion blossoms. She came to show me the newest look in floral wreaths and asked me why they "wanted to make a wish on her head." I just told her it was better than putting a price on it instead.

After the food was passed out, the garbage thrown away, the building was closed up, and the subsequent return to this locked building to retrieve a slumbering teenager, Beth and I went to my friend's Tupperware party. Tupperware has come a long way. Did you know you can buy sets that match your clothes? well... you can if you wear a lot of pink and orange. I loved those bowls. There was a doorprize drawing, in which Beth and I won this set of locking bowls.
Saturday night was the Athletic Awards Banquet. Matt wasn't a recipient of any major awards, but he wanted me to come anyway. He did receive a pin to wear on his letterman jacket, though. I just didn't take any pictures of it.

Throughout the last several days, all of us have taken turns coping with a stomach virus. Sunday was a rough morning for some of the kids, so I left them and their germs at home and took the others off to the safety of church. Faith was invited to her friend's recital, and spent the rest of the day with her, while the rest of us returned home. Upon arriving home, it was clear the rest of the kids were feeling a lot better too. It was time to tackle the garden.

We weeded, turned, raked, and planted all afternoon until it was dark. It sounds like a tedious day, but it was actually very fun. The boys were all teasing each other about girls, kisses, cars, etc, and Beth was giggling along with them. The time went so fast. Fortunately, none of us were sunburnt again, but we were muddy... very,very muddy.

See the mud on Todd's nose and feet? His bubblebath to get him clean quickly became a mudbath to get him less dirty.While we were looking at the blooming fruit trees, the boys each found frogs. For some reason they felt the frogs should give each other a kiss. Neither of the frogs seemed to find it as funny as the boys did. Our bird condo has become a bird commune. After watching it for a while it is apparent that more than one avian family has taken up residence in our furnished summer birdhouse. Here is the momma bird from the other day feeding the babies again. I love how the close-up shows her colors. I think she has some peacock in her ancestral line somewhere.
In the meantime, in apt 2B, a flying lesson is about to begin. The still-slightly-fuzzy junior bird begins to leave the nest... fly the coop... take to wing... fly like the wind....er...step out on the ledge. Carefully. Right claw first, then left.
Now that he has mastered sneaking out of his bedroom, it is time to hop to a branch and see how far down it is to fall to a feline death below. hmmm...maybe you shouldn't look. Do you see Daddy bird on top of the house? He is giving his son a little pep squawk before he heads out in the world.
After Junior Bird successfully flies on his branch-to-branch fare, he re-alights on his familiar perch and begins to wave his wings around and squawk as he shakes his tail feathers to show the world his juvenile brand of bravado.
After we were done planting about a third of the garden, and the birds had gone to bed, the older boys played some soft football under the moonlight highlighted in the setting sun.

Patchy sat in the garden tree and watched every move those noisy boys made. After all, it is a spectator sport.

Know what this is? Yep... it is an asparagus tree. Apparently if it rains for weeks on end before you can till and plant, your asparagus might grow to gargantuan heigths
Now Saturday night was a baseball game as well. I don't have any pictures of that either, but on Monday night Kyle's team played again, and were soundly thumped. It wasn't pretty, but it was a good lesson for theboys about staying focuced. Kyle struck out every time he was up to bat, and a lot of that had to do with the fact that he kept using other people's bats. Tomorrow they a have a chance to redeem themselves. Good luck, my little Babe Ruth!

Todd lost his first tooth Sunday afternoon, which the tooth fairy remembered to trade him siz shiny quarters for.

I didn't get a chance to post this the other day, but Matt was accepted for another USAA award. He was chosen for the Who's Who Among Honor Students.
Then on Tuesday night we got done with Tuesday Night Dinner early and went to the High School Awards assembly to watch him get another award. He earned the pin and certificate in his Art Design class. (over $2 million in scholarships were given to seniors at this ceremony... very impressive for a class of 81 students!)
Todd could barely contain his excitement at the awards assembly. He dozed right off to sleep in his comfy chair.
After the assembly we went to scouts and got the boys their physicals to get them ready for Boy Scout camp this summer. At long last it was time to come home, where this beautiful warm sunset winked goodnight to us.

Today was another busy day I will have to post about tomorrow night, but for now I need to go to bed. Chet and I are heading to St. Jude after school tomorrow to see what is happening with his blood cells. Hopefully we will be home Friday night. Then I can work on getting the videos added. In the meantime, have a great weekend!