The Dreaded Derby

One more down, just a few more to go...Ryan actually did okay this year and was very happy with his 6th place finish! That tells you how we usually do.

Our friend with better tools than we have helped Ryan cut out his car. Then he sanded it until he was happy with the shape. He painted it several times before he settled with the blue and red stripe look. Our grass will never be the same!

I am so glad he was truly happy with how the car placed. I love the look of genuine joy!

Fishing at Heather Farm

Saturday at 7:30 am I dragged Ryan to Heather Farm to go fishing. They had stocked the pond with 300 pounds of Catfish and they had rods, reels, and bait just waiting for us. So, after Ryan threw a little tantrum about not wanting to fish, I got him a pole and showed him how to cast. This is how he looked after about an hour. We hadn't been fishing for over a year and he didn't love it then, either. I just happen to think that all boys should know how to fish and I want my son to be able to live off the land if necessary! I think he'd sooner starve than eat fish anyway.

No, that is not our fish. It is one of the six the kid next to us caught. Or one of the four the kid on the other side of us caught. I told Ryan that Alaskans don't get skunked and I couldn't remember the last time I went fishing without catching something...then he told me that he was so glad we didn't catch anything because he didn't want to hurt the fish. Aha! He'd been sitting there thinking "no fish, no fish, no fish". Just goes to show you that thoughts do matter! So, we went home to start our day of 5 soccer games and 3 soccer snacks, without any fish.

Not to Worry

Every summer I try mightily to get the kids involved in things around the house so they'll learn how to do stuff. Part of this effort includes taking turns with dinner plannning and preparing because I really want the kids to know how to make some meals and be a little more self sufficient.
So, each of us has a night we are in charge of and Friday is "clean out the fridge" night, which is great because if Dave and I go out, the kids already have dinner ready!
There are just a few rules: they can't make the same thing two weeks in a row, nothing can be repeated in the same week, and the meal has to include something that grows in the ground.
On Ryan's first night he chose steak and pasta. He really helped marinate and grill the steak and he made the pasta and veggies by himself. He set the table and cleaned everything up. I was thinking about how my baby is growing up so fast...until I saw him stick the pasta noodles up his nose and get all the kids in hysterical giggles. Back to reality!