Friday, July 30, 2010

SHARKS KNOW NO FEAR

Last Saturday, July 24th, was our swim team's conference. We were excited about the big event. Connor had 3 individual events and 4 relay events to swim. With so many swimmers on the team and a lot of them in his age group, we weren't sure how many events he would get because each team can only enter so many swimmers in each event.
Connor swam up an age group for two of the relays. He and his friend, Tanner, watched some of the older kids' events.

Connor with his 12 and under relay team.

Rob made it to watch a few of the events.
(He doesn't have the patience for the entire event.  We left
the house at 10:30 and didn't get
home until 7:30. He would never have made it that long.)

Connor's individual events included an IM,
backstroke and breast stroke.

It was such a hot day! Swimmers had to find a way to stay cool
between events. Connor and his friend Noah spent some
 time near the cool mist fan.

Connor with one of his 10 and under relay teams.

These are the 10 and under Southland swimmers. Connor
either swam against some of them in the individual events or
swam with them in the 10 and under relays. I have really
enjoyed watching Connor improve his swimming skills while at the
same time making new friends. Too bad none of them go to the same elementary as Connor.

Checking the results as soon as they are posted is very important.
If you look closely you'll see Connor in the middle of the group.
This year Connor swam as a 9 year old in the 9-10 year old
category. Although he didn't place as well as he did last
year as an 8 year old, he did well and had a great time. His
 team won the event by more than a 1000 points
or more. GO SOUTHLAND SHARKS!!


Friday, July 23, 2010

Domesticated goddess~No not really...

Domesticated goddess, I am NOT. However there are a few  things I try to do. If you have visited here before you probably already know that I like to bake and you can see that my last post has to do with making preserves with a friend. We don't have a garden but CORN is the one thing I really like to put up for another day. 

I didn't even like any corn other than corn on the cob until I was an adult. Man what was I thinking!! I really missed out as a child. Cream style corn cut off the cob (NOT STORE BOUGHT) is just about the best thing there is.

I normally hope to get a few bags from my dad but this year I decided that I should do it myself.

After Jennifer and I made her preserves, we decided we'd do some corn for ourselves. I made sure to get to the farmers market early the other day and picked up some Peaches 'n Cream corn on the cob.


Looks pretty good, huh? We thought so.
We boiled the corn for approximately 5 minutes and then spread them out on a towel to dry before cutting the kernals off the cob.
 Then we scraped the cob to make sure
 we didn't leave anything behind.

We stirred it all up and put it in freezer bags to store.

We were a bit disappointed that we only had 13 bags.


Who can cut the corn off the cob and not cook a little up to try?? Not us. We liked it so much we cooked to pan fulls and ate if for lunch. YUMMY!! It makes my mouth water for more thinking about how good it was.

It wasn't that difficult. We had some good conversation and some delicious corn. We didn't have enough bags to freeze. Sooooo, we asked Jennifer's parents to pick us up some more corn when they were out. (Thanks Susan and David for doing that little errand. We really appreciate it!!)

We met up again last night and cut off enough corn to have 14 more bags. It is so good I want some more but don't know if I'll have the time to prepare it before school starts back.

Until next time,

Saturday, July 17, 2010

Peaches, Peaches, and More Peaches



Last week I headed over to a friend's house to hang out a little while. It just so happened that on that very same day, she planned on making peach preserves. Not being one to sit around, I pitched in and gave her a hand. We pitted and peeled the peaches, diced them up and gave it our best. We had a great time and made something yummy at the same time.

We're planning on getting together again next week but without the peaches. Next time we're going to put up some corn.  

Friday, July 16, 2010

Bike Riding

(Written at the beginning of June. Guess I forgot to post. Oh well, better late than never!!)

Ok, so back in March Keaton got a bicycle for his birthday. We made sure to get one big enough for him and I found some training wheels that would fit. We got him set up and put him on it....well, he was SCARED  to death. The training wheels were of very little help. We had to walk on either side of him and pretty much hold him up so that he wouldn't fall down.

When summer break started he began asking to RIDE every afternoon. Our kind neighbor across the street tried to help us make the training wheels work but I felt like there had to be a better solution. Last Saturday afternoon we loaded up Keaton and his bike and headed down to Howard's (locale bike shop). Thankfully they hooked us up. Now Keaton can ride independently. We usually walk along beside of him to the stop sign and back. He is going faster and has learned to turn around. He doesn't use the pedal brakes. Instead he puts his feet down like Fred Flintstone. I know he will eventually learn to use the pedal brakes. He can learn to do just about anything.

On a scary note about bike riding.....yesterday when I thought Keaton was following be into the back yard he didn't. I finished spraying my roses and went back inside. The front door was opened so I knew he had gone outside. I stepped out on the porch and he was no where to be seen. I stuck my head back inside and asked Connor if he had seen him. He wasn't inside. When I went back outside to look again, I realized his bike was gone and he was no where to be seen along our street. PANIC started to set in. I headed down the street not knowing exactly what to do. When I got to the stop sign, I turned left and saw his bike in the next driveway. (Everytime we get to the stop sign he wants to go left.) THANK GOD nothing happened to him. I am so thankful he has learned to ride his bike and can do it independently, but man oh man did he ever scare me by taking off on his own.

What a Difference a Few Months Can Make

When Keaton received his bicycle for his 8th birthday he was a tad bit interested but scared. He had to be helped on and held on to. Even with trainings wheels he had trouble not tipping over. He had trouble peddling and steering.
March
Can you tell that he was a bit apprehensive?

July
                                                             

He has gone from basically being forced to ride his bike, to asking to ride frequently. He has even been known to take off on his own. He has to be watched like a hawk or down the street he will be (with or with supervision).

Man oh man, how quickly things can change!!



Tuesday, July 6, 2010

Monster or Mermaid?

As far as Keaton was concerned, that was the question.
Monster or Mermaid?
The answer: Athena

After Keaton's doctor visit, we decided to do a little sightseeing. We headed over to Centennial Park to visit the Parthenon and to see Athena. After reading the Percy Jackson and the Olympians series, Connor has developed an interest in Greek mythology.


 The Parthenon, located in Centennial Park, is impressive in size
 and  is surrounded by a beautiful park.

Connor, being Connor, wanted to read all the signs about the statues. He could easily spot several of the Greek gods he learned about while reading the Percy Jackson books. Sometimes he has a mind like a steal trap and doesn't forget a thing.
We are so very thankful to have a son that enjoys learning.


The boys outside those large bronze doors
and on the inside of the same doors.



Athena's shield with Medusa's head in the center.

Although it wasn't the science musuem, the zoo, or an amusement park, we still enjoyed ourselves. Nothing like spending time with those you love!

Fun Filled Weekend

What amazing fun we had this weekend celebrating
our country's independece!!

Sporting Red, White and Blue as a couple.
(not planned by the way)

Having fun with some sparklers.


Mother~Son Red, White and Blue
Kevin's Yummy Chicken. It was delicious.


Fun and Games
Some of us had a hard time getting the bag on the board, much less getting it into the hole. 
I think most of us need a little practice.

On Saturday night, the kids began playing "Civil War" during the fireworks. It was too cute, but as I am now a social studies teacher, I couldn't stand it. I had to tell them it should be called the "Revolutionary War" instead. No matter what they played, I believe they all had a wonderful time.

Family Fun Shot



Keaton loved the fireworks!! He sat perfectly still and watched. It was one of the most restful parts of my weekend. For a kid usually on the move, he was the perfect audience.

We were fortunate enough to celebrate the holiday on both Saturday and Sunday evening with good friends. Thanks to Richard and Shelia for having us over on Saturday and to Kevin and Jennifer for including us on Sunday.

We are blessed with good friends.