Fabulous Army Life

This is my boy on Day One of Baylor Basketball camp. I'm so excited for him to get to play there! BIG hugs and thanks to the parents-in-law for keeping the boys this week and providing all the transportation and support throughout the camp!

In IFTA's "Introduction to Computer Graphics," Trey got to show us what he'd been learning about Adobe Photoshop ... along with a few other programs.  He learned a lot and had fun, too.  Here are a few of his creations.

The third class Trey chose for IFTA (Institute For The Arts) is Foundations of Drawing.  He had a friend from church in this class and it was fun for him.  He got to show off some of his work and it was amazing to see what these kids can do.  Love my budding artist!

Trey started playing the violin in the 5th grade and continues to enjoy it (minus any practice time, of course).  This IFTA (Institute For The Arts) class was a lot of fun for him ... they learned "The Devil Went Down to Georgia" and some other more modern songs which he thoroughly enjoyed.

My teenager was thrilled when he discovered Fairfax County Schools' IFTA summer program.  "Institute For The Arts" is a summer school program, six weeks of four different courses, chosen by the students.  Trey chose Stage Combat, Foundations of Drawing, Alternative Strings, and Introduction to Computer Graphics.  He LOVED every minute of it and was sad when it ended.  His brother thinks he's completely insane ... "signing up for SCHOOL in the SUMMER on PURPOSE!?!?" but he had a great time. IFTA hosted an Open House during the last week of classes so Nate, Joshua, and I got to see some of the cool things he has been doing.  First up? Stage Combat.  I love that the instructor talked us through their methods and goals then emphasized that stage fighting is the exact opposite of real fighting.  Real fighting focuses on hurting the other person while stage fighting is all about making sure the other person is safe. This is what it looks like when y...

Our battalion hosted a back-to-school pool party today. My boys were thrilled with one last chance to spend some time in the water before summer's end. I had to drag them out of the pool to wolf down a hamburger/hot dog lunch, then drag them out again at the end of the day, when exhaustion was clearly taking them over. It was a really nice time with some wonderful Families ... very relaxed, comfortable, yummy, and fun. I was happy to have the opportunity to spend some time with friends and the boys had a great time, too. Great event for some really great folks! Supercute kiddos in the Club Hood pool. Trey on the seal slide. "I'm stuck!" ... Perhaps the slide is not made for middle school boys? Trey is happy to start the lunch line. Trey and Joshua LOVED the back-to-school pool party.

There are always tons of hummingbirds on the mountain in Ruidoso where my mom and stepdad spend their summers.  My boys love watching them but are always careful to not get to close and never to touch the tiny treasures. We found a broken hummingbird on the side of our walking trail.  It was breathing shallowly but could not fly.  My tender-hearted firstborn insisted that we try to save the tiny bird.  We used my iPhone to look up how to save a hummingbird and started every-30-minute feedings.  Here, Trey takes the first feeding time. Joshua follows the online advice of keeping the bird warm and close to your heart. The boys even created a soft bed for the bird when it was time for "torpor."  They worked so hard and tried with all their hearts to save the little bird. Time for another feeding ... the hummingbird really perked up each time he was fed.  Unfortunately, the bird did not make it through the night.  Despite the best effort...