THE BIG KIDS VERY EXCITING SUMMER

Well, I am finally getting time to update the blog...it's been so busy this summer. The big kids have about run me to death...pretty bad since they have literally been home only 1 week since school let out. Getting them packed for all of their adventures with a 6 month old, a full time job, and working on getting the Sonoraville Football Program ready is wearing me out. And unfortunately, we're really just starting...Regan still has VBS and Draik is going to volunteer in the kitchen during the Teen Camp at Camp Sunrise and she has Debate Camp coming up. Check out all their fun summer adventures below...

CAMP SUNRISE, PART DEUX

So, Draik and Regan came home for 1 week and left again on Father's Day for Camp Sunrise...another wonderful week for Draik and Regan. Regan's friend NahNah and Draik's friend Hope were back, plus they made tons more friends. Draik had her same counselor, Miss Kelly, but Regan's counselor 1st session, Mr. Ryan, couldn't make it, so he had Mr. Dan, who turned out to know some magic tricks, which impressed Regan greatly. Also, Regan caught the biggest fish of the week, but after he pulled it in, freaked out and wouldn't touch it. Draik didn't get a picture of this, but hopefully one of their friends that did will post it on facebook soon!

I believe in Part Un, I warned of Draik's clutziness to come...and here she is:) She was sitting in the lifeguard chair on the lake and knocked the umbrella on her...not realizing that there were several wasps in the umbrella (pic below). And guess what...she got another splinter...this time, in her hand.

Regan had a blast again this session. His classes were canoeing, fishing, snorkeling, candy making and beaded crafts. He had such a great time...below is a pic and video of him snorkeling.

He also got his picture on the rip line this time too...pic and vid below!

Draik and her friends enjoyed a train ride around the camp...it looks like she might have fell off the train, but she assures me this is not the case.

The girls in Draik's room caught a pretty cool lizard, but another girl came along and didn't see him, stepped on him, and sent him to his maker:) The girls gave him a proper burial complete with a cross over the grave.
Draik had an orange and silver rocket for the launch this time...and she found it afterwards!
Regan before his rocket launched...The sky in the evening at Camp Sunrise...

Miss Taylor was back...

Regan and his friends Nate and Lukie...

Hope the morning of the Hobo breakfast...

CAMP SUNRISE, PART UN

Draik and Regan have had the best time this summer...and mostly because they have found Camp Sunrise. Most of us from Gordon County remember it as "the Planetarium in Fairmount", but it is really so much more! The kids went to the 1st session of youth camp this summer, and loved it so much, they went to the 2nd session, too. This camp is more than just a planetarium and museum...it is a Christian camp that aims to serve the youth of our community with love and to help them understand our wonderful world that God has created. For $245 per child, the kids spent a whole week (overnight) at camp with 3 meals and 2 deserts per day, tons of fun activities that also had great lessons tied to them, Bible studies and chapel. This hidden gem in Gordon County is quite possibly the best thing that has happened to the kids...they both accepted Jesus as their Savior during this first session and they have been ministering to the children here in our neighborhood every since! Here are a few of their happenings from their first adventure:

Even though Draik was given the nickname "Turkey", she should have probably been called "Clutz". It's not just everything that happened during 1st session, but 2nd session ended up being adventurous for her, too. To start things off, she got a massive splinter in her heal from the wet dock on the 1st full day of camp. The camp nurse said "it is the biggest splinter we have ever had at camp...I think we'll frame it" and they probably did. Then, later in the week when she had a galumping class in the canoe, she fell and busted her elbow open. Luckily, we have the pictures (below) to prove that Draik really is as clutzy as we say.
Regan absolutely loved his week. It was funny, because on the day of drop off...he got very emotional and teary eyed and said "I don't want to go"...after he begged us to go- camp was orginally intended for just him but leave it to Draik to invite herself along:). I said to him "I'll tell you what Reggie...we've already paid for you to go, and I think you're going to have a wonderful time. My deal with you is, if you are still this miserable on Tuesday, call me and I'll come pick you up"...and he agreed. I was so worried I was going to get a call but didn't....and on Wednesday, I received a postcard from Draik that said "Don't worry about Regan...he never wants to come home!" One of his favorite classes this week was his photography class...and I am very, very impressed with some of the pictures he took. Check these out:
Besides photography, Regan also had classes in archery, fishing, self defense and rifelry. Below is a picture of him during archery class: Miss Draik had classes in archery, self defense, canoeing, snorkeling and obstacle course. She made many new friends including Bailey and Hope (Hope ended up repeating and going to 2nd session, too). Her class was a great group of girls that she is still facebooking with and emailing:)
By far, Draik's favorite non-class activities were the green snake and the rip line. Here's a pic of her at the beginning of the rip line (when she finishes, I believe she said she'll be hanging 50 feet {or 5 stories} off the ground) and I'm including a video of her ride down the Green Snake and her rip line ride (which was shot at the wrong angle!).

Regan made lots of friends, too...here he is goofing around in the game room with Nathan (NahNah) and Chase (Nathan was a repeater for 2nd session, too).
Here are a couple of pictures from the Rocket Launch...each session, the kids build rockets and launch them on the final night of camp. A praying mantis landed on Draik's hand during the launch, which was cool...and Miss Taylor ended up being Regan's launch partner. Draik's rocket was painted black and yellow, but it was lost in the field which was later mowed. RIP Draik's rocket.

Yearly Vacation with Grandparents- Gatlinburg

Draik and Regan went with my parents, Nana and Ba, to Gatlinburg the week after school let out. They had a lot of fun! Draik and my dad took a helicopter tour of Gatlinburg and Draik took some great pictures:

The kids spent also spent a lot of each day playing in the lazy river at the hotel they stayed at. There are a couple of indoor pools, and outdoor pool, a lazy river, a couple of water slides...the kids had a blast.

The kids then went to Wonderworks, where Draik and Dad did the Extreme Pedal Machine. Regan and Draik did the exercise of making the ball move across the table by concentration, Dad and Regan both did flight simulator programs (I believe Draik said Regan did better than Ba, which would be extremely hilarious if this is the case since Dad served in the Navy as a jet mechanic), and the kids enjoyed just looking around the cool place.

They also visited the indoor sky diving place where Regan even climbed the rock wall!

RILEY IS 6 MONTHS OLD!!!

It breaks my heart...he's growing up so fast. Pretty soon, I'll be sending him off to school. Here's an update on my little "heartbreaker":

* Riley loves to give kisses, or as we say in the South, "Sugars". He will latch on to your face and not let go! They are very slobbery kisses, which make them all the better.

* Riley has fell in love with a walker at daycare. It's a Graco Tot Wheels and has a spaceship theme. It's the only one he wants. Of course, they don't make this certain one anymore, so I've been ebaying like crazy. I have to get this walker. The ladies at daycare put him in it in the morning, and when they try to take him out, he fights them. Yes, I said fights them. He comes home with black socks (they start out white) from "walking" around all day in this walker...inside and outside. It makes lots of cute noises...one of them being a "beep beep beep" when he goes backwards.

* Riley is crawling. I have to be extra special watchful of him because he has a new BFF, Jester Jingles (pic below). Yes, that's Draik's orange cat. Luckily, Jester has been very understanding of Riley. But poor Riley doesn't understand that Jester does not like to be put in a headlock and given "Sugars". Riley would pin down Jester and suck on him all day if we'd let him. I find it quite disgusting- Adam, though, finds it cute.

* Riley is also starting to pull up...on the couch, on the chair...but he's real bad to reach out and grab the first thing he can latch on to...which is usually Jester Jingles.

* Riley "sleeps" through the night. He's actually very good. And when he does wake up, it's usually just to play. Last night, he slept with Adam and I...and he would wake up and crawl down to the end of the bed and lay down. I was afraid one of us would kick Riley, so I would pick him up and bring him back up to our end. Riley would lay down on his tummy and gaze up and smile at me. I would get into a good sleep and Riley would jump up and go back down to the foot of the bed! This happened several times. I hope it doesn't become a habit.

* Riley's Phe levels are still extremely low...below 1%. They have been this way for over 3 months now. We are hoping on a mild case of PKU. We should know more in a couple of weeks when his genetic testing comes back. He is eating wonderfully...he is allowed so much Phe that I could probably give him a steak! He loves green beans, sweet potatoes, mac and cheese with vegetables and oatmeal cereal with bananas.

* Riley still loves his horsey bouncy. As a matter of fact, he sometimes bounces in it for so long, he exhausts himself and falls asleep in it (below).