Rope 'em In!: July 2014

LET'S go RANgers!

The day after school got out, we celebrated by going to a Rangers baseball game.

Is that a group of my children sitting on the very, very top row of seats?

Yes, yes it is.

Is that Caytie giving herself bunny ears?

Yes, yes it is.

Is that Gracie, me, and Tessa trying to stay cool and hydrated?

Yes, yes it is.

Thanks, Ben, for the fun idea and afternoon! "So let's root, root, root for the Rangers; if they don't win it's a shame. And it's ONE, TWO, THREE strikes you're out, at the old...ball...game!"

Summer naps

We take 'em when we can get 'em.

(Please forgive the lack of photo rotation.)

These three sweet girls got to spend the week after school got out at a Girl Scout day camp. We don't have them signed up for troops (no cookie sales, thank you very much), but they do enjoy the summer camp. This year the weather was perfect, despite a couple hours of rain on two of the days. They learned how to fold flags, do archery and camp cooking, sing camp songs, and probably other things, and saw a "birds of prey" demonstration with live birds, wrote letters to each other and traded trinkets to pin on their hats. It was so fun for them.

Scott, meanwhile, was participating in an optional band camp. They got their songs on Monday, practiced all week, and performed them on Friday. I'm still in awe about what they can get 6th and 7th graders to do for band here. He didn't really enjoy the camp, but he stuck it out, and the performance was enjoyable--until Benson had had enough.

I got to have some fun of my own that week. It was Twilight Camp for the Cub Scouts, and none of our ward leaders were able to go, and only one parent signed up. I had all the training required, so I said I'd be a back up. Thankfully, a leader had some plans change and was able to go last minute, so I only ended up going on Monday and Thursday instead of all week long. Again, the weather was perfect, and the boys were pretty good, and it was fun to be with them...so, as much as I would have preferred to be with my own family, I enjoyed my evenings with my Cubs.

End of School Awards

A long, long time ago (well, about a month ago), school got out! With that, as every school veteran knows, comes awards assemblies. I was about to expound on my feelings about going to the awards assemblies, but I thought that for the sake of posterity, I'd better restrain. My commentary would detract from the excitement my kids still have for sitting in the gym for hours, clapping for each and every student so they can all receive their papers which are prized until the exact moment the assembly is over, while parents reach over others with their cameras to get the best shots of the proceedings...

Ahem.

Emma got over 1000 stamps in her agenda through the year, for citizenship in her classes. The students can "spend" their stamps through the year to buy trinkets at a store, but she saved them up so she could be Principal for the Day. It happened to be the last day of school, so she got to help hand out the awards. You can get a peek at her, right next to the lady in purple:

She doesn't know what else she might have gotten to do, because she asked to be checked out early, and her dad complied.

Caytie got Smarty Pants Math and Reading awards, and was disappointed it didn't come with Smarties.

Gracie got this award...

...and this one, and a few more.

The surprise for the year was Perfect Attendance. I'm always surprised when my kids get perfect attendance, because we don't specifically try for it. I think I should get an award for that one, too.

She had great teachers and great friends. On a side note, she'll be the first of my kids to go to only one elementary school!