A few pictures.....

I finally remembered to take a first day of school photo!  Ok, actually, they all leave at crazy times, so we actually took this one weekend.  Just seems to be how we roll now a days.  The excitement that comes from them all!  12th, 9th and 6th grade.

Yay, we actually have a recent family photo!  This was taken for our church directory.  It is interesting seeing the lines on the wall and the height of everyone.  I think we were all standing on the same level, so pretty accurate as to who is the tallest.  I have always said that Joseph would end up being the tallest...I guess we will know in 2-3 years!!  

Jacob has been cleared to start playing football!  Looks like given other injuries on the team, he could start at 1 of 6 positions! 

Joseph got fitted for contacts this week.  He has asked for a year and decided to let him give them a go!  The first 2 days went well, but he has struggled recently and decided he didn't want them.  Hopefully he will continue to practice and they will get easier and easier!

JR had a great backpacking trip last week to the Wind River Range.  He caught lots of fish.  The elusive golden trout was caught several times and he went on and on about how good the fish was over the fire.  (I guess there are game wardens that have never seen a golden trout).  This 48 mile hike might become his yearly trip!

Maybe a trip I make one year.....

 Benjamin, Jacob and I went to Seattle, the weekend before school started, to catch a pre season NFL game.  We decided the 4 words we would use to describe Seattle was: weed, homelessness, Tesla and hills.  I had no idea how hilly Seattle was, at least downtown!!  The boys were shocked at the amount of weed on the street and all the randomness of homelessness tents and all the Teslas, everywhere!!

(The pictures are random, can't seem to get them easily moved around)

We took the ferry over to Bainbridge Island and found a marina restaurant to eat at.  I think the boys really enjoyed the ferry ride and seeing the cars and how it all worked!

The fish market.  This display is front and center and while we were amazed at them throwing fish, Benjamin told me that he thought the front fish below was alive.  I told him no, it is clearly frozen.  Turns out the fish is on a line an employee can make it move to appear its alive...it sure scared one guest as they walked by it.

At the airport before leaving

I made sure to get a hotel room on a higher floor.  Being from MT, we don't have tall buildings and figured the boys would enjoy it.  We were on the 22nd floor.  Jacob immediately saw this as he first looked out our window....He was shocked at the mats and two huge stuffed animals.

The space needle!  We rode the monorail to the Space Needle and as we approached it, I was not sure if Benjamin would go up in it.  He was not sure if the structure was safe!  In the glass elevator up, he was not too sure.  I realized, that he has a fear of heights!  He finally relaxed a bit and we got a few pictures.

At the Public Market, just had to get a picture of a violin/trumpet playing cat!

On the light rail, from airport to hotel.  As we got off the plane, it was so nice not to have to worry about keeping up/watching the boys.  I told them this trip they have to watch out for me!!  Benjamin navigated us, on his own, from the airport terminal to our hotel.  That kid is ready to travel on his own.

Jacob loved leaning up against the glass and falling into the glass face first.

This glass floor was pretty cool!

A neat little garden we found on top of the Public Market.

We did an underground tour of Seattle.  I had no idea Seattle was originally built a whole level lower...quite the history of how that all happened!

On the ferry!

Really like this statue/monument

The view from the ferry

The boys enjoyed the game.  It was a beautiful evening and the stadium ended up being about 60-65% full.  The design of the stadium makes the noise of the fans incredibly loud.  Benjamin kept saying he would love to be there for a full stadium.  Before the game he managed to get down by the field and was seconds away from a photo with the mascot, before the mascot just ran off.  So bummed.

We enjoyed several things at the Public Market, mainly funnel cake donuts, crumpets, amazing bakery and I loved these!!!  Had to go back the second day and buy more of them!! I love some garlic!!!

Benjamin bought a jersey and was able to get one signature after the game.

All in all a great trip and was very thankful we did not have any issues with people on the streets.  Really wish we had time to go to the Museum of Flight!!  The great thing, it is a very easy flight, where we can arrive at 8:30am and fly out at 9:30 pm, so would be easy to head over for a day again!!

Just two pictures!!!

This was taken on August 10th and marks a very significant day for us!  We had a celebration dinner because we paid off the house that day!!!!  The boys still have no idea the significance of it all, but I wanted to make sure we did something big to remember it by.  (Went to a well known steakhouse and had a very underwhelming experience.....)

Old family photos have recently resurfaced and I was emailed this one.  I don't know that I ever saw it, but I loved it!!!  So many memories, of Labor Days hanging out and dove hunting with extended family!  I just had to make sure I had this picture saved somewhere, just brings a smile to my face!!!  (hats still make my ears stick out.... :-) )

 

So, it turns out Jacob has not been cleared to play football games yet and have full contact.  Wow, lesson learned.  Below are some pictures from a special testing session.  He was hooked up to a computer and it was able to measure force, power, etc.  Cole, who did the assessment, is not his regular PT.  But from what we understood Cole was the one who would clear Jacob, based on his performance/results.  Jacob went Aug 9 and at the end, I specifically asked Cole if he was comfortable, based on what he saw, for Jacob to play football.  He said that of course there is always the risk of injury but that he felt comfortable with Jacob playing football.  Two a days started Aug 13 and Jacob fully participated.  Then on Aug 19th, he finally went back to his regular therapists, who had the test results.  They told him they were not yet comfortable releasing him to play.  They said that Cole told them that we had directly asked him but he was not comfortable telling us the truth.  So, the day before the first full on scrimmage, we told the coach Jacob was not cleared yet to play.  So frustrating.  I appreciate them wanting him stronger, but the way everyone communicated with us or sometimes what they did not say and should have, led to false hopes.  His bone is fully healed but they are concerned for the strength and stability of the knee and hip to take a hit.  Jacob was incredibly frustrated but has realized it is what it is and we are hoping he gets cleared in time for the last 3-4 games.  (However, now, the insurance is denying any further PT.  The therapists are advocating for him and that he is not quite there to return to sports.  The insurance does not list returning to sports as a reason to extend therapy!!  The therapists were suppose to have a peer to peer call with them on Thursday.  I have not yet heard how it went.  If they still deny it, not sure the protocol for getting him cleared to play)

Very interesting, here he is connected to a long cable and had to sprint, full on for about 20 yards.

If I remember correctly, this is one he scored low on, getting the explosive power to jump sideways.

Doing reverse lunges.

The boys started school Thurs Aug 26th.  I have yet to get a first day of school picture.  Joseph leaves the house at 7:30 and I can't seem to get Benjamin ready by then to take a picture!  Still hopeful for one, maybe this weekend.

 A cool, rainy day...perfect for a few projects!  Finally got the pictures off my phone!

The summer marches on for another week!!  Then it will be 6th, 9th and 12th.  Two in high school!  Crazy.

Benjamin has finally gotten on the line in the kitchen cooking.  He is doing saute and his sandwich shop job has taken back seat.  Still getting about 40 hours a week, not sure what the school year work schedule will look like.  His current class schedule Sports Medicine II, Welding III, English, Strength and Conditioning and currently CAD.  He thinks he needs an art of some kind to graduate, so hopefully he can get it sorted out.  I have always been amazed at the high school senior guys and how they just look so old and like men.  Well, that has been Benjamin this summer.  He has transformed into a man!  He is hoping to get his braces off soon and finally close the chapter on his jaw surgery almost a year ago.

Jacob has started football two a days.  That kid is rocking it.  He gets himself up by himself every morning at 5:30.  He is still slotted for QB.  I guess there are currently three QB options on the Froshmore team.  Will be fun to see how things shake out.  He will also be playing linebacker.  He has been lifting weights all summer and starting to fill out.  Jacob has recently dropped to PT once a week and has things scheduled through early October...so he plugs along.  It was exactly 6 months ago today!  We have purchased his ski pass for this coming year, so hoping for no drama this time around!!

Joseph still hangs out at the skate park and with neighbor friends.  He is doing another refresher 'summer school' right now, before things kick off next week.  His first year in middle school was last year, in 5th, but with Covid, it was anything but normal.  Excited for him to have a 'normal' year, switching classes, being able to roam outside during lunch and recess.

JR plugs along with all kinds of special projects.  He is going on his annual hiking trip to the Wind River Range, going with a friend, in early September.  Then he is hoping to do some Texas hog hunting later in September.

Benjamin, Jacob and I are headed to Seattle in a few days.  We are going to watch an NFL preseason game between Seahawks and Broncos.  We are staying in downtown and will hit all the popular spots.  A very short trip, just on the ground about 2 1/2 days!

Here are photos from camping trip last month.  It was just Jacob and I, along with a few other friends.

Below is a picture of bearproof box, that all food must be stored in!

The really really cold river....that's Jacob with the water splashing up his back.

I recently took Jacob and Joseph, and a friend each to a neighboring town an hour a way.  We made a day of it and went to a water park (every time I type that I have to remind myself that these water parks are nothing compared to what we have in Texas, but the kids here have no idea what they are missing).  We went to the skate park, a favorite local pizza buffet that the boys love, played at an amazing park and then finished the day off with a drive in movie!!

I am always amazed how much fun everyone seems to have when they put their devices down and go play.  So fun to watch the big kid game of tag.  I think there was a part of them that would have missed the drive in to keep playing!!

How smart is this?.....put workout equipment around the play equipment.  Parents can get a workout in while they are able to watch their kids.

The boys all sat in the back with the back opened up.  I managed to sit up front and found an amazing view through the side mirror.  (It was one of those action films, so not anything I was super interested in watching.)

Mid July, time marches on!!!

Benjamin continues to work 30-40 hours a week.  He works at a nice sit down restaurant and a sandwich shop.  Both of them have tried to get him to quit the other job and just work at one place.  The sandwich shop can offer morning hours, which he likes, but loved the kitchen experience of the restaurant.  He has been out paddle boarding and golfing lately!  One of JR's clients gave him a used set of nice golf clubs so I see the links/driving range becoming a more frequent thing.  We have started having senior year conversations and what things might look like going forward.  He is 100% undecided to what next year will hold.  The one thing he does know, it will not include traditional higher education, at least not for next year or two.  I totally agree and support him either working or finding a trade school, etc.  We recently celebrated his 17th bday! Can't believe it.  He and I have been trying to go out to eat once a week.  I told him his Senior year I would love to explore all the many eating options that our community has to offer.  (Eating out is not something we have ever done on a regular basis, so we could easily go every week and not hit the same restaurant twice.

Jacob has been involved in all things working out.  Still doing PT twice a week and morning workouts from 7-9 M-F at the high school.  There are not a lot of kids and I think he really enjoys working out along side some of the upper classmen.  There is a new coach this year doing the workouts and Jacob adores him.  Comes home every day talking about how he know just how to push athletes for more, encourage them.  I see him as a coach that will definitely build into Jacob's life through his high school years!  This next week, he will be working out 7-9, helping with younger football camps from 9-11 and 1-3, then participating in a high school camp from 5-7.  Makes for a very exhausted kid!  But the best kind of exhaustion.  I love watching him strive to get bigger and stronger.  Unfortunately, his vertical challenges (height) put him behind the 8 ball but I have just told him there are lots of amazing athletes that are well under 6 foot.  He just needs to work harder.  We have also had conversations about his friends who are choosing not to do workouts and how coaches see that and all the work and dedication that kids put in.  He has also been working with JR a few days and really helping him stay ahead of things.  And oh my word, we are starting to have driver's education conversations!!!!  He could start driving as early as September if we go the Driver's Ed route or next March, if we choose to bypass Driver's Ed.

Joseph!  He has found his second home at the skate park!  He will hop on his scooter and be gone for hours on end!  The sun, fresh air and exercise are amazing for him.  He enjoyed his few weeks of summer school (they ran it more like summer camp, but educational).  He has a 12th birthday coming up and discussions are underway as to what he wants to do.  He would love to go to a hotel for overnight, but holy cow, hotels are about 300 a night here!!!  Yikes!  For Christmas last year he just wanted money for extra curricular things (like pool, trampoline park) and he has just recently empties his money envelope.  Now comes the huge life lesson of you either find a way to make money or you don't get to go and play!  We recently got him a phone with restrictions on it.  As much as I wanted to wait a year or two, there is such a peace of mind knowing I can get a hold of him and him me.  I wonder how we ever survived without cell phones...ha.  Sure made life much simpler without them!!

JR has some long days this summer.  He has done a great job of slowly growing his clientele and, in my opinion, learning how to be competitive in this market.  Living in a resort town, service providers often charge 20-30% more than what he does and it is hard to wrap your mind around what people would pay for your service.  I have had several conversations recently where it is stated that people of higher income usually don't mind paying more because they feel like they get more, so they actually look for the higher priced services.  He has a long standing client who is almost fully moved into the new 10,000 square foot home he built and JR will begin to manage that.  It is crazy to think how someone could need that space, and three laundry rooms, but sounds like he basically built three wings so that when his two kids bring their families, everyone has their own private space! 

I have enjoyed voluntarily lowering my hours for the summer.  Of course the money is nice, but I need to be available to go and play with the boys too.  I have been meeting some friends up at the high school track 3 days a week at 5am for workouts!  I really love the early mornings and watching the sun come up, as long as I can get to bed early enough.  Since its summer I don't stress about the boys being up (they are old enough to manage their time, not that they always do, but if they choose to stay up until 2am and miss their early morning commitment, no better way to learn).  So, I have been getting in bed around 9. Sure is nice.  There have been few car rental turn overs this month.  I think there was such a frenzy on rental cars in June that dealerships, etc go smart and started renting vehicles, so market is somewhat saturated.  Again, sure don't mind a slower pace!

We have our annual camping trip this weekend but given schedules, location, etc it is looking very different this year.  I had hoped to borrow a friends camper but that fell through.  Joseph doesn't want to sleep in a tent, so just Jacob and I are going.  Really looking forward to just down time! Might get a hike in on Saturday.  There is no cell service so excited for Jacob as the weekend will be all about being a boy and exploring!

Here are a few pictures from recent outings.

JR and I took out the four wheeler one day.  Rode about an hour back.  Sure was beautiful and weird to see the new electric poles so far back.

Went skeet shooting recently with younger two.  Fortunately we all managed to hit one!!