skills

two weekends ago we were at a ball tournament that ended for us with a skills competition.  the competitors could choose to enter one skill~ hitting, pitching, running or bunting.  once we convinced AJ that bunting wasn't the best choice for him considering he'd never really officially done it, he settled on running.  it was a good choice.  the Ethiopian did not disappoint!  came through like a champ just oozing confidence...didn't matter how tall the guys were beside him, or that his leg length alone in comparison to theirs would require AJ to work that much faster. 

 he was seemingly unfazed by it all...

stepped up, ran the bases on the clock, and collected his third place ribbon.  he seemed not the least bit surprised, apparently guessed he'd get third! :)

Hudson decided on pitching.  it was a netted target that the boys had to pitch at with points awarded for hitting the four corners and the centre. 

Hudson walked off with a second place.  such a fun and unexpected ending to a great tournament of summer ball.  

AJ crashed on the way home, all the sun and fun just wore him right out.  i could just imagine, i was beat from simply spectating.  love these times and cherish these two!

nice job my three cute Wranglers!  

Hudson footage that makes me smile

and the more i smile, the better i feel!  strange how that works...

the first clip is Hudson's short solo in the end-of-year school production where Hudson slayed the role of the Mock Turtle in an adaptation of Alice in Wonderland.  the quality of the video is bad, might have been too dark or too far away, regardless...i didn't even know his part was so involved, and especially didn't know that he'd shine so brightly in that role!  he had people laughing at his lines and exaggerated physical drama.  it was an appropriate time to be the "show-stealer", and somehow he knew just what to do! :)

 then there's this one, Hudson deciding to skateboard down a grass hill for kicks!  because, hey, why not!?! 

this boy...high octane with resulting high stress occasionally "pour MOI" (not gonna lie), but also high returns of joy too...you just gotta love him.

summer inspiration

so good...

this link

and this one too...

really good

and one more!

can't get past the eyes...

the take away??  do something~ somewhere, somehow, some way.  

a little compassion goes a long way...

graduates

every other year it seems we have two graduations in one month...June was a crazy flurry of cash leaving our wallets and emotions all over the map.  highs and lows, but still milestones nonetheless...

 

Layla moves on to grade nine and Hannah is returning to highschool to work towards upgrading two courses to prep for university.  i love these two young ladies more than they could possibly understand, and i continue to pray God's purpose and plan is moved forward through their lives.  

their stories are still being written, as is mine, and i trust and i cling (some days with the white knuckle grip! :)) and hold fast to the knowledge that even when life presses in around them, they are loved by a God who knows them and made them for something great, and who loves them even more effectively than i am able to...that is so reassuring to know. 

Hannah and Layla~ dad and i love you both to the moon and back! 

Deuteronomy 31:8

he shared

Jeff's Father's Day breakfast...AJ so loved stacking that plate full of  bacon cooked to crisp perfection...the eggs and toast needed a plate of their own!

still, i love Jeff far too much to let him consume it all by himself....

he shared, thank goodness.  didn't want to take him down on Father's Day!  two pounds went far and Jeff still did alright in the end...

i deeply love this guy's giant heart and all that he brings to this family.  and i think the bacon spoke that message to him.  mission accomplished. 

spring pics

just a few recent spring moments to love...

Jeff's dedicated soccer spectators braved the cold and rain, therefore post-game treats were a definite necessity!

monthly road race with our youngest four....Hudson ran 1 km in 3:40, his new PB, hat and all!

 Layla and Maiya and pool shenanigans...what could be better?!

this solar system project by Hudson was the first one i really saw him embrace and enjoy creating and assembling...i was so impressed to see his focus and effort and pride in the finished product!

pops of green spring growth...

and garden spinach courtesy of my dad, aka gardener extraordinaire...

bedtime hugs

spring winds down so quickly it seems, tomorrow ushers in the first day of summer already!  enjoy these seasons of sun and warmth and beauty!  

human target

AJ is starting to think he has a giant target on his small body.  lately he's been hit by a few inside pitches during baseball games (he now says how much he hopes a pitcher is "accurate"), and just this past weekend he took a foul ball from the opposing team right on the face when it flew into the dugout, knocking him down on impact! 

he wanted to take the above pic to send to Joelle... so we did!  her first question, "did he cry?"  nope, he didn't!

what a trooper he is...his nose started to bleed pretty bad and his top lip almost immediately grew to the size of which i've never seen before!

he sat out the rest of the game and the next one too, but thankfully was really fine overall and no teeth were lost!  last night he was dressed for the game and back in action, so all is well...thankful for that!