Backyard Hoops

Flag Football Sundays

Warming up before the game with Coach / Dad ...



Quarterback dropping back to throw ...



Trying to hit the open man ...



On defense at the end zone ...



Trying to run down the quarterback's pass ...



Trying to catch the fast break ...



Running it in for a TD ...



TD victory walk (someone please get their little sister off the field, doing gymnastics on the playing field all season long was incredibly annoying) ...



Taking the handoff ...



Trying to sneak in for the two-point conversion ...



Another turn at quarterback ...

Eleven

Connor turned 11 today. He spent the first part of his day running around with Dad and a few friends. They went to lunch, to see a new movie, and to Malibu Jack's to play arcade games and ride go carts. And then we had family over for dinner, cake and presents!

Boy Scout Camp

Another October means another boy scout camping trip with Connor. Grandma and Grandpa were nice enough to come up and watch the twins at our house for us, so we could take Connor on this annual adventure. This year Dad was also the EMT for the camp, which meant he was called away throughout the sessions to help those in need.

The BB gun range is always a favorite for Connor ...



As is the archery range (despite this year's rain) ...



Dad got called away just in time for pumpkin carving (really, because I just mentioned a few weeks ago how Mom HATES pumpkin carving) ...



Good thing Connor doesn't mind getting his hands dirty ...



One of the benefits of Dad being camp EMT was that we had to be close to the medical facility, so we got to set our tent up right on the water ...





This year's camp theme was Harry Potter ... and the best session by far was the Quidditch match ...



Connor was the best snitch ever! Wand making was also pretty cool ...



We spent the downtime tossing a football (and trying hard not to throw it in the lake) ...



Despite the rain and the cold, it was a fun weekend. Connor, however, was pretty tired at the end of it all. He did not appreciate the 8 a.m. wake up on departure day (nor did either of us, really, but we had to break down camp while he slept)!

A Day at the Circus

One last summer adventure to cover ... a day at the circus. My freelance work has been busy this summer, and the beginning of the school year got even busier. Last weekend while I was working, Daddy and the boys met Grammy and Pappy at a local showing of the circus. And as you can see, Daddy didn't take the camera.

The boys had a big time. Connor wanted cotton candy, but apparently it cost way more than it was worth. He settled for popcorn. Xander was entertained, and Sawyer could have taken it or left it. But they all went, they had a pretty good time, and they all made it home in one piece. We call that success (even without pictures from the good camera).

Adventures with Daddy

Today Connor and Daddy are off on an adventure with Grammy and Pappy. They left bright and early this morning, traveling to a neighboring state for a pretty big air show. It's apparently hot, as Connor keeps complaining to them, but also fun. Note his fan and the remains of his icee. I'd say he's doing pretty well, considering.

Weekend Warriors

Another weekend has come and gone.

Mommy worked nights and slept days, and was very happy when Sunday afternoon rolled around.

Daddy and the boys kept themselves busy. On Saturday, Daddy took the twins to a friend's family-friendly picnic and political event. The friend is running for local magistrate, and organized a park party that included snacks, drinks and lots of inflatables at a local park. Xander had a blast, bouncing and sliding to his heart's content. Sawyer thought once about sliding, but changed his mind, climbed back down and into Daddy's arms, where he stayed the rest of the day. He just wasn't feeling well.

Connor missed the park party, but don't worry, he was having an adventure of his own. He got an invitation to spend the weekend with Grammy and Pappy. He's always ready for an adventure like that, one that includes a lot of much-needed one-on-one time for the big boy. Daddy and brothers dropped him off at their house early Saturday before they went to the park party, and he had his own adventure.

The first stop for Connor was a trip to see Aunt Leigh (Connor's great aunt) and her cake club friends. They are making the official (and really, really large) cake for a major international sporting event in our part of the world. It's a once in a lifetime kind of thing, though I'm sure Connor didn't really see it that way. Aunt Leigh makes us cakes all the time, just not really, really big ones like that.

Their next stop was to see another branch of the family. Our distant cousins (the ones Connor played with recently at the family reunion and the ones who go to his elementary school) own and operate a family farm on the edge of town, with their specialty being pumpkins in the fall. Connor was excited to go to cousin J and P's house, even though it turned out they weren't home just then. Connor still got to see their dad, and also pick our four different pumpkins to bring home - one big one for Mommy and Daddy, one medium one (a white one) for Connor, and two little ones for Sawyer and Xander.

The end of the night was spent entertaining the guests Grammy and Pappy had invited over to watch the major sporting event. There was food and family and friends and fun. There was also popcorn and Pepsi, or so I'm told.

Sunday was a relatively laid back day for Connor. Grammy had to go in to work, but Connor and Pappy and Cousin Louie (the bulldog) ventured over to the farm behind Grammy and Pappy's house. Connor and Louie spent the morning chasing after rabbits. Louie was just a little faster and came much closer to actually catching them, but Connor had fun anyway!

Sunday afternoon Connor came home in time for his last official t-ball practice of the fall ball season. He has one more clinic tomorrow night and then his final game is on Wednesday.

Sunday night, Uncle Brian stopped over for a visit. Connor was excited the minute he pulled into the drive - a new play buddy had arrived. He pulled him into his room for some Star Wars action figures, then some Micro Machine fun. They even squeezed in a little homework thanks to Uncle Brian. We grilled steaks, watched football, and enjoyed a fun evening in with family!

And that was the weekend that was ...

Weekends with Daddy

Pumpkin Fest, originally uploaded by cheryl.

With my new work schedule - working weekend nights and sleeping weekend days - the boys have been spending their days away from school with Daddy. Sometimes they just hang out at the house or in the back yard, but sometimes they go on weekend adventures.

This weekend, the boys were kept busy. Saturday they spent the morning at the big city park on the water reservoir near our old house (the one I used to take Connor to a lot on our Mommy & Me days). After that, they had lunch at Chick-fil-a and spent several more hours playing on the indoor playland. The day ended with a visit to see Great Grandma Jo at her house. The boys love to visit over there, as she always has sweet treats at her house!

On Sunday, Daddy took the boys to meet up with Grammy and Pappy at the university club (where we swim all summer long with Grammy). They were hosting the university alumni club's annual Pumpkin Fest - meaning the boys had a big time bouncing and sliding on the big inflatables, seeing all the animals at the petting zoo, painting little pumpkins (well, Connor did anyway) and enjoying tasty treats. They also got to spend time with a lot of the extended family. Aunt Kelly and her stepdaughter Jayden were there. And cousin Amy brought her two little ones, cousins Ryleigh and Cruz.

The good news is the boys are having fun. The bad news is Daddy rarely takes the camera. You can hear about their adventures, but you probably won't see many of them!