Girl Scouts

Tonight was the beginning of one the activities that keeps me the busiest. I have been co-leader of my daughter's Girl Scout troop for 7 years. Tonight was our first meeting of the year. We have a troop of 10 - 12 girls (not sure yet how many are returning & how many new ones we will have this year). All of the girls are now between the ages of 13 - 15.

I do enjoy spending time with the girls (especially my daughter), but this is an activity that takes up way more time than I ever thought it would. But since, Flicka loves it so much it is very worthwhile to me. Most of the girls in the troop have been together for at least 5 years and some of them for all of the 7 years I have been involved in the troop. Needless to say, I have formed a bond with many of them.

Since the girls are older now, we do more with them, it is fun. Also, since they are older, we are beginning to let them lead the troop and the other co-leader (who has become one of my best friends over the years) and I are just there as advisers now. It has been fun to watch them grow from little Brownie Girl Scouts up to the beautiful, smart, creative, talented, etc... Cadette Girl Scouts they are today.

Last summer (07) we took the biggest trip we have ever gone on with them. We used all of the cookie money raised, and money from several other fund raisers we held to go to Savannah, Georgia. Savannah was the home of the founder of Girl Scouts - Juliette Gordon Low. The trip consisted of 9 girls and 5 adults all packed into 3 vehicles going "road tripping." We stopped in Huntsville, AL and went to the Space Center, Atlanta, Georgia, for a day at Six Flags and a day at the most awesome Georgia Aquarium (everyone needs to go here)! Then we headed on to our final destinations. We actually stayed in Hilton Head, South Carolina by the beach - BEAUTIFUL!!! While in Hilton Head, we kayaked in the bay looking at the ocean wildlife - we didn't get to see any dolphins that day, but we saw other beautiful things. Then we went to Savannah, we did a trolley tour of the city ending at the Juliette Low home. It was such a treat to see her home, and meant so much to all of us to be their as Girl Scouts. For lunch, we ate at The Lady & Sons restaurant (this Paula Deen's restaurant - she is on food network), it was great; one of Paula's sons was there that day & we got pictures made with him and lots of autographs (he has a show w/his brother on the food network too). That night we did a ghost tour of Savannah - it is reported as the most haunted city in the US. The tour ended at the "pirate house" where we had wonderful buffet dinner w/Capt. Jack Sparrow. It was lots of fun! The rest of the trip was spent at Hilton Head on the beach - soaking up the sun. We were gone for 10 days, and it was AWESOME! Many people thought we were crazy for taking that many girls on a trip that long, but they were all wonderful! I would do it again, and hope we have the opportunity to do something that awesome with them again. (Savannah and Hilton Head are some of the most beautiful places, I highly recommend them as a vacation spots to anyone)

I hope I still have a few readers after such a long rambling post and hope you are not bored terribly. I just wanted to share with you a little about one of the things I love - my Girl Scout Troop! I am sure as we trek along through meetings and trips this year, I will have many stories and pictures to share!

Here is a picture of the girls from last fall - they hosted a "girls night out at the spa" for our sister brownie troop.

Even though they keep me busy, I love Girl Scouts! I was a Girl Scout when I was a child, and they say "Once a Girl Scout, always a Girl Scout!"

What keeps you busy (besides school & housework, of course)?

WEEKEND RAMBLINGS

It was a rather quiet weekend for us. I just thought I would share a few random things with you today.

TROMBONE:

Long story short, after much research and many conversations, we went with the rental option on the trombone. Here is a picture of Travis w/the instrument. He did not want to pose for me, so it is a silly pose. (if you are lost as to why he has a trombone, see my 2 previous posts for further information)

LONG LOST FRIEND:

I got to go to lunch with an old friend on Saturday. We haven't seen each other in 7 years. She is a friend that went to school with me through many elementary & jr. high years. She had to move away right before 10th grade and we didn't get to graduate together. We have kept in touch off & on over the years, seeing each other several times in college and even after we were both married. We unfortunately lost touch and as I said haven't seen each other in 7 yrs. We were able to reconnect through FACEBOOK. We now live only around 20 miles from each other. We had a great lunch, it was so much fun to visit, reminisce and catch up with each other again. I am vowing that we won't lose touch again. She is the kind of friend it just feels good to be with, and I am so happy to have her in my life again. Unfortunately, I forgot my camera and did not get pictures this time, but I will next time.

LAZY DAY:

For the most part Saturday was just a lazy day. While I was at lunch, hubby & Flicka stayed around the house just hanging out. Travis spent the night w/one of his buddies Friday night, and was gone most of the day Saturday. Hubby worked out in the yard, and Flicka just lazed inside mostly. Of course we were all home & inside in time to catch the Razorback game - we just listened on the radio.

LUMBERJACKS:

I did have a few lumberjacks around the house this weekend. Last week when we had all of the wind and rain hitting us from the remnants of Gustav, it got one of our trees. The top of a little pine tree in the back yard came down and hit the backside of the house, luckily it was small & didn't cause any damage. Even though it was a smaller tree, it was leaning toward the house and we decided the rest of it must go sooner than later (we weren't too sad, as we were not fans of this tree and have been thinking of getting rid of it). Fortunately, Hunter is rather handy and could take care of it himself instead of hiring someone to come in & cut it (Though had it been a bigger tree, I would have insisted we get professionals to take care of it). He recruited Travis & one of the neighbors to help out. He looped a rope around the tree & the boys were supposed to pull on it to help it fall in the right direction - they thought this was cool. All went according to plan - the tree fell the right direction, no one was hurt and no property damage.

That's about it for our weekend. Hope all of you had a good weekend too.

THE INSTRUMNENT

OK, OK, I know you have all been patiently waiting to find out what happened next. I had to take a little break yesterday so that I could do an on-line Continuing Ed course for my license requirements, but I am back; and here goes.

(By the way, if you are just tuning in, you may want to read my last post before you continue reading. This post will make more sense to you, if you read the previous post first.)

And the instrument chosen was......

No, no, no. You really didn't think I would just spill the beans that quickly did you? I have to tell you how the rest of the story played out.

So, by now it is day 4 of the school year. Travis came home excited and brought me papers to look at before I could even ask (usually, I have to ask at least twice before papers are remembered.) He gives me a memo style note w/a bold heading that reads "Getting an Instrument", it is from Mr. M., the Band Director.

The note explains that "your child has chosen to be in the band and now you are wondering about obtaining an instrument." It further explains that to assist us in instrument selection, they have tested our child on every beginning band instrument and we will find the recommendations below. It also had some other explanations as to why or why not they may be good at certain instruments - coordination skills, lip & teeth structure, etc...

Now, before I go further, I feel I should give a little more background on how he even got band on his schedule. Each year in 5th grade, the 6th grade band teacher comes to the elementary school and talks to the kids about band, and instruments, etc... The 5th graders are given some type of evaluation at that time that supposedly lets us know if they might be a candidate for band. Travis, was listed as good candidate, and that was all it took for him to want to be in the band. After all, this was the best way for him and his friends to get a head start on the band they want to form together (obviously not the same kind of band though.) So, anyway before the end of 5th grade when we had to fill out schedules for 6th grade he wanted to band to be on it, and we agreed because we do want to support him and give him a chance to try it out.

Now back to choosing an instrument. I just assumed the instrument of choice would be drums. Drums is all he had talked about for so long, so it seemed the logical answer. Everyone had been telling him that "everyone" wants to play drums in the band and it might be hard to get to do that. At first, this logic did not sway him, and we encouraged him to go for what he wanted (thinking we would just get ear plugs.)

So, to the evaluation. The note breaks down the evaluations into 4 categories - highly recommended (1), recommended (2), okay (3), and not recommended (4). The instruments listed are: flute, clarinet, alto sax, trumpet, trombone, bell, and kit (drums). Travis' evaluation looked like this:

Flute = 3; Clarinet = 1; Alto Sax = 1; Trumpet = 1; Trombone = 1; Bell = 2; kit (drums) = 4

I was shocked. I asked why he thought he had a 4 on the drums. He explained it was because he didn't try for it. He said everyone wanted to do drums and he thought it was best if he just let that go for now & try something else. (I was thinking - O.KAY.) And as you can see we had 4 highly recommended instruments.

So, what do you think he chose?

Nope, not the Sax.

TROMBONE.

The TROMBONE was his choice! It's not that I have anything against trombones, but really? I like to think I'm a relatively intelligent person, but I just couldn't even picture what a trombone looked like - I had to have him explain it to me (and even then I googled to see a picture.) I asked why the trombone. His answer, "Because it's cool."

So, the trombone, it is!

Next installment - the actual obtaining of the trombone.

Stay tuned (if you're not bored yet)... I promise the next installment is good too.

THE BAND

And so it began. . .

Scene: End of 2nd day of school.

Who: Travis, the new middle schooler, in 6th grade, (basically, still "wide-eyed" and soaking in everything, even if he doesn't understand it all yet).

What: Band/instrument

The rest of the story: So, it's the end of the 2nd day of school. I ask the kids if they have any news to share, papers to show, need more supplies etc.... Travis announces we need to buy him an instrument for band. I ask what instrument, he replies that he doesn't know yet, the teacher hasn't done the evaluations yet. I try to explain that we would rather not buy one right away, but should wait to make sure it is something he will like and continue to pursue over the next few years.

Travis: "But, I promise I will."

Me: "Ok, we'll talk about it when we know what instrument you need." (ie...no way, no how, not now - there must be a way w/out buying a new instrument!)

The discussion ends peacefully. Several hours pass and the topic of school and their classes come up again. Here is the next exchange:

Travis: "You, know mom, Mr. M..... says if we play an instrument and they find out when we go to college, they will give you money to help pay for it. So you will be getting your money back."

Me: hysterical laughter (It was just the way he said "and they find out" that was sooo funny, if you're not laughing it may be one of those you had to be there moments)

Lynn: reading a book and oblivious to it all

Travis: "Why are you laughing."

Me: "Just because you can play doesn't mean you get a scholarship. I'm not laughing at you, just at your interpretation of what your teacher said."

Lynn: looks up to see what is so funny so I explain... "that's called a scholarship, Travis, and you have to practice and get good at an instrument to earn one." (he is the logical one, right?)

Travis: "But, I do want to be in the band, and I will stay in it and practice to get good."

Me: "Ok...I know you want to, and we will talk about it when we know an instrument." (still chuckling to myself about the getting money for college automatically when "they find out" you can play something and I will be getting my money back for the instrument at that time.)

Lynn: already back to his book and his own world

So, it was left at that. We will definitely consider renting or buying an instrument when we find out what he wants to play and the Band teacher thinks he is ready. And hopefully he will understand if we don't go buy the instrument as soon as one is assigned to him. But, I will also hope for that scholarship - we will need it!

Stay tuned.... Part 2 and the instrument reveal will come soon!

ONE LAST POOL FLING

The end is near - the end of summer that is! We decided to spend the afternoon at the pool for one last swim of the season. We also let Trav invite some of his buddies over as a little mini late birthday party. My neice also came over to swim too so Flicka wouldn't be the only girl. All of the kids had a great time. We had pizza and cake. Of course we listend to the RAZORBACK game - GO HOGS - we won the first game and hopefully will have many more wins this year!!! GO HOGS!!! (did I mention, I love RAZORBACK football!)

Here are a few of the pics from the day. Our last goodbye to summer!

Trav & his buddies! A rowdy bunch!

My girls - Flicka & my neice - she's 14 & they are good friends!

Blowin' out the candles - wishin' hard.

My 2 girls again - cousins!

I tried to get more pics of the boys, but it is almost impossible to get those boys to be still long enought and with all of the water flying up by the pool I didn't want to risk staying up there too long w/my camera.

A few things about summer I will miss: the beautiful blue of the pool water, the smell of the sunscreen, the shrieks of joy from the kids at the pool, the warmth (we will not lose that completely for a while though), the beach towels draped over the deck - each one showing the personality of the owner. Just a few of the things I will miss till next summer.

HAPPY LABOR DAY WEEKEND to everyone! I hope everyone enjoys one last summer fling!

ELEVEN YEARS

Today my baby boy is 11 years old. Eleven years ago, he arrived in this world at 8:16 pm weighing in at 8 lbs., 6 oz. He had a head full of hair and was all wrinkly, he came fast, and made us laugh from the beginning - something he still loves to do! This may be a long post, and I apologize for that, but I want to share the story of his arrival as well as some other fun things about him. (feel free to stop reading when you are bored)

Here is the story: My actual due date was September 3, but I told everyone and convinced myself his due date was August 31 - you see, if I said September it seemed like another entire month, and I just couldn't take the thought of one more hot month, so August 31 it would be. Well, obviously my little one had other plans, and arrived even earlier.

The day: It was a beautiful Sunday, clear skies, hot but not to the extreme. My parents came up to visit for the day; my dad and Hunter were doing somethings around the house, and my mom, Flicka and I went shopping. I was feeling great, in fact better than I had in over a week. (Little did I know that the constant back and leg discomfort I was having for the past week was most likely labor! LOL!) Mom and dad got ready to go and mom said to me: "We're not going to get home and then get call to come right back up here, are we?" I laughed and said no way, it's still too early, and I am feeling fine. So, off they went back home about an hour away. We went on with our afternoon, I cooked dinner and we - Hunter, Flicka & me - all sat down to eat. All of a sudden, I just didn't feel right, I got up to go to the restroom and halfway there my water broke, it was definitely time. We called my sister to come pick up Flicka - she lived on the same street so she was there in approximately a minute or less. We put the bag in the car, reassured Flicka that mommy was OK, and off we went to the hospital. The labor pains hit hard and strong w/in 5 mins. of the water breaking - much worse than any I had had w/Flicka. It was only a 10 - 15 minute ride to the hospital. Before leaving, we called mom & dad and said we were on our way to the hospital. They thought we were kidding and when we finally convinced them it was real, they headed back up.

A little more background: Flicka had to be delivered by C-section due to some problems with her heart rate. My doc w/Camo was convinced I would not be able to deliver him vaginally due to the previous c-section and his size. I was adamant that we give it a shot, so we compromised. We scheduled an OR for a c-section about a week before my due date of Sept. 3, with the decision if he did not come before then, it would most likely be needed.

At the hospital: I was pre-registered so we were escorted straight to labor & delivery upon arrival. We checked in at 7:20 pm, I changed into a gown immediately. Before even making it to the bed for my first check, I had a sudden urge to push. I announced this to the nurse as soon as I finished putting on my gown, she just laughed it off and said, I had not been here long enough, it was probably just nerves. I again told her of the urge and was very adamant that it was not nerves. She got me to the bed and checked me and her eyes became as big as plates (not saucers!). She then ran into the hallway and screamed page the dr. stat (remember it was a Sunday night, and there was no OB in the building, just one on call - it just so happened that my OB was out of town so they would have to use the on call dr. who was one of the other drs. in the same clinic as mine.) She came back and talked to us, checked the monitors, etc..., checked me again, and again went hurriedly out and we could hear her asking if the dr. had arrived yet, and then a "we need someone in here stat!" She came back in (along with another nurse or 2, but no dr.) sat down at the end of the bed, and tried to convince me not to push, I insisted that I was not going to be able to stop it much longer, she finally gave in and let me push. The dr. walked in, basically just in time for the last 2 pushes and to catch the baby. Camo was born less than an hour after we arrived at the hospital (less than 2 hours of my water breaking), we signed the paperwork giving them permission to deliver him and administer care after the birth. Needless to say, his birth was 100% natural, they didn't have time for anything. He came when he was ready, and there was no stopping him! It was perfect! My mom & dad arrived, and when they walked in they could not believe I was already holding him; they were just expecting to get to see me for a minute before being asked to leave so I could be prepared for the delivery! (Lynn's parents decided to wait till the next morning to come up, since it all happened so fast.)

OK, that may have been more information that you wanted, but I just love that memory and wanted to share it. Now for some of the fun stuff.

I have to confess that my first thought when they handed him to me was "oh, my gosh! he's a monster!" I know this may sound like I was a terrible mom, but not really, it's just that Flicka was only 6 lbs. 7 oz. and with him a full 2 pounds bigger, he just looked huge! He was just so beautiful - head full of reddish brown hair, big blue/gray eyes, no smushed head from delivery, just beautiful. He was very laid back from the beginning and still is, not much flusters him or gets under his skin (except for his sister now - LOL). He never lost his hair as some babies do, it just turned to snow white - my little cotton top! His eyes are still a beautiful blue/gray - they actually change colors from bright blue, deep blue, gray and sometimes a greenish color depending on his mood. I tell him I can always tell when he is happy or sad by the color of his eyes.

He loved to eat from the beginning, and that is something he still enjoys, he is definitely not much of a picky eater. He has had a very sweet, and different sense of humor since he was very young, he loves to make you laugh. He has a very unique outlook on the world around him, his interpretations of things are sometimes so simple, it just makes you think - yeah, you're right; and sometimes makes you think - that is so funny! He rarely meets a stranger, he is very friendly and most people fall in love with all that is him after only a few minutes of getting to know him. He has always been a good kid, a bit mischievous at times, and about 500% boy, but very good - he has a good heart and it is easy to see. Also, he is very smart - he has always been an A student (sometimes some Bs sneak in and that's OK w/us too.)

He loves all things outdoors - hunting, fishing, riding his bike, swimming, camping, baseball - I could list things for days! I like to say he is a country boy locked up in the city.

I have decided to share his real name with you because I think it really is a part of his personality and have decided since I will be sharing so much about my family on my blog, I want everyone reading to know the real family (and besides I use their real names on myspace & facebook, why not here!)

So, today, you have met - Travis Lynn - my eleven year old wonder! Sorry, for such a long post, but I could ramble on for days about my kiddos and all that is great about them. And just thought since it is his birthday, it was a good time to share some things.

Here are some of my favorite pictures of him:

6 weeks - still w/reddish hair

1st bday - loving the cake!

2 1/2 yrs - a very brief stint w/gymnastics - not his cup of tea, he needed more activity & something that was outside!

10 yrs. - his first deer (sorry, if this offends anyone, but this is who he really is!)

Eleven and a cell phone!

A new gun & new phone - life is good. He chose the gun over a birthday party (we couldn't afford to do both.) For those who are not used to seeing an 11 year old with a gun, please remember he is a hunter and the love of it was born in him - his dad loves to hunt as do both of his grandpas. This is not his first gun, but is one he has been wanting for a while - it is a pump action, 20 gauge shotgun. Also, for those who are concerned, please know that all guns in our house are used for hunting only, and are kept in a locked gun safe. Travis is not allowed to hunt alone yet, and all gun usage for him is strictly supervised by an adult.

We went out to dinner to celebrate - Travis chose one of our local restaurants that serves catfish and all the fixings (fries, hush puppies, slaw). This photo was taken outside the; they have a nice sitting area, this bridge leads to it. There is also a pond and the provide bread and other goodies so you can feed the fish & turtles.

Travis had a very good birthday & we had fun celebrating with him.

FISHING DERBY

I think I may have mentioned previously that Camo and Hunter like to fish. Flicka and I also enjoy it, but it seems to be more of a daddy/son event the last few years. Tonight it was a family event. Our local parks & rec dept holds an annual fishing derby each August. It is free at a local lake in our community, and is open to all children under 16. Basically, we just show up with rod/reel/bait, sign in and then fish for 2 hours weighing in each fish, hoping for the biggest in your division. Last year, this derby is what Travis chose as his birthday party, he loved it. This year it was just the four us, and it was a good night. Here are a few pictures:

One of the beautiful lakes in our community. It has a very nice walking trail all the way around it and it is right behind our library.

Our local library. You can check out fishing poles, walk out the back door and fish!

Beautiful skies & beautiful weather for a fishing derby!

The first catch! 1 lb 12 oz -she is in first place!

A rainbow blesses the event!

Uh-oh - dark clouds start rolling in! (but they are beautiful)

Brother & sister fishing together in the rain! The rain held out till the second hour (only a 2 hour event), but it was still fun!

Finally another catch - it's raining and hard to hold it up!

And the winner is... he won his division (10-11 yrs). He won a new rod/reel and new tackle box!

And the winner is.... she won her age division (12-15 yrs) as well as the overall winner, her fish was the biggest all night. She also won a new rod/reel and a new tackle box.

It was fun night. They were both very happy they won, and Flicka was ecstatic that no one caught one bigger than hers! (Not to mention how happy I am they both won, no disappointed one to break my heart!!!)