Sum-sum-summertime

OK. It's finally here. This is the first nice warm weekend we have had this year. Summer is here, we went to the pool and thought about the boat for the first time this year.

Jake finished up sports camp this week and has a rare down week next week before we head up to YMCA family camp the weekend of the 4th. We are easing into the middle part of summer, trying to keep the kids caught up on sleep (always a losing fight) and still have a lot of fun. This weekend we're spending trying to do the former rather then the latter. So we had an easy day today, down to the Y for a workout this morning, back for naps and to the pool in the afternoon. We have a bbq later tonight with some friends and won't be home until late so we're planning on taking it easy tomorrow as well.

We're going to head downtown for breakfast and to the Boise Rec Fest to see what's new this year as far a summertime in Boise and the outdoors go, then a quick workout at the Y and home for naps again. Jake has requested a later bedtime that his younger siblings and we've resisted it probably as long as we reasonably can, so we're goning to try that out tomorrow night as well (wish us luck).

For everyone headed this way, the weather has cleared. Bring your bathing suits and sunscreen and here's to hoping the boat won't catch on fire!

Go Broncos!!!!

Jake finished up the last day of his Boise State Broncos (currently ranked #4 in the nation!) football camp today. It was a three day camp put on by the Boise State Football program, that was run by the Broncos Head Coach Chris Peterson (Coach Pete). Jake was thrilled when he found out he would be practicing in the indoor field turf practice field and playing on the blue turf in the Broncos Football stadium. The camp is for 7-13 year olds so this is the first year that Jake was able to do it and he was really looking forward to it.

The camp was HUGE. There were easily 300 kids enrolled (and out of all those, only TWO girls, which Marisa pointed out to Faith immediately!). The kids were paired up into leagues and teams based on age (Jake was on the Sabercats in the Arena League), and coached by one of the Broncos position or assistant coaches. Coach Tio was Jake's coach- a big, big Samoan man that was like a big teddy bear.

This camp was intense! It ran 5-8 Thursday night, 9-

noon Friday and Saturday. Each session started with a typical football warm-up, the kids ten ran 12 defensive stations, 12 offensive stations, 6 special teams stations, then played 3 20 minute games of something called "Bronco Ball" that was a lot like Ultimate Frisbee but with a football. It was finally sunny here so it got a little hot on the Friday and Saturday sessions. Each session ended with an inspirational "speech" by Coach Pete covering such topics as attitude, behavior, being on time, doing your best, listening to your parents. Coach reminded the kids to thank their parents for making the camp possible- driving them to and from camp, paying, etc.... There was a lot of emphasis on respect and hard work. I was so impressed with how organized the camp was and how truly committed all of the Boise State players/coaches were with working with the kids. At the end of each day, they brought all the kids Powerade and on the last day, everyone got certificates and a Bronco football.

Jake was exhausted after each day. We were once again amazed and so proud by the way he just gets in there and does things, seemingly unconcerned that he doesn't know another soul there.

He made friends with the guys on his team. Spoke up to his coach and answered questions and raised his hand in the final speech with Coach Pete when Coach asked who needed to work on getting better at listening and taking "coaching" the first time. (Acknowledging that your have a problem, the first step!!!). One of the things that we were truly impressed with was pick up time, the Boise Police showed up each day at the end of camp and they, along with the players barricaded the door and made sure that each kid was leaving with their parent. It makes you feel good when you see that level of detail and caring about kids, especially from a major college football program.

We also of course picked up a season ticket flyer that we are drooling over....Go Broncos!!!

Lacrosse Camp

We were a bit hesitant letting Tanner try lacrosse camp after our soccer experience, but he seemed good to go for it (the Y guy also told us we could try and if Tanner wasn't up for it, they would refund the money - so it was really no risk) so we decided to let him try. One of the best decisions we've made in recent memory. He had a blast!

He was able to verbalize a little that the reason he didn't like soccer camp was that there were too many kids (there were a ton). This was a much smaller group and he jumped right in. After the first day he said, "Yep. I'm going back because I love it.". Which made us both feel great for him. He is in the session right before Jake's and Jake has been showing up early for his session and the coaches have been letting him jump into the little kids games which has been great for Tanner. He hangs back a little bit and stays clear of most of the action.....until his big brother gets the ball. Then he is running down the field yelling, "Jake, Jake I'm open.....Jake on your wing...", until Jake passes him the ball.

Jake is a goal scoring machine in his session, but with the little kids he manages to stay in his correct role and passes to the them instead of shooting (which is good, otherwise I would have pulled him out...but he was great with them). Today he passed to Tanner and Tanner shot a goal. He was so fired up afterwards, he re-inacted the whole play for me, even though he knows I saw the whole thing live....but he was obviously so proud of himself, it just made me feel so good for him.

Jake has really been enjoying his sessions as well. He is one for the more experienced kids and is having his way with the field to a certain extent, but is obviously relishing the role, using head fakes and rolling the crease to get open to shoot. He has scored a ton of goals that I have seen and probably a dozen more that I haven't been there for. He is exhausted by the end of camp and is currently upstairs sleeping it off getting ready for football camp tonight.

Jake and I are off to Broncos Football camp at BSU, Marisa is off to swimming lessons with Tanner and Faith, Faith had dance class last night. Jake has sports camp again next week and then the boys both have Y-football camp the week after that (which Tanner is really looking forward to). Somehow Marisa and I both have managed to keep our jobs during the first couple of weeks of the "Summer of Insanity" ....wish us luck!

Maybe There Will Be Alligators

We taught the kids an important lesson this weekend and also have a new family slogan that will be used, I am certain, a few hundred times before we die.

So, a little background first.

We went on our first camping trip of the summer on Friday night. We booked a campground at Bruneau Sand Dunes- which is about 90 minutes from our house and is the largest sand dune in the U.S. Well, given that it is a sand dune in the middle of nowhere we should have guessed there would be no trees around, that the landscape would be a little barren and not like we are used to for camping (think Big Basin redwoods and forests). Still, we were taken aback to discover our campground looked a bit like an oasis in a desert, except this oasis was full of RV's and pop up trailers. There was a lake nearby but it had no accessible shoreline and only one dock for fishing, which was full. So our first impression wasn't great. Add to this the fact that we were facing gale force winds as we tried to set up our tent- and although we enlisted the help of the three kids to act as anchors on three of the corners we were not making any progress. Soon a fellow camper and his teenage child came to help us.

Once the tent was set up it started to rain. More good karma. Then the kids started to argue and be difficult and demanding and annoying. We talked several times in the first few hours about just packing it in and giving up. But we persevered until bedtime and at 10 we all fell asleep and slept pretty soundly. Brian and I got up to go to the bathroom around 2AM and saw one of the clearest, prettiest night skies I have ever seen. It was amazing (one of the benefits of having no trees around, I guess!). It was FREEZING in our tent, however, and the kids all ended up with their heads buried under their sleeping bags in the morning.

The next day started off VERY ROCKY. More arguing. More demanding behavior. Lots of crying (Faith). Our idyllic idea of camping: the kids playing happily with the other campers, the smell of bacon frying in the open air, cold hands being warmed by hot cocoa/coffee surrounded by beautiful nature did not materialize. We took a long walk to the dunes to sled. This was one of the only things to do at the dunes so we were looking forward to it. However, the sledding didn't really work. We trudged up the large (beautiful) dunes and the sled just sort of slid gently down the slope, barely faster than the speed of a turtle. Faith was exhausted, Tanner was worn out, Jake was cranky. We, again,

thought maybe of packing it in. But, we decided to make the best of it and, and my suggestion, drive out to a hot spring I had been wanting to visit in Buhl. It was going to be about an hour drive but we figured the kids would nap and since the sand dunes were kind of a bust what else were we going to do? Well, part of the plan worked: The kids all napped. But the drive took more like 90 minutes due to construction on the freeway and we forgot to pack lunch so we ended up having to stop at a random diner in Bliss that advertised "alligator, frog legs, and catfish". Needless to say the kids were thrilled. Turns out, after asking the waitress, that Buhl has an alligator farm (who knew?) and the hot spring we were headed to also had alligators on the property (not living IN the springs, we assured the kids when they immediately asked us). Well, who could pass up seeing alligators, right? So, we continued our trek to the springs. Let's just say that the hot springs were "under whelming". We didn't even go in them for fear of contracting some life threatening disease. We did, however, see the alligators. They were all sleeping and were quite a distance away in their enclosure, but (and this should give you some indication of the depths of the bad vacation we were in) they were still the highlight of the trip to that point.

We loaded back in the car and headed back to camp- after a brief stop at Walmart for warmer clothes for bedtime and McDonalds for ice cream and coffee (the coffee was later spilled all over the front of the Suburban almost prompting me into tears).

Now, back at camp once again, we discovered the temps had risen to high 80's. There were no trees at all, so no shade. Exhausted and full of sand from our toes to our scalps, Brian and I set up our shade tent. Well, we tried to set it up. Within minutes we had broken it. By now I had had it. I was ready to pack it in and go home. I was seconds away from taking that course of action, but Brian stopped and reminded us to think it through first. What were we trying to teach the kids? That when the going gets rough you hightail it out of the situation? Or did we want to teach them a little lesson on "attitude is everything" and show them that even though the first 24 hours of the trip had been less than what we expected (less shade, less water, less fun sledding, less fun in general....), it was how we handled it that mattered (better late than never, right?) So, we set up the broken shade as best we could, got out a few cold drinks, and sat in the shade throwing the boys fly balls for about an hour then got out the fixings for hotdogs/smores. The kids played in the sand with the sand toys, made friends with the neighboring campers and started up an impromptu football game, and Brian and I took a few deep breaths and carried on in a much better frame of mind.

By the late evening we were making up stories and telling them around the campfire, laughingly trying to piece together a retelling of The Three Little Bears (which Faith added to by suggesting that maybe Goldilocks wasn't being bad, maybe her parents were out of town and she was actually being taken care of by the three little bears so she wasn't actually breaking and entering), wiping sticky marshmallow remnants off grubby faces, and handing out the light sticks we had left over from last year's camping adventures. We went to bed happy, slept well, and woke up glad we had stuck it out and even (hard to believe) looking forward to our next camping trip in early July.

In retrospect there are several lessons we could have chosen to teach the kids by this camping mis-adventure: Don't keep doing something that isn't working or Get out while you can or Be flexible. In the end we have some funny memories, hopefully a memorable lesson on how attitude affects everything you do, and a great slogan whenever we head off to a new adventure or unknown destination: You never know- maybe there will be alligators.

Let the Games Begin!

Although you wouldn't know it by the weather, summer has officially arrived - maybe not the real season but summer vacation at least. Jake had his last day of 1st grade on Friday, Tanner finished up preschool the week before. The end of the year carnival is over, gifts for the teachers/coaches/aides have all been purchased and given, and the neighborhood Icee Shack is open for business. Now begins the chaos of summer.

This whole system of "summer vacation" is contrary to what this country needs in so many ways.. Most kids are no longer needed to work the fields in June, July, and August. Most homes have two full-time working parents now. Kids need the consistency of school to avoid the whole "learning loss" that occurs during summer break. Now, don't get me wrong, I remember my summers with fondness- 3 months stretched out with nothing to do but hang out at the pool, read my Sweet Valley High books, and play games of hide-and-go-seek with all the neighborhood kids. There is definitely a part of me that wants that for my kids, too. But.....then reality sets in. Three months with nothing to do with Jake- who despite getting better at entertaining himself in the last several months is still prone to stand in the office doorway and watch Brian and I work while complaining that he is bored rather then find himself something to do. Ugh.

My eldest has always thrived on the routine of the school day so this break is really a challenge for us. This year we decided to sign him up for a bunch of camps- almost every week has something going on. And of course we will have lots of play dates. But the scheduling is going to be hectic. Next week is skateboarding camp, the week after that is baseball, then football, then rock band... the list goes on until the first week of August when we take our vacation to Tahoe for a week.

Luckily my job is flexible and so is Brian's so we can manage the odd drop-off/pick-up times and the occasional day of lost work made up by working evenings after the kids are in bed. It is really a blessing in a lot of ways and I am grateful for it. Plus, we have the YMCA this summer, too, which has WiFi so I can drop him at child watch while I get some work done in the cafe. Maybe not the intended use of the child watch, but a good one, anyway!

As soon as the weather cooperates we can't wait to get out in the boat. We found a pair of almost new trainer skis for the kids at the neighborhood garage sale yesterday and I can hardly wait to get Jake out there, with me holding his skis underwater for his first try at water skiing. The kids talked about the boat all winter and are so excited to get underway. Brian and I are just hoping it starts- and I am reliving many, many summers where we all had our fingers crossed that the old Evinrude engine would start the first time we put it in the water at the Delta each summer. Mmmmm. I can still smell the exhaust fumes and feel the hot sun on my back while standing on the dock.....

We have a bunch of camping trips planned, too. Our first is next weekend to Bruneau Sand Dunes- which is about 90 min. away and is the largest sand dune in the U.S. Then we go again July 3 to YMCA family camp, one more in July, and one in mid-August. We have some guests coming as well- Kim and Bill will be here in late July and Sheila and Wayne in mid-July. Still hoping for a visit from others of you that read this blog regularly: YOU KNOW WHO YOU ARE!!!

So, it is with both anticipating and trepidation that we say goodbye to schooldays and say hello to the summer!

End of the Season

In some ways, Jake's rookie league season ended the way it started; the last game last night was in danger of being rained (or more precisely, thunderstormed) out. We spent most of the season under the clouds instead of in the sunshine due to our weird weather this spring. Less the "boys of summer" and more the "boys of the scattered thunderstorms".

In other ways, the season was a drastic turn-around; the boys ended on a three game losing streak. They started out so strong and were undefeated until the middle of last month, then their defense caught up with them. A couple of the better hitters went into slumps to end the season and the focus in the field cost them a few games.

Jake ended up having a really good season (I lost track of his batting average along the way) but it must have been north of .700. He hit most everything hard the opposite way and his success was directly tied to the skills of the opposing pitcher and 1st baseman. He also did great in the field; playing a great 1st base, catcher, pitcher and last night made a couple of good plays out in left field. The level of the league means that the coach can't just stick the kids who can throw and catch at the hot positions every inning, so everyone get's rotated around and last night Jake ended up at shortstop for the first time this season.

The score was tied 9-9 in the bottom of the last inning with two outs and the bases loaded when the batter hit a hard one right towards Jake. He didn't stay down on it and it got thru his legs into the outfield for a run. The next hitter struck out and the game ended 10-9. I could tell he felt bad about making the error, but wasn't sure he understood the actual significance of it until Tanner announced while we were walking back to the car, "Well Dad, the score was tied until Jake missed that ball, then they scored and won. If Jake would have caught that ball it would have been a tie." Seriously, the one time all season that he's paying attention to the game and it has to be to announce that!

Jake's face just fell as he realized what it meant, that his error had cost them the game. I spent most of the rest of the night consoling him. Funnily enough, we're reading a Mike Lupica book right now when the title character makes the same error at second base and costs his team the 1st game of the championship series. We were able to talk it thru using the lessons from the book and I think he's made peace with it as it hasn't been mentioned yet this morning.

He did say last night, "But Dad, staying down on it is the first thing you taught me in baseball."

I explained that the reason it was the first thing I taught him was that it's the most difficult thing for a fielder to learn and do. That everything in you is screaming, "hurry up, get the throw off", but you have to wait until you have the ball first. Watching Sportscenter last night we saw Jason Werth with the Phillies do the exact same thing in the outfield, so I think that helped as well.

We have our end of the season party on Friday (the last day of school as well). Then I think skateboard camp is up next.....