Swimming level 2

 I'm not quite sure why it took me so long to figure this out!  Bryant does so much better in a smaller class for swimming lessons.  He had this same teacher in level one with four or five other kids in his class.  This means there is way too much sitting around waiting time, not good for Bry.  He wouldn't listen to his teachers or swim for them and they would sit him out of the pool because he was non-responsive to them.  I finally bribed him with bowling and the next lesson he did everything he was asked to do!  I went down to talk to the teacher after the lesson and she said, "Wow!  I didn't know he could do it, he could do everything we asked him to!"  Ha ha, only on his time, when he wants to!  I was getting so frustrated that he wouldn't even try, I knew he could do everything he was being asked to do because he did this and more all summer long at the pool with me!  After that session ended and he passed, I put him in the last time slot for lessons at 7pm and it is him and a girl in his class.  The same teacher even, funny.  He gets so much more swim time and has learned so much more this time around!  We will be keeping the late time slot from now on!  More swim time is good for this busy boy!

Halloween Fun Times 2012

 The Allen's had a pumpkin carving party and we went and had fun with friends!  Even the Dad's got involved in the fun!

 We went trick or treating with friends in their neighborhood and so we left a bowl of candy at our door and it was all gone when we got home a couple of hours later!

 Glenda the good witch (Eden), Cheshire cat (Anya), angel (Sydney), dead bride (Gabriella).  Bryant was a fighter from the Halo game but couldn't see through his helmet visor and so off it went!  The skies cleared and it wasn't too cold this year and made it so much better for all the kids!  Happy Halloween and on the Thanksgiving and Christmas!  YAY!!!

Happy Thirteen Sydney!

 All thirteen of those candles are blindingly bright! 

 Sydney's birthday was on a Monday and we were invited to a pumpkin carving party.  She wants to go iceskating sometime soon with a couple of friends, but this was fun!  Happy Birthday my preemie who is almost as tall as her mother now!

Hazen JV vs Renton Varsity

 Some teams were given the option to playour JV soccer team instead of our Varsity.  This is last nights game that we played Renton Varsity.  They came on strong and scored two goals right off the bat!  The night before we played Evergreen Varsity soccer and won 3-0.  After about 3/4 into the first half our coach told the girls they couldn't score anymore and to just play keep away.  It was horrible, lasted forever and was boring to watch!  I felt so bad for the other team, they couldn't get the ball and if they did it didn't last long enough to do anything with it.  So back to last night with Renton... we started off a bit slow as a result of the night before's keep away game.  After the two scores we woke up and kept going.  We won 7-5.  These guys were a bit more aggresive and made for a good game to watch!  Down below, I believe Taylor, the one all twisted up, had just headed or shouldered the ball forward right at the other girl in white who is shying away a bit.  Taylor scored and almost scored many more times.  She needs to do some work with her left leg shots!  Taylor is having a blast and has met so many great friends on this team!

Evergreen State Fair

 Nana and Aunt Louise came up to see Taylor's soccer jamboree, she scored a goal!  Well, she kicked the ball, it hit a defender who then tried to kick it out and instead it went in the goal!  It counted and we'll take it too!  Go Taylor!  So after the jamboree we headed north to Monroe, Washington to the Evergreen State Fair.  It was so fun!  All three kids wanted a bunny and begged for one.  They were cute...

 Taylor had a corn dog and these fries for dinner.  Fair fries are GREASY!  After the guy handed them to me, some grease dripped on my hand and burnt me, it was so hot!  They were nasty greasy! 

 The reason we went to the fair was that a former student of A. Louise was racing his midget car at the races that night.  They actually had indie type cars and they were fast, and loud too!  Todd is eating some kettle corn and Bry looks bored, it must have been between races because he loved watching them!

 Half way through the races they stopped for a meet and greet with the drivers.  The guy in blue with the ebay on his clothing is the former student and driver, Mitch Hoffses.  He raced a Quarter Midget car.  He wants to drive professionally.

 Here they are posing for a photo next to his Midget.  Ebay is just one of his sponsors.  He was a really good driver and was leading the whole race until the 28th lap, they went to 30.  He started taking the curve a bit wide and after the second time the guy who was drafting him the first 28 laps passed and took off.  He had the faster car and took advantage of a mistake, darn!  It was pretty exciting to watch!  You should have seen the kind of people who show up to these things, people watching was in full force!  I think they must come out of the wood work or something!  Fair time is always fun to observe!  My Grandma Jo taught me to people watch at a very young age! 

 Checking out the #53 car on the way out!  Herbie!

 These cars were a bit different, notice the back fins?  We think this helped to stabalize the car in this crazy 8 race.  They seriously drove on a figure 8 race track.  There was this one slow car that made us all freak out thinking the lead car would hit him in the cross section, every time!!!  Not fun to watch!  It was seriously CrAzY!!!

 After the first race I bought Bryant some ear muffs, the racing was so loud.  I plugged my ears and could still hear them.

Anderson Island lake house

 Last Saturday we went to Anderson Island for the day with friends and the weather was perfect and it was so much fun!  After lunch we headed to the center of the island to a lake where they had so much to play on!  There was the little kiddie area above with a small slide.  Then a bit further out was a dock you swam to with another slide, the big kids loved this one! 

 Once Bryant decides to play in the sand, that's it, he won't do anything else!  Here he is having so much fun with his friend Troy, in red.

 The funniest thing about Bryant and water is that he covers his eyes when he goes under water! 

 A little bit further out was another double decker deck with two sides open that you jumped from!  I was so scared and only did it once!  Here is Todd and his friends jumping together!

 After dinner the fire was built and the s'mores were made.  Todd burned my sandal while trying to dry it out... sad.  We had a great day with friends!  All summer long I have felt like I have two children... Taylor had soccer tryouts and a dance that she wanted to attend this time.  My girl is a teenager for real!

 More Lake Kachess photos.  It was a nice warm day when we went to spend time in the water.  We bought a little raft and it was a hit!  The kids loved it.

 Here are the lifeguards on duty!

 Some of the big kids floating.  A lot of people got really sunburned on this day, luckily my kids didn't.  Going to the pool paid off by already being tan!  Fun times, but we will be bringing the boat next year!