Tommy on Tommy: Ten!

The eve of his 10th birthday--one last night of having a boy in the single digits!

Tommy at ten is simply a delight.  A friend told me recently that all she wants for Christmas is a Tommy.  He has such a sweet, tender heart and is always trying to do the right thing.  Although it doesn't happen often, it is really upsetting to him to get in trouble.  He feels it so deeply, I end up feeling like I need to apologize to him for being upset with his choice instead of the other way around.  Tommy works hard at school and it shows in his school performance--he's crushing it!  He's the first one to pull out his homework when he gets home to get it done.  Truly, he is just like that in so many areas...if he knows something needs to be done, he likes to get it done.  We rarely have to ask him to do the things that he has to do, and when we do, he does it straightaway.  Unless it's his chore of scooping the dog poop; he does not like to just get that done ever.  Haha!  Tommy is kind and sensitive to others.  He can tell when people are tired or frustrated, and he tries to smooth it over as best as he can.  He has a gentle spirit that isn't competitive even a bit.  Although he loves soccer, he is not aggressive.  The only time we see him get tough on the field is when he's playing against his dad or brothers.  He joined the knitting and newspaper clubs at school this year and is having a great time.  We tease him that he's our little old man in a little boy body, but really I think he is just thoughtful and insightful into the world and other people's hearts.  Sometimes he can hold too much worry inside.  He likes to please people, especially Mom and Dad, so it's actually good when we see him push the boundaries a little--he is a kid afterall.  Tommy loves church, books, friends and being goofy.  He and his friends can be such clowns!  It's fun to see him come out of his little old man shell when he's with them.  He's at that age where I can see ways that he is growing up and maturing, and ways where he is still just a little boy.  Tommy works hard to be a good person, and I am so grateful for his sweet spirit in my life.  He brings me so much light!  He is still a mama's boy, and I will take it as long as I can get it.  We love you, Tommy!

Tommy on Tommy: Ten-Years-Old!

How old are you?  "Ten."
What makes you happy?  "Spending time with Mom and Dad.  Being at school.  Playing in the snow."
What are your favorite things to eat?  "Chicken, broccoli, pizza, candy."
What is your least favorite thing to eat?  "Cauliflower and mushrooms."
What are your favorite things to do?  "Play games with Mom and Dad, like chess.  Sit by the fire and be warm.  Play the Switch.  Play with my friends.  Read books."
What is your favorite TV show?  "The Dragon Prince on Netflix."
What are you really good at?   "Soccer, crafts, school."
What is your favorite movie?  "Minions."
What is your favorite animal?  "Pygmy marmosets."
What is your favorite color?  "Magenta."
What is your favorite song?  "High Hopes."
Who are your best friends?  "Dominick Gillin and Ike Wilkinson."
What do you and Mom do together that you love?  "Play games, go to the movies, spend time together, snuggle."
What do you and Dad do together that you love?  "Play chess and other games, make stuff."
What is your favorite sport?  "Soccer."
What is your favorite book?  "The Guardians Series."
Where is your favorite place to go?  "California to see my cousins."
What makes you feel scared?  "Aliens."
What do you want to be when you grow up?  "An author or a vet, or both--an author-vet."
What words would you use to describe yourself? "Smart, talented, imaginative, silly."
What is the most exciting thing you got to do this year? "Go to School in the Woods."
What do you want to tell the future you? "Continue in doing good in school and get good grades and have good friends."

The Bits: September

The September Bits!

Zac started school the Tuesday after Labor Day and sent me this "first day" pic!  Love this kid!

Every school should have a grassy dome seat to sit on in the library.  My school is cool!

We had a great time playing detectives solving the case of who killed mobster Timmy Selby with our friends, the Weitzels, playing CluedUpp in Downtown Colorado Springs.  We definitely overanalyzed it, but we had a blast!

Pretty skies!

Briarfest!  Adam stayed for two rides and then left Josh to hang out with his buddies, and Luke to tag along with Josh's buddies, because Josh was being a super nice brother.

The family that masks together, stays together.

The RHS March-a-Thon!  I am so proud of how hard Josh works for music; his effort is unwavering.  He puts his heart into every note and does all he can to help the group to succeed.

I can honestly say there were a few tears shed as we said goodbye to this old friend.  The Subaru as been our trusty and trusted car that has seen us safely on many adventures. We bought it, used, back in 2002, when we upgraded form a hatchback so we'd have a backseat with room for a second car seat before Ben was born.  I taught Adam to drive a manual transmission in this car, and 14/16 years later, we taught Zac and Ben the same skill.  It's seen us through 3 big moves and 3 small ones.  It carried 2 of our babies home from the hospital.  It was stolen once, broken into once, and totaled twice.  It transported us to the mountains many times for skiing, camping and hiking.  It carried Zac in his car seat while we sang "Gone to Carolina in My Mind" and "It's time for Veggie Taaaaaaaaaaales," and years later we waved goodbye as it drove him away for his first solo drive.  It has carried us to countless friends and family, near and far.  It has seen exploded diapers, melted crayons, hundreds of thousands of miles, sad tears, mad tears, happy tears, smashed snacks, dirty cleats, carpools of kids, kisses galore and heard a lot of laughter.  It will be weird to see our driveway without it.  Thanks a million for the ride, dear Sube!  It was a great one!

Pretty much all our garden yielded this summer.  But still tasty!

Rock Canyon Invtie: 2nd place overall for Ben, 2nd place for the boys' team!

Soccer Saturday for the W!

When you have to duct tape the emergency brake so it will stay off, it might be time for a new car.

We said another teary farewell to a faithful vehicle that has helped us create many beautiful miles of membories.  Our Dodge minivan, that we bought when Tommy was 1, was ready for retirement.  It was 3,000 miles shy of 200k, and we would have loved to get her there, but the cost of repairs was getting too high.  We've loved this van and all the memories we've made driving it around the country!

A bright, shiny love-present from my Sis.

Harrison Marching Clinic and Festival--the first show of the season!

Blue Foam Party for our Coug.

Zac and his pals were up at 4:30am to get in line so they could be close to the field in the student section to see the Cougs take on the Trojans--and what a game!  Zac was one of the first people over the wall to storm the field after that OT win, and even got a hug from the ecstatic QB and a couple of other players.  So happy for the HUGE win, but even more happy to see our college-life-loving boy in the stands on the tele! (Zac's in the neon yellow sunglasses next to the patriotic fellow).

Having the time of his life!

The bike rabbit had better hurry up!  Another 1st place finish for Ben!

Since the easiest way to hear from Zac is through SnapChat, I figured I'd better get acquainted with the app.

Tommy and his best buddy, Dominick, made plans to support each other in their Saturday sports.  Tommy's soccer game was up first, then we dropped them off at Dom's for his flag football game.

Primary Program Sunday for the two of us!

I love my school.  I look forward to work every day!

Fall Feast 2019!  We definitely felt the absence of our Zac, the traditions are the hardest times to have him away.  Although the brothers were excited that there were fewer people to split the pumpkin pie between! Happy Fall!

Ben putting those origami skills to good use!

Congratulations, Ben!  We are so proud of the hard work you put in.

Spirit week at MRMS!  I think Luke crushed Mismatch Day.

Luke tried something new this fall: the MRMS Grizzly Swim Team.  He had a ton of fun, mostly because 2 of his best pals were on the team with him, but also because he enjoyed the swim!

SITW field trip to the top of Pike's Peak to learn about the alpine and sub-alpine ecosystems.

SITW is smart--they get their field trips in before the fall snow hits!  This one was the field trip to the Florissant Fossil Beds.

Josh got to work for Marvelous Marc's Balloons this year once again, helping to build a giant balloon spider at the Great Wolf Lodge.

Josh had the best time on his marching band trip to Flagstaff, AZ for a Bands of America marching competition.  They bonded and made music, and finished 7th overall.  He says it is probably his favorite school memory yet, even though the bus broke down in Gallup, NM on the way down and they were stuck there for 12 hours.

Caramel apples and "Aladdin" with my handsome Friday night dates!

This speedy hound outran every single fox for the win at Rampart's Foxes and Hounds race.

Soccer Saturday!

Although we saw a weird movie (Ad Astra) at the weird unfinished theater (Icon), it didn't feel weird at all to be by his side.

A Last Splash of Summer

Labor Day Weekend, we had a splashing good time sending summer off with some cliff jumping at Paradise Cove!  Luke wasn't up for jumping, which was totally OK with us, but I think made him bummed.  We told him that next summer he should try the boat house first, and that would help with his fear.  The rest of us each had at least one jump (me), or many (the rest of the gang).  Josh even jumped off the 45' ledge!  With Zac at school, we had an empty seat in the care, so we added a kiddo, Josh's friend, Jack.  When we were getting ready to leave, we saw a guy do a bad flip and he knocked himself out cold, so his friends had to jump in and save him.  It was scary!  He woke up and seemed more embarrassed than hurt, but I hope he saw a doctor.  It was a fun little adventure!