Challenger Camp {Coach Appreciation Day}

Challenger Camp {Wacky Wednesday}

Challenger Soccer Camp

P started Challenger Soccer Camp this morning. This is his first experience with soccer, and he was very excited to don his new (used) shinguards and cleats (Thank you, Grandma Hen!) and head to the soccer complex.


P's friend from preschool, Riley, met him at the field. P was glad to see a familiar face!

I was very impressed with today's program. Coach Rosheen relates really well to her campers and P was very attentive. The program focuses not only on soccer skills, but also on respect and sportsmanship. Those are definitely life skills I want P to learn!

P worked extremely hard in very hot weather this morning. One of my hopes is that this camp will be an example of a fun way to be active and get exercise.

As you can see in the last picture, P changed into his camp t-shirt as soon as Coach Charlie gave it to him. He is already looking forward to tomorrow!

Boys' Weekend

Late last night I got home from a Girls' Weekend at the beach with my sister and some of her other bridesmaids and friends. For the first time, P and C were with Daddy A all weekend without me. I was nervous, but I shouldn't have been. All three of my boys had a great time, and the house was clean when I got home! (Have I mentioned lately that I have an amazing husband?)

While my sister, friends, and I were relaxing on the beach, Daddy A and the boys were home playing in the backyard, weeding, chilling out together, and...

...taking a Saturday trip to Tweetsie for some summer fun and a Riders in the Sky concert!

Right away, they jumped on the train and headed into the wilderness.


They headed up to Miner's Mountain and panned for gold.

P got on stage with the Riders in the Sky.

Daddy A took the boys for a trip on the Ferris Wheel.

I was so excited to see P and C when they woke up this morning, and I will never forget how excited they were to see me, too! My weekend away was a blast, but I am glad to be home!

On the (Rail)Road Again

Saturday before last we headed to Tweetsie for some summer fun.


It's usually a little cooler on the mountain than it is down here in Mo-Town, so I dressed the boys in matching hoodies. (You did remember I like to match their clothes, didn't you?) It turned out to actually be a day for record-breaking hot weather, but P wore his hood almost all day long. He explained, "This hood makes me cool, Mommy." (I don't know how that worked out, unless he was referring to his appearance, because that hood did look pretty fly...)

And, in typical younger brother fashion, monkey see, monkey do.

The Frisbee dogs were visiting Tweetsie, so after a quick train ride through the wilderness we headed to their show. I'm always amazed at the talented dogs and trainers, and I think it's great that most of the dogs are adopted from animal shelters.

Following the show, we took in some of the rides in the Country Fair section of the park.

We stopped in the Palace Saloon next for some refreshment, and of course took in the "dancin' girls" show. Poor C got so tuckered out that he fell asleep mid-bite!

C didn't even wake up for a photo op! P was excited to learn that Miss Samantha will be back at his dance studio this year, although she may not be teaching his class this time.

Our friend Anna was with us and the Deer Park was her request for the day. We were happy to oblige.

Once again there were some renegade baby goats! Those baby goats are just adorable. They get me every time. Well, they don't actually get me, they just walk around in the feeding area and eat your food and let you pet them and... you know what I mean.

After a fun-filled day, we were ready to head back home for a relaxing evening.

Wedding preview!

SPOILER ALERT: This post will showcase just a touch of the awesome cuteness that P and C are in their tuxedos for my sister's wedding at the end of the month. If you want to wait and see it in person, don't read ahead! However, if you want a preview, read on.

Aunt Tiffany's wedding will be here before we know it! P and C's tuxedos arrived in the mail a couple of weeks ago, so one night last week Daddy A and I tried them on the boys and checked to see if any alterations needed to be made. Luckily, the pants needed to be hemmed, but there were no other (more difficult) alterations to handle.

Both of the boys were quite happy with their tuxes.


Parker hopped up on the bathroom stool so he could see himself in the mirror. He liked what he saw.

Lookin' pretty fly, P!

Our friend Mrs. Janet came to help with pinning for alterations. She even offered to take the pants home and hem them, which was a wonderful blessing!

My only complaint is that the shoes that go with the boys' tuxedos are LOUD. P and C were jumping and "dancing" around in the living room, and those things make more noise than P's tap shoes! My floors were unharmed, but I still think we'll just put the shoes out of reach until Tiffany's big day!

Sailing, Sailing... over the Coordinated Seas

Those of you who see P and C in person or take a look at the pictures on my blog very often have probably noticed that I frequently match or coordinate their outfits. Yes, I do know they are not twins (and yes, people who don't know us ask me if they are more often than you'd think they would!)... but I have fun doing it and I will stop when they don't like it anymore. I figure I should seize the day while they don't mind since I have so much fun coordinating their clothes!

We are really good friends with a family in our church whose older daughter, Martha, is one of our main babysitters. A couple of years ago, she started putting the boys to bed in pajama tops and bottoms that didn't come home from the store together, creating a delightfully mismatched surprise for me to find the morning after Daddy A and I had been out. She teases me regularly abut how "matchy-matchy" the boys are. So you can imagine my surprise a few weeks ago when she saw a photo of the boys in which C was wearing a white sailor suit and excitedly asked me if it still fit him... because she had a dress that matched that outfit and she wanted them to match for church one Sunday.

Not one to pass up an opportunity for either
a) coordinating outfits between the boys or the boys and their friends (P wore madras pants with white and navy accents and a shirt with a sailboat that Sunday) or
b) documented proof that Martha does, in fact, like matchy-matchy outfits,
I readily agreed.

This, ladies and gentleman, was an idea that originated in the mind of the young woman in this photo... and aren't those two adorable?