Back to school!

Apple pie was baked, treasures were hidden.... it must be the night before school starts!

Well... it was A night before school starts.  With Strider at Wingate, Rayna at Weddington, Colsen starting the Challenge A program, and the twins still doing regular school at home with me, there are several different "start" dates for us this year.

...And several different "First Day of School" picture days:

But eventually got to where they needed to go... including these 2 who only had to go as far as the dining room table, which is the best classroom as far as I'm concerned!

Final Cousins Day Dinner

 This was our final Cousins Day of the summer.... and probably the end of an era.  :(    For the last few years this has been one of my favorite nights of the year, when the whole family comes over and we put on skits and play games until dark.

 This year, instead of the traditional Capture the Flag game, I took a page out of Ridge Haven's book and made up my version of the "Greatest Game Ever."  Everyone was on 2 teams and had to choose slips of paper that said things like, "Find 3 people to sing "Jesus Loves Me" with you" or "Do 14 jumping jacks."  Everyone was doing these things (there were hundreds of slips of paper) at the same time.... CHAOS!

Then the kids put on some funny skits for us and led us all in the JELLYFISH song, and "With Jesus in the Boat, you can Smile at the Storm" song.... and then we had ice cream sundaes.

 I will always treasure these memories!

And speaking of "back to college..."

Rayna's care package business has been back in operation!

We've redesigned some things, ordered some new stickers, fine-tuned the cookie recipe and purchased supplies, just in time for folks wanting to send packages to their new college students.

 The business has been quite successful -- She's sent out over 50 boxes this year!

Back to college

Strider got all moved in to his dorm room today....  After some snafus with health forms and keys and various things.  Feels like another milestone....

Of course I get more reflective at times like this....  The years have gone so fast.

This scene caught my eye.... This bedroom door has had a hole in it for years (thanks to the abovementioned Strider), and lately they boys have been destroying it even further, since it already needed to be replaced.  Usually when I walk past it I feel some annoyance creep up, but this day I peeked in through one of the holes and saw this precious moment.

As a friend said, it's amazing what beauty you can spot if you can look past the brokenness.

17: An Escape Room Birthday

Our girl is 17!

To celebrate this year she had just a few wishes:  Chick Fil-A for lunch, an ice cream cake, and for the whole family to go to an Escape Room together!  (I think she just enjoys watching everyone all in one small room.... We've always thought of her as the sheep-dog of the family, so it's easier to keep us all together when we're locked in a tight space!)

It worked out nicely, too, because it was the last night Strider was home before moving all of his stuff into his dorm room at Wingate the next day. 

 We had fun solving all the riddles and puzzles and working together.... Our second attempt as a family was even more fun than the first.  Thanks for the family memories, Rayna!

Ohio Adventures

The final stop on this trip was Mansfield, Ohio, with a side day-trip to Cleveland.

While the guys went to the World Yo-Yo Contest in Cleveland (of all the places in the world!) and geeked out seeing all their favorite stars,

 ...the girls enjoyed what Mansfield had to offer.... blueberry picking and Kingwood Gardens being the favorites.

Then we got to celebrate Gee-Gee's upcoming birthday!

And then it was time to make the long trip home...  with plenty of Brian Regan to listen to on the way  :)

Househunting in Grove City

The next stop on our travels was Grove City, our future home (again).

We enjoyed getting to introduce the kids to our old stomping grounds.  Predictably, it rained some each day, but we also had plenty of sunshine to get out and about.  The house we stayed on was right next to the football field, which ended up being a great source of entertainment.

In the evenings, after touring a bunch of houses, we walked down Broad Street to check out the various shops and restaurants.  The new (to us) ice cream shop was definitely a highlight -- as was the coffee shop/kombucha bar!

We're all getting excited about moving here in a few months!

On the Road Again

For what will surely be a rare event, all 7 of us loaded into our trusty Pilot and made the trek to Pittsburgh this week!

It always seems like the actual car trip provides many adventures -- before we even reach our destination -- and this year was no exception.  As the kids have gotten older, so have the conversation topics.  This year we debated things like gun control laws and politics... things got a little heated.

So we stopped and took a break at the New River Gorge Bridge... a family tradition over the years.  

And in due time (overdue for some of us), we arrived in the Burgh, to celebrate Eden's high school graduation.

 Her actual party was held the next day at their canoe club, and it was a perfect setting with perfect weather.   Congratulations, Eden!

46

 While his body keeps looking younger and younger, his age technically keeps climbing, so we celebrated another birthday!

The highlight for everyone, I think, was when Pete actually ate a few bites of dessert (blueberry crisp).  He only eats dessert 2 days out of the year, so this was huge!

Happy birthday to the Roc of our family!