Home improvements, a close call, change that adds up, what good is a boat if you can't share and youth football...is it worth it?

So, since we've finally bought our own house, and since it is twenty years old, we have some home improvement projects to do.  We've started first on the outside.  Our boys this summer dug a road for us to park our trailer on.  I wish I had before and after pictures but I don't.  And, although I can take after pictures because the road is complete, unless I have the before pictures you just can't understand how much work went into the digging out of the road.  Needless to say my children spent hours out there with shovels and pick axes this summer digging out the road.  Our second project, a cement driveway.  We only have a gravel driveway and for us to put up our basketball court (and to be able to shovel all the snow we get in the winter properly) we need a driveway of cement.  So first, we had to take out the sidewalk that lined the garage.  Don't ask me why there was an actual sidewalk that lined the garage but no driveway, but that was the way it was.  Brad set the children to it right away with sledgehammers and within a couple of weeks, the cement was broken up and the ground was ready to be leveled.

We thought Jake was a little too young to be swinging that sledgehammer.

We took the kids out of afternoon school to help with the pour.  Brad thought he'd need everyone and quite frankly he did.  Jordan and I screeted, the boys edged and Kenzie took pictures and cleaned tools.  When the cement truck driver saw our crew, she was a little worried that we wouldn't pull it off.

 

And though she doubted us, our little crew pulled it off quite nicely.  Of course, on the second day Brad did accept help from a friend and that made it a lot easier.

 Speaking of our friend, not only did he alleviate the burden of the pour that we took on, but he also ended up a hero to Jake.  On the second day of the pour, we decided to keep Jake in school for the afternoon because he was SUCH a big help the first day providing the kind of help that only a six year old can provide.  So, on his way walking home from the bus stop he saw a snake.  He thought it might be chasing him but he wasn't sure.  Just as the snake had gotten close to Jake, Mason (our friend who helped us with the pour) came driving up out of our driveway and ran over the snake not even knowing it was there.  Jake came home and went on with his afternoon.  Later that evening he told Jordan the story about the snake.  Incredulous Jordan asked Jake to show him the evidence.  So Jake took him up to the sight of the dead snake.  Upon seeing the snake, Jordan recognized that it was a rattler and went to show his Dad.  Upon seeing it, Brad immediately texted Mason to thank him for saving Jake that day.

  Okay, he didn't immediately text Mason, first he cut off the rattles so he could take a picture of Jake holding them for evidence.

On to other topics.  Brad never keeps his change.  He always brings it home and gives it to me where I put it in a jar to save for special treats.  The other day Kenzie discovered this jar (that I still haven't used for special treats) and decided to add up the change.  In the process of counting she decided to make some neat designs and take pictures of them.

As I sat there watching her meticulously placing the coins I wondered why she has enough patience to do something as tedious as stacking coins but no patience to help me clean. 

Speaking of Kenzie, she got braces and she looks so SPECIAL.

That's the look she gave me when I asked for a picture.  And then, she gave me a good one.

She kind of looks cute right?  Have you seen this video from studio C?  I think it's funny.

Two more things...we took the young women boating before the first day of school and taught them all how to ski. 

Most of them knew how to wakeboard but none had ever skiied because, as one of them told us and I quote, "skiing is soooo 90s".  We had a lot of fun.

And finally, we've put Ben in youth tackle football this year.  He has had 3 games.  Each game he's had less and less playing time.  Just yesterday he was only in for 4 plays.  They supposedly have a 10 play rule, but Ben didn't get his ten.  So my question is this.  Is 5th grade too late to start football?  If someone starts that is new, how can he ever get experience if he never plays and finally, is all the sacrifice of time for the family worth it?  These coaches move up with him next year.  Do I keep having him play where it affects his confidence or wait until 7th grade when he has new coaches?  Any advice would be appreciated.  Honestly, if any of my kids were custom made for football...it would be Ben.  You think the coaches would be working with him until they got what they wanted from him.  He's pretty coachable.