Summertime

Summertime is always a difficult time to keep up with my blog because it seems like I don't have much alone time.  It is hard to write when I am constantly with the kids because I can't concentrate.  I love being with the kids though so I'm not complaining.

FYI my mosquito bites are well on the mend.  I'm sure you're glad to know that.  Funny fact about the mosquito bites on my left leg; the mosquito bites actually formed a heart, marking me as the one they love.  McKenzie first pointed out to me and then later, without talking to McKenzie Brad again pointed it out to me.  So, my mosquito bites don't itch any more, but the heart left by them is still there.

Local fire update:  still there but not threatening our community and homes at the moment.  The national forest and town open spaces have re-opened, but it is still real dry here and we are all trying to be careful and anxiously awaiting our monsoon season.  We all wish the wind would die down.

We got grass in our backyard!

I love it!  Just a little bit of green on the ground seems to makes all the difference.

Ben and Riley attended a wrestling camp together and wrestled some really tough matches.  They both had 20+ matches in three days which is a lot.  Ben wrestled at 142s so was wrestling some excellent, older wrestlers.  They both came home humbled and tired.

We had our first ski boat outing this past week.  Everyone was in good form and we all got up on our first try...well, almost everyone.  Ben didn't make it up his first try on the slalom ski, but his second he did.   I can tease Ben about this because he is a good water skier.  I remember though when Ben first started and he did this ballerina move back and forth across the wake when he was trying to learn to let go of the handle with one hand.  Every season, we still laugh at the memory of Ben's ballerina moves across the wake.  Now, Ben is one of the tougher skiers.  So tough he tried barefoot skiing on this first outing.

While he definitely lost some ground from last year (9 months will do that to you), he didn't give up easily either.  He kept trying and trying and trying and when he got home, watched some videos on the three point stance.  With his determination and Brad's coaching I'm sure he'll get it down.

Jordan did not attempt to barefoot but looked pretty good skiing.

 So good that I commented that he might be catching up to Brad's skill level (and hinted at perhaps surpassing Brad).

 so Brad had to do some proving of how tough he was.

Yes, with his purple shirt, hat and neckerchief (he says the neckerchief is a wonder at keeping him cool on the lake) he doesn't look like much, but you should see this man ski.  So, ya, he won and Jordan's not as good as him.  He also had to prove how tough he was and barefoot skied with ease just to show Ben how it's done.
 

You know, it was really intimidating marrying into a family where they took skiing so seriously.  I hope it won't be that way for our future in-laws.  At least, I'll profess that I'm not that great.  Although, I did get up and I did ski.

This was taken after my ski trying to dry off.  While I was skiing my hands hurt so bad and I couldn't figure out why...oh ya, I rowed on our rowing maching earlier this week without gloves and had a whole bunch of blisters...and I forgot my gloves when I skied.  My hands were pretty torn up after my ski.

McKenzie got up on her ski too and we had some fun tubing together, although we did hit a wave on that tube from a boat making waves to surf on and that was no bueno...we both launched off the tube and ended up with some serious whiplash.  Next time I see one of those waves coming at me, I'm bailing.  I'm pretty sure she feels the same way.

I still hate that her hair looks perfect, even when she is boating.  How dare she have such perfect hair.

Of course, you can't forget these two.  Especially since Jake got up on his own for the first time ever on two skis!  Yay!  Now, time to learn to slalom. 

Yes, Riley is wearing sunglasses with a lens missing.  That's just how cool he is.