Well, my Dad and Stepmom drove off into the morning sunlight this morning. We had a fabulous week of hunting, thrifting, eating, watching baseball, and Swiss Family Robinson.

The weather was warm but not too hot and the evenings were cool enough for dinners on the patio. (Some breakfasts too.)

Hunting

The boys are completely fascinated by my Dad’s love of hunting. J is constantly peppering him with questions.

Mid week my kids were out pretending to hunt and my Dad decided to join them. Somehow, the hunting game turned into a how-to hunt and how-to act like the animal being hunted, let’s say a deer. So in the 35 acres we live on, the kids were stalking their Grandpa carrying play guns and shouting “bang, bang”. So then the kids would take turns being an elk, or a cougar or a deer. You get the picture. It was a hoot. Although, when my Dad was out in the orchards, out-gaming the hunters, he did look a bit too much like a stalker and at one point had me freaked out, ready to call the sheriff until I realized it was him.

A homeschooling mom friend of mine asked me if we had started school yet and I said no because with church family camp and then family here we thought it better to start the 14^th. I then proceeded to explain this hunting thing my kids were playing with their Grandpa. She assured me this would fall under animal science and I had in fact started school. Excellent. I love friends like that.

Thrifting

Jackpot! Holy Moly! 28 books - $.57 a piece!!

as well as other goodies. But the books took the cake. Most were on my ‘someday to buy’ booklist and most didn’t have the spine broken.

Baseball

Yep more up-dates to come. The boys are playing in a fall league and had their first game this past Tuesday. They lost 7-11 but gained experience playing on a field with a longer distance from pitcher to home, evening sun-in-your-eyes trying to catch a fly ball, and learning the feel of a different park.

Swiss Family Robinson

Grandpa Dean thought it a crime that the kids had not seen Swiss Family Robinson. So last night we all hunkered down for the 1960’s something flick and peach cobbler.

Now it’s back to a routine and a bit more schedule planning so we can kick our school year into high gear come Monday. It’s been a great summer and I’m not willing to say fall is here yet – but in two weeks, when Mike starts shaking the walnut trees I may just have to face reality. Until then I’ll keep working on my tan.