Almost time for school

It is crazy how fast the summer flies by...it has been a while since I have posted.

We have had some busy days & I am looking forward to the fall schedule...by the time summer arrives everyone in my family is ready for a break from the "routine", but I for one am ready to be back in a routine. It is nice for a while to fly by the seat of your pants & take each day as it comes. But after a while I long for a schedule where I know where everybody is going to be everyday & doing what!!!

Ike signed up for football the other day, then attended a 2-day football camp in Plummer. I am not a huge football fan & have been less than enthusiastic about his pleas to play. In the past we have limited the kids to 2 sports each, but Isaac has assured us that his grades this year will convince us that he can play 3...so we gave in & are crossing our fingers. He enjoyed football camp very much & said he learned a lot, since he didn't really know anything to start with! :) His practices start this coming Monday.

Cassidy just completed a 2-day cheerleading camp here in St. Maries put on by the high school cheerleaders. She has been designated as one of the "flyers", that is the cheerleader that they toss into the air and (hopefully) catch when she comes back down. So far no disasters. She is getting ready to go on a road trip with her Papa for a week or so to Oregon & is very excited about that.

Kaittlin has been very busy working. When she picks up her paycheck today she will have enough money that we can go this afternoon & order her letterman's jacket. She is absolutely THRILLED with that...so I am, since she is the one paying for it! Her days off this week happened to fall on the same two days that our youth group was doing a hiking/camping trip. They hike into Crystal Lake, spend the night, & hike out. She went along & should be home sometime this afternoon.

Each year in the beginning of August our church sponsors a school clothing giveaway. They collect gently used children's, teen's, & adult's clothing all year. We sort them onto tables by gender & size, then on a Saturday the doors open & anyone can come in & pick out school clothing for themselves. They also give out new socks, underwear, & backpacks to the kids. It is a really great ministry. I have managed to volunteer my time to help out for several years now. Since the volunteers with the sorting, etc usually show up with bags & bags of their own kids' clothing that was cleaned out of the closet we are generally allowed to pick out anything that we would like as well. Each year I am able to get a few things for each kid, which really helps with the cost of back to school.

This year Ike & Cassidy made out great...not so many things for Kaittlin. It also gave the girls great incentive to clean out their closets & drawers to get ready for the upcoming school year. They donated sooo much stuff! Ike still has to go through his things & I am afraid there won't be much left when he does...he FINALLY grew this summer!

Last weekend we spent a day picking huckleberries. We managed to get 2 gallons to sell ($40 gallon...school shoes...whoo hoo!) and a little over a quart for ourselves. I'm not a big a fan, although I don't mind them cooked into pancakes or muffins. The rest of the family loves them...in fact we have to hide them from Cassidy...she likes them frozen with sugar sprinkled on them & will eat them ALL if given a chance. Mike & Ike are going back out today as we have been contacted by someone who would like to buy 2 gallons if we can get them. I like to pick them, it's kind of therapeutic.

So that is about all that has been going on in our lives...getting ready for school should take up the rest of the month then off we go!