Bowlers B.C. (before cruise)

I had actually typed this a couple weeks before the cruise! I was trying to download a stop-action movie that the kids did, but it didn't work and so I forgot to post this without it! Anyway, I am working on some of the cruise things....it might not get done today, so be patient! Anyway, here is the previous one...

I just love this time of year. Everyone wants to be outside and it just seems like a very active time of year. We have started baseball season. Dallen and Ashton are playing and really enjoying it. Here are pictures of Ashton out in the field and Dallen up to bat. They are on the same team and it really is a great season (for me!). There team is really young, but each game seems to get better and better. Ashton is the oldest on the team and I think it is really good for him this year. He is playing in-field, mostly, and is doing really well at it. I just remember when I tried to do second base and all the things that went with it were too much for me, so I was put back in the out field and knew I could get the ball to the catcher...that was my job! I am glad he gets it! Their coach is REALLY good in the sense that he doesn't yell at the boys when they do something like swing at balls above their head! Instead he says "great swing...just make sure it's down here". Ashton hit a home run this week and Dallen is great at stealing bases. He got hit with the ball when he got up to bat on the first game and so he is a little scared to bat, so he mostly just stands there and for the most part, he walks!

We have finished another Eagle project. Thank you to all those who helped make it happen. He was able to get over 128 hours on his project and it is all because of the help from others. I am impressed with Alec and how he was able to overcome some serious fears that he had of calling people and asking for help or donations, but he did it and I hope he feels a sense of accomplishment from his work. He mentioned that when he went flying with Grandpa the other day for his aviation merit badge, that they flew over the park he did his project at, and he loved seeing all the trees they had planted. They planted 25 trees and I am glad that Alec didn't listen to me. I kept telling him that was a lot of trees and that maybe he should plan on doing 10 or so, but he was determined that it could be done and the city guy helping him stepped up and got some extra help and made it all happen. Here are a couple pictures of the project....

Dallen had a really cool little choir concert. He sang with eight other elementary schools at Tuachan. They had an American Celebration. They sang songs as one group and then sang as individual choirs. It was really well done and I feel bad that I didn't know it was such a big deal. I ended up going by myself! I wish I had known more about it. I just figured it was another little choir concert that no one would care to go to. I guess I need to let others determine that for themselves! This picture is to give you an idea of how many kids there were

Derrek officially got his first set of wheels...

Okay, not a car, but he did get a bike...We have been trying to get him to see the value of saving money and so we decided that having him save toward a goal would help. The first goal was saving $1,000. He couldn't touch that money until he reached $1,000. In fact, he gave me his last $150 to get there and when I put it in, he was still less $1.33 and I told him he still couldn't have it. So, he gave me $1.33! It was funny. Anyway, he had to spend it on one big thing and he has really been wanting a Mountain Bike and found a nice one for $900 and spent the other $100 on accessories (matching gloves and handle bars...so important!). His next goal is $1,500 and can't touch it until he reaches that goal. It has helped him want to save his money and realized that he doesn't need all the little things that he thought he did. Hopefully this sets him up for a more sucessful life.