Summer 2017

This summer has been full.  Not just busy but enriching, full of time together, full of laughs, new adventures and a new phase of staying up and sleeping in (a little).


Mason began the summer wondering what he could/would do this summer to earn some summer spending money.  In the past Mason has sold lemonade, cookies, flavored popcorn.

I suggested the brothers began a stick collecting business and go yard to yard offering to pick up sticks and pull weeds...Micah was game but Mason thought that sounded too much like work.

Mason was thinking of selling popcorn again but he had zero dollars so he was going to hire Micah as his investor but didn't want to share any of the profit so he continued thinking.

I asked him to think of what he really enjoyed doing.  Immediately he said, "I love to play football and basketball!"  So, when I suggested the idea of a clinic or camp for younger kids his wheels began to turn.

Mason made a flyer, carefully planned the details of the clinic and how much time it would take for each of the activities and we posted on instagram and Facebook and with in a few days he had 12 k-rising 2nd graders signed up $5 per kid and his only upfront money was $2.00 for some Popsicles he advertised as a snack during the clinic.  The clinic was awesome!  He decided to hire his friend Brice for $5 to help as his assistant and he finished the clinic with $55 in his pocket for doing something that he loves.  Next week he and Landon Hull are hosting a basketball clinic since the football clinic went so well.

Micah has been devouring books.  He LOVES to read.  When we don't know where he is we can look   in some of his favorite reading spots.  The screen porch, a bonus room chair, or under a blanket on the couch.  He is reading some Jr Classics, Box Car Children, Diary of a Wimpy Kid, books Mason has already finished....He and Mason both are on their 3rd sheets of the library summer reading challenge.  All of the reading that Mason and Micah have been doing has inspired Ethan to learn to read too so he is only 4 but is reading books!  I found a "Dick and Jane book" and Ethan is actually reading on his own!  American Ninja Warrior has been a favorite TV show for all of the boys to watch and Micah and Mason construct courses of their own on our playset and playgrounds we visit. Another fun part of Micah's summer is that he has been having a sleep over every night.

Earlier in the school year Ethan and Micah decided they would like a playing room and a sleeping room. So we moved Ethan bed into Micah's room.  Well, one night they asked to sleep in the same bed and what began as one night of a sleepover has become a norm of these two brothers not only sharing the same room but sleeping in the same bed.  This new arrangement has been fun but I have recently discovered that it has made Ethan EXTRA attached to Micah.  Micah went to a sleepover at Caleb's house and Ethan cried and cried because Micah wasn't in the bed with him, and even asked for us to pray that Micah wouldn't miss him as much as he missed Micah.

At dinner Ethan has been eating lots of new foods he's always eager to try anything! One of his new favorites is grilled onions.  And some guaranteed phrases out of Ethan's mouth at dinner time will be "Thank you mommy for dinner", "Lets have a conversation", "What do you want to do tonight? Play Pick out of the hat"  Ethan is always smiling, NEVER stops talking, and ALWAYS wants to play a game! There has never been anyone more fun to play battle with than Ethan- He jumps up and down with each card turn and if there is a battle he squeals with excitement. Recently he is also discovering that he likes to win so some tears are shed when he doesn't  win every game.   Ethan's vocabulary is outstanding and he is actually very funny with his quick whit and fast response time.  He is a little man in a petite four year old snaggletoothed boy.

Our family has been enjoying a new addition to our Carowinds passes this year- 2 Meal Plans.  Micah has ventured onto some taller roller coasters and Ethan has been so content to just be with everyone and wait for the brother to ride rides.

Last summer we drove 2 hours to the Mt's to go river tubing and this year I did some research and discovered we could purchase our own river tubes and float down the Catawba river.  So we have floated twice already and love it!

We've eaten at restaurants, walked from our house to pelicans for snowballs, played at carowinds, visited new parks, enjoyed the cool AC at the library shows, read lots of books, watched lots of cooking shows, watched Despicable me 3 in the theater, played on the low ropes at the white water center, Mason had a missions camp while Micah and Ethan participated in Unity Presbyterians Super Hero VBS.  This week, for the first time Micah is old enough to join Micah at Victory Sports Camp while Ethan attends "his VBS" at Grace church.

Chris and I have enjoyed our evenings on the screen porch watching deer eat from our crab apple tree, (which are also a new daily addition to Micah's diet- he loves to climb the tree and search for a snack of his own...Micah is so adventurous) Chris and I have read a new parenting book "Parenting 14 Biblical Principles that Can Radically change your Family" and are excited about the new path Chris is exploring of becoming a property investor.   We think we will be purchasing our first rental home really soon, thanks to a connection from Jason and Kristel.

Still to come for the summer is a short family weekend in Asheville before we drop Mason off for his last year of Camp Rock, a family celebration of Phillips retirement, a possible McDowell Park family camping night, a trip to Fripp Island for a week of family vacation, and a big party at Grand maw and Papas house to celebrate Dads 70th birthday.  And all of the in between family dinners, family board games, pool games, trips to carowinds....this summer has been full of family time- which is my favorite time!!