It has to be said - the past week has possibly been the busiest of our lives. Holy smokes! We have been on the run having fun since school got out, and so far, our summer has been amazing! The first week, the two B's went camping with Gramma and Papa - I don't have any pictures of this, yet. They even went to my niece Lexi's graduation from 8th grade - they went to their campsite, set up camp and then came back to town the next day for the graduation ceremony, then headed back up to camp. They had the time of their lives in the forest and came back with enough memories to fill a summer, let alone one week of it! The next week, we went from camping to camps - Volleyball and Swim Camp, simultaneously. And Swim Practice three times a week on top of that. And at the end of the week, a 4-H meeting. a cupcake decorating party/sleepover and the Swim-A-Thon! I truly felt like a taxi service, but it was worth every drop of gas - I sometimes made five trips to town and back. Can you believe it?! Both B's have been happy, happy, happy and have enjoyed their two weeks off from the grind of school. However, we will admit it - we are ready to stay home for a few days!
The two volleyball girls, Brailey and Isa. These two learned so much at their camp this year and can't wait for their season to start this fall. They met when they played together last season and then during City League with their mothers. They are great friends!
With the Assistant Coach for the Lady Beacons, Coach Kelly. She was really, really good, and the girls learned more at this camp than they have in the past. She has them moving their feet and getting to the ball.
Britt and Coach Britta. Yep, you read that right! His swim coach's name is Britta. She looks like a movie star and she does a great job coaching all the swimmers. I told Britt to tell her he likes her name... She said she likes his, too!
A moment with Dad after a hard week of swimming. Brady was so impressed with how far Britt has come in his swimming since he made the Swim Team. Most impressive is how hard he works at it. 110%, always!
Brailey and Mag-Doll. We gave her a bath and prettied her up, because we've had some sadness in the midst of all our fun. Brailey's "number one gunner," as we say in the cowboy world, came up lame a couple of weeks ago, and so she had to take Maggie to her 4-H meeting. Tex is so push-button and Brailey has such an extreme amount of confidence in him, it was a little tough to have to ride Maggie. But they both did well! It is great experience for both of them (Brailey and Maggie), and we are praying Tex will be well by Fair time, which is almost here already. If not, then Maggie will be going to her first fair!
And the Swim-A-Thon. Britt has been raising money for his team for the past month, and finally the big day arrived. In this picture, he is with two of his Buena Vista classmates, who are also on the team. He also made some friends during the Swim Camp, and that gave him some extra security. It is always nice to make new friends.
The "TEAM "photo.
You cannot believe how hard Britt worked in this Swim-A-Thon! His goal was 50 laps - he did five better than that! He was very serious about his swimming the entire time. He did ten laps of breaststroke, then ten laps of backstroke, then ten laps of freestyle, and then I talked him into using a kickboard for a few laps. This was good, because his classmate from Buena Vista, Maleeia, did the same thing, and the two of them talked while going back and forth. Then, he finished with three laps of freestyle, one lap of backstroke and a final lap of breaststroke. He never took a break and swam for an hour and forty minutes. On our way home, he said he wished he would have swam the entire two hours, but I think he pushed himself plenty hard enough. We are so proud of him and inspired by his dedication and determination!
Straight out of the pool after an hour and forty minutes of swimming.
Checking his laps sheet.
Brailey and I were very proud of him! A stranger offered to take a picture of the three of us.
Remember I mentioned a cupcake decorating party and sleepover? After Brailey's 4-H meeting, she went to a birthday party at her friend Isa's house, where they decorated a ton of cupcakes and had a wonderful time! It was her first "slumber party," complete with her dad's sleeping bag. She loved every second of it!
Celebrating the end of the Swim-A-Thon and a hard week with their favorite pizza and Orange Crush. Sadly, Brady wasn't able to come to the Swim-A-Thon, because he had to attend the funeral of one of his best friend's wives. It was sad, because we needed to be there for Brady, but we couldn't miss the Swim-A-Thon, and Brady hated to miss the fun, but he needed to be there for his friend, too. Sometimes, you just can't do it all, although we tried like the dickens and managed to fit in more than enough. What can we say? It is a great life we lead, and we are grateful!
