Easter 2012

This year we racked our brain to bring a challenging hunt

 deemed worthy of 2 adventurous older boys.

 Something that would take longer than the typical 5 minute.

  We came up with FLASHLIGHT Egg Hunt. (Thanks to Pinterest)

The hunt lasted aprox an hour

(wow! since when was the last time that happend!)

Using Light Reflective Blazer Tacks to mark the areas

an egg could found and

plastic eggs filled with valuable non-candy prizes,

we sent the boys out armed with flashlights.

and yielded 34 of 36 eggs.

 (2 to be found in the daylight after church)

 Flashlight Egg Hunt Prizes

 BuddyMan and Dude Finding the last egg from the night's before Flashlight Hunt

 Americana Chick helping the Easter Bunny

2012 Easter Basket Booty

Yes, that is Socks you see in the basket :)

If you only knew. (LOL another post)

Peeps, Choco Peep, Rainbow Twizzlers, 

Chocolate Cross

 with a hidden $25 Cash

Fair Week! Last minute scramble.

Wow!  This is our very 1st Fair Week.

Buddy Man has raised a good looking hog and we are doing all the last minute details.  Bilbo, the show hog, has steadily gained and has easily made weight.  (Momma worried needlessly.....well someone had too.)

Ok. So maybe we waited a little too long on some of those details.

Chalk it up to our first year.....our LEARNING year (6th Gr.)

Boy have we learned A LOT.

Buddy Man is responsible and capable of walking 2 miles everyday after school over to the High School to take care of Bilbo.  

This is HUGE for both him and momma.  

(Also enjoys finding his squished coins when passing the RR tracks)

Momma doesn't take enough pictures.

Finding buyers takes TIME. 

Oops, times up....well maybe they will get them and Buddy Mans will be fresh in their mind.

Finding who has the HS Clippers to clip "Bilbo" almost impossible. 

Old household clippers don't cut pig hair :/

Rounding up official dress for a sprouting 13yr that hates trying anything on

 is not fun.

OMGosh! His shoe size is now a 9. 

(more evidence he is growing up and becoming a man...

.noooo I want my cuddly baby back)

Buddy Man NEEDS to enter in ALL the side categories FFA has.

(woodworking, metal working, plants, etc.)

 Its most likely he'll receive a ribbon with a premium

 and it all adds up.

FFA isn't as organized as I expected.

(maybe I need to volunteer, wink wink)

Majority of it was positive however something has stood out and has

 quite alarmed Momma.

Handwriting.

 (more on that later)

Next year we will have our ducks in a row. 

 Now that we know so much.....we have a plan :)

 Which includes teaching Buddy Man about Time Management, deadlines and such.

Morning Ride to School

I love the rides to school in the mornings :)  Sometimes they are quiet.  Sometimes they are hurried and stressed (thankful that these are now infrequent) Sometimes they are pure GEMS <3
This morning's ride started with the call of "ShotGun" This competition to win first dibs on the best seat. Depending on weather the preferred spot may be the back seat which is the warmest.  I do not usually  uphold this "call" due to what is perceived as unfair,  I implemented a rotation basis.  I am always finding new situations to counter the perception.......any way back to why it was a GEM.

My son takes a moment from being engrossed in his ipod game, looks up and asks "Mom, do you think when I grow up I will be a good video game programmer? You know, one that comes up with the games?"  My reaction instinctively was to encourage him to be something other than video games.  However, I stopped.  I changed my perspective and replied with an matter of fact YES.   I asked him to tell me more. He continued with "Did I ever tell you about the video game idea that is christian based."
"No" I replied.
"Ask Joe the next time you see him" says my son and returns to playing his game while he nonchalantly informs me that  Joe (Youth leader) thought it was a good idea and the Speaker at the Winter Youth Retreat thought it was a good idea.
"WHAT!" :/ " Tell me Tell me Tell me"  (My son ..... the inventor :)
So I listened as he described how this game would be based on the Bible.  You'd be able to choose characters of the Bible or develop your own.  They would have quests, buy verses as clues,  fight in battles  etc.  Rated T
I responded "well the Bible IS pretty intense and wow it could even be Rated M. or soften it up for Rated E. WOW.....that idea has HUGE potential!"

I did caution him that it would need be with the right motivations and.... wow... God could even bless it.

He replied.  "I don't need to get rich, but people can read the bible and play a video game"

My son is cool :D