Countdown to double digits!

We are enjoying the last few hours with our "single digit sweetie" before Emily turns 10 in the morning. I don't think I'm ready for double digits, but they are upon us whether I am or not! I've spent my evening figuring out how to make an ice cream cake -- and how to put a monkey on the front of it! (Emily is very into monkeys right now) We'll find out tomorrow if I succeeded or not.

Goodness Gracious!!

What just happened? It seems like I just posted pictures of our first track meet and now the season is over! At the second meet Emily finally brought home a blue ribbon (in the long jump). The boys continued to do amazing in all of the running races they entered and all three of those kids can throw a softball! (one of the events was a softball toss). All in all, it seems that track was a fun experience for everyone. As soon as track ended (a week ago), the kids enjoyed a short soccer camp (hosted by a local church). We squeezed two different camping trips into July--at a local state park with a "pretend beach" (since the real one is still too far away). About a month ago, we upgraded our old motor home to a travel trailer (so we can actually travel somewhere with it--and not have to drive two cars) . . . it's a far cry from "camping" as I've always known it -- but it's awfully handy with so many kids (since we're required to get two hotel rooms when we go anywhere, it helps to take your own lodging with you!). We're hoping that it also provides us with the chance to "take school on the road" a bit in the coming months. We found our travel trailer on Craigslist and ended up driving to Omaha to pick it up. That worked out great for us because we finally got to see Taylor and meet his girlfriend (Kelsey). It was a rushed visit, but very, very fun to see both of them!