Rain, fog, and new tents from Omma...

After raining all day Thursday and into most of Friday, the weather cleared up just in time for us to pack up our van and head out for our Fall Cub Scout Campout. The Weather Underground website promised me clear skies and starry nights. As luck would have it, this past summer Omma bought Kenny a new tent for his birthday! One that sleeps six instead of three and provided that extra protection from the elements...just in case!

After not much effort Kenny and Jessica finished putting up our tent and thank goodness for the new tent because the rain trickled all night long and not a drop of rain ended up in our tent!

The campsite we had was a bit away from the nearest flushing bathroom. Port-o-potties were closer by, but a bike ride to civilized toilets were the only option for me! Thank goodness the kids didn't mind being escorts! Especially late at night in the cold foggy rain!

Nothing is better than waking up to Hot Cocoa and Ziploc bag omelets!

New adventures in Old battlefields...

This past weekend we went camping with Kenny's Cub Scout Pack. The campsite was at Blakely State Park in Spanish Fort, Alabama. This historic site is where the last battle of the Civil War was fought. I am still amazed at the beauty of this area and can feel its rich history whenever I am around the old historic sites of the South.

There were bike trails and nature sites. Hiking trails and replicas of old civil war cannons.

There were over 100 people camping wiht us this weekend. About 40 of them were young scouts. It was fun to see them enjoy the outdoors and get a little taste of nature!

Jessica's favorite find while out on our hike were these two unique leaves. One was the 'brightest' yellow color she had ever seen and the other was in the shape of a perfect little heart! She thought they went perfectly together!

Turtles! Turtles! Everwhere!!!

While bike riding this weekend Kenny found a baby turtle in our yard! We always knew we had a mama turtle who liked to burrow in our back yard and would come out from time to time to stroll down to the lake for a drink. But the baby turtles are something we've never seen before!

Something great is happening here...

This past missionary transfer our Ward found out we would be getting another two elders to serve within our ward boundaries! That makes eight elders all together for our one little Ward! Never before have I heard of our area having so many elders called to serve in one place all at the same time! I hope we can live up to the task that has been given us and help keep the elders busy! One thing is for sure...we'll definitely have to deep fry several more turkeys this year for Thanksgiving dinner at our house!

Three tables, three dice, three rounds of games and lots of laughter...

Today was my day to host our subdivision's Bunco group for our monthly round of games! Just about four years ago one of the members of the group knocked on my door and welcomed me into the neighborhood and asked if I would be interested in playing! I had never even heard of the game before, but was willing to give it a try! Several years later, I've won a few rounds and I've lost of few rounds, but mostly I've made some amazing friends along the way! Our group has survived hurricanes together, celebrated newborn grandbabies together, endured empty nester syndrome together and even cried together when we lost a member to cancer last year. The game is quite simple. It only takes one roll of the dice to see if you're a winner. But what I've learned from this game hasn't come from the game itself...its come from being around wonderful, hard working, intelligent women who all know from experience what it means to be a "good friend". Thank heaven for Bunco! And thank heaven for good friends...

Overcoming our fears...

Fifth grade Student Council elections were held at Kenny's school a few weeks ago. I was somewhat surprised when Kenny came home with an application and stated matter of factly that he would be running for Treasurer! I was excited about his interest in running and we soon began our work on the posters, flyers, campaign slogans, etc.! What a fun week we had!

One of the parts of the election meant that Kenny would have to get up in front of the entire student body and give a speech about why they should vote for him. I really didn't think he had it in him, but on that day he sat nervously watching everyone else get up and give their speech and finally when they got to his name (the list was alphabetical), he slowly stood up, cleared his throat, leaned into the microphone, and gave the best speech he could possibly give!

Applause broke out as his friends chanted "Kenny! Kenny!" from the back of the gym! The Student Council advisor reminded everyone over the microphone that all applause would be given at the end of EVERYONE's speech and eventually the cheers died down. But not from me...as I silently watched Kenny walk back to his seat hoping he would glance over at me just for a second and when he did, I gave him a quick "thumbs up" and the biggest smile I could muster! I was so extremely proud of him! Those that know Kenny well know that he does not like public speaking and is quite shy in large groups. I know it took a lot for Kenny to get up and do what he did that day. But what an amazing experience for him and for a mother who knew that the odds of him winning the election were slim, what a great big step in the right direction for Kenny to overcome one of his biggest fears!

Below is the speech Kenny wrote for the Student Council Election assembly. Oh and by the way....a girl won the Treasure seat. In fact a girl won every single seat on the Council for the first time ever in the history of the school! The fifth grade boys have claimed the election must have been rigged. I just think it may be a sign of the times! Whatever the reason, it was well worth the effort and gave Kenny his very first experience in the political ring! Way to go Kenny!

Fifth Grade Treasurer Speech
by Kenny Schloemer

Hi, my name is Kenny Schloemer.
I’m running for Student Council treasurer.
You should vote for me because:
1) I am good at math.
2) I like to count money.
3) I am very organized.
And 4) I’ve never robbed a bank.
So remember when its time to vote:
Got a penny?
You can trust Kenny!
Vote me for Student Council Treasurer!

When dear friends move away...

One of the hardest things I remember having to deal with as a child in elementary school was the day my friend Charmaine moved away. She and I were inseparable and I can still to this day remember the way I felt when we were together. I could tell Charmaine anything and we liked all the same things! She brought out the best in me and I hope that time has been a friend to her and that she is doing well. After moving away we eventually lost touch and I couldn't even tell you where or what she would be doing now some 30 years later.

So comes a repeat of history as Kenny and Jessica say good bye to a dear friend, J.T.. As a parent who's been there and done that, I've vowed to make this story end differently! J.T. has been a fixture in our home for over a year now. He's shared holidays with us, class time with Jessica, Snake time with Kenny, and has melted our hearts. J.T. seemed to fit right into our family. Coming with us to church functions, giving Kenny that younger brother he never had, and helping Jessica to see that being "Twins" would've been okay with her as long as her "Twin" was J.T..

Friday was J.T.'s last day at Hutchens elementary school as he has moved across the bay and will start at a new school this week. Luckily, we were able to spend the weekend with him celebrating his birthday not once, but TWICE! The kids couldn't have been happier! We wish J.T. all the best of luck in his new home and school! And we look forward to seeing him again, and Again, and AGAIN...all the while watching him grow and seeing how time has been a good friend to him too!

Pump it up...

I'll tell you there's nothing "funner" according to the kids than going to a local bounce house here in Mobile called "Pump It Up"!!! Slides, boxing rings, basketball hoops, and more! It took a few tries, but I finally got the camera to take a picture of Kenny and Jessica coming down the slide just at the right time!

Kenny's favorite part about Pump It up is playing King of the Hill!

Jessica's favorite part is knocking him off that hill!

Pine cones, stray deer, and venomous snakes...

It doesn't take much to get a group of 5th grade Webelos Scouts excited about nature. Throw in some humongous pine cones, a couple of stray deer, and a variety of southern snakes and you got yourself a great Den Meeting!
Kenny and his Pack 84 Webelos group drove over to the Mobile Environmental Studies Center to work on their Naturalist and Forrester pins with volunteer Mr. Jones. It was a great afternoon! (And no one got hurt!)

Swim club birthday party...

Jessica recently attended a birthday party at the West Mobile Swim Club. She had a fun time with all of her friends from Ms. Nik's class!

Spring Piano Recital...

The kids ended their third year of piano lessons with Ms. Nelson at a recital in her home. Each child played two pieces with one being a duet with their teacher.

Gulf Shores Zoo...

Jessica and some of her friends from Ms. Nik's class trip to the Gulf Shores Zoo!

Jessica and her best friend Isabel!

Paintball...

Space camp in Huntsville...

This past summer Kenny was able to attend Space Camp in Huntsville, AL. He had a great time! He came home more excited than I've ever seen him and he had several hundred photos to show for it!

Needless to say with our slow internet connection I wasn't able to post any of the photos, but now that we are DSL up and running I am sharing some of my favorites!

Kenny and his Space Camp counselor!

Hot lips Houlihan...

So although the dance was last weekend, today was the Parade and Float competition for Baker High School. They will also have the Homecoming football game tonight against Williamson (we're sure to lose) and the crowning of the Homecoming court. Lisa is the VP for the Sophomore class so she has been busy for the last two weeks helping out with the class float. The theme for their float this year was M*A*S*H and the team they are playing against tonight are the lions. Hence the phrase "M*A*S*H the lions".

Lisa's job was to re-create the sign post that became famous on the show. You know the one that points to all the different locations... I thought she did an outstanding job! Who knew those old city council campaign signs of mine would keep coming in handy years after their conception!

Oh and by the way...as part of the float each of the members dressed in character (Radar, Pierce, Haweye, Klinger, etc.) The boys voted Lisa "Hot Lips Houlihan"....I'm not sure if I'm suppose to think that's funny or be a little suspicious!

Visitors from Hawaii...

Fasi and Mele Tovo visited us this week from Hawaii. They were here to pick up their youngest son, Elder Tovo, from his mission. He was called two years ago to serve in the Florida Tallahassee Mission and for a bulk of that time he spent his days serving here in the Mobile Alabama Stake.