Too Long....

I am so disappointed in the time that I've let pass since my last entry. I keep telling myself that this going back to college thing will all be worth it and I hope that's true. I sometimes feel like I've put our lives on standby for the past two years, although I know that's not true. We've had some fab family moments that I've managed to document on camera (notice I didn't say film, cause I never develop them...they just hang in limbo on the memory card for years) I just haven't taken the time to write about them as I should. BUT...that all stops now! I am turning over a new leaf and plan to express my thoughts on the typed page a lot more these days. School is nearly over (YaHoo!) and they'll be no more standby for the Boggs 5. The past few months have had their share of noteworthy moments. Austin started Highschool, played on the special ops teams during the Varsity football games, acquired a girlfriend, attended his first Harvest Ball, and realized this growing up stuff is a lot of hard work. Leigha has been enjoying fifth grade where she's in the advanced classes. She also started taking dance again this year and enrolled in two classes and the opposite end of the spectrum: lyrical ballet and hip-hop....that's my kind of girl. She still waives as to what she'd like to do next year in middle school sports. Cheerleading sounds intriguing but Austin tells her she doesn't need the drama associated with that title...we'll see. When her hormones aren't making it difficult for us to get along, she is quite fun to hang out with. Although, I am beginning to quickly be replaced by her friends and a choice to hang out with. She'd be happy if we'd adopt a different friend every weekend of the year. Abigale is attending 1st Grade at O.J. and had the same teacher both Austin and Leigha had, Mrs. Barnett. This also happens to be her last year of teaching, which I think makes it pretty special that she got the pleasure of teaching all the Boggs children. Abbie has also started doing one of her favorites again: gymnastics. She enjoys it so much that I have a hard time getting her to leave when it's over. Although the drive gets a bit taxing, I do enjoy spending time with her on Thursday evenings and just listening to her jabber. On the way to lessons last week we passed what looked to be a rock quarry. She says,"Mommy, is that the mountain with the faces carved in it?" She was obviously referring to Mount Rushmore and it was had for me to not burst into laughter. I simply told her no and that we were pretty far away from that mountain. She also entertains us with her learning new phrases and things. She over heard me telling her brother that had nothing to complain about when his plans got cancelled and that she had gotten the shaft because hers had as well. She then looks up at me and says, "Mommy, what is the shaft and who is getting it?" Oops, another lesson to choose my words more wisely huh. Nonetheless, it's crazy around here getting everyone where they are suppose to be all the time, but I wouldn't change it for the world. However, I would make it so that Daddy could work a day shift job and get to enjoy his precious children at least as much as I do.

Baby Calves and "O"ppossums?

Life is so exciting with three beautiful children! Last weekend we enjoyed another fall afternoon before the weather turned really cold. We went to Warvel Park in Manchester then had lunch at Dairy Queen. Although I never miss a chance to play at the park, what we did next was even more fun. We went to Alan Stouffers with Grandpa Darrell and did the farm chores. May not sound exciting to anyone but us city folks, but we had a blast. There were 15 baby calves to bottle feed, one GINORMOUS boar, four crazy dogs and a couple goofy goats. We all had a blast. At one point I called Abbie over to me by using her full name, Abigale. She said, "Don't call me Abigale, I like Abbie!" I guess she told me. Anyway, thanks Grandpa Darrell for the memories that I'm sure will last our lifetime.
Speaking of Abigale, this week has been a rough. Several months ago, with no explanation, Abbie decided she didn't want to sleep in her own bed. This week I decided that had to change. Multiple nights of crying, screaming, running around (and that's not even considering how Abbie was behaving, lol) We've begun a rigid bedtime routine starting with a bath and ending with a couple bedtime stories. When we were reading last night (which was a little better but I don't want to jinx myself) She gave special consideration to the "O" in Oppossum. It was very cute. We can only hope and pray that the advice of Super Nanny and Dr. Lehman have turned our bedtime around.
The rest of the clan has had a couple interesting weeks as well. Austin was cut from the basketball team again this year, but this time momma insisted on some answers. I discretely met with the coach after practice the next night to discuss what areas Austin could work on. The coach explained that Austin was the hardest cut he had to make and that he was a really good kid. He had offered Austin a spot as manager so he could practice with the team and had hoped Austin would accept. He also wanted me to know that of all the children cut that day (there were 5), that Austin was the only one that thanked him for the opportunity to try out. I was in tears. It isn't often as parents we get a glimmer of hope that we are doing something right. Anyway, he accepted and have been working hard to improve his skills. I couldn't be prouder of his humbling himself to practice with the team without the promise of playing time. Young Mr. Boggs also celebrated his 14th Bday since I last wrote. We were able to take him and seven of his friends camping over fall break. They had a lot of fun riding the bike trails and playing football and jail break. It was a really good time. The reservoir offered a lot of exploration since they had already been draining it. Can't believe I'm the mother of a 14 year old.
Miss Leigha and I were able to attend the Secret Keeper Girl conference that same weekend. We enjoyed the entertainment and touching messages presented. We learned a lot of tips about modest and how beautiful we all naturally are to our creator God. I especially enjoyed a little alone time with my girl. We went to Steak and Shake afterwards and then a little shopping. I am so very proud of the beautiful young lady she's becoming.

Camping Local?

Labor day weekend was our first attempt at camping locally. We reserved two sites at Salamonie Reservior for the long holiday weekend. Austin's best friends, Grant and Chase, along with their parents joined us. The weather was perfect. A little cool, but it gave me a taste of the up and coming fall season that I love so much. It warmed up enough to go boating the last couple days which we all extremely enjoyed. Abbie was impressed with all the "eagles" (also known as seagulls) that we saw on the boat. Tina let both girls try their hand at driving the boat as well. All of the boys (Larry, Doug, Austin, Chase and Grant) showed off their tubing and kneeboarding skills. I took some really neat action pictures which we all know will take me the next year to print off. The kids also enjoyed ending each day with a few hours of "jailbreak". Abbie was a little disgruntled that she really wasn't big enough to play, so her and I retreated to the camper for some bingo. Tina was a little envious of our family's attempt at "roughing it." Her and Doug insisted on sleeping in a tent right outside our camper, while the boys stayed with us. After freezing one evening and getting wet another, she entered the camper and said, "This is not camping." I replied with, "Ask me if I care." Overall, our first local camping trip was a huge success and we can't wait to do it again. It's amazing how many friends are willing to hang out with you when you aren't hours away:)

I've spoken too soon!

Well, I've spoken too soon. This has not been a good week so far. Abbie has no desire to attend Kindergarten anymore. She has shed more tears over the past two days than she probably has in the past two years:( She says she doesn't like it and doesn't want to go. Monday morning she cried about not liking lunch and not having help to open her milk carton. So then I worried about the poor child not getting anything to drink with her lunch. Last night after I put her to bed, she came downstairs to ask if she would ever get a break from Kindergarten. This a.m. she cried from the time she got up until she walked up the street to the bus. The only reason she wasn't crying when she got on the bus is because she got distracted by some squirrels. Where is Calgon when I need it? I spent her lunch period with her today and she seemed better. I was relieved to see that the lunch helper was checking to make sure everyone who needed help opening their milk got it. She had made a new friend and was busy talking to her when I left..no tears then Thank God! I was in tears a the shear joy of her maybe being happy for the first time in days. She had a better evening tonight and was asleep by 9 p.m. Praying the worse it over!

Leigha had a fun project her first day of school. She had a list of questions she was suppose to answer about herself and her family by bringing in items that represented her family. Her answers were quit entertaining. For the question, "What don't you like?" She took a picture of her brother and sister. I suggested she could tell her class that she doesn't like it when they pick on her. She forgot that part and just told the class she didn't like them...which received a frown from the teacher. Also, when she had to share something that made her family special, she came to me with a fake one dollar bill. She said, "Mommy, do you think our family is cheap?" I said, "I'd like to consider us frugal instead of cheap." She started giggling...that is what she was going to take to school to signify something special about her family....cheap? Is that all we are special for? Our thriftiness? What have I done to these children? Hopefully I changed her mind when I sprung for the $2 lip gloss she wanted at the drug store this eve:)

Austin is nickel and dimeing me to death with all of his extra curricular activities. We shopped for numerous football and school supplies a few weeks ago and last night we had to go shopping for a girdle. It is more football equip even though I always thought they were just women's undergarments. I'm sure he was wishing his dad would've taken him after I had a minor meltdown when the sports store refused the coupon they gave me with my last purchase there. It wouldn't have been so bad, but they seem to find some reason to not let me use them every time...My cheap (I mean frugal) self had had it! He also desperately needs to renew his subscription to XBOX live or the world may quit spinning on its axis. Not to mention his daily requests for a cell phone. Some of these items he's earned his own money to pay for but seriously...does he realize he usually makes more an hour than his mother does? Maybe after I remind him repeatedly he will. And so are the Days of our Lives.....

My Baby starts Kindergarten?

I don't know how it happened, but my baby grew old enough to start kindergarten today. These last few years have flown by. I've been in denial for months now but had to learn to deal with it this morning. She wasn't real excited about the idea but did really well. I think her open house and bus ride last night really helped matters. She also had a few friends in her class, Sully and Kirsten. When I dropped her off we hung up her bag, picked out her lunch, and she kissed me goodbye...never looked back. Amazingly enough I was so happy that she adjusted so well, I didn't even have to redo my makeup. I couldn't wait to pick her back up. It was hard to stay focused all day at work. When I picked her up, she ran up and greeted me with a great big hug (she's always been the best greeter). When I asked her what she'd done, she proceeded to tell me about all the things she didn't do. She didn't read books or learn to tie her shoes. My girl had pretty high expectations for her first day. Then she went on about having three recesses, reading a story, and going on an alphabet hunt. A tradition of ours is to go for a treat after school the first day. All Abbie wanted was chocolate milk from McD's.
Leigha said school was boring today. She didn't even get to learn. All they did were go over rules and more rules. Austin was happy hearing rules because it meant he didn't have to work. He was promised homework for tomorrow and isn't thrilled to say the least. He had his hopes up that the first week of school would be homework free. Looks like this new chapter is gonna be a fun and challenged filled adventure for all of us.

Mom, "What does RV stand for?"

This blog will most likely be my longest yet as I want to document our first week long adventure as an "RV Family", so I apologize in advance for I may bore some of you. Before we left on Sunday morning, Leigha was baptized. I was so proud of her. She just beamed like a little ray of sunshine as Solomon took her confession. When she came up out the water she asked me, "Mom, did he get all of me, did he get the top of my head, and is it ok if he didn't?" She is such a special girl and I know God has great things in store for her. Most of our families were in attendance and her grandma Rachel gave her a dainty little cross necklace as a token of remembrance, very sweet. It was an awesome way to start our week. We arrived at the Jellystone Campground in Fremont, IN on Sunday evening 7/20/09. After the ranger took us to our site and we got settled the fun began. We were conveniently located right beside the playground, so the girls spent a lot of time there. In fact, Leigha had already made friends after only having been there a couple hours. We took a bike ride around the grounds to scope the place out. Shortly after returning Austin took off on his bicycle only to return in tears, limping. He'd just had the worst wipe out he'd ever had on his bike. He'd managed to scrap up both knees, almost all his fingers on one hand and a toe. I honestly thought he was going to pass out on me he was in so much pain. His wounds were large enough that even the large band aids in my first aid supplies weren't big enough. I had to go to the camp store and purchase gauze pads and medical tape...Are you kidding me...We've only been on vacation a few hours? We spent 10 minutes, twice a day for the next three days changing bandages. It seemed as if his week might be ruined but he quickly bounced back and only let the injuries keep him down about 24 hrs. Later that evening while Austin was recuperating, I took the girls to the indoor pool swimming and tried to ruin their dinner with ice cream. We ended our first day on just the right note...hot dogs and smores over the campfire. On Monday, I took the girls to the pool and water park while Larry and Austin went exploring (Austin wasn't too interesting in soaking his wounds in the chlorine at this point) After meeting back at the RV for a quick lunch and the boys' stories of the new RV's they had drooled over at the next door sales park, we went to the catch and release pond for a little fishing. I decided after just a few minutes of fishing with my kids the sport should be renamed to "Cast and Reel". Abbie would almost immediately ask after Austin had just cast her line, "Do I reel it in now?" Needless to say the fish weren't biting and the kids were bored pretty quickly. We continued to cruise the grounds on our bikes checking out the multiple playgrounds. However, it paid off as Abbie learned to cross the monkey bars all by herself! Tuesday we split up in the morning again (I say morning, but our schedules were so off that we weren't even up and around until nearly 10 am everyday) I took the girls to the pool again and lunch at the snack bar while the boys rented a boat to try fishing on the lake w/much more success. Austin caught at least five fish, 4 blue gill and a small mouth bass. We ended the night with another campfire, burgers and a board game. Wednesday was our worst weather day so we spent it doing my favorite...shopping! I wanted to catch some deals on summer clearance and school shopping so we headed to the nearby outlet malls. The girls spent all their souvenir money and we had lunch at "Timbuktu's", a little hole in the wall restaurant specializing in their own homemade soups, sauces and desserts...YUM! We started Thursday off with a a big pancake breakfast. Then we were off to another park for some more quality time on the monkey bars. After lunch Leigha and Austin rode the water slides while Abbie enjoyed the pool again. She could touch in about half the pool and thought it was so cool to not have to wear floaties. On Friday we relocated to another campsite about 1 1/2 hrs closer to home near Wolcottville, IN called Indian Lakes Campground. After getting settled we did our usual bike tour of the grounds discovering yet another awesome playground where Abbie would live out most her weekend. That evening we went to the indoor heated pool for a nice relaxing swim before bed. When we arrived we were only five of less than 10 people there, however, that number quickly grew to nearly 45 people with the next 1/2 hour and it became a bit crowded to say the least. We enjoyed it in spite of the crowd then went back to the campsite for our late night campfire, hot dogs and smores. When Saturday came I was already dreading the return of reality counting down the T-minus 48 hrs. and counting that I had to soak up my family. It rained during the night so everything was pretty soggy when we woke up. It took all of us awhile to get motivated but as the day cleared up our energy levels did too. Its amazing what a little sunshine will do. We got out the cornhole and hillbilly golf games and played awhile before lunch. After lunch we decided to rent a canoe and paddle around the lake. Because the canoe wouldn't hold all five of us, Austin, Leigha and I went first. Austin and I didn't make too bad a team after we got the hang of it. We paddled around the whole lake in about an hour collecting some lily pad flowers along the way. Larry and I then took Abbie out in the canoe while Austin and Leigha played on the shore in the sand. We timed our next trip to the pool that evening hoping the campground bingo night would lessen the crowd a bit. We went to bed that evening late planning on possible spending an extra night because we were having such a good time. When we woke up Larry realized he had several things to do on Monday morning before the went into work and we should really all go home Sunday. However, we talked the campground owners into letting us stay until the evening so we could do some more biking, swimming, playing, etc. We just didn't want the week to end. We left the campground around 6 pm, stopped for supper and ice cream on the way home, and arrived in Wabash a little after eight...just in time to see the most beautiful full rainbow I've probably ever seen. It truly was a blessed week and God had just put his mark of approval on it!

Greater things are yet to come

What a week it's been already! It's almost scary when a week starts out as good as this one has for me (aside from the fact that Mr. Walker's funeral is this am but we know he's with Jesus and would want us celebrating about that) Yesterday I was able to work in the am and spend the afternoon with my sister, my niece and nephew, and my kids at the Eads' pond. What a beautiful afternoon. The sun and temperature were great therapy. That evening I then met my sis to take in the movie, "My Sister's Keeper". What an awesome, thought provoking film. We both thoroughly enjoyed it and spent the evening doing my two favorite things, laughing and crying at the same time. Sisters are truly fantastic! Then this morning Leigha and I went to church to meet with Dave and Mandy(our youth pastor and wife) to schedule Leigha's baptism. I am so excited for and proud of her. She has been inquiring for a few years about what it means to be baptized and I think she is going to be a great witness to the love of Jesus. She than asked if we could "celebrate" with breakfast and ice cream (at 10 am) from McDonalds. Let's pray the week continues on this course. It's pretty busy with us getting ready to leave on vacation next week so I'm sure the devil will do his best to bring me down. I'm praying I can stay strong in the Lord for he is sooooo GOOD to me! Thank you God for an awesome beginning to my week!