Back to School--Aug 2014

We have had an exciting August!

Our foreign exchange student arrived at the beginning of the month. She will be here for the school year.  She is a perfect fit for our family.  She has red hair and likes music. :)

Ryan, Meg and Yuliya--DM airport Aug 2014

You can tell by this picture that she fits right in with the Carson kids...

I'm calling her my long lost daughter.   :)

We have had fun showing her what life in Iowa is like. We have taken her to the Iowa State Fair and our favorite restaurants. We like sharing our favorite movies with her as well. 

But then school started and schedules filled up for the three high school kids:

First day of school--Aug 2014
Yuliya 10th grade, Meg 9th grade, Ryan 10th grade

The are all in marching band...

Yuliya is in volleyball as well, so her schedule is pretty full.

These two kids are at Iowa State University. Its fun to have them on the same campus this year.
(Ellyn transferred to ISU over the summer after spending her freshman year at University of Iowa.)

First day of classes for the Cyclones!  Aug 2014

I'm keeping busy feeding people...

Hope you've enjoyed August--its almost over!!!

Ryan -- birthday number 15!!!

Ryan turns 15 today!
He was my tiniest baby--hard to believe now that he has a deep voice and is taller than all the girls in the family.

He likes to play the clarinet and drive himself to school (so that he can get there early).
He has a school permit and can only drive to school. I'm glad he isn't driving everywhere yet--I'm not really ready for that emotional-mommy stress.

This year I am most proud of him for the hard work and time he has invested in preparing to audition for All State band. Auditions are this Saturday and he has worked so hard. It would be uncommon for a freshman to make it, but regardless of the outcome I know he has become a better musician just preparing for the audition, which will serve him for many years.

Happy birthday Ryan!

Friday Five

1. A friend shared all of these huge, beautiful tomatoes. Meg and I are thrilled to have so many to use in salsa. We made some fresh salsa with the tomatoes from her little garden but plan on canning a batch using these.

2. Ryan got his school permit and drove himself to school every day this week. I am glad the school is so close, so I don't have to worry about his safety. He enjoys leaving for school when he wants, rather than waiting on everyone else to get ready.

2. Meg is a manger for the eighth grade football team. They had their first game this week. Brandon was hired as one of the referees. It was a little odd to watch a game that none of my kids were playing in. I was still entertained watching them do their jobs.

3. Ellyn is getting settled into college life. I love to hear from her and get random picture texts like this one fairly frequently:

4. I hatched my first swallowtail butterflies this summer. They are much different than monarchs, but some things about them are much the same. They have a very short life cycle like the monarch, which makes it so fun to bring them inside to observe. It is always a relief when the caterpillars get done eating and make their chrysalis. They eat a lot by the time they are this size:

Hello world...
(note the green and yellow chrysalis at the bottom of this photo)

5.  Now that school has provided some structure and routine to my days, I have been walking with a friend at a nearby county forest preserve. I don't know who enjoys it more, Mandie or myself. We had some super hot weather to walk in, but today cooled off and felt like fall. I am excited for cooler weather.

Hope you have a great weekend! It is going to be fall-like here in central Iowa!

Friday Five--November news

1. A few weekends ago Brandon, Ryan and Meggan went to Missouri for youth deer season. Ryan and Meg were hunting for the first time, and Ryan killed a doe. It was fun to get to see a picture of the boys together with Ryan's first deer shortly after it was killed. (We weren't in the same state--love phone cameras and texting!)

Earlier this week, Meggan had a chance to get her deer--with Brandon again. He is earning major big brother brownie points!

2. A couple of weeks ago, we went to Ellyn's senior football banquet. She is sad to say goodbye to Ballard football. She has made so many great memories working on the sidelines as a manager and cheering from the stands with friends.

Then & Now (first game 7th grade and  last game 12th grade)

3. Ryan made honor band and recently had the performance. It was a great concert of 7th and 8th graders. He spent a lot of time preparing for the audition and learning the music. We're really proud of him for putting in the time it required. (Shame on me for not taking my camera!)

4. We have had several evenings this month to take care of our native friends while their mom worked.
This little girl just couldn't stay awake any longer...

5.  We had the last of the 4 fall birthdays--Brandon turned 20. It's a busy time of year with four birthdays within 3 weeks, but it's fun to combine celebrations. We took him to Hickory Park for the traditional bbq/ice cream family meal and bought him a tool box for his truck. We spent part of his birthday weekend doing fall clean-up in the garden, yard, and garage--so nice that he never minds helping outside with yard work.

Now that Thanksgiving has passed, I am actually looking forward to dragging out the Christmas decorations this weekend--I've been ready to start for a couple of weeks. I can finally play my Christmas music without being hassled...then again, probably not.
Enjoy your weekend!

Ryan's birthday

Catching up ...

Ryan turned fourteen last week. He has grown a ton in the last year and has a new wardrobe to show for it. He is taller than all the girls in the family now--standing 5'5".

He is a good student and likes to learn. He made honor band (clarinet) this fall and has been learning the pieces in his favorite place to practice--the basement storage room. (Maybe it has really good acoustics???)

He isn't a picky eater anymore, because he is too hungry. My teenage boys lose their picky eating habits at age 13 when their high-speed growth overtakes their ability to consume enough calories--they begin to eat whatever I put in front of them. Anything. Anytime.

My proudest moment as Ryan's mom was when I received an email from his youth leader at church who had a conversation with one of Ryan's friend that he wanted us to know about.
Ryan's friend:
 "You know, I had been going to confirmation class in my old church for the past two years but I've learned more about knowing Jesus from Ryan in the week during xtreme connect than my old church taught me in years."

Ryan doesn't like to get his picture taken, but he finally indulged me, and I'm so glad!
We love you, Ryan! 

Ryan - age 14     October 2012

Randomness from the past week...

Praying mantis in the driveway...coolest insect ever:

It was so great (NOT) to find this truck and the parking "situation" it created when I came out of the grocery store. I was thinking about some really awful things I wanted to do to this person and the truck as I got in the passenger side and crawled through to my driver's seat. I'm over it now.

Rainbow of corduroy at Target...happy:

I fell in love with this pillow and can't wait to try to sew one at craft day.  (I need to confess that it gave me the urge to re-do my entire bedroom. I'm trying to suppress the urge.)

I have a helper hanging out with me today.
You can probably tell by her big smile that she likes to help do laundry:

Retro Light-Bright...yay!

Meg is getting pretty good with her bow...and hunting season is just around the corner:

I LOVED finding these darlings on my computer today, taken by one of Ellyn's friends:

Compare to these two pics taken one year ago. Ryan has changed sooooo much:

End-of-Summer Fun

We've done our best to squeeze in lots of fun in the last days before the start of school.

We made a trip to the farmers market in Des Moines.
(We're planning on a couple more trips during the fall.)

Each of the girls had a slip 'n' slide party, using a big roll of plastic and dish soap. We heard lots of squeals, screams, shrieks, giggles, and laughs. Ellyn's had her party after dark, so the whole neighborhood probably heard them!
These are pictures from Meg's party:

We made another trip to Missouri and had a fun time getting dirty with the relatives.
I will post more about this soon. (It was an adventure to see an eagle nest.)

We went to the Iowa State Fair for some fun and food. It was a beautiful evening with no lines.

Ellyn always gets a turkey leg:

This gathering of people, black suburbans, and fancy tour busses is due to a "surprise" visit from President Obama to the Iowa State Fair. Apparently he shook some hands, ate a pork chop on a stick and drank a beer. Ellyn (who was on Byron's back) and Byron saw him wave and get on the bus to depart.

Ellyn and friends saw "The Band Perry" at the grandstand:

And then school started! They have two days under their belts and its going well.

Naughty kids...and always hungry

While on spring break, my four adolescent children made a Sonic run.
I hope you have experienced Sonic...every town should have one.

I provided the cash for their Sonic treat, because I wanted them to  leave me alone  entertain themselves while I shopped at an antique store. After their little treat, they were coming back to pick me up. (Have I mentioned how I love having kids old enough to drive?)

Here's what they got for their "little treat"...

They even weasled an extra 5 bucks from the little sister. When you're spending money from mom and little sister, why hold back.

See their evil smiles...

Still here... update

I am still here.
February was not a good month for me (saying goodbye to Levi, long winter, Byron had a long work trip, no sunshine).

Hello March! We are so glad you are here, and that you are bringing such goodness.

It's so easy to forget about blogging when you're busy with life. And the sun is shining.
I have good intentions to give some of these things their own posts, but for now, here's what we've been up to.

--I had another craft day and it was super fun and relaxing.
--Meg had solo contest and got a I+ on her trumpet solo.

--I stamped some cards, which I have missed doing the past couple of years.
--Ellyn and I, and some girls and their moms, spent an afternoon sewing pillowcase dresses to send to orphans in Africa. Pictures and post to come later.
--We had parent/teacher conferences for the three younger kids. (Apparently they don't have those for college kids...we think they should.)
--I got a hair cut and hilight = good hair days :)
--Ellyn had an eye exam (it had been a while) and still does NOT need glasses...the only one in the family, and extended family. Lucky duck.
--we headed to Missouri for spring break

--My mom and I stamped a bunch of cards. One of our favorite things to do together.
--We helped my sister-in-law celebrate her 40th...her bff's threw her a great party!
--We spent 2 days in KC for some spring break fun...shopping, eating, WW I memorial, Federal Reserve Bank money museum, more shopping, more eating. The trees were blooming!

--Spring break with sunshine and temps around 80 degrees every day!!!
--Byron started flying around in an airplane again (first time since 1987). He's in the pilot's seat. :)

--Brandon and Meg stayed with the MO relatives for the remainder of spring break.
--The MO cousins got an unexpected spring break because 20% of their schoolmates were sick and they cancelled school for the week (but the cousins are NOT sick!)
--so they all went fishing and caught a bunch of fish.

--Ellyn and Ryan came back to IA with us, for the end of spring break
--we cleaned out all the flowerbeds (that never, ever happens this early, since its usually cold, raining, or super windy...yay for a fabulous spring break)
--Ellyn and I shopped for and purchased her prom dress (gone 3.5 hrs...score!)
--We gave Ryan's room a new look (and cleaning)...maps, president posters, and the Declaration of Independence adorn his walls.
--Byron and I took Ryan on a date...yes, only Ryan. 2 parents/1 child/love.
--I sewed a fun apron for a friend to give as a gift. It has pompoms on it. :)

--I miss Brandon and Meggan. You can come home now, kids.

It feels really good that all these things have been accomplished--work, play, creativity, appointments, purchases taken care of. I have been crossing things off my list in a fury!

It's a good thing too, because we are going to get busy with something else. 
A very recent development...
A young, single mom from Rosebud Indian Reservation is going to move in with us for a short time. She has two babies...9 mos. and 2 1/2 yrs.
She needs a new start, opportunity, help, and the strength to accomplish these things.
It won't be easy. Please pray for us all.