a day at the lake

 A girl and her kayak

No bars, no beam,.... just water and sand and sun.

 And her mother :)

Playing in the sand

 Playing in the water

Jumping!

Why not a makeshift paddle board?! 

(if you have the balance to stand on a kayak!) 

Then late afternoon friends, more gym buddies looking for a day of decompression. 

To help make natural clay sculptures

And papa rides for some

 Buddy rides for others.  

Then they all could do alone, of course they could!

 Driftwood forts in the sand

  And an opportunity for more jumping!!!

 A smile that won't quit 

 I think Boo needs a paddle board...

Following the setting sun :)

It was the day we needed.

fun spelling practice on concrete paper, playing with shadows

one small step for Boo-kind

It looks like Boo will not be competing gymnastics this fall.

There has been a change of plans.

It is complex to explain but in the world of gymnastics a major overhaul has occurred.  A new number system put in place.  Under the new system Levels 1-5 are the compulsory levels, that is where all the routines and skills are the same for everybody nationwide and Levels 6-10 are the optionals levels, the big leagues so to speak.

Under the old system Boo was a Level 6 compulsory gymnast under the new level assignments her and her teammates would have transitioned into & competed as (new) Level 5 compulsory gymnasts in the 2013 fall season, same skill level different name.  In fact, learning the new level 5 routines is already well underway.

But don't look for her there among the 5's Boo has been asked to take a little bit bigger of a step forward to the new Level 6.  It takes her out of the world of compulsory gymnastics and into optionals.

For us it means it is time to find sponsors. So if you know anyone interested in sponsoring an amazing gymnast who is defying the odds please let us know!!!

Because she has never competed old Level 6 having only started back in February she & any mates moving with her who have not competed 6 will be required to 'score out'. They must learn the old routines in time for a one time super meet this summer TBA where the whole objective is hit above a minimal score requirement to move on.

*As I write this I don’t know yet where some of her best friends and teammates have been placed nor can they know about Boo’s offer to move forward. Until all the families have been given or explained their options/placements and made their decisions the families who have intertwined our lives have to keep quiet. It is a lot to ask of us and of our gymnasts. 
This post I held for a bit, and although not all meetings have been had some of the placements are out in the open so I feel justified in announcing ours, fair is fair. The secret part I could have lived without any way. 
Yet, some of my best friends are in limbo waiting for their meetings while rumors swirl and there is nothing they can do but wait and hope their gymnasts are handling the uproar of this sudden offer we were told was not a possibility for our gymnasts back when the new levels were announced.*  

These pic's are of 6 yr old Boo, the youngest member of the Competitive Rock Climbing Team!  Climbing was the sport she walked away from to become a gymnast.

The secrecy & the way it was announced/handled has dampened the joy a bit but if you could have seen the look on Boo's face when the offer was made... I thought I had the little turncoat convinced skipping ahead was not a good idea. Turns out I was only fooling myself.  She nearly floated out of her seat she was so happy! Of course I have already had a second meeting asking if we have to take the placement, might we stay in 5? Are you sure she is ready?  I was asked to trust her coaches; that I can do!   

Despite my concerns about moving up, and my worry for the other families we know & love, in a way I feel like I can breathe now.  This looming fall season will come and go with out us.  We may get to camp.  Celebrate Boo’s 10^th birthday in style.  Accept invitations for play-dates and attend the last of the summer barbecues.  A small stay of execution (lol) because The Optionals’ Competition Season begins sometime in late winter early spring 2014.

Good Luck Boo-Bear you are in the big leagues now!

simple home school morning

 (at least that is how it appears)

We did math facts at the kitchen table until the distractions of an older brother were too much.  We took learning Averages snuggled up in my bed while Boo's Papa banged around putting his things away and talking to Boo's older brother as he did the same.  We moved on to reading and other English skills while Boo's Papa vacuumed the room around us.  And when the house was finally quiet we ended our school day by watching a long chunk of The Civil War, A Film by Ken Burns. 

(War & Peace, lol!)

While listening and glancing up at the images on the screen Boo played with the new set of Dominoes her grandparents gave her.  Needing a solid flat surface she pulled out the board for Name That State and we watched both kinds of dominoes fall across the country. 

 Almost perfect moments :)

the second week

Okay, it isn't easy to school in summer but we are doing great! And more importantly she is having fun and learning.  A few hours of school in the mornings feels perfect right now.   

Yesterday started with farm chores followed by a family run.  After a shower math and reading.

US history and geography.

We started our Civil War studies by reading Freedom Train the story of Harriet Tubman.   Boo was completely captivated by it.  It laid a wonderful foundation to dig deeper into all the complex issues of the Civil War.

We love our home school <3 

word roundup

now reading: Under Wildwood

If you haven't yet read WILDWOOD do it now!!!!  

These books are super amazing.  Equal to or better than the Harry Potter books in depth and detail.  Far better than any of the Fablehaven Books!  We loved Wildwood, one of our top favorite books of all time.

~Under Wildwood, by Colin Meloy (with illustrations by Carson Ellis): Chapter 1 A Boy and His Rat~ "Snow is falling.  Snow as white as a swan's feather, white as a trillium bloom.  The whiteness is nearly blinding against the dark green and brown of the surrounding forest, and it lies in downy heaps between the quiet, dormant clutches of ivy and blackberry bushes."

a fragile strength

Boo is in our big bed curled up under a down blanket and her Papa as he reads.  The dogs circle the bed sniffing the cool breezes drifting in from the open window.  It is the perfect Saturday morning minus one thing Boo is refusing to speak.  Tears appear in the corner of her eye every so often but there are no words on her lips. 2 hours and not a word.  The cause of silence is a mosquito bite.  A tiny red swelling bite on the lid of her right eye, her seeing eye. The eye (with help of correction) which is responsible for 95% of her vision is 85% swollen shut and her mouth 100%.  I know in her head she is remembering the days of darkness patching her good eye sent her into.  I know she fears the loss of her vision, and she morns never having normal sight.  

Last night I had a dream we were driving up a nearly vertical crumbling highway.  At the top the road ended abruptly and our car fell in free fall.  I knew we were going to die but I didn't know if Boo in the backseat knew and in the dream I turned around and told her the obvious, "We are falling."  She had responded, "I know we are, mom.  I can see the ground."

  

home.school.

 

Snuggling into a big overstuffed chair for a morning of math and reading fun.