A balancing act

We're not allowed to wear rainbow mustaches during the school year. But in the middle of summer break? Bring it on!
 

The Warrior

My buddy Antonio had a paintball birthday party recently, which was the first time I had ever tried firing one of those guns. The shooting part was great!

The part where you get hit in the mask and it explodes all over your face was less great. 

Still, it was fun. I learned to hang back a little more after getting shot up the first few games. More people should try that instead of running out and getting hit. 
 

Summer reading

We both have specific assingments to get done before the end of August, but sometimes the best reading is just finding your own stories to share. 

Kitchen studies 101

School is out for the summer, but when Grandmom's cooking class is in session, you've got to pay attention and start learning. Plus, instead of tests, we get cake at the end. Why can't math class be like that? 
 

The old ball game

The baseball part is nice, but the snacks and hanging out with cousins can't be beat. 
 

The Chjenga Dance

 

No explanation requested or provided for this one. 

The moment before ...

I mean, there's a reason we put on the swimsuits before the water balloons came out. 
 

And the moment after...

Last day of school

Oh boy. The first day of second and sixth grade really wasn't that long ago. 

And they weren't this tall that long ago either...

It was a pretty great school year in the end. Next year will be even better, but first -- summer break!
 

Catching a big one

When Luther said he wanted to go down to the pond to see if he could grab something with his net, I don't think this is what he was thinking about...
 

America, the musical

To end our second-grade year, my class put on a musical show all about America. I was Sassy Sippi, who told everyone about the Mi-ssi-ssi-ppi River: 

And we had a lot of songs. "This Land is My Land" gave me a chance for some more choreography on stage: 

But the best part was getting to do it all sitting next to my best buds. We really pull off the whole red, white and blue thing. 

Battlefield tour

My Boy Scout troop got a chance to camp out at Antietam Battlefield and tour the historic site this past weekend. It was pretty wild. The area is much smaller than you'd think, condsidering all the troops who fought here. 

The Burnside Bridge was one of the key spots of the fight. It was pretty easy for our whole group to cross, but then again we weren't carrying any heavy gear and being shot at. 

We fit in nearly a five-mile hike which included awesome views from atop an observation tower, but I'm not sure I needed those extra 100-steps up and down in the middle of the walk. Still, it was a great trip. 
 

Blacktop choreography

Those icons down there are all the moves I need for the upcoming recital -- I drew them from memory to show Mom just how much there is to keep in my head for the big show. She was pretty impressed, both with my foot art and hand art.