MISSISSIPPI QUEEN, PAGEANT EDITION

Key City Beer added a little (edible) sparkle to their Mississippi Queen in honor of the Miss Mississippi Pageant going on this week in Vicksburg, and of course I HAD to try it!

CAMP INVENTION

Cora got a scholarship to Camp Invention this summer (James did too, but it overlapped Cub Scout Daycamp and he chose that instead), so she spent the week learning all about Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics, and Robotics (and had a lot of fun with dress-up days and crafting along the way, plus hanging out with a bunch of her school buddies).

(Animal Day)

(Camp Invention didn't start until 9:00am, so she spent an hour or so every morning in Jay's office - I was away for work - coloring on his white board and reading) 

On the last day they had a "show" for parents that included a photo slideshow from throughout the week, some poems and information from the older campers about what they learned, and a chance to see all their creations for each section before we loaded it all up to take home.

(Cora was super happy to have Mrs. Ferracci and her daughter, and Mrs. Westcott leading the Bowmar Camp Invention session this week)

Showing off her robot cat, modular "smart house", and other items:

Mrs. Ferracci's daughter was a favorite:

She really wants to go back next year (and James wants to join her), so hopefully we can make that happen. It was a fun new experience for her and she learned so much (every day she came home telling us all about her various projects and programming)!

CUB SCOUT DAYCAMP 2018

Cub Scout Daycamp went so much smoother this year (we stayed the whole week!) and James had a blast with his friends (both from his Pack and others that he knows from soccer and YMCA Daycamp). They did all the usual Scout stuff (archery, BB guns, knot tying, craft/creations, hikes, etc.), but no swimming this year (the pool was having chemical issues).

Day One, wearing his Scout Camp shirt from last year:

Proud of his BB scorecard, so he had one of the leaders send me a photo:

I had to pick him up early mid-week for a wellness exam (required for their upcoming sleepaway camp), so he missed their sushi taste test (it was an Around the World theme this year). I decided to take him to lunch at Atami on Friday (Scout Camp ends early on the last day) to rectify the situation, but he was not pleased with the sushi and only ate one piece before digging in to his miso soup and chicken hibachi. At least he tried though (so I rewarded him with fried ice cream).

SUMMER HAIR, DON'T CARE

The boys gave themselves summer haircuts tonight (after receiving a text from Uncle Jamie that he'd shaved his head completely bald) and I think they look pretty darn cute!

James has only shaved his head 3 times ever (and only in odd years, for some reason):

CHICKEN HELPERS

The kids and I set up the new chicken swing and perch today, and Cora used her new egg collecting apron for the first time. It's always an exciting time down in the coop...

FATHER'S DAY 2018

The weekend was overrun with soccer, so we kept our Father's Day celebration short, but sweet tonight. An easy dinner and some fun gifts, and LOTS of snuggles!

STATE GAMES OF MISSISSIPPI

The Vicksburg Soccer Organization U8 boys and girls decided to put together Rec+  teams at the end of the regular soccer season in order to play in the State Games of Mississippi in Meridian (teams and individuals from across the state compete in soccer, baseball, and a bunch of other sports over the summer months). Cora was super excited to join her first Rec+ soccer team (they named themselves the UniSharks, not to be confused with narwhals, who aren't ferocious enough), play with her friends (and some of the better VSO players) over the summer, and go stay at a hotel with a pool (every kids' favorite part of traveling!)

Arriving at the hotel, carrying All The Things that she thought she'd have time to play with:

Before dinner...

After dinner:

We ate at Brickhaus - tasty pub style food and too many beers on tap to count:

Getting ready to walk in the Opening Ceremony parade:

The ceremony was held in the central town courtyard. They had bands, mascots, flag girls, a few skydivers (one carrying an American flag and a couple after dark that were covered in LED lights), music and dancing, and a few former Olympians running in torches, followed by fireworks.

The next day the UniSharks had 2 games (one was a tie, the other a loss, but Cora scored a goal and they all impressed us with their ability to adapt from their usual 4v4 game to a 6v6 game with a goalie - they hadn't practiced for it, we made the change last minute because no other 4v4 teams registered for the Games):

(Hannah, Miranda, Addi, Harper, Allie, Cora, Chloe, Addie, and Cameron)

Warming up:

Game one:

Snowcone break (it was HOT):

Game two (these girls were MEAN - lots of shoving):

What the brothers did during the games (in our new shade tent):

Team lunch at the mall's food court (we don't recommend it - not much there):

Then we retreated to the hotel pool to cool off (and one of the parents bought a giant box of popsicles):

Once the kids were tired, we rinsed off and got dressed for dinner (walking across the street to the steakhouse) with the other families that were staying at our hotel (Cora thinks little "baby" sisters are the best and she basically adopted Emma, Chloe's sister, for 24 hours):

Poor kiddos were exhausted by the time we got them to bed. Thankfully it wasn't too early of a wake up the next morning...

Game three (and our last game, since we lost and didn't advance):

The whole experience was great for Cora (learning new skills, learning to lose gracefully, playing with her friends outside of our normal day-to-day) and we're really hoping to keep the team together in the fall for some tournament travel!