This is gonna be a long one

What a beautiful Fall we have had in 2017!  Lots of outdoor activities for the CNMs.  So many that this might be a longer entry than usual...

Ok, sometimes outdoor activities lead to injuries.  Conner has already experienced a broken arm, so it isn't fair that he has suffered a second.  This one came on the school playground when he got pushed while playing b-ball.  We feel like the kid who did it should write and type all Conner's homework for two months!

This dude became a teenager last month, but humors his Dad with childlike activities still.  Here is a perfect example:  reading the Hunger Games while high up in a tree. (see the car?)

Conner doesn't let much phase him.  And don't you dare get in between the boy and his fishing opportunities!  Here he is catching baitfish by the KS River with one arm...

And here is his brother watching from the comfort of his Camp Birchwood hammock.  This area is just two blocks from our house and serves as a lovely mild weather getaway.

Throwing football with Dad and generally goofing off.  Not sure who enjoys it more!

We promised info on Carson's delayed b-day party.  He asked for a nerf gun party, and boy did he get it.  We found a semi-secluded place on campus where he and his buddies could run themselves ragged with some pretty impressive sci-fi artillery.

Fishing season is nearing a close.  Not even the weather can deter the fish whisperer.  Yes, this is Conner with an impressive bass caught while there was frost on the ground!!

While the pond was not frozen over, this was the morning after the famous annual Parrack bonfire, and the thermometer read just over 30 degrees.

These four have been enjoying the bonfire, each others b-day parties, and New Years Eve for over ten years.  We kinda wish they would stop growing up so fast.

And then they give us reminders that they haven't reached adulthood yet!!

 

The Cross Country season concluded last weekend.  Carson had a great season and has really begun taking it seriously.  He finished top ten in each race, and almost every runner ahead of him was an eighth grader, giving him big confidence for next year.

 

 



Oh, and the races usually included 70 runners, give or take 10.  He is good buddies with his teammates, who got the top spot for 7th-8th CYO teams.

We have had our share of exciting weather this season.  Including a microburst just blocks away from our beloved neighborhood!  Conner is surveying the hollow trunk of a tree that came down not too far from our house. 

With the Bonfire falling on Conner's b-day weekend, his party will be pushed to November.  He has asked for a party at Bass Pro Shop.  Surprised?!  Should be a nice haul of fishing equipment for this studly guy in his last year before high school.