Bye summer, hello school

It has been a long, hot summer.  The fish pond flowers have done well though!  The lily is the oldest plant in our fish pond, having been there since before we moved in.  The hyacinth was purchased last month.  :-)

We said an official goodbye to summer by visiting Aunt Heather's lake house.  Daddy thinks this "couch" tube the boys tried out with cousin Brandon was a little too cushy!

Hanging out with Conner while he is fishing is pretty cool.  He is definitely in his element, and the mood is always chill.

This odd little lake toy was a big hit.  It floats on top of the water unless you have Uncle Ted and Daddy on it with all the cousins!

Conner has become an expert camper, choosing to pitch a tent on top of the play house for the evening, rather than sleeping in the noisy house. 

These two have the kind of sibling rivalry one might expect for two teenage boys.  Here is a rare moment when they worked together to create a stroller race.  We felt bad for the stroller...

Last year for the Marshes at St. John.  Here is our brand new 14 year-old helping move the art and music rooms to their new locations.  Gus and Jack helped him celebrate his b-day with a handful of other buddies.

We didn't get a good pic of the b-day celebration this year.  For the 2nd straight time, he had everyone come to campus for a nerf battle and an ice cream buffett. 

The biggest news for Carson this month is that cross country has begun and he has won all three races so far!!  Above is the picture of his competitors...

...and here he is at the finish line!  The first race he completed with no one in sight of him. The 2nd race, his buddy Jack P. was the only one close behind.

 

 

Here is a picture Conner took of some early morning fishing.  He has a photographer's eye!  This was at a scout campout, just before he was awarded the rank of Star Scout.  He now is only one rank away from working on Eagle!  He has made the initial transition to high school very well.  Lots of homework!!