It's Just a Game

Henry woke up early Monday morning because he started a sports camp this week.  It was a day camp, with an 8:00 a.m. drop-off.  On the drive home after his first day he was talkative and upbeat.  It sounded like it was more games than sports per se, but he had fun, he had a friend there, and he was tired.  Win-win.  There was also a gospel component.  The kids were supposed to memorize Proverbs 3:5-6 Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding.  In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make straight your paths.  When Henry got home, he started memorizing it.  On Day 2 of camp, Henry and his friend were walking around and telling the kids that were too competitive that "it's just a game."  This may be the most ironic thing Henry has ever done.  This is the kid who we repeatedly have to remind "it's just a game" on a daily/hourly/minute-by-minute basis.  But at least he was able to identify unnecessary high-strung competitiveness in others.  There's hope.  Each day he came home physically tired, but positive about his day.  That was until the last day.  That day was their competition day and they divided up into four groups of mixed ages.  At the front of the line in his group was a little kid (a kindergartener, he said with disdain).  The first person in line was tasked to say the memory verse for their group and the kid on Henry's team did not know it.  There was no empathy from Henry.  I let him rant the whole drive home without even telling him, "it's just a game."  At least it was positive overall.   

The kids all earned stripes at jiu-jitsu this week.  They were not happy to get them so close together because that meant only one trip to Smoothie King to celebrate.  They would have preferred to space it out and triple up on their smoothies.     

Caroline completed her swim session and leveled up.  She leaves the green swordfish behind and will become a purple kingfish this coming week.  This year they sent out progress reports which was a nice addition.  They said she swam the length of the pool with ease, but has to remember to look at the sky for backstroke.  Keep that chin up.   All five of us planned to go to her last class.  We drove there under grey skies and the second we parked we received the email that class was cancelled due to thunder.  Maybe next week she can show her brothers her skills.  

We did make it to our neighborhood pool however, because she wanted to practice swimming to the wall, flipping, and streamlining into the next stroke.  She did well.  Henry practiced some swimming and Josiah did backflips.  A second benefit to our pool time was to get some relief from the heat.  Our air conditioner stopped working the day before.  The a/c unit was receiving no power and although Todd checked a few things, he could not get it to work.  We noticed the house was getting warm around 11 a.m. that day.  With temperatures reaching 100° the house was quite hot by bedtime.  The kids let us know about their discomfort and kept saying it was "impossible to sleep."  We turned ceiling fans up as high as they would go and took all blankets off the beds.  We let them complain but after listening to a bit too much of it, I not-so-sympathetically reminded them that people lived with no air conditioning for thousands of years.  You can survive one night.  And they did.  Barely.  Josiah said he woke up five times throughout the night.  The a/c repairman came the next morning and said a wire had shorted out and fixed it no problem.  

Once we got our a/c running again, we made cookies that evening.  Caroline asked to help.  No problem.  Henry heard and asked to help as well.  Okay.  Then Josiah wanted in on it.  At that point they all wanted to mix the batter, they all wanted to spoon the batter onto the cookie sheets, and then, above all, there was quite the discussion as to who could lick the beaters, the bowls, and the spoons.  At one point it got so heated, I said I was going to sit on the floor while Benson and I licked everything.  It was a very Norman Rockwell baking time.  

We only have two and a half weeks of summer left!  It is hard to believe school starts so soon.