Ethan and Ehlana:
Happy Belated Anniversary, Andrew and Isabelle!
Happy 1st Anniversary, Paul and Vanessa!
We’re winding down from our weekend with the usual bedtime computing and twin chat. It’s raining and we’re getting some thunderstorms in the area overnight, but it is quiet here too; since Cassie and Michael have headed back to their townhouse and her last-ever summer session begins tomorrow. We basically have a three-day update to cover now; so let’s get to it!
In hindsight, while Carson Carter’s birth and the anniversaries and parties were the top stories for Friday; our personal highlights were all about having fun with our family and friends. The first baseball game of the season was an entertainment highlight too, and even Jenna and her party guests went to the park to support family and friends playing in that co-ed ball game. That’s why Ehlana and Naomi were able to join in for the cheer squad that supported ‘our’ team – the Witch Falls Willows. We might not also be able to refer to the team that Jake sponsors through the Inn and leads as the ‘kids’ team for much longer as younger adults join other teams, but we still think of them like that; and they played like the youngest, strongest teams on Friday evening. They bested Sheldon’s Sequoias with a fifteen-to-six score; and the Willows built that lead steadily while the Sequoias got two-thirds of their runs in the final two innings.
We had a lot of fun all evening on Friday. Ehlana and Naomi only had time for cameo visits for Ryan’s birthday and wishing the Carters and Reynolds the best with a quick stop at the clinic that Aiden and I joined them for; and then they were busy with Jenna’s birthday dinner and party while we were with the family and friends that were at Ryan’s birthday party barbeque dinner at Violet and Dillon’s house. That was a lot of fun and a bit crowded compared to family parties at the bigger family homes, but that added to the entertainment; and possibly made the after-dinner clean-up that Aiden and I helped with a bit easier. We basically all went to the park for that ball game; Aiden and I helped out with kid control at the park; and the weather was awesome for both baseball and playing at the park. Aiden and I spent a bit of time with Ehlana and Naomi too, but they juggled hanging out with Jenna and the rest of their friends too; and moved on to their birthday camping night at Jenna’s house after the game while Aiden and I went over to his house for our own camping plans that were definitely much-quieter. Ehlana has reported that her Friday night ended very late after a lot of camping fun and girl chat entertainment. Aiden and I didn’t end up staying up very late. His parents went straight to bed after making sure we were home and set up for the night; we played video games on our portables for a while; and then crashed and napped for the rest of the night because we could.
Tai Chi on Saturday was by the river for Aiden and I while Ehlana and Naomi skipped the workout due to lack of time. We all needed to eat and get ready for the day early; we met up at the park in time for Brianna and Faith’s first ball game of the season; and then we watched our cousins win that game – along with their Sapphire Shelties’ team mates. They bested Palmer’s Poodles in a close battle that ended with a six-to-five score. That was fun, but the best story from that game was that Brianna and Faith borrowed Silkie; dressed her up in a team shirt; and used her as their mascot. That was a hit with their friends and the fans; so Silkie will definitely be at every game for the Shelties this summer.
Ehlana and I were back together after the game; Mom and Dad put us to work on the usual weekend chores; and that kept us busy until we had a late lunch at one-thirty. We were set free after that for the afternoon; met up with Naomi and Aiden; and spent our afternoon biking; going for two short swims; and hanging out with some of our friends either on the trails or in our back yard. We also set up a tent; had a barbeque dinner with six parents and two siblings and their best friends after the stores closed for the day; and followed that up with a quiet evening and the co-ed camping night. We got to spend a bit of time with Cassie and Michael on Saturday night too, but we also all headed for our beds or the tent fairly-early because most of us were tired after a couple of very busy days.
Having Cassie and Michael with us for one last Tai Chi workout by the river this morning was great; and we noticed that more after not doing that with them yesterday. They weren’t with us for breakfast too while with his family instead; so that meal was quieter for us; and then we were busy for the rest of the morning while at church and Sunday school. Our favorite parts of the morning revolved around cameo moments of birthday and anniversary celebrations and hearing the stories from the parties and play time that we didn’t get to personally attend or share with our friends and neighbors. Mom and Dad hosted a barbeque lunch for family and friends; we – the kids- were set free to bike, swim, and play for the afternoon; and then we went to the early buffet at the Inn because Cassie and Michael wanted to hit the road for their townhouse right after that instead of starting that long drive a couple of hours later. We were with them for that meal – along with Naomi, Aiden, Sierra, and Ryan; Cassie and Michael had a lot of cameo moments with family and friends before, during, and after the meal; and then they had a fairly-large group with them for the round of goodbyes in front of the Inn when it was time for them to go.
That parting was tough for us, but we also said goodbye to Naomi and Aiden then too; headed home with Mom and Dad; and then we got to work on some house chores, family business work in the office; and a Magi lesson with Mom. We worked until a bit after nine o’clock; moved on to bath or Jacuzzi time; and now we’re winding down to the nap time that we’ll need to get ready for our last ‘real’ school week. We haven’t mentioned it yet, but final exams and tests begin tomorrow. The Grade Seven through Twelve students have been getting ready for their exams, but our final round of testing isn’t that big of a deal; and we can get away with pretending to get ready for them without a major public display. There is sure to be more stress around the school this week, though, and the fun level will definitely be muted; and there will also be a break in after-school play time while studying happens instead.
We’ll keep you posted on how that goes for us; and don’t need to worry about those tests – even if a few of our classmates might need to try harder this week and hope for the best. We will help if we can, but that still won’t be a big deal for us yet – not until we get to at least Grade Seven and start having real exams. Mostly for tonight, we’re just looking forward to getting past this week; since the final week of classes is all about having fun and getting ready for the summer break.
That’s enough for this report. We’ve really had a blast this weekend; it feels as though the summer fun that started with the holiday weekend is continuing; and we’ll hope that will be true through these final two weeks of school and beyond!
Until next time, this little blast from your near or distant past is written for you with love from Ethan and Ehlana Proctor – twin junior Magi Masters of the Light!
