Summer Happenings

Note from Kristin...

(Kristin and the boys have moved! Hopefully Beth will be moving in with them to share the expenses. I will forward their new address as soon as I get it.)

"The boys and I were packing yesterday afternoon, going through the piles of school papers and projects they have been carting home the past few days (today is their last day of school) and Keegan showed me his in-class journal. He picked out his favorite writings and read them to me. This is what he read:

As the sun sets, the light stops dancing across the crystal blue water. The trees form a long bridge to the night sky, with stars moving like fireflies on a summer's night. As a blanket of darkness falls across the land, the growing sound of rain fills the lakes and rivers that have been dry for so long. And as the stars fill the sky with a gleaming light, the rain slows and the animals start to come out. The woodpecker pecks and the squirrels climb tall trees for nuts and small raccoons try to find a home. The fawns learn to jump and the frogs lay down on a lily pad and watch. But now they all must go and the light of day comes back.

Poem

I am a cardinal sitting on a branch in the middle of a cold white winter.

I am a lizard sitting on a rock heated by the summer sun. I am the rain patting on the ground like a man would knock on a door.

I am the color white of the coldest winters.

I am the color green of the newborn plants in the Spring.

I am the quiet plop of a leaf falling to the ground.

I am a newborn maple tree crawling out of the ground.

I am a long ocean of a thousand waves.

I am the light of the sun himself.

Blue

Blue is the shape of the sapphire.

Blue is the sound of the bird chirping in the light of the sun.

Blue smells like the sweet nectar being sucked from the newborn flowers.

Blue feels as soft as silk being brushed across your face.

Blue is as calm as a sleeping cat.
Blue is the song of the falling snow.

Blue tastes like a small snowflake touching your tongue.

Blue is the box of quiet and calm.

(Mom's commentary - I can't resist - "so interesting to me that a boy as energetic and vivacious as Keegan is, has as his favorite color blue, which he sees as quiet and calm, soft and sweet.")

The final excerpt I wanted to share is one from a list of "records," such as the smallest thing he saw was an aphid on a blade of grass and the slowest thing he saw was a slug crawling across the ground. He included this sentence in his list as well: "The quietest thing was a pause in between my Mom's words."

Now an Aidan story:

Teacher's end of the year comment to Kristin..."I know we are not supposed to have favorites, or at least not say that we do, but I have to tell you, Aidan is my favorite. He is so smart and kind, such a wonderful person. He brings me my favorite candy whenever he can." (Aside -- she's right. On the rare occasion we buy candy, he always gets M&Ms for Deborah and peanut-butter flavored anything for his teacher, Ms. T.L.) Then Deborah said, "I have to tell you a story. Aidan said to me the other day, 'Deborah, what is it like to be an adult? Is it fun?' I said, 'Well, sometimes it's fun, and sometimes it's not so fun. What's it like to be a kid?' Clearly this answer didn't satisfy him. He rolled his eyes and said with great drama, 'Deborah. You were a kid once. You KNOW what it is like to be a kid. I have not been an adult. That's why I asked you what it's like!'"

Both boys have just finished up their baseball season. Keegan loves the game and like Ford and Joe has enjoyed much success. To Aidan, it's just a game he could take or leave. he does fine without obsessing. :) He would rather play with his special friend, Katie.

News of other summer activities from the gang.

Joe and Issy are in football and cheerleading camps this week. Joe heads off to his first spend-the-night camp this coming Sunday. His address is: Joe Regas - Athens Y Camp for Boys - PO Box 8 - 1000 Y Camp Road - Tallulah Falls, GA 30573, if anyone has time to drop him a card.

The Regas family will be off to Bluffton for the 4th.

Vacation Bible School will be ending today for Andrew, Emily and William (and Tom! He and the rest of the church actors performed daily shows for the assembly. Andrew joined him from time in several of the performances). They have also been doing swim team and in Andrew's spare time he has been earning his way to New York "one cake at a time." Let me explain...Andrew is the first of all the nieces and nephews to make solo visits to Kate and Jeremy in the Big Apple (get on the schedule!). Andrew has to earn part of his plane ticket and spending money. So, he has been making our family recipe pound cake (all by himself) and selling them for $15.00 each to people in his neighborhood. He found cake carriers at the Dollar Store, made labels on the computer and took around samples so people would know what they were getting. I have put in my order for a cake to take my Aunt Lillie for her birthday next weekend.

I understand that Andrew has about 7 orders so far, so let's see, 7 x 15.00 = WOW! Good work!

Ford has pretty much been all about baseball so far this summer. He is playing with the best players, now, and it has been a challenging season. His team goes to Cooperstown N.Y. for a huge tournament at the end of July. I think he deserves a little time to read books and relax. He has been working so hard with practice and games and his GPA is well over a 4.0! I think I heard that he and Morgan are going on a cruise with his other grandparents... Bon voyage you two! Hope you have a great time.

Morgan starts rock climbing camp next week and I hope to see what she has learned from art lessons when the three granddaughters go with me to the mountains, for several days, at the end of the month. I have started work on a painting of Morgan. I am painting it from a picture of her that I took in the limo when we went to see the Lion King. I am hoping the girls and I will have some painting time together so that I can get back to work on it. I have a long way to go.

I have such interesting grandchildren. I just love hearing about the things they are doing and I love telling others - everything from William's awesome talent at puzzles and making up songs to the many activities the big kids are excelling in. Keep giving me the info and don't leave out a single detail. You all make me so happy.