HAPPY BIRTHDAY AUSTIN!

Yeah!  Austin made it to 13!  His birthday was on a Wednesday so he received his gift from mom, dad, and Chance on the day of his birthday then we had some cake and ice cream on Saturday with the family.  Austin received a lot of fun and nice things for his birthday.  We gave him a fedora and a hair care kit.  He also received a fishing pole with a tackle starter kit, a new Nerf gun, the traditional birthday coupon to do what he wants with grandma and grandpa, and some money.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY CHANCE!

Chance celebrated his 7th birthday on Thursday the 4th.  He refused to turn 7 that day.  I think he was waiting for this party on Saturday to make it official.  On Thursday we let him open his present from mom, dad, and Austin.  He received a new pair of pajama's, which makes him look like the dragon Night Fury from How To Train Your Dragon.  He also got a volcano with a dragon egg.

Saturday we had some ice cream and cake (the cake was a rocket) with the family he received more great gifts.  He got some motorcycles, a monster truck race track, a bionicle, some money, and a new parakeet that he named Lemon Squeeze.

BITTER SWEET

So last Thursday I got a call from Austin and we was very upset because his pet parakeet, Sammie, just past away.  We're not sure why he died suddenly.  Austin said he came home from school and gave him is fresh water and food and he ate a little and then just moments later fell over and just died.  I felt so bad for Austin, he saved his allowance and bought this bird along with the cage, toys, and food just this past summer.  He even trained this little bird to sit on his finger and/or shoulder.

The following Saturday we visited a couple of pet stores looking at other parakeets.  We found some at the Pet Smart in West Valley that had some pretty colors.  We decided to go get some lunch and return to the store and make are selection. 

When returning the store we notice the Humane Society had arrived with dogs and cats for adoption.  When ever I'm at the pet store with the kids we always like to look at all the cute animals that are for sale and then go on are way.  But this time it was different.  I took one look at this adorable little Pit Bull mix and melted.  So needless to say we have a new addition to the Fountaine family.  His name is Gunner and he is a 8 week old little boy.  Are other dog, Cole, is extremely happy to have a little friend to play with and they are getting along great!

And in case you didn't noticed, Chance broke his arm and Cole needs a haircut ;-)

T-BALL

Chance played his first season of T-ball/coach pitch baseball.  He loved it and did extremely well at it.  He made it to every game, even the day he had the flu.  He did want to miss a minute.  His team was the Cardinals.

He played every position and learn how to throw and catch.  That's him playing 1st base.

He was such a fast runner that sometimes he passed his own team members up while running to home plate.

They were pitched too by their coach and if they don't get a hit after 4 or 5 pitches they get to hit the ball from the T.  Chance got better and better with every game and did not need the T most of the time.

CAMPING

This August we went camping at Joe's Valley with my parents, my brother Mark and his family, and Mike's mom and brother John came up for 1 night.  It was the weekend of mom's and Mike's birthday.  We did this last year too only my brother Kirk and my sister Heather was there with their families too.  We went 4'wheeling and fishing and had a great time.  Austin and Chance caught their first fish, even I caught a fish.  Chance was the funniest when he caught his fish.  He was so excited, jumping up and down with excitement until we told him that is was custom to kiss his first fish he caught.  "I don't want to do that!" he claimed so Uncle Mark said "well how about we cook it up and you can eat it?"  "I don't want to do that either" he said. 

This last picture is Uncle Mark trowing back one of the small fish that was caught.  Cole was very inquisitive of what he was going.

JR. HIGH

Wow, I can't believe my baby boy started Jr. High already.  The time has gone by so fast.  I remember dropping him off at Kindergarten and he wrapped himself around my leg and cried.  Now he's off to Jr. High.  Where did the time go?  School starts on Thursday 8/26 at 7:50 and goes until 2:50.  But Wednesday it was just the 7th graders that went to school from 7:50 until noon.  The teachers and some 9th grades that volunteered were there to help the 7th graders with lockers and finding classes.  I think this was a great idea to give the 7th graders an opportunity to get familiar with the building and to help with the anxiety of starting Jr. High.  Austin was jazzed when he got home.  He loved it and thought it Jr. High was cool.  He's meeting new friends, some of which are girls.  He still takes a bus to school which I'm grateful for so I don't have to worry about how he's getting to and from school, especially Friday because they start 2 hours later.

INTERESTING CONVERSATION

Last night I was driving down to my mom's house and I had Chance with me.  Here is are conversation.

Chance:  What do you think the password word is?
Me:  What password, what are you talking about?
Chance:  The password to grandpa's computer.  Do you think it's Randy (Randy is grandpa's name for those of you who may not know)?
Me:  Maybe it's grandma's name.  Do you know Grandma's name?
Chance: No.
Me:  It's Tess.
Chance:  I don't like that.  That is something you do on paper at school.
Me:  No not test, it's Tess.
Chance:  Oh, with 2 S's.  I still don't like it.

So after going through several names grandma's new name is Alice.

Next Conversation:

Chance:  Grandma needs a dog.
Me:  I don't think gpa and gma wants a dog.  They have Omalley (their cat).
Chance:  They need to sell it.
Me:  I don't think they want to sell Omalley, they love him.
Chance:  Well that is a decision they need to make.
Me:  Well ask gma and gpa what they think then.
Chance:  No, I want you to make that decision.
Me:  I can't make that decision for them, Omalley is their cat.

So we did bring up this issue with gma and gpa and I am happy to annouce that they have made the decision so keep Omalley and not get a dog.

FIRST DAY OF FIRST GRADE!

Woo Hoo school has begun.  Chance is year round and is on A track which means he started school on 7/27/210.  He was very excited to start school full time and eat lunch at the school.  Even though he is a extremely picky eater he will eat lunch at school permitting they are serving something he will eat.  If they don't he takes a cold lunch.  So far he has been enjoying school and loves riding the bus to and from school.  According to him he is now a big kid and not a little boy.  Chance loves his teacher, Mrs. Saunders, and I've head nothing but good things about her.  The first few weeks of school they have a color for every day that they will study and everyone can wear that color to school.  As you can see in the pictures below the first day was Red Day.  So let's hope and pray for a wonderful year of school YIPPEE!