Barnes Boys - Where They At?

Summer - I love you, but please slooooooow down! We have been so busy this month! Some family updates since the last post - we went on our annual camping trip to the Sierras (which was awesome...and i won!)  then Bryson left for San Jose as soon as we got back, which he spent the next 2 weeks doing tennis camp with meema (among a million other things with both his meema and papa - hopefully this makes it into his summer journal that he is a month behind on). Having only Bodie and Bobby felt oddly like a mini vacation - but it also made me realize how much i rely on Bryson to keep his brothers at peace. He gets them breakfast in the morning and he really helps with them both in general. We also commented how much we missed Bryson's enthusiasm for life - it was a total different vibe when he wasnt there...it felt right to have him back. And as soon as he got back - tournament then another tournament then another...its been golf month for sure with Pinehurst next week! Eek! While Bryson was gone we celebrated 4th of July and my niece Riley turning 2, then 2 days later our anniversary, then 2 days later our dear friends from Portland came to town and we were able to have a night out and adult conversation (what?) and then a couple days later we camped for Bryan's birthday in Avila and met up with his folks. The next week the boys had VBS then it was off to La Quinta for a golf tournament. We have been putting the miles on the cars this summer!

Bryson - so...golfing and fishing have pretty much been bryson's world this month. It is rare that a day goes by that he hasnt done one or both of these things! right now he is fishing with his dad at crystal cove and as of last report he had caught about 12 little sharks! all weekend he fished at the pond in back of my dad's house and caught about 30 fish over 3 days- catfish and sunfish and small mouth bass. it was nuts! one catfish was probably close to 7 pounds. As good as he did fishing, he also did golfing! he got his best score ever on day 1 of the tournament - 35 - 1 under par!!! both bryan and my dad said this was the most difficult course he has played too, which made me even more proud! he had a tougher time the second day with a 43 but pulled it together on the third day with a 39 to finish in 3rd place at a World Championship! The boy who won was from Thailand and won the Jr. World previously - he gave bryson a little elephant magnet that said "Thailand" on it- so cute! Also this month I was able to take Bryson on a date- tennis, then golf at little rec and a clam dinner - so fun! 

Bodie - i got to spend a lot of time with bodie when bryson was gone - and boy that kid took full advantage of being the older brother! he got super bossy pants. more and more he is really trying to defend the rules - but really only when it is someone else...he still struggles with following direction himself...sigh...those middle kids! He loved having his brother back too. Bodie is really sensitive to everything you say and I need to remember to choose my words wisely because they go a long way with him. When you pour words of encouragement into him you can see his entire countenance change. Also when you are cross with him, it takes him to a different place. I am really working on my sensitivity with this boy - he is a good teacher for someone like me who has a hard time filtering!

Bobby has also had a lot of attention - both bryan and i got to spend mornings alone with him while his older brothers were at VBS and we both had so much fun! i took him one day to a trampoline place and jumped with him for an hour and a half and one day bryan bought him a special outfit and took him mini golfing - bobby is so easy to spoil! he is too fun!