Poster Child

I needed a picture of a student showing the first day and last day world map. Noah happily complied and even decided to keep his first day map up on the wall! The change is drastic and even two months later, he is still basking in the great sense of accomplishment that this task provided.  In conversation in preparation for a visitor, Noah described to the rest of the family the exact location of Kyrgyzstan. Well done!

Cutting down the Jungle

There is a white mulberry bush/tree right outside the kitchen window. Each spring we cut it back to the roots and in a short few weeks it is partially blocking the window again. The boys took out the saws and machetes and hacked away, while they were at it, they trimmed the rose bush on the side of the house as well. It will certainly make it easier to move the lawn...

Amazing Husband

I found Bob outside one night scrubbing our patio - what a guy! The patio looks so much better.

Sailing Camp

The apple does not fall far from the tree...

Bob's interest in sailing and flying has definitely rubbed off on the boys. They are spending two weeks learning how to sail. We drop them off early in the morning and pick them up, tired, sunburned, and happy in the late afternoon. There is almost as much gear to bring for a day of sailing as for a weekend of camping..

Geocaching

The boys are working on Boys Scout merit badges and one of them is Geocaching. Throughout the spring they have completed several fun geocaching projects. The last one was looking for local geocaches. We set out on our bikes, getting exercise and completing a merit badge at the same time seemed like a fantastic idea.

We looped around our development to hit a few of the 'super easy' geocaches to get warm up for finding one that was a bit more disguised but was able to accept a traveling bug. We parked our bikes and began to wander around, ducking under branches, climbing over brush and twigs, scanning the ground for a possible hideout. Our careful search was soon rewarded and the bug deposited in its 'hotel.' Now the boys are watching online to see if someone is picking up the bug and giving it a ride to another cache...

Father's Day

Every day ought to be Father's Day in our house, as the boys are blessed by the best father they could ever have. On Sunday, we had a token of a celebration for this great man. Noah not only cooked the burgers, but then decided to try some grilled watermelon. The burgers will remain on the menu, the watermelon not.

The boys made funny cards for their father and Noah's was even decorated with a live flower.

It was a delightful family evening honoring the World's Best Dad.

Grill Masters!

Summer is here and it is time to break out the grills. Noah cooked tasty hamburgers for Father's Day on his charcoal grill, and Lukas whipped up delicious chicken breast for the Caesar Salad on Tuesday evening.

Recital

The boys are fortunate to have a wonderful and caring music teacher who pushes them to do their best, never settling for less. On a Friday evening in early June, she hosted a recital affording all the students the opportunity to perform in front of an audience and to show off what they have learned. It was a delightful evening.

Tech Support

We have a dedicated, committed technical staff that is on call at all hours and the response time is lightening speed fast. Noah handles the Apple products while he and Lukas share the PC support. What a team and thanks to these two guys we are almost always 'up.'

Noah's photo session

When the boys were little, I would drag them to a photographer and have their pictures taken about every three or so months - the frequency depended on the number of discount coupons I had. The coupons have stopped arriving and the boys are a bit too old to sit on the floor with their favorite toy. Lukas and Noah are still happily participating in candid shots but a bit less enthused when it is time for a more intentional photo session. Yet, they seem to enjoy walking by their pictures on the wall.... so what is a Mama to do? She drags her already 13 year old outside and makes him pose.

We are so proud of our sweet, funny, kind, generous, tenderhearted, creative, and, and, and, and, the list can go on and on about our Noah. God has richly blessed him with talents and he is using them well.

Court of Honor

At the Court of Honor on Monday evening, Lukas was officially awarded his Life rank which he earned in April. Part of the tradition is to pin an emblem to a ribbon that Mama wears to signify that this is a Life Scout Mama. We are so proud of Lukas' accomplishments.

Although this is a rather formal event, it always includes funny skits and Noah and Lukas pulled their patrols together to offer up humor to the audience.

Camping Weekend

Three Severinghaus' headed north for the weekend to do some canoeing and other fun scout activities with the Boy Scouts. The gear got stacked in the front area, Noah used his new backpack and found it wonderful, and the pockets were filled with sun screen - it appeared as if the rain might hold off all weekend....

Counting

Noah is working on his gardening merit badge and one of the requirements is to monitor germination for 100 seeds. He used a pair of tweezers to count out 100 little tiny broccoli seeds. Now begins the wait...

Sweet Delivery

As we pulled up to the house, we saw a FedEx box on our front step, tucked in to the shade. None of us could recall ordering anything. Noah picked up the box while Lukas and Mama emptied the car of groceries and other odds ends. The box was addressed to Lukas and Noah and the sender gave away its content: Lulu's chocolate!

Handmade hand dipped deliciousness that brought back sweet memories for our time in Monterey courtesy of amazingly generous, kind, and encouraging friends. The boys were ecstatic and their only worries were how to hide these from Mama while they headed off to Boys Scout Camp for the weekend.

Time to Plant a Garden

It is finally safe to plant a garden! No more risk for night frost. Noah joined us a the nursery and picked out a few new vegetables to try along with the old stand by - peppers and tomatoes.  We even got a few flowers for the front so the house is all decked out for summer time.

This we did not plant, we simply ignored it well over the winter and look how it blooms!