Just another late-night rambling from me about what's going on with my kiddos and my better half. Here are some of the highlights from the past month or so:

• Back to school night at Logann's high school -- parents only. Had to sit in each class for 10 minutes, wait for the bell to ring and rush to the next class before the tardy bell went off. Bad high school memories came rushing back, but I was able to dilute that by sitting in class and texting Logann the whole time! That was fun.
• UAC's annual pirate cruise - very cool this year with Captain Jack making an appearance on the last sandbar. Leave it to my daughter to chase him down and demand her winnings!
• Martin has joined cub scouts, and he is so undeniably proud. It's difficult to convince him to take off his uniform for dinner sometimes. Though one of our favorite scouting events so far never even happened. Troop 3350 had planned a family campout at Clinton Lake for last Friday. The forecast turned ugly that afternoon and when we saw the storm clouds rolling in from the west, Jeannie and I changed plans and opted to "hotel camp" instead, dragging the kids to a local Holiday Inn. The indoor pool and miniature golf course sealed the deal. At least we stayed dry!
• Andrew has gotten into paintball. One trip with friends to the DropZone east of Baldwin City got him hooked. He has upgraded his paintball gear several times recently, and is already working on a Christmas list! In the meantime, his grades are, quite frankly, kicking ass at school! We're so proud of him for that.

Okay, so without intending to, this turned out to be an update on just the guys in the family. Who knew? Oh, one other detail... we're currently planning a vacation for next summer. Right now we're leaning toward a cruise through the Bahamas! More to follow on that one.

-Shannon