Whitewater Sunday

On our hotest day of the year so far, we decided to hit the water.  

We drove north a couple of hours to the beautiful Nantahala River.  Eric & I started with the little one on our 3-person raft with the older two kids in their own single raft.

The water levels were really up, which made for great white water.

About halfway down the river, we switched up the rafts a bit and put all 3 kids together.  

As we neared the most dangerous rapid on this section (class 3), it was just the girls in the raft with the boys each in their own.

Such a georgous day!

Volleyball Tournament

Eric & the oldest decided to enter a 2-person coed volleyball tournament.  

They did well, but quickly realized they were one of the least experienced.  With cash prizes at stake, the tournament brought in many collegiate level players.

The McConnell duo were successful in dropping down a level just prior to the final posted schedule.  They played in level BB.

After making it through 3 rounds in the tournament, they were finally out.  Returning home with lots of sun on their faces and tired, the two were already planning their strategy for the next one.

Fawn Lake

Another home renovated.  This one gave us more work than expected, but it still turned out really nice.  Added weed & feed to yard, trimmed hedges, added mulch, replaced most of the flooring, fixed plumbing & leaks, added kitchen cabinet doors & range, repaired & painted walls, mended fence, and so much more.

Before vs. After of each angle:

Side of house

Backyard

One of the bathrooms:

 

 Kitchen:

 

 Living Room:

 

  

Comic Strip

In celebration of the upcoming Father's Day, I wanted to post a cute comic strip that was recently posted in the newspaper.

Eric doesn't realize how handsome he is, with or without hair.  I wish he saw himself through my eyes.  He is better looking to me now than he was 25 years ago when we began dating.  I love him to pieces, and I wouldn't want him any other way.

Still, the kids will send him selfies like this to show off their thick locks:

To all fathers with little or no hair (ie. Poppie), enjoy the special day dedicated specifically to you in a few weeks!  We love you just the way you are!  :) 

3rd Grade Awards

I had the privilege of accompanying our little one to her 3rd grade awards ceremony.  I was a proud mom!

Over 200 children were in her 3rd grade, and the top awards were given in front of the whole group. 

Here, she received the Mathmatics Award for highest math average.

Next, she received the SC Children's Book Award for those who read 20 or more books from a specified list and passed the exams (all extra work throughout the year).  These select students (about 15 in the whole school) got to go on a field trip to the movie theatre, purchase books at Barnes & Noble with a $25 gift card, and have dinner at Boston Pizzaria.  

I wasn't able to capture her receiving the Principle's Award Pin for All A's Honor Roll each 9 weeks.

Afterwards, the students went back into homeroom classes where each teacher gave out additional awards.  Our little one received the Service Award and pin for representing her class in Student Council during the year.

She then wanted a picture with her teacher and her favorite award of the morning.

Best friends...

I forgot to get a picture with her, too, so these were taken the next morning with all her awards.

Geno 2.0

For the past 15 years, Eric has been telling the kids that they are Native Alaskan.  I'm not sure if this was his attempt to confuse them, protest demographic questions, or brainwash them into thinking they qualify for college scholarships, but he's been telling them this for years.  

As an early Father's Day gift, I purchased a genology kit from National Geographic to prove, without a doubt, where his ancestry genes originated 1,000 years ago.  We aniticipate Scots-Irish given the last name McConnell.  But the neat thing is that it will also tell his percentage of Neanderthal as well as a complete health analysis.

When I logged on, they were running a special with $50 off per kit and free shipping.  I couldn't resist and bought one for myself as well.  I'm expecting a lot of German heritage, but since I'm female with only x chromosomes, the test will only confirm my maternal ancestry.  

The test involves a simple cheek swab, so it's painless.  After taking two samples each and mailing them off, the 10-week processing time begins.  We should get the results back just in time for Eric's birthday.  
 

Final 4

Our son's soccer team has advanced 3 rounds in the state tournament, making it all the way to the final 4!!  

A huge group of Powdersville fans came out, but here are my early arrival favorites.

The team gets a pep talk prior to taking the field.

Next, the prayer.  I love this part!

Now the final huddle with the core team just before play begins.

Here's a great catch by my favorite goal keeper!  They couldn't make a goal with this guy.

We won!!  Final score was 3-0 against the toughest team in our area.  Now onto the semi-finals!!

Congratulations Patriots!