Will's Fly Fishing Debut

Will has been tying his own flies for some time and has come out with some gems. It was high time to get out on the water and test them out, so, we headed to the St. Joe to see what we could do. 

Dad gave Will a 1 wt. fly rod to train on and he did pretty good with it. It is tough to cast at the Joe since there is always something behind you, so we did a lot of roll casting.

 

Getting some hands-on training...

Couldn't go to the Joe without dipping my line in as well...

Will eventually moved over to a spinning rod and started getting out to where the fish were located. Here he is with a nice 15-incher that he hooked and landed all on his own.

 

Good three generation photo...

 

Will was eager to try out the flies he had tied. So we found a good hole that didn't require him to cast too far and slapped on his best looking fly and got back on the fly rod. Within a couple of casts he had hooked and landed his first cutthroat...by himself... on a fly... that he tied!

I think all three generations were pretty proud and satisfied getting to experience that event.

He landed another one shortly after that.

Then, off home again. Will sacked out in the back hard until he started dreaming and then woke yelling, "I got him, don't worry, I got him." Not sure if the fish was bigger in the dream or in reality.

Swim Lessons: Fun Day!!!

Sara and Ben wrapped up their final week of swim lessons on Friday.  They both passed the turtle class with flying colors, and I was so excited that I went and signed them right up for another two weeks in the big frog class!  I can't believe we are checking another milestone off our list:  4 kids swimming.

As usual, they got to spend the final Friday doing the slides.  They aren't tall enough to ride during open swim hours, so this is a huge privilege that they'd been waiting for all summer! 

Ben said, "I'm so excited I'm getting the creeps!!!"

Both of them are super-brave, and even managed to talk the instructors into letting them ride alone:

FIRST TIME EVER!!!

My little swim monkey!

I wish I could see his face better.  I'm sure it is sheer terror!

Frogs start 9 am: tomorrow!!!  Woohoo!

I'm no Monica Geller.

So Joe gave me a label maker for my birthday this year, so that I can finally achieve my life-long dream of becoming neurotically organized.

Turns out, it also doubles well as a diversion from cleaning toilets, which is what I'm supposed to be doing right now.

Truth be told, this feels more productive.

Swim Lessons.

So we signed up the littlest two Casebolts for some swim lessons this summer.  It was a bit chilly the first morning (nothing compared to the June sessions which managed to dip into the 40s, so we were grateful for July heat).
Ben was excited for-ever, so when I got up the first morning, I found this by the front door: towel, trunks, and his fastest pair of shoes.

 

As the kids chit-and-chattered their little purple selves to the car afterwards, Ben says to Sara, with righteous indignation, "Hey!  You didn't tell me the swim lessons were at the pool!"

"I thought you knew!" Sara shrugs, nonplussed.

"Noooo, I diddddn't." he says, totally peeved.

 

I actually love their post-pool conversations.  I popped into the middle of one today:

"....my wife.....  But she's dead."  says Ben.

"Your wife's dead?"  Sara says suspiciously.  "So where is she buried then?"

"Buried?" says Ben, rolling that word around his mouth for maybe the first time ever.

Haha!  she thinks.

"She's buried in Ok-la-ho-ma!"  says Ben, loving this word too.

"Oklahoma?"  Sara says with a snort.  "No one gets buried in Oklahoma."

Summertime slumber.

The boys like to bunk together in Ben's little bed rather than Will's room, which has two beds.  This of course, leaves no room for all Ben's sons (I think we're at 8 or 10 now...).  Add Will's favorite buddies, and you have a gen-u-wine slumber party.

Decked out for VBS

Sunglasses?  Check.

Belt?  Check.

Vest?  Check.

Backpack and Super-Hero Cape?  Check, check.

This dude's too cool for school.

Channeling the Bronte sisters...

...a little jaunt through the moors in the drizzle.

One of the cooler days this summer, we took full advantage: movies, baking, and melodrama. 

Love it!