Week 3

Week 3 brought our first away game. We headed over to Blue Valley for a cool Sunday morning game. It was Luke's best game of the year, so far at least. The Tigers did great.
Lucas is doing very well playing linebacker!

The tigers won 40-0

We are 3-0 and hoping the streak continues!!!

Lawn mowing

Saturday afternoon Jeremy decided he would teach Luke to mow the yard. Lucas has been able to mow a couple of times at the farm and has been bugging us to mow at home. Mom did not think it was good idea and Dad, Dad saw his mowing career ending.

This guy, well he was ecstatic about getting to mow at home!
Here is stage one in the learning process.

There was a lot of talking and teaching and wanting to just start mowing by Lucas.

Then there was the patient waiting and waiting and watching. It was all part of the lesson but I think it did almost kill him to have to wait and watch.

Here is the big moment. Lucas is MOWING!!

I am guessing there is going to be a lot less of this and

a lot more of this from now on.

Lucas can only mow the front and not the sides because of the incline, so I guess mom did win a bit.

Ah, my brother can mow......Ah

Well here is to years of continued mowing. I am glad fall is here and it will not take many more mows before the season ends. I am just very nervous about this entire thing.

Festival in the Park 2010

Last weekend was Festival in the Park. Guiding Star, Addi's preschool and Luke's hang out spot before and after school had a float in the parade. Once I worked out the parade and football pictures timeline in the morning we decided to take part in the float.

This years theme was guiding the stars to the future. The kids all dressed like what they want to be in the future. Addi really wanted to be a pitcher but I applied a dose of reality and she settled on a ballerina.

Addi and her friend Brooks were very helpful during the parade and helped hold down the sign on the side of the float when the wind would blow it up.

This is where the kids were to wave hello. Good thing Rustalyn was paying attention.

Luke was being helpful in passing out the donuts to all the kids on the float. It really did help get the energy level up.

It was really early in the morning and Addi is just not a morning girl. Her excitement from the night before had not yet caught up with her.

The float won best of theme and Most original. Everyone was excited. The teachers drew out the background and colored in the days before and then the dads tied them together after building the float frame and loading it with hay bales. It was really awesome.

I walked with a group of parents along side the float and passed out candy. It was a long 2.5 mile walk but only the pace in the beginning and end were painful, otherwise it was a beautiful morning for a nice walk and was pretty cool to hand out candy along the way. I must say I may be taking a seat on the float next year next to the smart experienced moms!

Football week 2

Week 2 of football was a nice hot afternoon game at the Ray-Pec high school field. All the boys were excited about playing on the big time field. After all most of them had just watched the high school team stomp Liberty the night before. The Tigers won 42-0.

It was a wonderful game and awesome to be 2-0

Season opener

Saturday kicked off Football season. We opened up the season against our biggest rivals. We lost to them last year in the Superbowl and the kids have remembered ever since. This we had a new team and they had a new team. Every year certainly stands on its own.

This year we are the Tigers....

Here is the team

Lucas is #50

Look at this cute little face

Here are the Coaches

The kids got to play a little football on the sidelines while they waited.

Here is a little cheerleader

Final score 24-12 TIGERS WIN!!

We are looking forward to a wonderful season, the first big game is out of the way. 8 weeks left and we hope the victories keep coming!

Long family reunion

The 3rd Sunday in August was the Long Family Reunion. It is always the 3rd Sunday in August which is helpful for folks like me who have a hard time remembering changing dates. In the ten years that I have been attending this is the best weather I have ever seen. It was amazing. No sweat and the outside was actually nicer than inside. I am sure it will be another 10 years before we see August weather like this again.

Luke and Jeremy decided to play a little football with some cousins whie we were there.


A little fun on the swing.

Taralyn made the trip with us. Aunt Carrie was sick and Hunter was in Clinton. It is amzing to me that she is 9 and getting older by the day.

It was great to see everyone!

First day of school 2010

August 16, 2010 Lucas Long became a 3rd Grader. I can't believe it. It really seems like yesterday that he started Kindergarten and I worried everyday but was so happy he started school. He is very excited about 3rd grade and is doing amazing so far. It is crazy to me that school comes so easy to him.

Addi's fall session started for preschool the same day. From the summer session to this fall she seems a year older not months. There is just only so much you can say about this little girl who has on idea she is little.

This is the backpack Luke just had to have. It cost him $10 out of his own pocket but he could not be happier he pitched in to buy it.

Here is a picture to prove that there are troubles in taking some photos. Addi is just not much of a morning person.

Bella is 2

Rachel and Joe decided to have Bella's party a little early since they were in town for Jehu's wedding and were in the process of the Marine's moving them from Hawaii to North Carolina. It was a great day at Chuck E Cheese for the kids. I still do not understand how they can make pizza taste so gross, but that is not the point of the day!
Here is the birthday girl getting the pizza scared out of her by Chucky himself.
Addi loved all the rides. Daddy kept them well stocked in tokens. I have no pictures of Luke from the day because he was all over the place playing all the games.

Addi does love Rachel. They had a great time hanging out with each other and watching Bella and Joe open presents.

One proud Dad. And one cute girl.

Rachel trying to get Bella to like her crown.

Jehu's Wedding

On August 7, 2010 Jehu and Joleen got married! They had a lovely ceremony in Belton and their reception in Harrisonville. It was unbelievably hot that weekend but everything about their wedding was beautiful. We wish them nothing but the best!
We were a couple hours before the ceremony and getting ready when I discovered Addi was not going to handle this very well. He was just sure she was in the wedding. She had her flower girl dress out, her crown hair piece and her sparkly shoes. Trouble from the beginning. After a couple of melt downs she agreed to a pretty purple dress that looked cute on her. Bella was the flower girl and Addi was okay with that and even happy with her job.

Addi thought Joleen was beautiful in her dress and took every opportunity to dance with her at the reception that she could.
I wish I would of brought my camera in to the reception because Addi was adorable. I can't believe she is so old and so like Luke in so many ways. Addi loves to dance and watch others dance. A wonderful night for everyone.

Getaway

The first weekend in August Jeremy and I went away for an adults only weekend. It was the first time we had ever gone on a vacation without the kids. There have been plenty of overnight of a couple of night stays without the kids but this was the first time we did not have another purpose in leaving without the kids. It was amazingly relaxing. We went with our next door neighbors who have become good friends of ours. Jeremy and Bret went golfing for 4 days and Susan and I went shopping and had a lovely spa day. We came back relaxed and very happy. It is amazing how that seems a world away now.

Football Camp 2010

It is football season here! Football season officially kicked off the last week of July with the high school football camp. This is where the grade school boys can go practice with the high school football team, see the locker room, run a few of the high school plays and on the last day they get to play on the field.


Coach Kruse addresses the boys on the field just like regular practice. In the three years that Luke has done camp it has grown a lot!


One big guy!


Luke got to lay a lot of different positions. He is really good at defense but quarterback is his favorite.






Here he is playing a little center.

I was not fast enough to catch his release when he would throw it.

Here is a little running back action. He has all the heart in the world to move the ball forward but there is no speed to go with it.

Luke having a few thoughts to share with Coach Kruse.

The pressure of being quarterback and remembering to call the play.