Soccer, Rocks, and Indiana Jones

What do these things have in common? They were all a major part of our weekend.

You all know that Ryan has soccer games on Thursday nights. He is becoming an assertive little player, and LOVES scoring goals! Where are the pictures of said goals, you ask? Proud mom that I am, I was jumping up and down and cheering so much, I completely forgot about the camera around my wrist. But, hey…Ry knew his mom was proud!

When we reminded Ry’s coach that we will miss the next two games, his coach said, “Don’t remind me, I’m already depressed about it.” I’m not sure if he’s depressed that one of his best players will miss two games, or if he’s depressed that he’s not going with us!

Here are some pictures from the past couple of weeks. Just a reminder - Ry's jersey is #1, and he wears red cleats. In the third picture, he is the goalie that has just booted the ball out of the box (he blocked the goal attempt). In the last two pictures, he came close to scoring again...but not quite.


You also know that my mom and I do “Fun Friday” every week for all 100+ second-graders at Ryan’s school. The past couple of weeks we’ve been talking about rocks. Last week we stayed in one large group and talked about the different types of rocks (complete with numerous examples of each). This week we set up four rotating stations. We had each kid bring a rock from home, and we did all kinds of experiments with them to determine what kind of rock they each had. It was a lot of fun to watch the kids start to understand things as they completed the checklist we had for them. It’s always fun to witness those “light bulb” moments. We also had a lot of fun talking about all of the things that we use in our lives that are made of rocks or minerals. It’s Ryan’s treat day next Tuesday (for his birthday). Guess what we got for him to take? Rock candy. :)

Today (Saturday) was Ryan’s birthday party. He is a big Indiana Jones fan, and is counting down the days until “The Kingdom of the Crystal Skull” is in theaters (34). So, obviously, we went with the Indiana Jones theme for his party. For the main activity, we had an obstacle course treasure hunt. Here are the clues/directions with photos of the kids at each spot…

To find the treasure, you’ll have to prove
You’re fit for Indy’s team.
The first test you’ll need to pass
Is walking across a beam.

Crossing scary, rickety bridges
Is a famous Indy feat.
Hungry crocs swim underneath
So pick up your two feet!
Indy doesn’t really care
If you have fortune or fame.
But when his back is to the bad guys,
He wants someone who can aim!
If you ever lose your guns
Indy wants to know
That when you’re escaping headhunters
You can use arrows and a bow!
Watch out!
Rolling boulders ahead!
You’ll need some fancy footwork
Or you can be crushed dead!
A motorcycle relay race
Is last for you to do.
Teamwork is important here
So cheer on your whole crew!
At last, to find the buried treasure
Go north from the basketball pole.
Turn west at the end of the house
Take fifteen steps, and dig a hole!
We buried a treasure chest with gold chocolate coins in it.
Ryan got a lot of fun presents! Since most of his friends know that we’re heading to Hawaii, a lot of them gave him things to take on the trip. He got a super soaker, two other huge squirt guns, rockets, the “20 Q” electronic game, and even a metal detector! Rara & Papa gave him Volume 1 of “The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles” (from the History channel) and I gave him the Indiana Jones “Temple Escape” Lego kit. It has 554 pieces. Hmmm…I wonder what we’ll be doing until we leave?!?!
For party favors, we gave each kid an “Adventure Survival Kit.” I made this sheet and stuck them on the bags in order to identify the contents…
And I LOVED the way the cake turned out…

It was a really fun party. Ryan had a great time, and I think all of the other kids did, too.