Zach's First Deer!

I guess the Boardman's have entered a new phase of existence. Hunting!!!! Dave took Ben and Zach out Saturday for youth hunt. Around 10:30, a six-point buck("non-typical"I'm learning the lingo) walked out about 50 yards from the stand. Zach dropped him with a single shot! You talk about excitement! My very laid-back husband called me and he was almost yelling into the phone!
Last night, our very committed friends, the McLeans came and showed us how to put up deer meat. I never dreamed I'd ever be doing this. If anyone out there in cyberspace has some tried and true venison recipes, please share.
Last week, I took Josh and Lauren Truitt to Youth Challenge in Indiana. They had a wonderful time. I went with my sister-in-law, Sarah Holden, to hang out at her house for a few days. I took Emily with me and she enjoyed playing with Uncle Paul and the pug, Lucy. She wasn't real sure about Uncle Paul at first. She told us she only liked Doctor dads, not computer guys. By the time we left, she and Paul were fast friends.

The Mighty Hunter!

Saturday was a great day for Mr. Ben. He bagged his first turkey! Actually, he is the first one in our house to shoot one. The guys were so inspired that they hunted for most of the afternoon as well. I've decided that this turkey probably cost us at least a hundred dollars a pound. Smile!
Dave says its quality bonding time with the young men in our family. I tend to agree with him.(It was also nice to have a quiet house to clean on Saturday.)
We start revival with Penn View quartet in a couple days. Our church is really excited for them to come. Their enthusiasm is always contagious. Bro. Truitt started a contest for the kids at church to see who can invite the most friends on Sunday. It could be standing room only!
We are winding up the first quarter in school this week, so that means lots of exams to study for and grade. Oh, when are the holidays?????

Birthdays and more birthdays!

Last weekend was a busy one! We celebrated Zach's 9th birthday Friday with a big pizza party and around 30 people. He had three boys stay over for a sleepover, so I was the mother of 8 for one night!(Seven of which were boys!!!) They had a blast creating piles of laundry, eating constantly, running in and out the front door, and acting like normal boys. You gotta love em!
It seems like I've had a constant stream of B-days and parties: Josh in June, Caleb and Emmy in September, and Zach in October. Whew! Ben's isn't until December!!!! I just wish they wouldn't grow up so fast. I can't imagine this house without the constant noise and activity.
I'm posting some birthday pics.

Branson Trip

We just returned from a very relaxing 4 days in Branson! We were able to rent a two bedroom condo on the lake for their off-season prices. What a deal! We spent a couple days at Silver Dollar City. We even convinced Caleb to ride the roller-coaster. It took a $20 bribe to get him on, but he finally did it! I even squelched my fears and rode Wildfire(a coaster that actually goes upside down-TWICE). I did ok the first ride, but the second one did me in. I was on the bench for a half-an-hour waiting for my Dramamine to kick in!
The Truitt's(our pastor's family) and the McCarthy's(my sister's family) were also in Branson last week. It was great to be together. We took the kids to see the Duttons. They are a performing family of six brothers and sisters plus the parents. They play all kinds of instruments and they sing. It has become our tradition to go see them every time we're in town. I posted a pic of Ben Boardman with Ben Dutton. (Both are very Hyper!!!)
We are back to the grind of school this week. In some ways, the routine is very calming for us. In other ways, I would like to try the perpetual vacation for a while!

Branson Trip