My Baby Girl Goes to School

Not much to say here. We have entered a new life stage and really feel as though our kids are growing fast. We were given a sheet preparing us for separation anxiety, but Little Miss Independent had no trouble at all. She has been ready to "do school," like the boys, for some time now.

She marched right into the classroom and was ready to get started. (We didn't bother to tell her that the "Kinnaman way" will have her doing coursework until she is in her 30s)

One of the many great benefits of our schedule as educators is that Lisa and I have been able to take all the kids to their first days of school together as a family. When I returned to pick her up, she was so engage in circle-time that I was able to watch for a number of minutes and even snap a picture with my camera phone.

When I asked the teacher how the day went, her first response was to tell me, "Wow, Abby is REALLY strong!" That made me nervous. Before I could inquire as to who or what it was that she managed to break on her first day, she finished by saying, "she crossed all the way on the monkey bars."

Tent Pitch 09

I'm certain that no one enjoys Tent Pitch more than Abby Lou. We spend the weekend convincing ourselves that a little (or a lot) of dirt on the face never really hurt anyone.

Once again, our fearless leader -El Presidente- Chris Graham, organized a perfect weekend get-away. This was the 5th annual Tent Pitch, though only the 3rd time the Kinnaman clan has been in attendance.

Eighty-four people camped at Gold Fork, ID (near Cascade) and more than half of them were children. Families mingled, played on the creek bank, shared camping food, and enjoyed fellowship in the truest sense; in what has become a valued tradition for many families in our church. We visited the legendary Gold Fork Hot Springs and the kids pruned for about 3 hours in the mineral pools. I think Lisa could live in the hot springs!

Notable traditions have emerged from the annual weekend getaway. One of these is the mile-long fire pit, designed to accommodate campfire time for eighty-four people.

The Man-sized Challenge is another storied tradition which provides much entertainment for the group as a whole. After training for a number of months to win the coveted traveling Man-sized trophy, I finished (bitterly) as the runner-up to Ben Kneadler. This is an event that requires strength, endurance, skill, and a little luck...seeing as you never know what the competition events will be until the challenge begins. This year my Achilles heel was the steer lasso. How could I have trained for that? (Grandpa Kinnaman would have been ashamed by my woeful ability to handle the lariat) Next year, the trophy will be mine.This year the kids instituted the "kid-sized challenge." They completed the same five events--relay style and with kids sized obstacles. Not to be out-done, two teams of ladies relayed through the challenge course, as well.
Lisa was a champ.
(I believe that her time was better than mine)Ah-yeah... that's right, a large group of Nazarenes droppin dance moves in the mountains. Not saying we were the Solid Gold dancers, but we had a whole lot of fun, regardless. Even Ryan's parents were a bit surprised at how uninhibited he was, and rightfully so; that kid has MOVES! Tony DeVall furnished a dance floor surrounded with multi-colored rope lights and the Vance Kellogg party van pumped out the tunes late into the night. We are all hoping that this too will become a tradition:
The Tent Pitch Dance Party

Tent Pitch is the best! What a great way to close out the summer with family and friends. A tradition that we hope to be a part of for many years to come. We are so blessed.

Easy, like Sunday morning

Lazy mornings; what the Kinnamans enjoy most about Summertime.

Pete-Paul & the Underground Church

We took a trip to Ancient Rome, the week of August 12-16. This year's vacation Bible school was pretty involved.

Lisa's good friend Lori Green (with the camera) was commissioned with staging the HUGE event inside our church, where kids

were immersed in the life and times of the Apostle Paul, when he was under house arrest in the City of Rome.

The kids spent time at Paul's residence, where they witnessed the conversion of the Roman guard, Brutus. They also visited Christians who were worshiping in secret, in the caves beneath the city. They played fun games. They spent time in the marketplace, meeting people of many beliefs and experiencing the culture of Ancient Rome.

I was Paul, teaching kids about God's gift, the sacrifice of Christ.
Lisa and Tiff (pictured here, with their friends/marketplace vendors, Kelli and Jenny) worked much harder as family group leaders (Brendan assisted Tiff's group), than I did as only one of the family groups' stops along the way. It was a great experience for the kids and the adults, both.

Well worth all of that time and energy.

Back to School...Already?!

It feels as though summer has just started and now our boys are headed back to school. Wednesday was opening day for Poineer School of the Arts. Pioneer is a special, magnet school that has designed its learning experiences around art themes. Research shows that students retain the stuff they learn when the breaks are shorter. Our kids have longer Thanksgiving, Christmas, and Spring Breaks, as well as additional "track breaks" in addition to a shortened summer break.

Ryan was so kind to let his sis "hang" with him while he connected with old friends.

Will was so anxious to get on with the first grade, that he woke up early and was just pacing--counting the minutes until we would leave for school.

Can you guess what Abby's favorite subject will be?

(She will begin Pre-School at Cole Valley Christian, in Boise, at the end of August)

It was a terrific day, capped off with a quick dip in the pool before we headed off to Vacation Bible School. It is so great that our boys love learning and love their school. Lisa and I are pleased with Pioneer and excited to see what the new school year has in store for our kids.

BAM JAMMIN' the Downers

The week has been a full one, capped off with a visit from Mike, Tiina and their kids; as well as a downtown three on three tournament in Boise. There is no better time than piling six kids into two cars to roll in to Boise for some hoops.

Friday night, Ryan played the first two games the tournament. They eventually played a total of six games, continuing into Saturday, to place third over-all in the 4th grade (he's playing up) bracket. I was honored to be the coach of Team Uprise.

(VERY dangerous)

Following Friday night's games, we collectively turned our kids loose to terrorize Boise downtown. We had a great time walking to the town square which is better known as "The Grove," where we landed in the Brick Oven Bistro; the kids had root beer floats and the adults ate too much dessert.

It has been a treat to host the Downers' visiting Boise, who are visiting for a wedding in Tiina's family. The kids have effectively paired off (as have the adults) and it has been fun playing and fellowshipping for everyone.