Ketchup - Nate

Nate has by far been the busiest of all of us while we've been away.

The guy finally wrapped up his summer of soccer (with no goals but a few headers and a new found fondness for the sport).

Then, after finishing one activity, he went all out for the next. The annual Gurnee Days parade! Poor kid practiced 2 hours a day at home, then 2 hours a day at school, Monday through Friday just to get it right. I'd say the practice payed off, since he did a great job this year marching with the snare drum!

Like we do at the end of every summer, I also had Nate go through all of last years school clothes. (Since most of them sit in huge Hefty big bags under beds and in closets while we lounge in swim suits and sorts all summer, we've made this as much of a tradition as the parade.) To our surprise, Nate tried on his stuff only to find he has grown a good 2 inches this summer. We laughed and laughed when his jeans were buttoned at his waist and inches above his ankles.

Whats scarier than his height (way too close to me these days) is his eagerness to hit the mall. Something tells me this is the start of some teenage fashion trend that I will no doubt hate. But, if it gets my pair of Chuck Taylor's out of his closet and back into mine, I guess I won't complain.