Art, rocks, and the roots of independence…

"The greatest gifts you can give your children are the roots of responsibility and the wings of independence."
-Denis Waitley

We put in a new closet rod in Isla’s closet, lower so she could reach it, and Isla was very excited to be able to pick out her own clothes in the morning.  Isla took to it immediately, and the look of pride on her face afterwards says it all.

Ashlyn came back from art camp excited to show off everything she made.  She made mugs, earrings, paintings, and other things our of clay and she had some ideas for things that James and Ashlyn would like too.  Based on the reaction from the kids, I think they agreed with Ashlyn’s choices.

The rock hunting has continued, and the kids so far show no signs of stopping.  We paint rocks, they find rocks, they hide rocks, and the circle of life/rocks continues.  It’s outdoor fun, so this is fun that we can all agree on.

The library is becoming a favorite spot for the kids to visit.  They’re getting familiar enough with it now that they wanted a picture with the statue out front.

Summer fun and parties…

"People don't notice whether it's winter or summer when they're happy."
-Anton Chekhov

Summer is hot.  When it’s hot, the kids don’t want to play outside.  This causes problems, so what do we do?  Water!  Not only does it keep the grass green, it also helps keep the kids cool while they entertain themselves outside.  It’s a win-win.

We’ve discovered a new activity similar to geocaching and the kids are getting into it.  Basically you paint rocks, hide rocks, and look for other rocks.  And yes, it’s just as exciting as it sounds.  Luckily it involves a lot of good things.  Painting, going to the park, giving, and discovery.  There are definitely worse hobbies for the kids to have.

Mommy found a place that lets the kids bowl free (well, nearly free) and thought it would be fun to see how they liked it.  It turns out, they liked it quite a bit.  Ashlyn even got a strike!  There were other things to do there as well, such as rock climbing, so I suspect the kids will have fun there several times before the summer is out.

To finish off the week, we went to a friend’s house where around 10 kids filled the pool.  Pizza, watermelon, sherbet, popsicles, and who knows what else were also in attendance.  Needless to say, they enjoyed themselves.

Parks, yogurts, and family gatherings…

"Cherish your human connections: your relationships with friends and family."
-Joseph Brodsky

There are certain advantages to having a parent at home.  One of them is more time spent going on outdoor walks.  Luckily for us we have a nice area our neighborhood that’s perfect for walking and the kids are taking advantage of it.

It also means more activities away from the house, including trips to the park, library, and stops for frozen yogurt.  The kids are taking full advantage of this as well.

The highlight of the week however was a party with the family at Nina and Papa’s to celebrate a whole lot of birthdays.  Papa, Nina, Fonda, and our friend Paxton are all celebrating birthdays.  We all had a great time, swimming and sipping on margaritas with the full family together.  These opportunities don’t come as often as we’d like, but I’m glad we’re able to make the most out of them when they do.

Happy birthday everyone!

More Freeport and a Dash of Science…

Isla:  "Let it Go, Let it Go, I never see you anymore, Let it Go, Let it Go, I never see you anymore..."
Ashlyn:  "Isla, you need to stop singing Let it Go."

The Freeport trip extended into this week, and it started off with a fun adventure for the kids.  Aunt Elaine created a treasure hunt, complete with burned maps and hidden clues around the yard.  It was a lot of fun to watch the kids running everywhere looking for clues and we really appreciated the time Aunt Elaine put into it.

After a brief rest from the treasure hunt, the kids were back outside playing with their cousins.  This time it involved water, and they all got soaked.  Oh well, we came to get in the water, didn’t we?

On the evening of the 4th, everyone went back to the beach for a 4th of July festival.  The kids ate, had snow cones, danced to live music, and watched the fireworks while the waves were crashing in the background.  Not a bad way to celebrate our nation’s Independence.

Back at the house, it was more games and time with family.  Isla made a new friend with one her cousins, and the two girls were inseparable all afternoon.

After getting back from Freeport you would think the kids would want to rest.  This was not the case, and luckily Mommy had some activities lined up for them.  This included a traveling chemistry show that came to our local library.  There were a lot of great experiments there, and the kids were very interested until the balloons exploded loud enough that you could feel it.

This week was also Nina’s birthday.  We’ll be getting together with the family to celebrate in earnest on the 15th, but the kids still wanted to see her this weekend.  Each of the kids made a bracelet for her, and after delivering the presents they were in the water and didn’t come back out until it was time to eat dinner.  Those kids love water.

These past few weeks have been busy, but fun.  With Mommy leaving work to focus on the kids, I hope that we will have many more of these weeks in the future.