Outdoor fun and s’mores…

"I'm trying to let him shoot me but he keeps running away!"
-Ashlyn

The temperature outside continues to rise and the kids are going outside more and more often.  This past week we walked outside to see them dumping water beads into the pool, burying James, playing with the dog, and getting sand everywhere. 

They weren’t completely messy in their crafts.  They also made derby carts out of boxes (which I’m sure was completely safe) and talked us into eating most of our meals outside on the new porch table that PePa helped us put together.

And who doesn’t immediately think of s’more’s on a hot summer day?  Most sane people I think, but not our kids.  So we made s’mores.  And a big mess came along with it.

For some cooling off time we took the kids to play some laser tag.  The vest was a little heavy for Isla so she spent most of the time chasing her brother and sister around.  James mainly ran around looking for Ashlyn, getting shot by Ashlyn who would take defensive positions, and then running away to go find her again in a different area.  Fun times.

We rounded out the three day weekend by taking the kids to the park to have a picnic and play at the splash pad.  Somewhere along the way James and Ashlyn thought it would be fun to try meditating on some exercise equipment.  At least it was quiet for a few minutes.

Pools and soccer…

"Swimming is a confusing sport, because sometimes you do it for fun, and other times you do it to not die. And when I'm swimming, sometimes I'm not sure which one it is."
-Demetri Martin

Summer is here and that means it’s time to setup the swimming pool.  Fortunately we had some willing helpers.  I don’t think they expected the water to be so cold coming out of the hose, but they still had fun with it.

The last week of soccer came with two games since we had a makeup game due to rain.  The first was outdoors and then we got more rain which pushed the second game indoors.  James did great both games, playing more time at goalie since he’s become the best defensive player on the team.  It was a good soccer season, he played hard and had fun.  I suspect we’ll have move soccer next year.

Since we couldn’t see Nina last weekend for Mother’s Day we got together this weekend instead.  The kids spent all their time in the pool, blowing bubbles and diving into the water.  Somehow we didn’t take any pictures that didn’t have just the kids in it, but you can pretend that there are other happy adults around, including Nina who we were there to celebrate.

     

 

Happy Mother’s Day!

"All that I am, or hope to be, I owe to my angel mother."
-Abraham Lincoln

For the annual Mother’s Day craft the kids chose an aquarium theme.  Ashlyn volunteered her new desk for the work table and within minutes it was filled with shells, frames, rocks, glue, pipe cleaners, and other things.  Luckily Daddy was the only one who got burned by the glue. 

We started Mother’s Day by making breakfast for the Mommy of our house.  French Toast and smiles is a pretty good way to start the day.  After breakfast the kids gave Mommy some presents, including candy and puzzles with their pictures on them.

Later we met up with Grandma so the kids could give her the aquarium gift and we spent an evening playing cards and enjoying the company.

We’re getting down to the last few games of soccer.  James gets better every game and still finds himself getting put into the more difficult defensive positions.  The coach often assigns James to be the goalie because he watches the angles of the ball and tries to predict where it will go.  And he doesn’t think math helps in sports… 

Gardens, soccer, and a tired dog…

"I get kind of lonely without my mommy."
-Isla

The weather is improving and the garden is growing.  This means the kids got to pick out their own vegetables to grow.  Ashlyn planted cilantro and lettuce, while James went with lettuce and edamame.  Isla will get her own trip to the nursery this week to pick out her own veggies.

Sadie got spayed this week, poor girl, and the first few days after were rough on her.  The kids like reading with Sadie, so when they were told she couldn’t come upstairs they decided to bring down their books and read next to her instead.  I think Sadie appreciated the company.

It seems like rain has come the day before or day of every soccer practice and game.  This weekend was no exception and they were forced to play inside to keep the field from getting destroyed.  It made for a more exciting game though, it was loud and there were few stops in play since there was no way for the ball to go out of bounds.  James did great and proved again that he is a defensive player.  Where most kids go in a straight line to wherever the ball is, James reads the angles and tries to intercept it.

Isla tried to be helpful this weekend when we were washing the car.  With her help, we were able to wash the car in no less than twice the time it would have normally taken.  Some parts got washed four, maybe five times so at least I know it’s really really clean.