Our Ingredients for an Awesome Summer

 

Popsicles with a home-made spill catcher.

 

Movies on the floor with the portable DVD player.

 

Emergency room visit for a broken wrist.  It doesn’t even look broken!  (OK…not so awesome, but a big part of summer, for sure!)

 

Homemade bread by Josh…a few short hours before the broken bone!

 

Homemade granola, eaten right from the bowl on a makeshift seat.  It tastes better that way!

 

Lots of dirt and sweat…and a few tears for good measure.

 

Fireworks selfies.

 

Post-swimming baseball snoozes.

 

Indoor s’mores on fondue forks.

 

Impromptu dinner in the canyon, with pre-roasted hot dogs in the crockpot.

 

Fun on the neighbors’ toys.

 

 

Dirt by the mouthful.

 

Visits with cousins.

 

CMP Lagoon Day.

 

Don’t forget about trips to the splashpad, the pool and the park; family get-togethers; preschool drop-off, pick-up and observation; and plenty of time on bikes and scooters.

Oh, and a whole lotta’ happy!!

Memorial Day 2014

 

We had a really fun Memorial Day this year.  The kids spent the morning working on a project with Jared.  He recently learned how to play a game called Kubb.  It is played with large wooden pieces.  He liked it so much that he spent time over the last couple of weeks cutting and sanding pieces for our own set.  Then he let each of the kids paint one of the men.  They thought it was the coolest thing in the world!

I spent the morning cleaning the outside windows and screens.  Not fun at all, and very very hot.  But it’s so nice to be able to see what’s outside!!

My mom and Blake came up about the time we all finished our projects.  We ate lunch on the patio and then headed to the park for some more fun.  Emily and Blake spent some time playing catch, and then hitting balls.  I eventually joined in, then Jared and Josh came as well.  We all got more than our fair share of running after balls.

Jared and Josh playing Kubb.

 

For some reason, Caleb wanted to be all wrapped up in the blanket…in the 80+ degree heat!!  Crazy kid!

 

I think he might die from having his mom give him a squeeze.

 

Amazed by the awesome softball-playing and Kubb-playing skills he’s witnessing.

 

We love Grandma, yes we do!

 

We love Blake too!

 

So happy together…

 

Rachel loves to snuggle in for pictures.

 

Me and my mom.  I hear there’s a bit of a resemblance.

 

Rachel’s attempts at taking a selfie with the gigantic Nikon DSLR camera.  Kinda tricky with such a big piece of equipment to work with!  (I’m sure you’d agree that those are some incredible shots up her nose, though!)

 

These two can be best buddies when they want to.

 

The whole fam.  I might be biased, but I think we’re pretty great!

Memorial Day 2014 – Cemetery Visits

 

We broke from tradition this year and did our cemetery visiting the day before Memorial Day.  It was a nice way to fill up a Sunday afternoon.  (The cemeteries were no less busy, though.)  It was such a gorgeous day – much better than the cold/rainy/snowy weather we get about every 3rd year.  We really could not have asked for anything better.

Here are some of the sights of our visit.  Just a warning: Caleb was really on one.  Too much sugar?  Too much 5-year-old?  Whatever it was, you’ll soon see the evidence!!

Josh is giving Daniel  “drive your mom nuts when she is taking pictures” lessons!

 

Not sure what they’re looking at, but it must be interesting to get Daniel’s attention.

 

Jared pointed out the headstone for one of his ancestors, John Baptist R.  When Caleb heard, he exclaimed in amazement, “JOHN THE BAPTIST  R.??!?!?”  He cracks us up!

 

The grave of Alonzo Raymond.  (Caleb the ninja at work.)

 

The grave of James and Drusilla Hendricks.  (Caleb is going with the evil-eye look.)

 

The mini obelisk for William Hendricks.  (Now Caleb has Josh joining in on his antics.)

 

The grave of Joseph Shaffer.  (Caleb is still at it.)

 

The grave of Johanna Holm.  (Even Daniel is becoming slightly disturbed by Caleb’s adventures!)

 

This one is a bit blurry, but still one of my all-time favorites.  D-man LOVES his daddy!!

 

The memorial for Thomas Jessop.  (And finally, Caleb is back to his regular 5-year-old self!)

 

And the best smiler award goes to Rachel!  Sweet girl.

Catching Up…Again!

 

I can’t ever seem to stay caught up these days.  Too much going on, too little time…we all know how it goes!!

At the end of April, I finished drapes for our family room windows.  I love them.  A lot!

 

I have also finished drapes for our sliding glass door.  They have been laying on the floor in the basement while we figure out a way to hang them.   Stay tuned for a picture when we figure out a solution and get them hung!

Daniel continues to amuse and entertain us on a daily basis.  This kid has some serious moves and animal sounds!

 

And he’s not too shabby in Mom’s sunglasses, either!

 

Daniel has been loving his new preschool, especially the aide assigned to him.  His name is JJ, and he adores Daniel.  I am glad there is someone who cares so much about him and his progress.

We were able to attend Emily’s final orchestra concert.  Her group did a great job.  She is sad to not have time in her schedule for orchestra next year.  I was lucky to get this picture of her, as she and her friend were doing a great job of turning their backs to me whenever I attempted a shot.

 

Rachel participated in her first grade program at school.  She did a fantastic job!  It was fun to hear her singing and humming the songs over the past month as her class learned them.  She got a speaking part that included thanking parents and helpers for all their support.  She is such a cutie pie!

 

Caleb’s kindergarten day got shortened by 30 minutes for the last two weeks of school.  So he got to tag along to a couple of audiology appointments for Daniel.  He loves coming because there are so many fun toys!

 

He continues to crack us up on a daily basis with his funny thoughts and killer one-liners.  He is spending most of his free time with his friend across the culdesac, who also happens to have the same name.  Makes for some confusing moments!!

Josh participated in his school’s award ceremony.  He received awards for Honor Roll (all 4 quarters on the Honor Roll), Citizenship, and a couple for his hard work in math.  (And with 2/3 of a smile, I’d say Mom won the picture-taking battle!)

 

Phew!  I think that gets us caught up.  But with the last few days of school, and everything that goes along with them, it won’t last long! I’m going to enjoy the feeling until my brain realizes otherwise!