A New School Year Begins...

 

My babies are growing up!!  Eva started FOURTH grade this year (the grade I use to teach) and Jaden started FIRST grade!!  Greyson....well....he got a little weepy for 2 days when they left for school, but seems to be doing much better now enjoying daily morning walks with mommy! 

"Education is not so much the filling of a pail, but rather the lighting of a fire"

--William Butler Yeats

End of Summer FUN!

Every year for the past 4 years Eva and Jaden have hosted an End of Summer Party for their friends.  It is always something we look forward to as a way to celebrate the end of a fun summer....and the beginning of the school year!

Every year we start off the party with swimming and popsicles!  LOTS of kiddos this year!!

 After about an hour of swimming we do the kiddos favorite activity....SHAVING CREAM FIGHT!

 This year we also added a slip-in-slide covered with shaving cream and a sprinkler to the mix...

 

 Fun was had by all...

 

 

In other news.....this little guy has turned into a real fish!

This past weekend was probably one of my favorites....our family was outside ALL weekend.  Lots of time in the pool, bonfires, we cooked out,  made smores, set off fireworks, went on bike rides, etc..  We went to bed late and dirty...and then got up and played outside some more.  A PERFECT summer weekend.

"Summer afternoon, summer afternoon...to me those have always been two of the most beautiful words in the English language"

--Henry James

Pretzels!

We are still enjoying summer fun in our little neck of the woods!  On the menu for dinner last week:  Homemade soft pretzels, homemade cheese sauce, and pizza sauce.  As far as the kids were concerned, it beat a fancy traditional meal any day!  This mama loves seeing the smiles.

"If you obey all the rules, you miss all the fun!"

--Katharine Hepburn

Making Memories...

 

Kids grow up fast.  Too fast.  

Summer vacation goes fast.  Too fast.  

I think it's important to occasionally let the housework (a.k.a. normal routine) slide for a while and just focus on some FUN.  We do fun things throughout the summer, but twice a year (Summer Vacation and Christmas Break) I plan what my kiddos have started calling a "Day of Fun".  It's basically an ENTIRE day full of simple and fun activities.  Most of the activities cost next to nothing....but produce giggles that this mama can't get enough of.  I should mention that I never tell the kiddos what we are doing - that anticipation is part of the fun!!!  Here are the activities we did on our Day of Fun last week:

Activity #1:   Science Experiment - How Do Plants Absorb Water?!

Yes, it's the teacher in me.  I love stuff like this....probably more than  my kids do.   That being said, this was a quick and simple activity we could do while I was juggling breakfast for everyone.  I also liked that the kids could do it completely by themselves.  

Materials:  Large clear glasses, Cabbage Leaves (I used Chinese cabbage), food coloring.

Activity:  Just fill the glasses half full of water.  Add about 10-15 drops of food coloring.  Put the cabbage leaves in and allow them to sit for 24 hours.  The food coloring will seep up and you will start to see the color on the edges of the leaves (but don't tell the kiddos that....wondering what will happen is the fun part)!

Activity #2:  Making GIANT Bubbles!

The kids and I have attempted to make various giant bubble mixtures and not had much luck.  This time I did my research!!!!  I found a recipe that looked like it was going to be a winner.   It had to sit for a few hours after making it, so morning was the perfect time to mix the ingredients.

Materials:  6 c. distilled water, 1/2 c. Dawn dish soap, 1/2 c. corn starch, 1 T. baking powder, 

1 T. glycerin (I found glycerin at Michaels, but you can also order it online), container to keep bubble mixture in.

Activity:  Dissolve corn starch in water really well.  Stir in remaining ingredients careful not to create a froth.  Allow to sit for at least one hour. 

We also made our own bubble wands for this project by stringing yarn through two straws...

A few hours later we tested out our new recipe.  IT WAS A HIT!!!  We were finally able to make LARGE bubbles!!

Activity #3:  Picture Scavenger Hunt

I stuck this activity in because I needed some time that they could do something independently.  Greyson had swimming lessons and I wanted to focus on him.  This was a GREAT activity that they could do while they were sitting at swimming lessons with me.  

Materials:  Scavenger Hunt List (I just made my own),  Ipod (or phone, or tablet, etc)

Activity:  Find and take a picture of each item listed on the list.  Make sure you make some of the items silly....my kiddos had to take a picture of a toilet.  Also make some of them interactive...they had to take some photos of each other making funny faces.

Activity #4:  Hot Dogs for Lunch...LITERALLY!

On each Day of Fun I try to plan one activity that involves food.  Today's activity was creating HOT DOGS!!  The kids loved it!!

Materials:  Hot dogs, refrigerated pizza dough (I just used the pop-open kind)

Activity:  Have the children roll their hotdogs in the dough until they are completely covered.  Then have them add paws, ears, a nose, and a tail.  Bake at 350 degrees until done.  Dip in ketchup!

Activity #5:  Googly Eyes!!!

This activity is another independent activity.  I knew that I would be cleaning up after lunch so I needed an activity that they could do on their own while I did the dirty work!  Ha!  I actually created 2 activities out of this to make it last just a little bit longer.

Materials:  A paper with 2 googly eyes attached, markers

Activity 1:  Give each child a paper that is blank except for 2 googly eyes.  Allow them to use their imagination to create a character!!

 

Activity 2:  Fold the paper in half, making sure the googly eyes are on the top half.  Have one child create a characters head and neck.  Flip the paper over and hand it to the other child (you could also fold it in thirds if you have 3 children).  DON'T LET THEM LOOK AT THE TOP HALF!!!!  Have them draw the body and legs.  When they are finished have them look at the whole creation.  My kids LOVED this!!!

Activity #5:  Cheese Head!

 

Yes, I know that picture is kind of gross since her mouth is full....but this activity was hilarious!!  It had us laughing so hard!!  I knew it would be funny, but not THAT FUNNY!!!! 

Materials:  Saran Wrap, shaving cream, cheeseballs

Activity:  First, wrap the kiddos heads in Saran Wrap.  Honestly, just that is funny in itself....

 

Then add shaving cream...

( I was peeing my pants from laughter at this point)

Last, throw cheese balls at each other and try to catch them on your head...

Laughter....lots and lots of uncontrollable laughter.

Activity #6:  Gas-Filling Balloon

The kids liked this activity even more than I expected.  It was fun because we talked a lot about Oxygen and Carbon Monoxide....again, the nerdy teacher in me.  Poor kids.

Materials:  Plastic water bottle, baking soda, vinegar, funnel

Activity:  Using the funnel, fill the empty water bottle half full of vinegar.  Using the funnel again, add about 2-3 T. of baking soda to the inside of the balloon.  Attach the balloon to the top of the water bottle, careful not to spill any baking soda into the water bottle.  When ready tilt the balloon up and watch the magic!  (Obviously don't tell the kids beforehand, but the reaction of vinegar and baking soda creates a gas.  The gas fills the balloon).    My kids ran away because they were pretty sure the balloon was going to BLOW...(insert lots of laughs from kiddos)....(insert mama laughing uncontrollably again)...

Activity #7:  SUPER FUN Slip-N-Slide!

I'll be the first to admit I've had it with store-bought slip-n-slides.  They aren't constructed well.  They don't last.  The water BARELY trickles out.  They get nasty while storing them.  

I decided to make our own slip-in-slide....and well...if I'm going to do that we aren't going to have some ORDINARY slip-in-slide.  I sat and thought about ways we could make a slip-n-slide a LOT more fun.  Here is what we came up with (I'm not listing materials, so just follow along)...

First, I purchased some large heavy-duty plastic sheeting from Lowes.  Honestly, that alone cost less than a store-bought slip-n-slide and there is SO MUCH of it that I don't have to worry about storing a wet slip-n-slide....I just toss it when we are done and use more off the roll next time!

Next we needed to make it fun....so we not only put water all over it, but we added LOTS of dish soap too!!  It was SLIPPERY!!!!!

 

And it created a LOT of bubbles....

 

What's better than dish soap??!  SHAVING CREAM!!!!!!!

What's more fun than shaving cream?!!  PAINT!!!!!!!!!

 

I can't tell you how much fun this was!!!  I loooooove a good mess!!  

Another Day of Fun was a success!!  These days have become as important and fun to me as they are to the kids.  I love making these special memories...and I hope you do too!!

"If you want to be in your children's memories tomorrow...be in their lives today"

A family that runs together has FUN together!

Our local 4-H fair holds a 5k race each year.   The racers start the annual parade and they run the entire parade route ahead of all the parade floats.  Our family has often sat to watch the parade, heard the crack of the race start, and excitedly cheered on the runners as they raced past us! 

Last year Eva and Jaden mentioned it would be fun if all of US ran the race...so this year we signed up!  Matt had the idea of dressing as The Incredibles since it's one of our favorite family movies and our kiddos are similar to the ages of the kiddos in the movie.  

Sooo....we suited up and were ready to race!!!!!!!

 

It was another hot day (why are races always on such HOT days?!) and the race started at about 1:00 in the afternoon.  Regardless, the kids did great - even little Greyson as he got pushed in the jogging stroller!  

Eva and Jaden loved listening to people call out their "Incredible" names and Jaden often started laughing because so many people would yell, "GO DASH GO!!!!!!!!"    I loved it when we turned on Main Street (as well as when we got to the fair grandstands) and there were a TON people watching.  I loved seeing Eva and Jaden's smiles as people started cheering and yelling for "The Incredibles"!!!!  When we got to the grandstands everyone started cheering loudly...both kiddos got an extra pep in their step and couldn't wipe the smiles off their faces.  Priceless.

I loved watching Greyson wave (with both hands!) at the people lining the parade route.  He loved seeing everyone!  I am also pretty sure he was convinced everyone loved seeing HIM!!!

I think it's fair to say that our race as The Incredibles was one I'll never forget.

I often end my posts with quotes, and this one is no different.  However, this quote one came right out of the mouth of one my favorite little people as we were deciding what to wear to the fair one evening (a few days after our race).

"Mom, shouldn't we be wearing our Incredibles t-shirts when we go to the fair so people will recognize us?!"

--Jaden Stone

The Littlest Fish....

 

"Live in the sunshine, swim in the sea, drink in the wild air"

--Ralph Waldo Emerson

A Special Treat...

 

These two cuties surprised me with breakfast in bed a few weeks ago!  Not only did they make the meal....they even dressed up to serve it to me!  I am one lucky mama to call these 2 my own!  Love them!

"Being considerate of others will take your children further in life than any college degree"

--Marian Wright Edelman

Eva Marie

It's time for Eva to have her little space in the sunshine....here is what I am loving about my little girl at this stage of life...

I love your heart.  You are truly starting to embrace the power of giving to others.  Recently you had a snack stand at our garage sale and gave EVERY SINGLE PENNY you made - $125 - to the American Red Cross.  Watching you walk into the Red Cross building and hand them a hand-decorated envelope stuffed full of coins and bills you worked hard to earn....well...this mama could not have been more proud. 

 You are a Daddy's girl....always have and (I hope) always will be.

I love that spent your 9th birthday somewhere you have always wanted to visit...Colorado (or anywhere with snow).  You said it was the best birthday ever.

I love to watch you boogie board when we are at the ocean.  I have no doubt that given the chance you would be out there surfing.   In time sweet girl...(maybe your mama will learn with you)!

I love to watch you with Greyson.  You seem to enjoy the toddler age and I love it when he does little things that make you giggle!!  It makes ME laugh!

I love that you love running.  

I love our journal.  It has been over a year since we started it, but it's so special to me to look back and read the letters we have wrote back and forth to one another.  I hope it's something we do for a long long long time.

I love your giggle.  Nothing beats it.  You laugh is infectious and it usually makes me start laughing!!  I had to smile when a overheard one of your friends tell her mom, "Eva has the BEST laugh and she laughs at EVERYTHING!"

You looooooooove cold weather.  We had a rough rough winter in our neck of the woods....but I enjoyed it so much more because you were in HEAVEN.

Speaking of laughing, it cracks me up that you seem physically incapable of allowing me to photograph you with the sun on your face.  Your eyes always get all crazy!!  Case in point...

 

 I love your organization skills.  I have said it NUMEROUS times before, but they are even better than mine.  You love to clean and organize.  You regularly ask me for cabinets that need to be cleaned out and you tackle them!!  Daddy often laughs and says, "She is her mother's daughter!!"

You made the All-Star team this year for Softball.  My favorite part of your uniform?  The smile you couldn't wipe off your face if you tried.  So proud of you sweet pea.

I love that you love to bake.  You are getting older now, and have proven to me that I can trust you in the kitchen.  When you want to bake something you are usually capable of doing it completely on your own....I just watch you while busying myself with something else nearby.

 In certain situations you are very cautious....and in certain situations you are a complete daredevil.  It's a good combo.

I enjoy the fact that you have fun with technology....but you don't need it.  You will go days without even looking at your iPod.  I hope you never let technology consume you. 

I love to watch you with your friends.  You are getting older now and your friendships will begin to mean more and more to you.  It's a beautiful thing...

I sooooo love how excited you get supporting our family members as they compete in different events...

I love your silly side.  I look forward to many silly moments with you as we hang out....just the girls.

I love that you feel "at home" here....

Your athletic ability has always blown my mind....but it really did this past year in Colorado.  You took to a snowboard like a fish takes to water.  It was meant to be.  You were a natural.  It made my heart happy to see you so happy...

 

I love YOU Eva Marie.  I love watching you grow.  I love watching you mature, tackle new experiences, and gain a deeper understanding of this world around you.  My mind races as I think of your future and all that God has in store for you.  You, my sweet girl, have the capacity to move mountains.