Showing posts with label Summer. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Summer. Show all posts
August 12, 2012
Long Beach 2012
This was our third summer vacation in Long Beach. We have treasured the memories that have been made in this lovely coastal town that has become like a home away from home. We stayed in an awesome ocean front house this year that was perfect and had the most gorgeous view in every direction. We brought a huge trailer with us this year so we could pack all of the kids bikes and other fun things. There were lots of bike rides packed in for the kids which they loved and the Discovery Trail ran right in front of our house to ride/walk/ and run on. Instead of making lots of plans and scheduling every day like we usually do, this year we decided to just totally take it easy, slow down, relax and pretty much do whatever the kids wanted to do. There was lots of playing and swimming at the beach, walking to Scoopers for ice cream (of course), swimming at an indoor aquatic center, exploring Astoria and visiting some museums, visiting the Saturday market at the port of Ilwaco, and Riley took the older kids fishing. My parents came and stayed one night with us and the kids loved having grandma and grandpa there. We had gorgeous weather for the beach that day and it was perfect. And of course we had to do our big bonfire on the beach one of our last nights there and have a major smores session. I love having this tradition with my family and I hope as our lives get busier and busier and our children get older that we can keep it a must do family trip. We always come home with lots of tired smiles, extra sea shells and souvenirs, and of course a car full of sand!
August 19, 2011
Coming to a Close
Next week is our last week of summer break before school starts. Things are wrapping up and the nights are starting to get cooler and darker earlier. This time of year is always filled with highs and lows. We're trying to hang onto summer for a little bit longer, especially now that we are finally having "real" hot summer weather. But, I am also at my breaking point that I reach every summer where I am ready for school to start again. This is the time where I start organizing and cleaning out with a vengeance. It's time to clean out the closets and dressers and get set for a new school year. Next week is Kendle's birthday (she'll be turning 9!), the fair, and sports practices are starting. Here is a little more of what we've been up to:
We are also attempting to let her play some fall softball. I don't know if it's going to work out that well or not to be doing two sports at one time, but I told her coach we would have to just play it by ear and make whatever we could that didn't interfere with soccer. It is pretty laid back and mostly fun though so it's not that big of a deal if she misses something here and there. Just fun to keep her skills going from the spring and get some more game time in. Kendle's favorite part of summer is staying up late at night. She thinks that is a real treat.
*Riley has been doing lots of soccer related extra work lately. What? That's nothing new you say? I know, I know. He's started doing private training sessions for goalie's and is training two high school players in the evenings and mornings whenever he can squeeze it into his busy work schedule. He also is volunteering as the team coordinator for Pasco's tcysa. The spot was vacant when he called to check on Kendle's team and with all the problems we've had in the past he decided to just step up and help make the organization a little better. So now he also serves on their board and goes to their meetings once a month and hopefully can help impact some positive change. Needless to say, it is a LOT of work to put together every team from Pasco and there had literally been nothing done when he assumed this responsibility three weeks ago. Despite all of that, he is pretty stoked to be getting to coach Kendle's team this fall and helping her team rebuild their skills.
*Morgan has been growing this summer and is a skinny, muscly little guy. He plays hard all day long and helps me by being my "garden monitor". He checks every day for veggies that are ready to be picked or need water. He always has interesting questions to ask, or cute little stories to tell me throughout the day. His favorite thing this summer has been sitting around the fire pit at night making smores. He asks us every night if we can make a fire. I think that boy has eaten his weight in marshmallows this summer. We've tried taking his training wheels off his bike a few times and will keep working with him on that because I think he is going to get it really soon. He loves riding his bike and racing Kendle. He is excited for preschool to start in a few weeks so he can go school supply shopping with me to pick out his own things just like I did with Kendle. He is a rocket of speed and jumping and playing all the time.
*Cooper and Kale have been wild little boys this summer. They love playing outside and getting really dirty. Also, if there is even an inch of standing water anywhere they will find it and wreak havoc. I've taken to letting them sit at the picnic table and eat whenever I can because they are SO messy. It gives us all a good excuse to eat outside though and it's fun. Except for the bees and wasps have been really bad this year and Kale got stung a couple of weeks ago when we were eating dinner outside. They love to go on our morning walks and cruise the neighborhood. They are still the biggest cry babies I've ever seen and super clingy. I keep thinking they will grow out of it, but maybe I'm just destined to have super clingy mama's boys? They are getting to be good helpers though and love to help do little tasks like wiping down the table or putting their dirty clothes and shoes away. Their favorite thing this summer has been running around naked in the sprinklers and eating a gazillion popsicles. If that is all they got to do in a day they would be happy boys.
*My summer has been pretty great for the most part. I made it a goal to do at least one fun thing with the kids every day even if it was just something little like going for a milkshake or letting them help me make some treats. This is the first summer in a long time that I have been able to be outside a lot and take the kids to go and do more. I've gotten super tan and am almost as dark as Kendle and Morgan. I've tried not to let the constant messes of summer and my untidy house stress me out like it usually would. I've loved my daily walks with the kids and also just having those lazy afternoons when the twins are napping where I can sneak out the backyard and put my feet up in a comfy chair and soak up the sun with a good book. I've tried to just enjoy my children more this summer because they are growing up way too fast. I need to work on being more patient with all of the little voices around me wanting my attention. Yesterday I went to my parents house and my mom and I made strawberry and raspberry jam. I am trying to get stocked up for the year and keep Kendle in good supply for all of her peanut butter sandwiches she eats. My favorite thing about this summer was having Riley home more and having our schedules be a lot more laid back.
Hopefully we are can try and fit as many more fun things in as we can before school starts on the 30th.
*Kendle's team competed in a 3 on 3 soccer tournament last weekend at Columbia Park. Her team did extremely well and although they didn't get to play in the championship they really impressed us and played super hard. We were there all day playing in the hot weather and we only had four players so those girls ran their little legs off and never gave up. They won three out of their four games outscoring the teams they defeated by at least six or seven points. One of the most ironic moments was when the coach of the team that beat us went to complain to the people running the tournament that our team was being "too physical". As if it wasn't enough that they beat us, but I think he was just kind of scared because we outscored them in the second half and if we would have played like that in the first half we would have smoked them and he knew it. Just kind of funny how a lot of the other coaches took it so seriously and were just yelling and screaming at their players. I'm so glad Riley does not do that with Kendle's team. We were wishing we could keep all the girls together for their team this fall because they would be so awesome. I think the highlight of their day was going for ice cream afterwards and they more than deserved it.
We are also attempting to let her play some fall softball. I don't know if it's going to work out that well or not to be doing two sports at one time, but I told her coach we would have to just play it by ear and make whatever we could that didn't interfere with soccer. It is pretty laid back and mostly fun though so it's not that big of a deal if she misses something here and there. Just fun to keep her skills going from the spring and get some more game time in. Kendle's favorite part of summer is staying up late at night. She thinks that is a real treat.
*Riley has been doing lots of soccer related extra work lately. What? That's nothing new you say? I know, I know. He's started doing private training sessions for goalie's and is training two high school players in the evenings and mornings whenever he can squeeze it into his busy work schedule. He also is volunteering as the team coordinator for Pasco's tcysa. The spot was vacant when he called to check on Kendle's team and with all the problems we've had in the past he decided to just step up and help make the organization a little better. So now he also serves on their board and goes to their meetings once a month and hopefully can help impact some positive change. Needless to say, it is a LOT of work to put together every team from Pasco and there had literally been nothing done when he assumed this responsibility three weeks ago. Despite all of that, he is pretty stoked to be getting to coach Kendle's team this fall and helping her team rebuild their skills.
*Morgan has been growing this summer and is a skinny, muscly little guy. He plays hard all day long and helps me by being my "garden monitor". He checks every day for veggies that are ready to be picked or need water. He always has interesting questions to ask, or cute little stories to tell me throughout the day. His favorite thing this summer has been sitting around the fire pit at night making smores. He asks us every night if we can make a fire. I think that boy has eaten his weight in marshmallows this summer. We've tried taking his training wheels off his bike a few times and will keep working with him on that because I think he is going to get it really soon. He loves riding his bike and racing Kendle. He is excited for preschool to start in a few weeks so he can go school supply shopping with me to pick out his own things just like I did with Kendle. He is a rocket of speed and jumping and playing all the time.
*Cooper and Kale have been wild little boys this summer. They love playing outside and getting really dirty. Also, if there is even an inch of standing water anywhere they will find it and wreak havoc. I've taken to letting them sit at the picnic table and eat whenever I can because they are SO messy. It gives us all a good excuse to eat outside though and it's fun. Except for the bees and wasps have been really bad this year and Kale got stung a couple of weeks ago when we were eating dinner outside. They love to go on our morning walks and cruise the neighborhood. They are still the biggest cry babies I've ever seen and super clingy. I keep thinking they will grow out of it, but maybe I'm just destined to have super clingy mama's boys? They are getting to be good helpers though and love to help do little tasks like wiping down the table or putting their dirty clothes and shoes away. Their favorite thing this summer has been running around naked in the sprinklers and eating a gazillion popsicles. If that is all they got to do in a day they would be happy boys.
*My summer has been pretty great for the most part. I made it a goal to do at least one fun thing with the kids every day even if it was just something little like going for a milkshake or letting them help me make some treats. This is the first summer in a long time that I have been able to be outside a lot and take the kids to go and do more. I've gotten super tan and am almost as dark as Kendle and Morgan. I've tried not to let the constant messes of summer and my untidy house stress me out like it usually would. I've loved my daily walks with the kids and also just having those lazy afternoons when the twins are napping where I can sneak out the backyard and put my feet up in a comfy chair and soak up the sun with a good book. I've tried to just enjoy my children more this summer because they are growing up way too fast. I need to work on being more patient with all of the little voices around me wanting my attention. Yesterday I went to my parents house and my mom and I made strawberry and raspberry jam. I am trying to get stocked up for the year and keep Kendle in good supply for all of her peanut butter sandwiches she eats. My favorite thing about this summer was having Riley home more and having our schedules be a lot more laid back.
Hopefully we are can try and fit as many more fun things in as we can before school starts on the 30th.
August 3, 2011
Summer Vacation 2011
This was our second time staying in Long Beach and although it was a bit more of a challenge this time around with two more kids and even more STUFF to squeeze into the car, we made it! We had been wanting to buy a car top carrier for a while and it was one of the best purchases we've made in long time. But still, we were packed to the gills, and I thought we were packing light. Ha. We stayed right by the Bolstad Beach access point and everything was within walking distance. We loved being able to walk anywhere we wanted to go and also being able to pack a picnic and go drive along the beach with our car to find the perfect spot to hang out for the afternoon. The kids (and mom and dad) were absolutely worn out every night and we tried to pack in as much fun into one week as we absolutely could and I think we did.
Here are some highlights from the trip:
*Flying kites on the beach
*Building huge sandcastles
*Going for ice cream at Scoopers almost every night
*Walking the boardwalk
*Staying up late having checkers wars
*Spending an afternoon in Seaside
*Watching the look on the twins faces when they saw the ocean for the first time
*Taking a hike to an old lighthouse
*Having a big bonfire/hotdog/smores roast on the beach with the Trevino's
*Beach combing for shells
*Fresh caramel corn and fudge from the candy shop
*Mini golf, go-karts, the arcade, and Kendle went for a horse ride on the beach
*Kendle got to get her ears pierced
*Listening to the kids playing and having fun together
Here are some highlights from the trip:
*Flying kites on the beach
*Building huge sandcastles
*Going for ice cream at Scoopers almost every night
*Walking the boardwalk
*Staying up late having checkers wars
*Spending an afternoon in Seaside
*Watching the look on the twins faces when they saw the ocean for the first time
*Taking a hike to an old lighthouse
*Having a big bonfire/hotdog/smores roast on the beach with the Trevino's
*Beach combing for shells
*Fresh caramel corn and fudge from the candy shop
*Mini golf, go-karts, the arcade, and Kendle went for a horse ride on the beach
*Kendle got to get her ears pierced
*Listening to the kids playing and having fun together
This has been such a crazy busy year for our family and we definitely needed a good long week away to spend time together and just have a break from it all. I have a lot more pictures to post but blogger is being funny about posting them sideways so I will try and fix them and post some more later.
July 18, 2011
Summer 'Round Here
I've not been very diligent about keeping up this little blog of mine with the day to day going on's around here. I guess I haven't felt like there has been many exciting things to jot down, but I guess it's really the little things that make up the big picture right?
For the last few days the twins have been having a bad flu bug. Lot's of throwing up and diarrhea. Kale's gotten the worst of it, but they seem to be on the mend today. Only babies and children can throw up one minute and then be out playing outside as if nothing is wrong the next. Needless to say however, I've been cleaning and doing laundry and running on a small amount of sleep since last Thursday night. At one point on Saturday I went into the laundry room and it felt like it was about 100 degrees in there because I'd been running the washer and dryer non-stop. Having babies that are sick is the worst because you can't get them to throw up consistently in a big bowl or in the bathroom and it's hard for them because they don't know what is happening and it scares them. The only upside is that they've actually wanted to snuggle and rock and have me hold them which they haven't done in a long time and I found that I've missed that a lot. While rocking them both the other night, one under each arm, I watched a special on TV about a woman who was paralyzed and in a wheelchair who was about to give birth to twins. I couldn't imagine that and I felt so, so blessed for having my full physical abilities to care for these sick babies of mine.
On a brighter note, we've been enjoying the slower pace of the last few weeks and having Riley at home more this summer because he's not coaching has really made a difference. The kids want to sit around the fire pit and make smores every night. We usually indulge them, but some nights I just don't want to put everybody to bed smelling like campfire. The other night we tried the toasted coconut marshmallows (which were not a huge hit since I'm really the only person that likes coconut) and we also tried Reece's peanut butter cups instead of plain Hershey's chocolate which we all agreed was really good, but the concensus was the plain chocolate was better. I guess sometimes a classic can't be improved upon much. The kids are getting to be pros at roasting the perfect golden marshmallows and I think Riley holds the record for most marshmallows that have caught on fire. Ha!
Since the twins broke my treadmill and I haven't replaced it yet, I've been getting the kids out of the house every day for a morning walk/bike ride. I load up the twins in our big honking stroller (which I think equals out to me pushing about 100 pounds) and Kendle and Morgan ride their bikes. Instead of riding her bike today (because she had a flat tire and we couldn't find the pump) Kendle decided to run our little route. She is getting to be a good little runner. The kids go fast so I have to really book it to keep up with them and even still they always beat me. Morgan peddles so fast on his bike and just flies, I have to run sometimes to catch up and make sure he stops at the end of the block. It is a good little jaunt and is a good way to get everybody out of the house for a bit and get some exercise in before lunch/nap time.
We finally got our first little red tomatoes today and looks like more are almost ripe. I can't wait to start having an endless supply of them. I think I can almost turn into a semi-vegetarian during the summer. Today for lunch I had a baked sweet potato cut into cubes, some avocado, and corn on the cob. So filling and so yummy. None of the kids are big fruit and veggie eaters in general, but during the summer they have at least one thing they love. Kendle loves watermelon (and corn on the cob before she got braces, now she has to eat it cut off the cob which she claims just does not taste as good), Morgan loves corn on the cob as do the twins and he also likes fresh peas in the pod. Riley and I have been getting our fill of cherries, strawberries, and raspberries. Kendle has been begging me to make more jam, so I will have to get around to that one of these days.
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For the last few days the twins have been having a bad flu bug. Lot's of throwing up and diarrhea. Kale's gotten the worst of it, but they seem to be on the mend today. Only babies and children can throw up one minute and then be out playing outside as if nothing is wrong the next. Needless to say however, I've been cleaning and doing laundry and running on a small amount of sleep since last Thursday night. At one point on Saturday I went into the laundry room and it felt like it was about 100 degrees in there because I'd been running the washer and dryer non-stop. Having babies that are sick is the worst because you can't get them to throw up consistently in a big bowl or in the bathroom and it's hard for them because they don't know what is happening and it scares them. The only upside is that they've actually wanted to snuggle and rock and have me hold them which they haven't done in a long time and I found that I've missed that a lot. While rocking them both the other night, one under each arm, I watched a special on TV about a woman who was paralyzed and in a wheelchair who was about to give birth to twins. I couldn't imagine that and I felt so, so blessed for having my full physical abilities to care for these sick babies of mine.
On a brighter note, we've been enjoying the slower pace of the last few weeks and having Riley at home more this summer because he's not coaching has really made a difference. The kids want to sit around the fire pit and make smores every night. We usually indulge them, but some nights I just don't want to put everybody to bed smelling like campfire. The other night we tried the toasted coconut marshmallows (which were not a huge hit since I'm really the only person that likes coconut) and we also tried Reece's peanut butter cups instead of plain Hershey's chocolate which we all agreed was really good, but the concensus was the plain chocolate was better. I guess sometimes a classic can't be improved upon much. The kids are getting to be pros at roasting the perfect golden marshmallows and I think Riley holds the record for most marshmallows that have caught on fire. Ha!
Since the twins broke my treadmill and I haven't replaced it yet, I've been getting the kids out of the house every day for a morning walk/bike ride. I load up the twins in our big honking stroller (which I think equals out to me pushing about 100 pounds) and Kendle and Morgan ride their bikes. Instead of riding her bike today (because she had a flat tire and we couldn't find the pump) Kendle decided to run our little route. She is getting to be a good little runner. The kids go fast so I have to really book it to keep up with them and even still they always beat me. Morgan peddles so fast on his bike and just flies, I have to run sometimes to catch up and make sure he stops at the end of the block. It is a good little jaunt and is a good way to get everybody out of the house for a bit and get some exercise in before lunch/nap time.
We finally got our first little red tomatoes today and looks like more are almost ripe. I can't wait to start having an endless supply of them. I think I can almost turn into a semi-vegetarian during the summer. Today for lunch I had a baked sweet potato cut into cubes, some avocado, and corn on the cob. So filling and so yummy. None of the kids are big fruit and veggie eaters in general, but during the summer they have at least one thing they love. Kendle loves watermelon (and corn on the cob before she got braces, now she has to eat it cut off the cob which she claims just does not taste as good), Morgan loves corn on the cob as do the twins and he also likes fresh peas in the pod. Riley and I have been getting our fill of cherries, strawberries, and raspberries. Kendle has been begging me to make more jam, so I will have to get around to that one of these days.
I think a good way to measure how much fun the kids have had that day is by how dirty and tired they are at the end of the day. The twins and Morgan look just like pig pen from Charlie brown, I swear they even have the little dust cloud following them around. Nothing is sweeter though than taking those happy, dirty little boys, and getting them all bathed and jammied up and tucking them into their cozy little beds at the days end. It's good to kiss their freshly shampooed little heads goodnight and know they will sleep soundly till morning. The kids are all brown little peanuts from the sun and Cooper and Kale's hair is bleached blond. I never thought I'd have children with hair like that. I love this picture my friend Natallie took of them on the 4th of July:
I adore their cute little profiles and chubby cheeks, I just can't kiss those cheeks enough.
July 12, 2011
July
We are in the full throes of summertime here. July is a month that always sneaks up on us and is here and jam packed before we even have a chance to know it. It is totally flying by and I hate to look at the calendar and see that our summer break is already half-way over and school supplies are already starting to be advertised. I have been enjoying sneaking a few quiet moments when I can to put my feet up in the backyard with a good book and to catch a few rays. That's really all I need in the summer.
Kendle and Morgan finished up swimming lessons last week. They both LOVED their teachers and classes. It was a great first experience for Morgan and he passed level 1 after his first session and in level 2 was jumping off the diving board and swimming by himself a little. He is such a natural little athlete, I think once he gets over his dislike of going under water he will be like a little fish. He came a long way in four weeks of lessons.
Kendle passed level 4 and will be taking an advanced class in August. I was kind of hoping to just be done for the rest of the summer, but I figured by then she might be wanting something to do again and it will be a good opportunity. She has learned more in the last four weeks with these teachers than she has all of her other summers taking lessons. It was a good experience for her and she has gained a lot of confidence and new skills. She loves the water and would live in it all day every day if we had a pool of our own. Her teachers worked them really hard and she was always worn out after her class which was a bonus for me!
They gave each of the kids their own pictures at the end of their lessons and here are Kendle's and Morgan's from their first session:
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Here are a few reasons why July is going to be our favorite month this summer. We are looking forward to:
*The last Harry Potter movie coming out this weekend. It's the end of an era, I'm sure I'll shed a tear. We've been counting down for months and months.
*Next week Riley and I are heading to Seattle to watch the Seattle Sounders take on Manchester United. We are so excited not only to watch Riley's all time favorite team, but to get away for a day kid-free and just have some adult time. (Thanks ahead of time mom.) Now the big question is do I wear Manchester red or Sounders green? I know what Riley will be wearing. Have I mentioned that he has a Manchester flag that he hangs outside before and after their big matches? Yep, he's a die hard fan.
*The last week of the month we'll be heading to Long Beach for a (hopefully) relaxing week away. The kids are pretty much on pins and needles to finally be at the beach and I'm in full planning mode making lots and lots of lists (I'm such a list freak) of what we need to pack, buy, and all of that. We are super stoked to pack in a week's worth of fun and memories.
Hopefully all this fun doesn't pass us by too fast!
Kendle and Morgan finished up swimming lessons last week. They both LOVED their teachers and classes. It was a great first experience for Morgan and he passed level 1 after his first session and in level 2 was jumping off the diving board and swimming by himself a little. He is such a natural little athlete, I think once he gets over his dislike of going under water he will be like a little fish. He came a long way in four weeks of lessons.
Kendle passed level 4 and will be taking an advanced class in August. I was kind of hoping to just be done for the rest of the summer, but I figured by then she might be wanting something to do again and it will be a good opportunity. She has learned more in the last four weeks with these teachers than she has all of her other summers taking lessons. It was a good experience for her and she has gained a lot of confidence and new skills. She loves the water and would live in it all day every day if we had a pool of our own. Her teachers worked them really hard and she was always worn out after her class which was a bonus for me!
They gave each of the kids their own pictures at the end of their lessons and here are Kendle's and Morgan's from their first session:
Here are a few reasons why July is going to be our favorite month this summer. We are looking forward to:
*The last Harry Potter movie coming out this weekend. It's the end of an era, I'm sure I'll shed a tear. We've been counting down for months and months.
*Next week Riley and I are heading to Seattle to watch the Seattle Sounders take on Manchester United. We are so excited not only to watch Riley's all time favorite team, but to get away for a day kid-free and just have some adult time. (Thanks ahead of time mom.) Now the big question is do I wear Manchester red or Sounders green? I know what Riley will be wearing. Have I mentioned that he has a Manchester flag that he hangs outside before and after their big matches? Yep, he's a die hard fan.
*The last week of the month we'll be heading to Long Beach for a (hopefully) relaxing week away. The kids are pretty much on pins and needles to finally be at the beach and I'm in full planning mode making lots and lots of lists (I'm such a list freak) of what we need to pack, buy, and all of that. We are super stoked to pack in a week's worth of fun and memories.
Hopefully all this fun doesn't pass us by too fast!
June 20, 2011
Wow - I can't believe how sporadic my posts are getting. I only posted ONCE last week, that is totally abnormal for me. I guess I've just been caught up in the lazy days of summer. Well, they haven't been all that slow and lazy yet. Here's what we've been up to:
**The day after school got out Kendle and Morgan started swim lessons. They are taking private lessons this year at a home here in Pasco. Not only are they loving the lessons because their teachers are great and their classes are small, but more than that they love the awesome backyard to play in and the zip-line they get to ride on while they're waiting for the other one to finish lessons. The hard part is having lessons right during lunch time, but so far it hasn't been so bad. We get up in the morning and get all the chores and work done that we can, go to swimming (with a lunch packed), come home and put the babes down for their nap, and then enjoy the rest of the afternoon. They're lessons go for another three weeks and then we'll be done for the rest of the summer. The kids will mourn the loss of their daily zip-line rides.
**I moved the kids' rooms around and now all the boys are together and Kendle has her own room back. I feel like in our "cozy" little house I have to use super magic trickery to make everything fit and work and I took apart and took down the bunk beds, the cribs, and removed two doors and moved multiple pieces of furniture almost all by myself with some great help from Kendle. When Riley walked in the door that night after work and saw stuff all over the living room waiting to be put back I assured him that it wasn't as bad as it seemed and I was almost done. So far the boys are loving it and their room stays nearly spotless every day. Imagine that. Guess who's room is still cluttered and messy? Yep, Kendle's. Blaming it on her little brother's isn't going to work anymore. She is loving having her own space/privacy back and I'm loving being able to girly up her room again. We strung a big line across the wall above her bed where she can clip up her art, awards, pictures or whatever else she wants to display and I'm on the hunt for a bigger bookcase for all the books that are spilling off the shelves and hiding under the bed.
**For Morgan's birthday my mom and dad bought him his own miniature shovel, work gloves, and a wheelbarrow. It's neat because everything is real but just his size now. He wakes with the sun and before he even eats breakfast he's out checking things at his "farm". He actually has lots of peas and some potatoes growing and he loves to dig holes. He dug a huge one that looks more like a pit. I've been calling him Zero (the boy from the movie Holes who likes to dig). We've been trying to get him to go back and fill the holes in before someone gets hurt but it sure keeps him busy and he is going to be one muscly and strong little kid. He got an awesome new bike for his birthday and I think he's about ready to start riding without training wheels. That kid just flies.
**Riley has been even more busy the last few weeks than during soccer season which I did not think was possible. It is hard, but when you are in sales that is a good thing. He's been leaving super early almost every morning, and driving lots and lots of miles for appointments as far as Brewster. He's been logging lots of long hours and leaves again tomorrow for a conference in Montana where he has to do a big presentation on bed bugs to a whole bunch of hotel people. I'd hop in and go with him in a quick second if I could, but my duty is here on the home front. Hopefully he won't have to go too far after that for a little while. He's coaching Kendle's summer league soccer team and they start tonight. Should be a really fun time and we've put together an awesome team.
**I've been busy gardening, weeding, chasing Cooper and Kale out of danger (why do they have to flock to dangerous things?) cleaning out, reading some great books, being a chauffeur, being a nurse (which we've had some bad owies and bonks lately), and just the usual day-to-day things that keep the family and the household together. I really enjoy sitting in the backyard with the kids and watching them play and sitting around the fire at night roasting marshmallows and talking. I've been trying to cook almost everything on the grill outside that I can and coming up with some creative ways to do it. Riley's big old smoker can still be kind of intimidating sometimes, but I mostly have it figured out. It's so nice not to heat up the house, especially when it starts getting really hot. I'm counting down the days until our beach vacation in July.
**The twins are growing like weeds and are an unstoppable force of chaos and fun all wrapped together. They fight with each other and have been biting each other really bad, and I'm hoping that they get over that sooner than later. Sometimes they will find something that makes them both laugh and they laugh at each other laughing and it is hands down the happiest little scene. It gives me hope that they will be buddies someday. They watch Morgan riding his bike and they really want to go riding too, they have about had it with being in the stroller -- they think they are big kids like everyone else. They love to rock out to music in the car and dance when I turn it up at home as well. They've recently tried to start snapping their fingers. They pretty much like to follow Morgan around and do whatever he is doing, so I'm fairly certain they are going to be his little clones. They already want to put baseballs on the tee and try and hit them off and they love playing catch. I am so devastated though, they are always playing with plugs and chords and they broke one of the prongs off of my treadmill plug in. I could have just cried. They definitely know how to wreak havoc and are lucky we love them so much!
**The day after school got out Kendle and Morgan started swim lessons. They are taking private lessons this year at a home here in Pasco. Not only are they loving the lessons because their teachers are great and their classes are small, but more than that they love the awesome backyard to play in and the zip-line they get to ride on while they're waiting for the other one to finish lessons. The hard part is having lessons right during lunch time, but so far it hasn't been so bad. We get up in the morning and get all the chores and work done that we can, go to swimming (with a lunch packed), come home and put the babes down for their nap, and then enjoy the rest of the afternoon. They're lessons go for another three weeks and then we'll be done for the rest of the summer. The kids will mourn the loss of their daily zip-line rides.
**I moved the kids' rooms around and now all the boys are together and Kendle has her own room back. I feel like in our "cozy" little house I have to use super magic trickery to make everything fit and work and I took apart and took down the bunk beds, the cribs, and removed two doors and moved multiple pieces of furniture almost all by myself with some great help from Kendle. When Riley walked in the door that night after work and saw stuff all over the living room waiting to be put back I assured him that it wasn't as bad as it seemed and I was almost done. So far the boys are loving it and their room stays nearly spotless every day. Imagine that. Guess who's room is still cluttered and messy? Yep, Kendle's. Blaming it on her little brother's isn't going to work anymore. She is loving having her own space/privacy back and I'm loving being able to girly up her room again. We strung a big line across the wall above her bed where she can clip up her art, awards, pictures or whatever else she wants to display and I'm on the hunt for a bigger bookcase for all the books that are spilling off the shelves and hiding under the bed.
**For Morgan's birthday my mom and dad bought him his own miniature shovel, work gloves, and a wheelbarrow. It's neat because everything is real but just his size now. He wakes with the sun and before he even eats breakfast he's out checking things at his "farm". He actually has lots of peas and some potatoes growing and he loves to dig holes. He dug a huge one that looks more like a pit. I've been calling him Zero (the boy from the movie Holes who likes to dig). We've been trying to get him to go back and fill the holes in before someone gets hurt but it sure keeps him busy and he is going to be one muscly and strong little kid. He got an awesome new bike for his birthday and I think he's about ready to start riding without training wheels. That kid just flies.
**Riley has been even more busy the last few weeks than during soccer season which I did not think was possible. It is hard, but when you are in sales that is a good thing. He's been leaving super early almost every morning, and driving lots and lots of miles for appointments as far as Brewster. He's been logging lots of long hours and leaves again tomorrow for a conference in Montana where he has to do a big presentation on bed bugs to a whole bunch of hotel people. I'd hop in and go with him in a quick second if I could, but my duty is here on the home front. Hopefully he won't have to go too far after that for a little while. He's coaching Kendle's summer league soccer team and they start tonight. Should be a really fun time and we've put together an awesome team.
**I've been busy gardening, weeding, chasing Cooper and Kale out of danger (why do they have to flock to dangerous things?) cleaning out, reading some great books, being a chauffeur, being a nurse (which we've had some bad owies and bonks lately), and just the usual day-to-day things that keep the family and the household together. I really enjoy sitting in the backyard with the kids and watching them play and sitting around the fire at night roasting marshmallows and talking. I've been trying to cook almost everything on the grill outside that I can and coming up with some creative ways to do it. Riley's big old smoker can still be kind of intimidating sometimes, but I mostly have it figured out. It's so nice not to heat up the house, especially when it starts getting really hot. I'm counting down the days until our beach vacation in July.
**The twins are growing like weeds and are an unstoppable force of chaos and fun all wrapped together. They fight with each other and have been biting each other really bad, and I'm hoping that they get over that sooner than later. Sometimes they will find something that makes them both laugh and they laugh at each other laughing and it is hands down the happiest little scene. It gives me hope that they will be buddies someday. They watch Morgan riding his bike and they really want to go riding too, they have about had it with being in the stroller -- they think they are big kids like everyone else. They love to rock out to music in the car and dance when I turn it up at home as well. They've recently tried to start snapping their fingers. They pretty much like to follow Morgan around and do whatever he is doing, so I'm fairly certain they are going to be his little clones. They already want to put baseballs on the tee and try and hit them off and they love playing catch. I am so devastated though, they are always playing with plugs and chords and they broke one of the prongs off of my treadmill plug in. I could have just cried. They definitely know how to wreak havoc and are lucky we love them so much!
September 9, 2010
Turning 8, Part III
One of the most important reasons Kendle was so excited to turn 8, was that she would finally be old enough to be baptized. She has attended baptisms for older cousins and friends and anticipated the day it would be her turn. She has talked about it for months and months and crossed off the days on her calendar.
She was able to be baptized at the Parley Street church building surrounded by lots of family and friends. Riley performed the baptism and confirmation and my father, my grandfather, and two of my older brothers - Jeremy and Richard were also able to help with the confirmation. She wanted her grandpa to give the talk on the Holy Ghost and he gave her some good advice. One thing in particular he counseled her and the other little girls that were baptized was to take a moment in the morning before they rush out the door for school to just pause a minute and let the Holy Ghost "catch up" to them so they could have it's companionship on their way to school and through the rest of their day. I reminded Kendle of that this week as she was heading down the sidewalk for the bus and I think it has helped her. It was a good little thought.
One thing I will always remember about Kendle's baptism was her smiling face as she came out of the water and as I was helping her change her clothes, she just had a perma-grin the whole time. I have thought about what that day would be like for a long time and I was very proud of her.
She was excited to receive some really nice scriptures from her grandma and grandpa Tovey and a pretty CTR ring and bracelet from Riley and I. She was afraid she was going to lose her ring if she wore it to school, but she's worn the bracelet every day - even to soccer practice which I had to warn her might not be the best idea, although with how wild things can get at soccer practice maybe it's not a bad idea after all. Ha.
Another thing about turning 8 that is really exciting to Kendle is that she is able to attend Activity Days at the church two times a month on Wednesday afternoons with the other girls her age. She's been really looking forward to being able to start going to that and working on her Faith in God requirements. She got to go to Activity Day for the first time last week and had a great time and loved her leaders. They played a get to know you game and had some little candy treats for getting answers right. Totally right up Kendle's alley. She is already super excited to go again next week.
She was able to be baptized at the Parley Street church building surrounded by lots of family and friends. Riley performed the baptism and confirmation and my father, my grandfather, and two of my older brothers - Jeremy and Richard were also able to help with the confirmation. She wanted her grandpa to give the talk on the Holy Ghost and he gave her some good advice. One thing in particular he counseled her and the other little girls that were baptized was to take a moment in the morning before they rush out the door for school to just pause a minute and let the Holy Ghost "catch up" to them so they could have it's companionship on their way to school and through the rest of their day. I reminded Kendle of that this week as she was heading down the sidewalk for the bus and I think it has helped her. It was a good little thought.
One thing I will always remember about Kendle's baptism was her smiling face as she came out of the water and as I was helping her change her clothes, she just had a perma-grin the whole time. I have thought about what that day would be like for a long time and I was very proud of her.
She was excited to receive some really nice scriptures from her grandma and grandpa Tovey and a pretty CTR ring and bracelet from Riley and I. She was afraid she was going to lose her ring if she wore it to school, but she's worn the bracelet every day - even to soccer practice which I had to warn her might not be the best idea, although with how wild things can get at soccer practice maybe it's not a bad idea after all. Ha.
Another thing about turning 8 that is really exciting to Kendle is that she is able to attend Activity Days at the church two times a month on Wednesday afternoons with the other girls her age. She's been really looking forward to being able to start going to that and working on her Faith in God requirements. She got to go to Activity Day for the first time last week and had a great time and loved her leaders. They played a get to know you game and had some little candy treats for getting answers right. Totally right up Kendle's alley. She is already super excited to go again next week.
So far being 8 really is great!
Photo memories of the special day:
{Typical family picture of us - Cooper was just about to grab Kendle's flower in her hair, Kale and Morgan aren't looking at the camera, and Riley is super sun burnt from coaching his soccer game earlier that day.}
September 8, 2010
Turning 8, Part II
Since I let Kendle have a big friend party last year for her birthday and we took her to Silverwood the week before we decided this year to just have a family birthday celebration. We asked her what she would like to do and she wanted to go swimming one last time at the aquatic center in Hermiston and then go to Fudruckers for dinner. So that is what we did. I dropped Kendle, Morgan, and Riley off at the aquatic center for a few hours and headed to my parents house to make Kendle's cake while they swam and played. For dinner we all met back in Hermiston at Fudruckers and by we all I mean our family and also my mom and dad, and my brother and his wife and their three kids. Kendle is so excited that her cousins moved closer to us this summer and that she got to celebrate her birthday with them. It was a lot of fun. The food was super yummy, they have my favorite - sweet potato fries. Delicious! The twins loved them too. Kendle and the other kids had a great time eating and playing games. Then the employees came out and sang to Kendle and brought her some ice cream. She loved it. After that we headed back to my parents for birthday cake and presents. Kendle's cake was a big hit and she was also excited about her cool birthday presents. From us she got a nice little camera and photo album, grandma and grandpa bought her a guitar, and from her cousins and aunt and uncle she got lots of cute lip glosses and finger nail polishes (which she uses everyday). She told me it was one of her best birthdays ever.
A few days later her grandma Dodson came to pick her up and have an evening out as part of her birthday present from her. She also gave Kendle a really nice art set in a cool wooden case that she can close up and store (up high away from little hands). Kathy took her to the library, shopping to pick out a Webkinz she had been wanting, and out to dinner. Kendle had a great time.
A few days later her grandma Dodson came to pick her up and have an evening out as part of her birthday present from her. She also gave Kendle a really nice art set in a cool wooden case that she can close up and store (up high away from little hands). Kathy took her to the library, shopping to pick out a Webkinz she had been wanting, and out to dinner. Kendle had a great time.
Here are just a few pictures of her birthday night:
September 7, 2010
Turning 8, Part 1
Kendle has looked forward to her 8th birthday for quite some time. The months could just not go by fast enough for her. She is the type of girl that has high expectations for things and really gets them built up in her mind. I'm always worried she's going to be disappointed because she sets her sights so high. Well, you only turn 8 once so I was really determined to help make it special for her. We were able to drag it out a bit and really make it last.
The week before her birthday Riley, Morgan, Kendle and I went to Silverwood to spend the day. The kids had so much fun. We spent the first half of the day at the water park portion and Kendle had a blast riding the waves in the wave pool, swimming to her hearts content, and sliding down the super scary high water slides. Morgan enjoyed the kiddie pool and slides, but his favorite was the lazy river ride. After our sixth time down the lazy river I had just sat down to rest on my towel for a bit on the grass when I happened to look up at the really steep water slide that goes almost straight down and just by chance got to watch Kendle and Riley both take their turns down the slide. I about had a heart attack watching them. I hate heights! After we were sufficiently worn out from the water and the sun we took a break for some lunch and to rest a bit. Then we headed back into the park to hit up all the rides. Kendle is a daredevil to her very core. She made Riley go on some rides that even scared him. I couldn't believe some of the rides she went on and didn't even bat an eye or get nervous. She definitely does not get that from me. I took Morgan around to some more tame kiddie rides while they rode the roller coasters. We stayed all night. The kids rode the carousel in the dark and it was so pretty all lit up. Before we left we hopped on the last train ride of the night and it was really fun to head through the woods by the light of the moon and see all of the flashy lights of the rides lit up against the night sky. It was the perfect way to end our time there. As we walked to the car to go home pulling Morgan behind in the wagon, I think Riley and I both agreed that we've never been that tired in our whole lives. (Ha) We were all so sore and tired the next day. It was great to have a day entirely devoted to the kids who had been so patient this summer with our busy schedules. They really deserved it and Kendle said she had the best time ever. As a parent, that is always awesome to hear.
Pictures of our day:
{Morgan enjoying a five dollar ice cream bar that he took about three bites of.}
{Riding the flying elephants. He was thrilled!}
{Isn't Riley a good sport?}
{Getting ready to go up on the "Panic Plunge"}
{See, they do love each other afterall.}
{Kendle was a good sport as well and rode some of the "kiddie" rides with Morgan.}
{Looking a bit tired. I was worried he would fall asleep and slip off.}
{Riding on the train. That was one of their favorite parts.}
{Notice there is not one picture of me. Yes, being the photographer is sometimes a thankless job. Ha.}
I am so glad we took the opportunity to take Kendle and Morgan for a day of fun to kick off Kendle's birthday. We made some great memories together that I'll never forget.
*More coming this week on Kendle's Birthday and Baptism.*
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