Hard at Work

Moose and BiggiE are so cute doing their homework (most of the time). I just can't quite believe I have two grade schoolers.

Of course, Jelly Bean wants to join right in and do her "homework" with her brothers.


Jelly Bean is such a good colorer. Neither of the boys enjoyed coloring until they reached kindergarten, so I am super thrilled to have a colorer at a young age since I am a colorer as well. BiggiE said, "Wow! She almost as good as me!"

Smitten

We had a great adventure to the city this weekend. We were in pursuit of ice cream, specifically, an ice cream stand called Smitten that Os read about somewhere.

The ferry is not the most cost effective way to get a family of five into the city, but it sure is fun, if a bit windy on the bow. We brought along a new card game, Rat-A-Tat Cat, that Moose was given for his birthday and played a few rounds on the way over.


There was the most awesome play structure at the park near the ice cream stand. Not surprisingly it was of German design (they seem to create the coolest toys).






We finally got around to trying the ice cream. The premise of Smitten is that they make your ice cream to order (think Blue Bottle Coffee). The ice cream was really good, but the whole schtick seemed a bit much to me. The kids definitely enjoyed watching their ice cream emerge from the liquid nitrogen fog.

First Days of School

Our big second grader and kindergartner!


BiggiE is ready for grade school!


Happy to be standing in line for the first day of school. BiggiE had one bout of "I don't want to do this!" one afternoon last week, but you can see that he is all smiles today!


Second Grader -- so big and showing BiggiE the ropes.


First day of school cookies!

The End of Summer Fun

Whew! It has been a great summer. Looking at our "Summer Fun" list I can see why I might be a little worn out. I am happy and tired and excited to get back into the routine of school.

Lego Birthday Party

Not a huge surprise that Moose requested a Lego birthday party as he nearly lives and breaths Legos.

My friend, Kelli, sent me a link almost a year ago to a blog that was chalk full of ideas for Lego birthday parties. Most of the ideas I used were found on Oh Dee Doh or from links from the blog.

Frosting this ice cream cake was a bit of a challenge. It is the number seven just to clarify. I was super thankful for the many cake decorators who went before me into the realm of Lego cake creation. The idea to use empty clear tea lights for the Lego nobs was simple and, I think, a good effect.




We played a variety of Lego games. I enjoyed watching them play "Collaboration" where each person has a turn to grab a Lego or two out of the bowl and then has to add to what has already been made.




The birthday boy was pretty pleased.


Some of our silly party goers.




The homemade pinata. I had flashbacks from grade school using my watered down glue and paint brush.


And last, but not least, my favorite: Lego Marshmellow Pops. I love when a project is easy, works the way it is said to and turns out the way you hoped. These little guys were so much fun to make and just make me smile when I see them.

Grandma and Grandpa

We had a great visit from my mom and dad. It is great to have grandparents to do things with from playing games, reading books and:

My dad made real sling shots with the boys. Then he took them to the creek to try their hand.


My mom and Jelly Bean made a ballet tutu that Jelly Bean was pleased to dance around the room in.


Swimming at the pool. It is hard to say who had more fun. At one point my dad had about nine kids involved in their game.


A trip to Six Flags.


The dragon boat ride -- sitting all the way in the back!


Orca show (Noelle's highlight)


The scrambler.


You may not believe this but BOTH my parents went on the biggest roller coaster that the park: Medusa. Now the gauntlet has been thrown. I need a girls' night so I can go to Six Flags with my friends and ride some of these big rides!

Happy 7th Birthday, Moose!

Baby Moose



One-year-old Moose



Two-year-old Moose



Three-year-old Moose



Four-year-old Moose



Five-year-old Moose


Six-year-old Moose


Today

Camping - Big Basin

We had a great time camping in Big Basin for the first time. It was great to be in the coastal mountians. We haven't camped in a group campground with other people around in a while, but Big Basin wasn't that bad because all the huge redwoods and undergrowth makes it feel more separate. (Though I should say I don't know if the people around our crew felt that way since we had so many kids in our group.)

We went for a nice family hike just the five of us. I love being with a group of people, but I also like just our immediate family times, too. The boys are at a great age where they can hike pretty far, but they are still at a pace where I can keep up. I think those days might be numbered.


Jelly Bean decided to give her brother a turn in the backpack carrier.


I saw this idea in a magazine and it looked like the perfect camping treat.


The kids had fun decorating their own campfires.


The coconut fire meant that some kids are cold firepits and others, like Moose, had big blazes. I knew he was a pyro.


The kids hideout. How cool to have a big tree to hang out in. Moose and BiggiE were two of the oldest boys and they had a good time leading the pack. Moose, especially, loves to be in charge and he was in his element with younger kids eager to follow in his plans.


Jelly Bean with her sweet friends, Maddy and Lily.


I saw this cute (and easy!) idea on Janna's blog. Ours didn't turn out as cute as hers, but the kids were all thrilled.


The creek was just about the right size for the ages of our kids. Our dear BiggiE still managed to almost drown himself on our first day by getting stuck upside down between two rocks. Deana was there to rescue him, thank God.


Moose had plans to construct a bridge across the creek. Here he and Blake work to get a key board in place.


Moose was the first to try and bridge and ALMOST made it all the way across before the supports gave way.


Here is our warrior boy: dirty from head to toe, a big stick in head and tearing into a big piece of venison. BiggiE was starting to fall ill at this point. He ended up with a stomach bug (let me tell you we felt so bad for him on the way home because it is a very, very windy road.)


We neglected to take a picture of the whole group, but we did get this of our manly men: Peter, Jake, Matt, Tyler, Randy, Tim, and Darren.