Mom Summer Camp: Day 4

Today I only carried the camera.  I didn't use it.  Oh well.  But just for reporting purposes, we went on a bike ride for summer camp.  The day was GORGEOUS.  The sun was out and the humidity dropped.

After riding, we stopped at a little farm for some fresh ice cream.  We all shared a big scoop of raspberry ice cream.

And in case you were wondering, we did swim in the afternoon.  Come to think of it, swimming and riding bikes are my two favorite things to do with my kids, and then you throw ice cream into the mix...yum.  No wonder today was such a great day.

Mom Summer Camp: Day 3

 

 Today we picked blueberries and strawberries.

 James was over harvesting,

Anna opted for the "quality control" position,

 

 And Daniel was off with his friends.

 

Just in case you were wondering, we finished the day off with a trip to the pool.

That just tops everything off so nicely.

And all our summer bounty has already been eaten.

Mom Summer Camp: Day 2

 

 This week is our annual Mom's Summer Camp.

Yesterday was supposed to be our first day,

but it rained and stormed all day.

We'll go hiking and fishing another day.

Mom's Summer Camp is very flexible!

 But today, was field day.

Thanks to all the talented Moms who made it a success.

We had archery,

 

 parachute games, bowling, hot potato, hula hoops,

face painting, a craft,

tag, and of course...

swimming!
The only bummer part of the day was James got stung by a bee.
Not much of a deterrent when you have so many other fun things to do.

A Matter of Style

Anna asks...

What accessory can you not do without each day all day?

Happy Birthday Jamesy

 James' birthday present, back in April, was tickets to ride on the Thomas train.  Well, after much waiting and patience for a 4-yr old train fanatic, the weekend finally arrived and it did not disappoint.

 

 We try to avoid such commercialism.  I mean, every parent knows things like this are a money trap...but sometimes we just can't help but spoil our kids.

The Pool is Open

We went twice today!

Away From it All

All I've been talking about on this blog lately is projects.

That has been our life.

Poor kids.

So this weekend we put everything aside and went

 CAMPING!

 

Check out the size of this marshmallow!

Lucky for his pancreas, he couldn't eat the whole thing.

And the next two pictures are so cute, but they are upside down.

I don't know what I'm doing wrong.

Believe me, it is easier for you to do a headstand on your chair while viewing them than it is for me to rotate them.

Busted!

 

Daniel rowed with his tongue out the whole time.

Check out little Anna on tippy toes trying to get the water.

 

Thumper

We had a little visitor this week.

When Christian is in Charge

 The afternoon I painted the bunkbeds,

Christian took the boys "out".

They came back with these...

The airsoft gun package came with 2500 BBs.

This week I found 853,384 in the wash

I vacuumed up 4,856

And when I mowed the lawn I noticed another 34,567,812,098,456,098 BBs

This is the little camouflaged fort they built to park their jeep in, and plan secret missions from.

Those busy little beavers patiently sawed down each of those small trees (all of which we were planning on getting rid of anyways).

I love it!

One More Project Down, Two to Go

 

 This is the bedroom furniture my parents bought when I was 12 yrs old.  It is solid, sturdy, and functional, but in need of a 20 year face lift.

 

 Armed with our paintbrushes, and a lot of paint,

we did this little number...

It is Done

 This spring, some sparrows moved into our mud room.

The kids and I watched them fly in and out bringing bits and pieces of things in their beaks to build their nest.

I thought about their preparation and anticipation for their family.

 

 Although the birds were much quicker at building their nest than we have been,

I felt a little kinship with them.

Christian and I have worn tracks in the road from our house to Lowe's and back.

I wonder if the birds looked at us carrying supplies in and out and thought about what sort of nest we were building in preparation and anticipation for our growing family.

 In a way, I envied the birds.

They didn't have to pull any permits or get any inspections.

Their nest is a simple, one bowl fits all...nice and cozy, not much to have to clean up, no paint colors to choose, no plumbing or electrical.

But mostly I feel a kinship with them.

What a learning experience it has been to build this room from the ground up.

Oh the nights Christian and I would tuck the kids into bed and drag ourselves down there to work some more, only to encounter another problem requiring yet another trip to Lowe's.

And the long Saturday's.

But the nest is done.

And it feels oh so good.

I'm kind of proud of it.

Seriously proud of it!

The Week's Picture Essay

 

We officially finished kindergarten two weeks ago.

I'm so amazed at all the things we have learned this year.

 It has been a wonderful adventure.

 

 We took a week off to do some fun things before starting up with math and reading again.  Am I a mean mom to make my kids keep up with math and reading during the summer?

 

A little lesson on friction made it's way into the week's activities.

 My kids love dressing up.

I love watching them use their imaginations.

 This was the battle encampment.