Why are the kids in winter coats in June?

This past Tuesday, after Bible School, I took the kids to see the Homeschool Skate Academy's production of the Wizard of Oz. It is amazing to go from the warmth of summer into an ice skating arena. The kids weren't too sure about this as they hovered under my coat to keep their legs warm. Once the Wizard of Oz started we were all amazed at the music, costumes and of course the skating done by these kids. Our favorite skater was the witch. She had to be younger than Lindsey and was doing twists and turns everywhere. Her costume was awesome right down to the red and white striped tights. It was also fun to see a friend out there skating. It was a fun show to see!

"IT'S JESUS"

While we were peddle pushing around Shelly Lake, we enjoyed a gorgeous display of sun rays shooting right through the clouds. This was Lindsey's loud reaction that I'm sure carried right across the lake: "Look!!! It's Jesus!!" It's just so beautiful to see the world through a child's eyes. I always want to look up, at the sky, and be like Lindsey with her enthusiastic responses.

Father's Day

The day before Father's Day the kids did the typical breakfast in bed. Course I guess chocolate chip pancakes with cool whip, eggs and turkey sausage aren't a typical breakfast for Brian. But on Father's Day we had a family "first". We took Brian to Shelly Lake and went peddle boating. As you can see by the first picture, the kids were not quite sure of all five of us climbing onto one of these boats, but once we got going we had a great time. Austin and Lindsey each got a turn 'trying' to peddle. Lindsey needs a couple more years to have her legs grow longer. I brought some bread for ducks and geese and of course they followed us everywhere. One even plucked a piece of bread from Reece's fingers. It was a fun 'family first'.

The Boys at Shelly Lake

Build a Bear Part Two

This first picture is where Lindsey is pumping the stuffing into her turtle, Charlotte. The second picture is Lindsey giving Charlotte a bath. Checking in on Lindsey late at night, I couldn't resist snapping a picture of her turtle sleeping on top of her (along with 4 big pillows to keep them all comfy). Quite an adventure to be had!

Build A Bear Adventure

Lindsey, and some of her girlfriends, got to go to Build A Bear for a special end of the year outing. Lindsey hardly stopped smiling the whole time she had so much fun. She picked out a turtle where the shell is a little backpack. If you've never been...you must go. It is quite a production. The last three pictures are where they gave each girl a heart and they had to rub the heart on their legs so their bears could dance. They also had to rub it on their ears so the bears would be good listeners and, lastly, they had to jump up and down to get their bear's heart pumping.

Austin and his trombone

Austin has been diligently working through piano books and music theory with his piano teacher (guess who) and he is now able to start an instrument with the Homelight Christian Homeschool Band. After going to a Homelight concert where he was able to see the orchestra, jazz band and concert choir Austin chose the trombone. It was fun to see his surprise that his Daddy could play the trombone. Brian has learned how to play all band instruments (Brian would say to use the word "play" loosely.) and that was a fun fact that Austin didn't know about his Daddy. So....we'll be hearing various 'new' sounds in our household. This will be much easier to our ears than the fact that Lindsey came home, from the same concert, wanting to play the drums and cymbals. We're having a hard time picturing that - but who knows....

My quest to catch a picture of our neighborhood deer is over finally!

I can't tell you how many times I have tried to catch a picture of these neighborhood deer. They were always too fast for me the second they heard our sliding door - they would bolt. These deer are actually in our neighbor's yard beside our fence. I am now DONE trying to get deer pictures.

Neighborhood Pool

Summer is here and our schedule is pretty set with daily Y visits (the kids get to play while us Moms get to sweat in some cardio/muscle class) and often we will hit the pool after lunch. Don't we all just love these dog days of summer?

Early Birthday Present

When the boys recently got new bedroom furniture, Lindsey was just sure she would be getting new furniture too. She actually asked if she was getting a "new room like the boys". I had to explain that the boys 'needed' new furniture, but maybe she could get a new bedspread for her birthday the end of June. So, for fun, we went to JC Penny online and I let her pick out what she liked. Well.....Aunt Nar 'got wind' of Lindsey's birthday request and went ahead and ordered a bedspread, butterfly curtains, a decorative butterfly wall netting, etc. So, while Lindsey was playing downstairs, Brian and I managed to transform her room into a "purple butterfly oasis". (purple is her new favorite color because it is her Aunt's favorite color.) We also had Aunt Nar's permission to transform her room earlier than her birthday. Needless to say, Lindsey was SO happy beyond words. The next morning she made up her bed and even put a plastic rose on top. She now has her "new room". :)