Grandparents Recital

Kari didn't have a piano recital this spring because her teacher was out of the country during the time she normally holds one for the students, so we decided to have Kari give her own private recital at our house for the grandparents. It gave her a reason to practice, as she is taking a break from her weekly lessons for the summer, and it just sounded like a fun idea. :) She butchered one song she normally plays very well, but other than that, she did great! She enjoyed sharing her music with her grandparents. She also very much enjoyed the dessert we prepared for afterwards--strawberry shortcake. :)

Thanks for the video, Dad!

Kari">http://vimeo.com/100179104">Kari Piano Recital

Fourth of July

We went for a family bike ride on the Springwater Trail the morning of the 4th.  I chuckled a little as I wrote that because it was much more involved than I made it sound. We had to get all the bikes down, put the bike rack on the van, load the bikes onto the rack, pack some snacks, fill the water bottles...and in the midst of all this prep, Aubrey fell in the neighbor's prickly rose bush while riding her bike on the sidewalk. She was a scratched and bleeding mess, crying and tired from their late night of backyard camping and in no shape to get on her little bike and ride for miles. She ended up on the trail-a-bike behind me, and Grant rode in the bike trailer behind Greg. We finally got everyone and everything loaded up and drove to the Boring trailhead a few miles away, and it was so worth the effort. It was a beautiful morning and a beautiful ride. We rode three miles before turning around, and it was a good thing we turned back when we did, even though the kids didn't want to. It was an uphill ride back, and the kids were wiped out by the time we made it back to our car. Now that we've done it once, going again will be easier. I see more family bike rides in our future!

 

After our ride, we came home for a quick lunch and then went over to the pool for an afternoon swim before our barbeque that evening. The Wilson's, once again, put on a great Fourth of July party. Mom sponsored our fireworks again this year, and she and Dad and Aunt Brenda and Uncle Dennis, who were visiting at the time, came to watch the little fireworks show. :) (We have photos, thanks to Amy W. She's so good about bringing her camera to events and sharing the photos she takes!)

 



Grant was cracking us up with the sparklers. He really wasn't so sure about them. The dads are in charge of the fireworks stuff, and there was a team of them helping the kids with sparklers. One dad would hand Grant a sparkler, and another dad would come by and light it for him. Grant would hold it for a bit and then throw it on the ground before it was done. He didn't look like he was enjoying it at all, but he stood there anyway, and dads kept coming by with more. He accepted them but did the same thing, throwing it on the ground with a frown.  Then someone would come along, seeing him empty-handed and give him another one. It was so funny. It was as if he was thinking, "I don't really like this, but I guess I'll keep doing it because they think it's fun." Eventually, on his fourth or fifth sparkler, he decided it really was fun after all.

Our neighborhood was hopping when we came home later that night. We were ready for bed, but everyone else was just getting started. We watched the show of illegal fireworks all over the neighborhood from our upstairs windows before turning on some fans and heading to bed. 

July 3rd

July 3rd was a company holiday for Greg, along with the 4th, so we got to have an extra long weekend all together. We headed to the zoo in the morning, for the first time ever WITHOUT a stroller! Exciting stuff here! We took every stair opportunity that presented itself, just because we could. :) It was a perfect, cloud-covered zoo day.

 

When we got home we set up our big tent to spray some waterproofing stuff on it ("camp dry") in preparation for our upcoming beach camping venture. We decided to let the kids sleep in it, forgetting that it was July 3rd and that our neighborhood is fireworks-crazy. They had gotten all their beds set up in the tent and were all snugged in to listen to us read our current chapter book, Clementine, aloud.  I had just started reading when we heard a loud "BOOM!" The cracking, popping, and booming continued throughout the evening, much to the kids' delight. They watched the fireworks show through the screen windows in the tent and didn't fall asleep until 10:00pm. We could have thought through that plan a little better, but oh well! We can mark off "backyard camping" from our summer to-do list now.

This was earlier in the day. Kari wanted a picture with Tiger Lily, and they all jumped in the photo. I don't say no to willing photo subjects.

 

Horsetail Falls

A couple Sundays ago we went for a hike with some friends after church. We hiked the Horsetail Falls loop, which is one we've done before, but this time, Grant made it the whole way on his own two feet! Our big kids led the way almost the whole time, going faster than the little ones could go. We were constantly calling for them to stop and wait for the rest of us. So much energy in those little people!

We went home for a little rest time after our hike (Grant was asleep within two minutes of getting in the car), and then we went to TCBY for the promised frozen yogurt in celebration of well-played soccer and baseball seasons. On the way home we visited Grandpa and Grandma Arnold for a bit, and Grandpa took Grant for a ride in the jeep since Grant, apparently, hadn't ever done that.

 

 

 

In Summer...

The kids have been out of school for just over two weeks, and our transition is about over. It's always a little tricky, everyone getting used to being together all day everyday again. All four kids did a round of swim lessons the week after school got out, every morning for two weeks, and the amazing thing about it was that I was able to get them all in lessons at the SAME TIME! It was pretty incredible. I sat in the pool bleachers, alone, for half an hour and watched all four kids swim. Kari and Joel's lessons were a little longer than Grant and Aubrey's, so I had time to get them showered before Joel and Kari were done. I thoroughly enjoyed my half hour. :) All four kids "graduated" the next level. I signed Aubrey and Grant up for another session later this month. Kari and Joel are strong swimmers now, so I think they're done with lessons for now.

I made a new chore chart for the summer (pinterest inspired), and the kids enthusiastically embraced it. I think it was the novelty of the dry erase markers. :) Kari loves charts and lists, and I think she has rubbed off on the other kids a bit. We're on our third week of summer, and they're still motivated. I'll take it! Most days under "Ask Mom Job" there is an additional chore like vacuuming or dusting or cleaning the bathroom, but we were all caught up on chores this morning, and it's really hot outside, so I decided to make it "play." They liked that. :) Gotta keep them on their toes and keep surprising them so it doesn't get old.

It was only a 70 degree day when the neighborhood kids decided they wanted to have a water fight. The sun was going down, and by the time they were done, all the kids were shivering. They had a good time, though!

 

 

This last weekend, Greg and the boys went on their annual "Man Camp" weekend with other dads and sons from church. Grant was able to go for the first time this year. Grandpa took him and Miles up on Saturday morning (Greg and Joel left Friday), and then Grant stayed for the second night. It worked out great for all. With Grant gone on Saturday, the girls and I had a day to ourselves. We went shopping, went out for donuts and then later for lunch, did more shopping, had a nail party, ate Oreos, and watched a girl movie that night. Kari and Aubrey are already looking forward to when the boys go to "Man Camp" next year.

Kari finished up tennis academy this last week, too. It was a birthday gift from Grandpa and Grandma Moffat. She's liking tennis a lot. I like the outfits, but that is her least favorite part--my little tom boy. Isn't she cute, though? She and Joel are doing a morning tennis camp next week, too, so she'll get to hone her tennis skills some more.

We're enjoying the slower pace of summer and evenings with nothing crowding them. We've been reading aloud more to the kids in the evenings. We read aloud during the year, too, but it was much less often. We finished reading Peter Pan just as school got out, and we've read James and the Giant Peach, A Cricket in Times Square, Frindle, and My Father's Dragon so far this summer. There are just so many books to read and not enough time to read them! This last year they really liked The Little Pilgrim's Progress, Pippi Longstocking, and the first couple Sugar Creek Gang books. I'm going to have to reread some others as Aubrey and Grant get older because I don't want them to miss out on some of Kari and Joel's favorites like Charlie and Chocolate Factory, Mr. Poppers Penguins, and The Indian in the Cupboard. I could spend all summer reading (my own books and theirs) if I was allowed to neglect all responsibilities. That's what vacation is for, right? Just not yet for us. When the kids are older, I plan to have that kind of vacation someday.

Spring Soccer

Here we are in summer (today is HOT but welcome after a bunch of rain), and I still haven't posted about Kari's spring soccer season. Catching up now.

Kari played Spring soccer for the first time with the same coach and mostly the same group of girls she's been with for the last couple fall seasons. It was a short season with only 7 games, but it was good! The girls all improved a lot and did very well. I didn't realize it until they pointed it out at the end of season party, but they went undefeated! Some of the games were pretty intense and competitive--really fun to watch. We had a couple miserable games, weather-wise at the beginning, with wind, rain, and cold. There was one game where Aubrey and Grant were sitting in chairs in front of me on the sidelines, all wrapped up with blankets and umbrellas, and we were all freezing! I had to sit in the car for 10 minutes warming up my shivering body and thawing out my fingers before I could drive. It was spring, for heaven's sake! Didn't think we'd have to wear our winter gear! Greg was with Joel at his baseball game (in the rain, as well), so they were stuck with me there. It was one LONG game. Most of the rest of the season was enjoyable, though! We loved watching Kari play and develop more skills.

Aubrey made a "nest" in the field behind us during Kari's last game. She and Grant spent a lot of time on the playground during games and practices and entertained themselves when they got tired of watching soccer. They did the same at Joel's baseball games, too. :) Oh, the plights of the younger siblings.

Kari and her friend, Ellie

The whole team, except Victoria, who didn't make it to the last game. These girls are going to be playing together again in a couple months for the fall soccer season.