Week 3 ... thus far.

I can't remember Monday anymore... 

Tuesday was rainy so we hung out with bike camp: 

When there were moments of clear sky we would race outside (literally)

And we watched an old biking movie and did crafts when it was raining....

Wednesday was beautiful... I biked the kids down to Rainey park... swim team... met up with bike camp ...

I learned of a new trail!  It is like a secret garden ... I had no idea it was there... and it runs right along the river.  I was so disoriented I didn't know exactly where I was in Pullman, or what bridge we were under.
The kids had a blast making boats and floating them on the river.

3FBC! 

Raya is so fearless. 

Thursday was a full day... and I really wish I had my camera.
We did a trial class at Palouse Empire Gymnastics for Raya. -- Incredibly, incredibly fun.  She was/(is) so cute!  I loved watching her climb her feet up the wall, summersaulting on an obstacle course... balance beam.  My favorite was Raya saying  "Ta-da"  after every exercise :).  We'll have to work it in our schedule, it was such a nice space too!

We went to the Moscow Library for the first time and stayed for their summer reading program activity.  The Palouse Discovery Science Center were demonstrating different experiments with light.

The rest of the day we spent at the Moscow Aquatic Center.

It was a fun day.
And kind'of long.

Have a mentioned that Jeff is TA'ing this summer?  Tuesday and Thursday he works 11-13 hour days, so he doesn't see the kids at night.  I try to wear them out on those days ;)

High-maintenance camping.

Here is our new tent.... We are excited to go camping this summer!!! 

we let the kids sleep in the backyard tonight.

(We'll join them in a bit.)

Do you see the spry look in Levi's eyes.
I do.

We gave the kids a walkie-talkie,
Levi took control.

"Daddy Come in"
"Mommy can you hear me?"
"Why aren't you talking!!!"
.... all stated within seconds of each other; before we have a chance to talk.

"I need my babies,"  "I need another blanket," "Seth's not reading to me." *beep**beep**beep**beep*

It's 10... they might be asleep.
That Levi can make me laugh like no other.

Peter's Pirate Party

What a wonderfully creative party.  I loved that Peter's mom involved him and his sister in all the party planning, decorating and games.  A family of artists!

Seth makes a pretty cute pirate <3

Whither wander you?

Friday night we let the kids stay up late to watch, A Midsummer Night's Dream.  What is left of the WSU theater department, performed a free play in the park.  The kids were already somewhat familiar with the play from The Magic Tree House: Stage Fright on a Summer Night.  It's one of Levi's favorite books.  He loves to write and direct plays.  (I love that he does too):

The kids in all there need-a-bath-glory; after a week of playing hard:

It's too bad the play ended one scene early due to lightning.  The kids really wanted to see "the lion." -- a minuscule role in the play, but something they found funny in MTH.

my goal

to take more pictures.

Summer is so full and bright and warm. I want to remember it more :)

.. but I'll just list it out:

-More bike camp
-More swimming
-More metal stamping
-Beautiful weather (too much for me... I got burned!)
-tie dying shirts
-More tball ... Seth's session ended on Wednesday.  We stayed afterwards for a bbq and let the kids play soccer and parents chatted till way past there bedtimes.
-Reptile Man visits ... Kids loved all the different reptiles he had to show.  Anaconda, crocodile, alligator, frilled lizard, gilla monster... and lots more.  Quite the selection!
-Pullman Fire fighter's read.  *I love this program.  It is such a great example for our kids, especially young boys, seeing men (there were unfortunately no female fire fighters reading this year) read and taking time out of their schedule to come and read to kids. There are not enough male examples for young children.

Today ... let me rephrase ... this afternoon ... we are relaxing.
Week 2 of summer vacation went by fast.

today.

I left at 9:30 am ... now I'm home at 9:30 pm... (ok 9:20, I rounded)
Outside ... 95%
good thing it was the Summer Solstice.

Bike Camp.

I have been helping a friend with his bike camp for the last two days... 

14 kids age ranging from 5-12 ... 

(then when you add my kids 2-12.)

Today we biked at the skate park... biked to the bears ... up Grimes Way ... Ferdinands .... WSU Art Museum... Campus ...

then back to the skate park.

16 kids.

2 adults.

It was a beautiful day ... we tell ourselves we are building future bikers..... and... 

of course hope that they don't dart off into the street so they will see that bright-beautiful- biking future ;)

Here are some of the kids eating ice cream at Ferdinands:

Can I just tell you, the kids are having the time of their lives! and I love being apart of this fun group!

And I'll say one more things.  My kids are rockstars.

Levi gets bonus points today -- He kept up with (median age) eight year olds on a single speed  bike!!! He has to peddle 4x harder, and he wasn't even last, in the line of kids.  ... and it was his first time biking on his bike on the streets.  Typically he is on the add-a-bike with me, but today I tried out the bike trailer with Rae.

Rae biked at the skate park with the group.... seriously the cutest thing watching my 2 year old girl doing jumps.  She is the youngest member of 3FBC! She tried out the half-pipe today (assisted).

Seth is mild mannered... but his energy is un-extinguishable. He swam for an hour at swim team... then went right into biking for four hours ... when he gets home he asks if he can run on the tread mill or lift weights. ...

Rockstars! It's fun being their mom :)

And... these were also on my phone:

Sometimes... (ok all the time) .. Raya is unbearably cute.

The end.

week 1

Did Seth really just get out of school on Monday?  We sure did hit the ground running when it came to summer...  There is no way I can blog everything so; list:

-Swim Team 3x ... I really need to get a picture of Seth during swim team.  Seth's "warm up" is 300 yards.
-Tie Dye/Michaels/Craft craziness with 4 kids
-Metal Stamping ... I really need to take pictures of my pieces. I'm starting up a shop with my friend :) "Spirit and Steel"
-Skate Park
-Evening Bike Rides
-Library 3x this week.... and we saw a comedic juggler.  The kids were spell-bound by him.

... but what I wanted to come on and document that Seth made a blog this morning.  Jeff and I thought it would be a good way for him to get more familiar with the computer and practice typing.
His first post he copied is a quote by George Washington, I'm still laughing, it's so Seth!

http://www.SethIsAsFastAsACheetah.blogspot.com

That's "Seth is as fast as a cheetah" ... this kid.

Summmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmer

I think we kicked our summer off right.
Signed up for the Summer Reading Program!
(We were waiting outside for the library to open ... we take our summer reading program seriously ;))

I love not having Seth in school, we go whereever the wind takes us...
So then we had a picnic at Reaney park... there were three different groups of friends there (bonus)
Played in the sprinkler at home....
Went to a friends house....
Went to Lincoln Middle School (my favorite hideout) ....

Biking, Basketball, Four Square, Sun, Kites, Playmobile Air Planes

Kids are now in the bathtub. They're exhausted...   I love summer.

Lucky mom

I'm so lucky to be a mom to this:

 Seth is ready for swim team! ... I can't tell you how much these pictures make me happy.

Last day of school today... this picture epitomizes Seth.

-Tball hat (obsessed with baseball at the moment)

-Mariners shirt (more baseball) 

-Goofy grin

I just want to squish him he is so cute! AH!

First day of school photo found here

We hung out with Seth for his last day of school:

Field Day:  

We need to get a hula hoop.

Mrs. Stone and Seth... -- She is such a companssionate, fun teacher, we were lucky to have her as Seth's teacher!

Typical goofballs: Aaron and Seth

Class relay races: very exciting

I don't know how or why it happens... but people love to take care of Raya.

And she dutifully plays the role of "doll" very well -- she is so serious!

Raya and I have never met these girls before, but they fed her, walked her, played with her. What a perfect pet.

What a wonderful day to end Kindergarten .... and hello summer!

Seth knows best

"I'm pretty sure I can throw a baseball 94 miles per hour."
"I don't know Seth, that's really tough, I know I can't throw it nearly that fast."
"Well, yeah Daddy, that's because you're not in t-ball."

They're eating her... then they're going to eat me!!!

I have a feeling that this summer is going to fly-by.... we have almost every weekend booked. I love having a full life :) ... so... recording is hard, but I wanted to back track and make note of our awesome Troll 2 Party.  Jeff has wanted to do this for probably two years.

Jeff was so giddy for this party... and our themed food:
Green smoothies -- "It's a concentration of all the vegetal properties."
Popcorn -- "What's the matter, aren't you hungry ... uhhh actually I like popcorn... Well no problem, all we have to do is heat it up."
Lemonade -- "You can't piss on hospitality! I wont allow it!"
Baloney sandwiches:  "Double-decker baloney sandwiches!"

Troll 2 is so terrible... it's amazing.

Saturate

If you saturate your kids with good books (be picky, not all children's books are the same quality!) -- videos, toys etc... you will be surprised what they learn!

I look down and Raya had drawn a self portrait and her name

Who knew she knew? I didn't! I'm constantly taken aback by what children can absorb given the space and the supplies to learn.

I am a jinxed woman.

My van door was smoking.

A small fire in my door.

I poured soda on it... probably shouldn't have though?

Then I locked myself out.

Actually the van locked me out.... I closed the door and then it locked...  I think my van doesn't like me.

And my cell phone was dead... because I used the gps... so I was stranded once again.

Jeff had to rescue me.

There is a lot more to this story... but I am at home with 5 children ages 6 and under...

Craziness round two begin!

911

Car troubles continue...

I need to start this story with a forward:

Unknowingly (and unfairly) given a ticket.  Remember the time we got ran off the road? -- The cop gave us a ticket. -- Couldn't contest, couldn't get a hold of anyone, couldn't pay for it, charged  + $70 more for being unknowingly late, licensed revoked, paid an unknown sum online and hoped that it was correct, find out to reinstate license we needed to pay an additional... $70.  300+ dollars later Jeff has his license. Go to drive the car -- battery is dead, Jeff drains van battery trying to fix car's -- neighbor helps (thanks Laurel!). We are all done with car drama, right?!

No.

Worst.Possible.Scenario.
 -- well, I could have died... been mangled... yada yada... k, not worst, but it was pretty lame.

Lame.Possible.Scenario.

I was metal stamping with my friend that lives out in the boondocks of Moscow late-ish.  At 11:00 I'm making my way back home .... and my car shuts down.  I'm in the middle of the road,  in the middle of no-where, no power, no headlights, -- No street lights!  It's foggy and I'm afraid vehicles behind wont be able to see the van... since my van has no power for emergency lights!

I try to get out of the van.  -- I can't, the door doesn't open, the window doesn't open; electric right?  I try and call Jeff -- no cell phone reception.  For a few moments I felt really trapped.

There was one door that opened, it just took me a few stunned minutes (that felt like forever!) -- Who would of thought it would be the electric side door?  I pried that open and called 911.

I didn't see what option I had.... there were no houses, no buildings, no lights, I was in the middle of the road -- and I was afraid of leaving my van unattended because a car behind would hit it! -- (the road is a hwy with cars traveling 55mph) ... The 4 mile walk to Moscow in the dark didn't seem that appealing either.

After 20 minutes I'm still talking with operators, though on the second tier of operators at Latah County, -- but -- hurray!  A vehicle passes through!

The man told me he could barely see me, I was using my cell phone light as my "emergency light" to slow him down. He was nice enough to park behind me and put his emergency lights on until I could get towed/etc.

Cops show up... fix battery... an hour later I am home.

I straight up asked the cop if he was going to give me a ticket, I didn't want anymore surprises!

What a lame story.

.