Those Are My Favorites

So I was out planting some flats of flowers that I had bought.  I had probably spent way too much on them, but they were all so pretty.  I also had probably bought a few too many because it was taking a while to get all of them planted.

Up walks Kaylee.

“Mom I think those are my favorites”

I proceed to get excited to hear which ones she likes, and ask her “which ones?”

She then points out into our lot at all of the hundreds of wildflowers that are blooming (especially since we have had so much rain).  Then continues chatting, telling me how they are so pretty because there are sooo many of them and how I didn’t have to waste any of my time planting them.  She also points out how they look pretty in the weeds, but how my flowers never look pretty in weeds.

She skips off and I sit there thinking of how those wildflowers didn’t cost me a dime, and yet how beautiful they are.  I took a picture tonight of some of them.  There are quite a few different varieties and colors, but these red ones are my favorites.

Rock Ledge Park

The other morning we decided to go on the Glen Eyrie hike up to the waterfall and bowls.  We were all set and excited to go until we found out at the front gate that as of June 1 you must have a reservation before you can hike.  I guess they are doing this to cut down on all of the people coming through.  Well, dismay fell in our van. 

Then I remembered that Rock Ledge was just a mile up the road.  We always enjoy it and learn something new every time!

Nathan learned about the chamber pots.

I learned about how they would stick wool in the cracks of the wood inside the cabins.

Jerrica learned how fun little wooden rocking chairs are.

Rebecca learned that the cabin size is the same size as the log house in the Little House on the Prairie book. 

Stephen and the kids learned the history of paint and how they made and kept it in the 1800’s.  Shauna was chasing Jerrica who was chasing the sheep.

Kaylee was in awe of the old organ.

And of course the boys always have to have their stilt war at the cabin.

It was just fun to hang out as a family for the day, even if we weren’t hiking Glen Eyrie!

Moms Summer Camp

So school is out and the kids are home wondering what to do. You take a look at the summer camps around town and see that they are $200 or more per kid. Times that by six kids and that is WAYYYYYYYYYY too much money! Plus, do you really want your kid around people and other kids that you don’t know?!?

So Becki had the most fabulous idea and coordinated such a fun week. It was a summer school for ALL of the kids. The moms got together before school was out to plan the week and what each of us would teach. Brooke put together all the charts to keep us organized. She even had a carpool chart to make sure we got all the kids where they were supposed to go. Here is what the schedule looked like:

The kids had a blast! The first day the older girls had service and did a bake sale for a little 10 year old that has cancer. They earned $360 and were even on the news. My girls were so excited to be on TV. The jealous brothers made fun of the girls jumping up and down on the end of the news clip and told them that its more embarassing to be on the news jumping up and down than NOT to be on the news.

I wish that I had more pictures of the week. It was way busy and crazy sometimes to even remember to take a picture. I need to get some more pictures from the other moms. Here are some:

The older boys did stilts and tye dye T-shirts over here. The older girls made different jewelry, like water bracelets.

Becki had made fun flip flops with the older girls and painted nails. I’m just so made that I don’t have a picture with all the kids or even each group!

Both sets of boys made marshmallow guns with Becki and had a little war.

The Busy Boys did a dinosaur day with me. We dug for dinosaurs, made plaster of paris molds of them, paper mache eggs, ate dinosaur breadsticks, and sent them home with a dinosaur that grows.

The little girls had a ladybug day. They made ladybug hats, beanbag toss, picture frames and colored. They also had a fun science day where they planted seeds, painted wooden flowers, played with their little garden gloves and watering cans.

The older boys did science experiments from these little kits. The kits had everything to make a clicking telegraph, spinning motor, real radio, and light generator. Skittles and M&M’s kept the boys going.

Like I say I should have taken more pictures. The cooking class was a lot of fun and I don’t have any pictures of that because everything was eaten. She had the little girls do peanut butter play dough and made gingerbread men out of them to decorate. All of the older groups learned how to make an entire meal. My kids came home with the recipes and have been so excited to make dinner for the family.

I know that the service class was filled with picking up trash, planting flowers for a neighbor and delivering cookies. I just wish that I had photos of all of it!

The Older Girls and Busy Boys had a Mad Scientist party for their science class.

I’m missing some of the girls in this picture, but better some than none!

They were given lab coats with their name tags, goggles and gloves and went to work on flubber, homemade ice cream and Pepsi Volcanos. (What a waste of Pepsi!!!)

Can I just say that moms and kids were exhausted every day, but oh how fun! On Friday afternoon we chilled out at the 3D movie UP

I was supposed to work with Tara on Friday with the little girls, but wouldn’t you know she had her baby the night before. I was kind of sad because I was so excited to work with her.

So before we enjoyed our delicious dinner at Melinda’s, we ran over to the hospital to see Tara and her new little BOY!!!

Brooke’s not in the picture because she was enjoying a fun weekend with her hubby in Vegas!

On To Ink

Jacob has been working with color and just finished his colored Taz.  It was quite large and took some time, but I think it turned out amazing!  Get ready Disney and Pixar because here comes your new cartoon artist, Jacob.

He is now working with ink.  He says that it is really difficult because you can’t erase.  I think all drawing is difficult!  Anyway, here are his ink onions and paintbrush.

Long Summer Days

I love the long summer days. The kids didn’t come inside until 8:54pm the other night. I remember as a kid playing outside until we couldn’t see anymore. I took this silhouette picture of Kaylee and Rebecca as the sun was going down.

I love watching the girls do their pretend play in the clubhouse. They cackle and have so much fun together. Of course the boys come around to tease them and get them all riled up. Ashley loves to dig in the dirt and drag the kitties around. Jerrica is always trying to convince someone to push her in the swing. I really enjoy when I see ALL the kids playing together.

Another nice thing about summer is eating outside for dinner. I love it!!! There is never a floor to sweep up. Shadow, our dog, just comes in after us and takes care of anything that has dropped, and my kitchen just seems to stay a little cleaner.

The Great Sand Dunes

We went down to the Sand Dunes this weekend.  The kids love all the sand and the waves in the water.

Jacob made a little trap.  He dug a tunnel back and up.  Then he covered it with little twigs.  Next he caked sand over the twigs.  Later, as he was sledding down the dunes he caught something!  I stayed back in our cove with the two little girls as the older ones were sledding.  Next thing I know Jerrica is crying.  She was trying to walk over to me and had fallen and gotten one of her legs stuck in Jacob’s trap.  Jacob had caught a Jerrica!

Ashley trying to body surf.  The kids and Stephen loved having races against the current.  It would make the Kaylee and Rebecca dizzy and they would usually crash into the water.

The Sand Dunes are just so incredibly enormous.  As a kid I always enjoyed the challenge of finding the tallest peak and hiking up it with cousins or friends.  Now I don’t mind just sitting back and watching the kids play and others hike the dunes!

I’m Jealous!

I’m jealous of my mom’s yard and garden.  Her poppies and bleeding hearts were gorgeous.  I’ve always been partial to bleeding hearts because I think they look like little red-headed girls. 

She planted her garden AFTER me and hers is already bigger than mine!

Besides her garden, she has THREE greenhouses.  Dad just finished this last one with scraps from here and there.  It has his old RV windows to help ventilate.  A screen door on each end, Jori is my lovely model showing the back door.  Dad had gotten these wood arches from someone for firewood and then had the idea to use them to make a greenhouse.  So basically all they had to do buy is the plastic.

Mom had gotten this old table free and painted it.  She also had gotten these huge cookie sheets from Duncan Doughnuts going out of business auction.  They are like twice the size of a cookie sheet.  She keeps a Miracle Grow water bucket there to be warming for little drinks for her plants.

I loved this last idea that she has inside this new greenhouse.  It’s a little bench that Dad can sit on to visit with her as she is working in her garden.  The beauty of it is that the seat lifts up to store things in AND she stores potting soil inside of it.  No messy bags or piles of good soil, just a cute little bench.

Now that you see all of the gardens and greenhouses, I’m sure you can understand why I’m soooo jealous.  Dad can’t you come build me a greenhouse?  Mom can’t you find me little treasures to help in my gardening?

Grandpa and Go Karts

We went to my parents this weekend, which always means outdoor fun.  Grandpa got the go kart out that he has been working on for the grandkids.  Not only was it a blast, but the roads were flooded with farmers irrigating so that meant MAJOR blast!

Grandpa also gave rides in his little cart to the little girls. 

Some of the other highlights were going down to Uncle Kevin’s and seeing the LIVE rattlesnake that he caught a few days ago.  It was still alive because he was keeping it in his grain barrel that mice had been getting in to.  He was using it to kill the mice.  He told us that there were five mice in the barrel when he first put it in.  Can I just say that I was freaked out as each kid peaked their head in the barrel as the snake lay there coiled and rattling!?! 

Aunt Kathy brought down her “traveling garage sale” that is always FREE for the kids to pick out treasures.  She also taught me how to make her English Toffee on one of the nights while we were there. 

And last but not least Stever and I had a date night and ended up eating dinner at Chili’s with my cousin Jessie and her husband.  I have always gotten a kick out of Jessie’s sarcastic personality!