June Wrap-up Part 2

1. It was my birthday this month. I requested that we go on a birthday walk together. Although, with kids, it's really more of a "hike". We also met up with Michael's parents and went to dinner and had dessert.

2. We have quite a few outdoor home projects going this summer. One of them is refinishing our deck. I've been the one encouraging it, but I quickly realized what a huge job it is going to be. Michael rented a sander and went to town one day. We all enjoyed a pizza break for dinner.

3. We had our annual camp-out in the backyard. Hopefully, we'll make it to a real campsite soon.

4. Our ward activity was quite a success.

5. We enjoyed celebrating Michael on Father's Day. We sure do love that guy and all he does for us. He sacrifices so much for our family all while balancing work, church and civic responsibilities. He is a wonderful husband and father and we are so grateful for him.

6. Skippy John Jones, by Kathryn

7. This boy has taken over our bed. Sadly, the best sleep he gets is from about 5-7 a.m. 

8. Maxwell at Grandma's birthday dinner.

9. Swimming lessons were a big success this year. Maxwell was a bit touch and go there for a few days, but we ended up great in the end. They both loved it and had tons of fun. Not to mention that they improved their swimming skills.

10. Samuel's favorite new toy this summer is this squirt bottle. And he's pretty ruthless with it:)

11. Family bike ride.

12. Another beautiful sunset.

June Wrap-up Part 1

 1. Kathryn had her dance recital in June. It had been postponed because of a power outage...and then it looked like it would happen a second time. Luckily, the power came back on.

2. Sam is my very very independent child. He is such a big helper, and he wants to do everything himself. He loves to spot treat clothes for the laundry, sweep, and wash windows and mirrors. Vacuuming is his new love. I'm going to have to be careful with that one though...

3. I love this picture, because all three of my kids are doing something that they love.

 4. Oh these boys. I feel like I am in a constant state of survival with them. They are so busy, so messy and so rambunctious. They take about 10 baths a day with all of their various activities.

5. Kathryn and I enjoyed a girls date picking strawberries one evening. We had so much fun. I love that girl. All the while, she was planning our next girls date (because this was a "practice one"). We are going to the mall to shop, out to lunch, and then to orange leaf for frozen yogurt.

6. Through quite a bit of effort, we added Kathryn to a T-ball team late. She missed the first game and we had to scramble around to find a shop to make her t-shirt, but it was well worth the effort. We wanted her to have a chance to try it out before advancing to the next level next summer. She had a lot of fun and I'm so glad we "made" her try it. The boys enjoyed it as well...most of the time.

7. My sweet little goofballs. These glasses from the game Fiber have sure been fun. Mainly, just play with the glasses every now and again.

8. Oh, and brushing teeth...that's another one of Sam's favorite things. You might even call it a hobby. He gets ecstatic every time he sees his toothbrush (and MAD every time I put it away). He even pulls a chair up to my bathroom counter to get it himself, cute thing. 

9. Kathryn gave me a makeover one afternoon. I think Max put on every single one of those bracelets himself and Kathryn painted my fingernails. I had about 10 different scents sprayed and lotion-ed on me by the time they were done.

10. I found Kathryn washing Maxwell's hair one morning. Oh these kids, I just love them!

11. The sunsets have been AMAZING this summer.

This boy

My firstborn son has really been challenging every non-patient bone in my body.

We have good days and we have bad days. And by we, I truly mean both of us.

Through some hard lessons, I have learned that he and I really affect each other's moods. 

Every day is a balancing act of mixing discipline with positive messages. 

With all of my parenting woes aside, I must confess how much I love him. 

He has an infectious laugh and an incredible sense of humor.

He is so full of life and spunk. He is like a little running, jumping, somersaulting ball of fire.

And if there's one thing I've learned about boys, they prefer just to wear underwear. 

Summer in the country

People often ask me if I like where we live.

Sometimes, they are surprised to find out that my answer is "Yes, I love it."

Among a myriad of things, this is why I love our rural community.

I love the sunsets. I love the farm fields full of corn, wheat and beans. 

I love the cows, sheep, and old windward barns. 

I love the tall grass and flowers along the country roads and canals.

I love summer in the country. To me, it is magical.

Sunset

The sunset was beautiful this evening. 

So, we all walked over to the school to get a better look.

Oh how I love my family. And lovely sunsets.

 

May Wrap-up

1. Max needing a little rest after a few laps around the track.

2. We were sorting through some of Kathryn's old clothes and found her cupcake costume from when she was almost three. She really wanted to be a pirate that year...I'm kind of regretting not doing that. But the cupcake was super cute too! Sam has always looked so much like Kat as a baby and toddler, so we decided to try it on him.

3. One of those days that I was super tired, so I made Max take a nap.

4. Max played pee-wee soccer this spring. He only had practices, but it was so good for him to start learning how to handle the ball.

5. Some of the fun Mother's Day presents the children gave me when I got home from Hawaii.

 6. We visited Grandma Jones on our way to Island Park. She was doing amazingly well. She even got up and played some hymns on the organ. She played several perfectly from memory even though she hasn't really played since Michael was young. What an amazing lady.

7. Sam got into my makeup...I guess he watches me enough to know where to put the concealer.

8. The boys enjoyed carrying around lunch boxes one day. No food inside though, just toys. 

9. The swimming pool and popsicles were calling on this bright, warm afternoon.

10. Kathryn played spring soccer this year. She did so well this year and we were so proud of her. It seems like she is beginning to understand the game better. With some encouraging, she even decided to be the goalie during a few games. And when we were in Hawaii, she scored her first goal!

11. Max finished up his Fun Fitness class. 

12. I told the kids they could go outside and play in the rain puddles, but somehow they ended up in this mud pit (we're in the middle of redoing the back yard where our new fence is). They were having too much fun, I just couldn't make them stop.

13. This is my life with these two boys. They are wild and crazy. Sam is quickly picking up on some somersaulting tricks from Maxwell.

14. Kathryn's field day was so hot, but she had so much fun running in the races. I think all the kids favorite was the tug of-war competition. Her kindergarten class got first place. We loved her teacher Mrs. Thomas. She had a huge class by the end of the year (31 students in all day, every day kindergarten), but she was so amazing with all of them. Kathryn learned so much this year. The day after her last day of school, she woke up crying and told me how much she missed Mrs. Thomas...I miss her too:(

15. End of the year party. I was one of the room moms this year and helped with all of the class parties. I was also able to go in and help during workshop throughout the year. I had so much fun getting to know all of the kids. They were all darling.

16. Kindergarten Graduation. Really? I know, but they were so darn cute!!! Love this sweet girl.

17. The annual parade in the "big town". We haven't gone since Kathryn was a baby. The kids sure had fun and we loved meeting up with friends to watch it. Samuel cracked me up trying to do somersault a majority of the time we were there.