Kindergarten Kate

Kate started Kindergarten!  I surprisingly wasn't sad.  She is so ready and excited all I could be was excited too! Steve gave her a fathers blessing and she was so happy and said she felt so good inside and was ready to go. When we got to the school there was a girl who was standing in  the line for Kate's class who was crying.  Kate stood next to her and held her hand and the girl stopped crying. It was one of the sweetest things I've ever seen.  Kate is so friendly and confident and I know she will thrive this year.  I'm so proud of her and love her so much.

Homies For Life

Jason isn't tall enough to get drinks out of the drinking fountain on his own.  So Luke always helps him out. 

Tea Party

I promised Kate we would have ourselves a tea party this summer ans so we did.  We invited a couple friends over.  We made crowns and referred to each other as prince and princess.  I wore my crown proudly, talked with an English accent and requested that the kids call me Queen Gina.  They thought it was funny I thought it was  great!

We ate heart shaped peanut butter and marshmallow fluff sandwiches and kiwi and drank orange juice out of teacups that we added spoonfuls of sugar to. Then we ate mini cookies. Yes a very nutritious meal indeed!

 

We made some royal bracelets out of pipe cleaners and fruit loops. Then we just played and played.

 

We all had a lovely time!

Going Private

I'm pretty sure I'm going to make my blog private. If you want to keep reading leave your email as a comment and I'll make sure you get an invite.

A Lesson Not Learned

The other day Kate and Luke were fighting over a silly little lizard. They both insisted that it was theirs and I had no idea who it really belonged to. We recently talked about and watched the video of King Solomon. You know the one where both women claim the baby so the King suggests to cut it in half and each woman can have a half. Of course the real mother offered to give her half of the baby up to spare the life of her child. It seemed like the perfect opportunity to put test how well my kids absorbed this lesson. I suggested we cut the lizard in half and they would each get a part. They were delighted in the idea. Kate claimed the head and Luke was excited about getting the tail. I got the scissors out and tried to stall to give one of them the chance to save the lizard. it didn't happen and poor Mr. Lizard got cut.

Lake Navajo

We decided to get out of the heat and head up to the mountains for a few days.We rented this sweet little cabin and had ourselves a great time!

It was so fun to just relax and enjoy being out in nature. The kids convinced us to buy them these little chairs and I'm so glad we did.  They loved leaving nuts out for the squirrels and then sat and quietly waited for them to come and eat the nuts.

Kate was determined to catch a squirrel.  Perhaps because I told her if she did I would buy her a real unicorn. This is about as close as she got.

We hiked Cascade Falls and actually made it to the waterfall this time!

The kids threw a lot of rocks off the cliff.

Nothing brings Jason greater joy than throwing a BIG rock really far.

We did some exploring in some caves.

We went to the Lake and Steve took each kid for a ride in the kayak. 

We fished. Kate was the lucky one and caught our only catch of the whole trip.  It was a cute rainbow trout.  She was so excited and proud!

We got dirty! Especially Wes.  He was all about being one with nature and has a high adventure little spirit.  He wanted to do it all and all on his own!

It was a dreamy little 3 day get away.    The weather was perfect. The kids were delightful and we all really enjoyed ourselves.

Trouble

Wes is such a trouble maker lately.  He is really into hitting right now.  He especially likes to find swords, baseball bats, golf clubs, (anything hard) and then he really whacks you with it.  The kids are sick of getting hit and hearing he doesn't know better he's just a baby.  Jason demands that he gets put in time out.  So Wes' time has come. He has joined the grown up world of being put in time out. Here he is in his first official time out.  Doesn't he look super remorseful!

  His personality is really starting to shine.  I love this age because you start to see who your kid really is.  Wes is feisty and stubborn and has a temper.  He's funny.  He makes the cutest/craziest facial expressions.  He has an incredible amount of energy.  Although he's a bit rough he is also extremely cuddly.  He has a tender little heart and if you break it he will let you know with an immediate emotional filled punch and the saddest little pouty face I've ever seen. He's smart, really smart. He is wild and naughty in a charming way. 

 I love watching him discover this world and his place in this world.  I love watching him learn and grow. You are a cool little guy Wes and I am in love with everything about your big personality.

Bellagio Conservatory

Kate-y Bug and the the lady bug.

Mt Charleston

We attempted to hike Mary Jane falls with all the kids. We didn't make it to the waterfall but we got close. 

 The kids were troopers and loved being out in the nature.  They loved looking for animals and searching for cool sticks and rocks.

The first half of the hike was awesome but we turned around too late and the second half was rough.  Jason refused to take another step and I had to carry him all the way back.  He ended up falling asleep in my arms. Steve had to carry a screaming Wes and we had to beg and coax Luke and Kate to keep going. 

We made it back to the car barely.  Even though it wasn't the best ending we were really glad we went.  It's really beautiful up there. Good times and good memories!

Little Dancer

I signed Kate up for a combo tap/ballet class. She loves it! Her teacher is very serious and hardcore. I'm kind of frightnened by her, but Kate isn't. What a cute little dancer she is.

Dog Days of Summer

 I have been really wearing the kids out this summer. When we get home from playing they crash.

I'm so jealous of them.