Camp Fire Lunch

A week or so ago Matt took a Thursday off of work and we took all the kids out to a campground about an hour out of town for the afternoon.  Lincoln has been asking for a campfire meal, and the gorgeous weather cooperated!

We met a very well mannered Labrador and the older three all enjoyed playing fetch with him for quite a while.  Apparently he lives across the lake from the campground and often swims across to meet new people.  The kids marveled that he never tired of fetch and kept bringing the stick back... :)

It's looking to be a fun summer!

When I Grow Up....

Lincoln is quite cute.  One of his favorite topics right now is his vocation of choice when he grows up.  He likes to say:

"Do you know what?"

To which, of course, I say:

"What?"

"When I grow up I want to be a Daddy!"

Love it.

And, for informational purposes, the current career choices of the older three include...

Bentley - geology
Jake - lego architect (on the top three list of every Lego boy, right?!)
Viva - gymnastics coach

:)

Evan on His Own

Because of his age (two years seven months), Evan has missed out on some of the fun daddy adventures that the older children have gone on recently. Last Saturday the older four went to see Harry Potter #1 at the movie theater with Matt. This evening the older three boys and Matt attended the ward Daddy-Son campout. To compensate Evan for having to stay behind, we took him to visit the playground which is one of his favorite things to do.

Busy Hands

Here's what the busy hands at our home have created (or destroyed):

The Cars on a Dartboard artwork was Jake's. Bentley and Jake were working on a nonLego brick model of the Salt Lake Temple. They were not impressed with the quality of the bricks or how they fit together.

Quotable Kids

Jake has been entertaining me lately.  Here are a few of the sentiments from his mind:

"When I grow up if I get to be a movie director I'm going to let the bad guys win once in a while...  It gets so boring when the good guys always win."

"Mommy, you are the most awesome person in the whole world.  Well... second most awesome.  Because I'm the most awesome, of course!"

Owl Pellets

Today for science the children dissected an owl pellet. Two (sterilized) owl pellets came with the science kit. What does a pellet contain? Lots of wonderful science treasures--animal skulls, bones, fur, and feathers that you first dig out of the pellet and then you try to identify what animal they came from using a special bone chart! What could be more fun?

Bentley wanted no part of this science experience. He didn't want to even be in the same room as something as disgusting as an owl pellet. He kept referring to it as owl poop, which it is not. Owls cough up pellets! (Kara also opted out on this experience. She asked me to be in charge.)

Viva was excited about dissecting an owl pellet. Jake was willing to probe the pellet with the two wooden sticks provided in the kit. He and Viva quickly discovered a rodent skull. Jake did not choose to pick the pellet pieces up in his (gloved!) hand. Viva was the intrepid biologist who picked up the owl pellet and squished it until the bones fell out.

She wanted to dissect the second pellet, too, but Kara wants to save if for Lincoln and Evan. Turns out you can buy owl pellets at amazon.com: 5 pellets for $12! Kara said she'd buy Viva more for her birthday.

Puzzles

Jigsaw puzzles build brains and we are in the brain building business in our home.

Speedorz & Sand

The Speedorzes (Lego vehicles) did not go in the sand, but Speedorzes and sand have been enjoyed in our home this past month.

Lincoln got to pick out a new color of kinetic sand when we visited Michaels one afternoon. He chose blue. The older boys played with it for a short time.  

Jake really likes his Lego Speedorz which is meant to be used in races with other Speedorz. Bentley won't usually indulge Jake, so I finally decided to purchase Lincoln his own Speedorz so he could race against Jake. Opa found a two pack online, so we had an extra Speedorz which I gave to Viva. She was excited about it which surprised me. I didn't give the second Speedorz to Evan because I didn't think he would not be able to pull the plastic rip cord, but of course he can. He and Viva share the ice Speedorz. 

Wonderful Alaska

We who live in the Land of The Midnight Sun do so because the summers are phenomenal. The weather isn't too hot to enjoy outdoors activities and we have endless hours of sunlight in which to enjoy our hobbies outdoors or indoors. It is that time of year again and we are starting to wind up! Children (and adults) resist bedtime because it's not dark out.

We had a lousy winter. We did not get enough snow! However, no snow means an earlier spring and more summer! Jake begged us to get the basketball hoops set up and Opa and I finally did so last weekend. Bentley got a new bike and Jake and Viva inherited his old one and they got a new bike to share. We've recommenced visiting our favorite playgrounds. Matt has taken the younger boys out a few times. Kara and I have been out with the children. Mark and I have taken the kids out.

Summer is here! Alaskans don't really count spring as a season. Spring is break-up time and we are done with break up. The trees are leafing out pretty much on schedule. I thought they would be early this year, but Mother Nature is smart and she held off. Butterflies are out! Our neighborhood squirrel is busy. A mama bear and her cub came by the other afternoon. (We'd prefer no more visits from them!) A young moose was trimming bushes in the back yard earlier this week. My perennials are doing fantastic. I was worried that they didn't have enough snow cover, but they all came back! Life here is good. Our summer goal is to slow down and enjoy the bounty of sun and beauty!

Railroad Architecture

If you have four grandsons, a wooden train set is a great investment. It gets a lot of use. Of course, I do the majority of building train layouts when they are younger. They help, but I have to work with them or they get frustrated and their track doesn't connect back in a loop like they want it to. However, when they get older they build fantastic layouts--if only to prove they are better railroad architects than I am!

Evan conned Opa into helping him build this super simple layout.

I helped L & E build this layout.

If I am in a really indulgent mood, I build more elaborate layouts. 

For really great layouts, the boys have to recruit their brother Jake! Usually Jake starts with a simple layout I've built and he improves it.

Another Day at the Playground

Because... it is the place to be.  At least that's what the young children around here seem to think!

Basketball!

 

Spring must "really" be here, the basketball hoops are back out!  The youngest is a fan of an old favorite - which is to be expected, of course.  Moving objects in space and the male brain go together beautifully.  Hurray for the arrival of good times on the driveway!

Good times for some, that is.  A few days back the kids were busy catching bugs in their little bug catcher.  Apparently they threw one spider in with thirteen ants.  The poor spider lost.

Sunday Walk

 

They're getting big!

Everyday Life: More April

L with his ball in a ball!

E helping to make a sweet treat!

Matt was out of town, so B,  J & V took over their parents' bed.

J & V building a clock from a kit. 

They did a great job, but it sure was a noisy clock! 

L & E playing with the Micro Charger cars in a sphere!

B climbing the wall!

E reading!

Everyday Life: April

School Time

iPad time

Comics Time

Playground Time

Umbrella Time

Chore Time

Haircut Time