Last of our Summer

Just before we dove into our new adventure of homeschooling, we took a much-needed vacation to California. Of course, we mostly visited my family. The kids had lots of fun playing together, and so did the grown-ups. So much so, I didn't even stop to grab my camera for a single picture. Except for when we took a couple trips on our own. First, we went to the beach. What trip to the coast is complete without a beach trip?? This was also a perfect springboard for our first unit on the ocean.

having fun being chased by waves...



playing in the surf some more...
not sure what m was doing here, but i'd bet it involved some trash-talking to the sea...

gathering treasures...


and here's g -- sandy, happy, and about ready to head out...


We gave ourselves a day to recover, then treated the kids to a 13-hour day at Disneyland. I have to admit I was pretty worried about the masses, the heat, and the horrible lines. But we *almost never waited more than about 25 minutes (for which we can, unfortunately, probably thank the economy.) Anyhow, M's dreams came true when he was chosen to be a Jedi trainee.

fighting Darth Maul...

apparently, Darth got in G's face (and scared him pretty good!)...


*I say "apparently," because while the boys were doing Jedi training, I had the distinct honor of waiting with A to see the princesses. For 90 minutes. To see 3 of them. And is Minnie even a princess?? A didn't buy it. So I guess we really waited 90 minutes to see 2 princesses and a fancy mouse. The camera battery died right when we got to the front of the line. Luckily, I had my cell phone... but who knows if I'll ever figure out how to get the pictures off. Later in the day, A said, "So, the princesses here aren't the real ones from the movies."
Me: "Ohhh, why do you say that?"
A: "I just figured it out."
Me: "How did you do that?"
A: "Well, when we went to see Belle, she was wearing the same clothes as the real Belle. And her hair was the same. But her face was different."
Me: "Oh, what was different about it?"
A: "It was a lot fatter."

There was also this conversation, after watching the Celebration parade (which was just after she met Belle, Mulan & Minnie):

A: "In the parade, I heard a man say, 'Disneyland is the place where dreams come true.' But I don't really think it is. Because, once, I had a dream I met Jasmine. And I haven't seen her."
M: "Well, once, I had a dream I came to Disneyland."

At least someone's dream came true that day! We really did have a great time. And we can't wait to go back, see our family, and take some pictures of them all!! :)

Cousin Sleepover

We've enjoyed a few of these in the last month... of course, I didn't ever think to pull out the camera for CA or Southern UT cousin pictures... I was probably (definitely) too busy gabbing with my family. But here are a couple pictures of the kids enjoying Natalie & Kadin, while I was noticeably NOT gabbing. (Just want you to know they were in good hands, Monica!) ;)

The two princesses...

and a couple of the princes...

Swim Lessons

We tried out a new place for swim lessons this year, and it was such a great experience! Where she had never swam alone before, Autumn was swimming on her own by the second lesson.


Jonah improved his stroke, and began learning a few new ones.

Micah became a pro at floating, and was swimming by the session's end, as well.

This new place allows you to stay for hours after your lessons are done, swimming in their outdoor pool. The extra water time was not only a welcome respite from the hottest two weeks of summer; the added exposure gave them the practice they needed to solidify what they learned in lessons. So, so smart!! And even little Gaby got to splash around every day, as a reward for suffering through his big siblings' swim lessons!

signs of summer

fragrant roses


yummy strawberries... Gabe even searches for them now, and he is my super-picky, nothing-healthy-for-me guy

more roses...love this color

daisies taking over the front yard

and snapdragons...every year new color variations pop up


little swallow birdie too anxious to spread his wings


fell all the way down from this nest, parents just didn't know what to do...other than dive bombing anyone who got too close.

we tried to help out...loved & fed him for a couple days. (won't tell you the sad ending.) :(

But i just love these long, slow summer days.

Run, Jonah, RUN!

Our town had its annual festival recently, and among many activities was a one-mile race. J was very interested, particularly in the prize that would be awarded. After coming to terms with the fact that (as far as we knew) running the race was its own prize, he decided to run. Racers ranged in age from babies in strollers to the parents pushing them.

We decided to make a big deal of it, making up signs and cheering J as he took off, and again when he passed us. He pretended not to want the hooplah, then grinned from ear-to-ear as we made complete fools of ourselves. :)



When all was said and done, he finished fifth, in 8 minutes 5 seconds. And because I suck, this is the only picture I got of him during the race. (look behind the mailbox)

Cracking the Whip...in a little cuter & more efficient sort of way

another stolen idea from the blogosphere...


Years ago, we started out with a chore chart...one I printed on the computer. Recently, we tried the daily-list-on-a-post-it method. That was going just fine. But I came across this idea on someone's blog. And just had to give it a try. Each chore I have the children do is listed on a card, with step-by-step instructions. Each card is assigned a point value, and each child needs a certain amount of points each week in order to collect their full allowance. The children pick their jobs (of the ones I place in the upper pockets on any given day).

So far, I'm loving three things about this method:
1. It's cuter than the others :)
2. The kids get a voice in what their chores will be. They rarely complain now (so far, anyway...we've only been doing this a couple weeks.) But, seriously, I think it's ingenious to let them have a say in what they'll clean!
3. The cards make it so they can check to see if the job is actually complete. I have laminated them now, so they can be carried around while cleaning.

Father/Son Campout - Part 2 - The Picture Part