Summer Lovin'

Doesn't this sequence just scream "summer time?" The other day I took the boys on our first splash pad visit of the summer and thought I'd have to beg and plead for them to slow down long enough for me to snap a quick photo, but Max surprised me by doing this completely non-coerced little gig for me. Love the exuberance and energy just exuding from this boy!

Eight is Great

There is something to be said for snuggly, tiny newborns and curious, playful toddlers, but of all the stages so far, I think 8 might be my favorite. I genuinely enjoy Hank's company--I love that he can be a fun-loving, goofy, innocent little kid and at the same time be a thoughtful, intelligent, helpful young boy. One of the many things that I love about summer time is the chance to spend one-on-one time with each of my kids and do fun activities together for no reason at all....like play a favorite board game, just the two of us, on a quiet afternoon.

School Is Out for the Summer!

Our good friends invited us over for an official "School is Out" party, complete with water balloons, homemade gak, sprinklers, and loads of junk food.

Next up was our neighborhood's second annual shaving cream fight. I don't get it; it seems weird to me. But, Hank and Max had a blast and ended up covered with shaving cream in every crevice...so I guess it was a success?!

Hank brought home a straight 4s report card (the equivalent of all As), so we gave him the privilege of selecting our dinner out that night.

Hank's choice? Pizza Pie Cafe aka the Chuck-A-Rama of pizza. The cutlery was dingy, the food was bland, and the space was packed, but I guess I shouldn't knock it since I'm sure I'll be singing the praises of buffet prices with my five boys in the years to come.

For dessert we enjoyed our first shaved ice of the summer. At only $.50 a cup, we can treat the whole family for $3...now THAT is a value!

Finally, Aaron won (if that's how you choose to look at it) the coin toss and took Hank and Max to a dusk showing of a Disney movie at our neighborhood's own little movie screen/bed sheet.

I feel like I set the bar way too high for the kids' summertime expectations with our Last Day of School day of celebration. As much as I love to party, play, and eat junk food, I don't want to give the kids the impression that I will be manufacturing non-stop, structured activities all summer long. Fair warning boys: along with ridiculous amounts of summertime fun, there will also be chores (that's right!), homework (oh yeah!), and plenty of days spent doing nothing that involves getting dressed or being productive. Such is the beauty of lazy, wonderful summertime.

Memorial Day

I was excited to bust out my sweet new bike, but it was with no small effort that we got our whole family on wheels for a Memorial Day bike ride. Hank and Max rode their own bikes, while Rocky rode with me in a front pack and Ben and Joey got hauled in a trailer behind Aaron's bike.

Ben and Joey are going to have to learn to like bike rides...because I loved it!

In the afternoon, we met Nana and Papa Grover and Ryan and Mindy at a local park for a barbecue and a friendly game of softball. Most of the kids weren't able to fully grasp the concept of the softball game, but I'm hopeful that this may be the beginning of a bright tradition in years to come.

Sunday Drive

Growing up, I would complain from the backseat about being bored every Sunday afternoon when my parents piled everyone in the car for an aimless "Sunday drive." My mom would respond to my whining by suggesting that I "enjoy the scenery." I remember glancing out the window at the passing landscape and retorting to my mom that, "a tree is a tree." Well, fast forward a few years (...or decades), and wouldn't you know, it is now I that begs every Sunday afternoon for Aaron to take me (and, in yet another great turn of the tables, our less than enthusiastic children) on a Sunday drive? Several weeks back our Sunday drive led us through American Fork canyon to the Tibble Creek reservoir and I just soaked in the beautiful scenery surrounding us. The highlight of the excursion was walking down to the reservoir and letting the boys attempt to skip rocks across the water.

No More Preschool!

It's hard to believe how much Max and Ben have each learned in preschool this year. At the beginning of preschool last fall, Ben was just beginning to speak and he was very tentative outside our home. In just one school year, Ben is now talking in full sentences, counts to about 23, knows his colors, days of the week, and months of the year, and is becoming independent and more and more confident in new environments. Max really surprised me by deciding he was ready to read! Max just breezed through preschool and went straight to sight words and then on to reading real books! He is definitely ready for kindergarten in the fall.

Benny was acting a bit sensitive on the morning of his preschool program, so he didn't participate much in the songs and felt more comfortable snuggling with Dad, but he loved having his brothers and Nana Grover come to visit his classroom. I'm thrilled with Ben's progress in preschool this year and look forward to having Ben all to myself this summer before he goes back again for another year of preschool.

Max was basically the star of his preschool program. Each student was assigned a small part in the program (counting to 30 or signing the days of the week song, etc), but the teacher saved Max's part for the very end and had him read a book to the whole audience! Max stood up on the little stool/podium, not even nervous at all, and read his book like a champ! So proud of that boy! Kindergarten will be a piece of cake!

Quickie Picnic

We're in the home stretch, just one week left of school, but I couldn't wait to break out my picnic tablecloth and eat lunch outdoors. After spending the better part of the morning getting my kitchen sparkling clean, from shining up the appliances to mopping the floor, I thought my idea to eat lunch outdoors was a stroke of brilliance--if I had to sweep the floor one more time I thought I'd freak out! Alas, I must have forgotten that my children are like magnets to messes. There can be no escaping the mess. We weren't three minutes into our picnic before Joey dumped out his gogurt onto the table cloth and Rocky rolled into it. But at least the mess was outside and not on my kitchen floor! Ha, ha!