My Little Builders

Well obviously summer is still kicking my butt and I have not been updating this blog like I wanted to. The good news is school is back in session in 2 weeks and then it will just be me and Cole at home and I am already making a list of nap time projects to accomplish.  A few weeks ago we were in Lowes looking at some shelving units for the garage.  I saw a sign on the door about their Build and Grow classes that they offer on Saturdays.  It is totally free!  Everything is provided including an apron and safety goggles.  I signed Drew up for the class the following Saturday.  He and Brad went together and had a great time.  There were even left over kits at the end so the woman running the class sent Brad home with 3 kits for the other kids.  We decided this last week to take all the kids to the class.  It was quite the adventure.  I do not claim to be skilled at building, but I tried to jump right in and follow the directions and help a couple of the kids.  These directions are written for kids right so it shouldn't be that hard.  Well, I ended up nailing a piece of Cole's project to the wood pallets we were working on as a work station.  As I attempted to pull the piece out, it cracked.  Brad saw that I was on the verge and quickly put me on sticker duty(helping the kids apply the decals to their finished projects).  He then nicely asked the woman in charge for another kit and helped Cole finish his project.  It turned out to be a really fun time and did i mention totally FREE!  The kids are already asking when the next class will be.  Once you finish a project, they give you a patch to iron on your apron to show what you have done.  All 4 kids are so proud of their aprons and their finished projects.  I think we may have some future builders in the family.

Oh- Hi!

We had the sister missionaries over for dinner last night.  They were talking about an activity they were going to be having in a few weeks and mentioned that they needed someone to be part of it that blogs.  They asked, " Do you blog?"  I had to think for a minute.  "Yes, I blog. Well, I mean I used to blog a few months ago.  I mean I want to blog, I just haven't been."  Anyway, it was enough of a reminder to me that yes I love this little blog and keeping track of my family's comings and goings here and it was definitely time to get back on this here blog.  So- where to begin.  I think I fell off the wagon somewhere between the end of April and beginning of May.  May is always crazy with school assemblies and end of year programs and we also finished up flag football for Drew and gymnastics for Sadie.  Brinlee graduated preschool and is greatly anticipating kindergarten.  Summer is here- like really here as in 112 degrees and kids constantly telling me they are hungry or even worse... bored.  So I feel a bit like a cruise director/referee these days.  We are making it fun and I really do enjoy having them all to myself each day- it is just really exhausting.  We swim every morning- as in every single morning during the week.  It is good for them to get their energy out before it gets too hot.  We often have friends join us there which is even better.  And we are all looking pretty tan these days.(Don't worry- I spf 50 everyone).  Then it is on to lunch which usually consists of them downing everything I have recently purchased at the grocery store.  Followed by some quiet time where they work on their daily chores, reading, projects, etc.  Cole is still napping for a good 2 1/2 hours during this time which is great!  A little side note regarding Cole- he is potty trained- yay!!!  We are done with diapers at this house and I couldn't be happier.  Anyway, once everyone has had enough of being forced to be quiet, we usually have some adventure like going to the library or Target or getting slushies.  The girls love to help me with dinner which I try not to get all ocd about and let them make the meatballs whatever size they want.  We have all become pretty good at playing Avengers Rummy and usually have some kind of other game competition before we watch a silly summer game show like Bet on Your Baby or American Ninja Warrior- and then it is off to bed.  I have to fight to keep myself from lying down at this point and going to bed myself.  I hope these days are as fun for the kids as they are tiring for me.  I think we are making some good memories.  We try to shake it up on the weekends with movie nights and some newly found fun night games with glow in the dark bracelets.  Sadie turned 10 a couple of weeks back.  I really can't believe she is a pre-teen.  We had a fun afternoon with her and a friend getting pedicures and then doing some shopping.  She loves to borrow my jewelry and has told me that I am welcome to borrow hers as well.  We are heading to Southern Utah at the end of July to meet up with my sister from England and her family, my brother and his wife, and my parents.  We are staying at a condo for a few days.  My kids are soooo excited for this.  They haven't seen these cousins for 3 years and haven't even met one of them yet.  They ask me everyday if it is time to pack for St. George yet.  I am already starting to gather school uniforms since we will have 3 in school in a few weeks.  I think we will all be ready for a change of pace when it happens, but until then- Happy Summer 2014!!

Mom/Daughter Date

Sadie and I were able to have a fun afternoon out on Saturday and then attend the General Women's meeting together.  I had been telling her for a few weeks that this was coming up and that since she was old enough to go with me, she could pick where we should go out to eat before the meeting.  She felt very mature in having this responsibility and chose Paradise Bakery.  It is so fun to have the kids one on one in situations like this.  She talked and talked and talked telling me of all the happenings in 4th grade and her busy little life.  We took our time eating and then when we were finished I asked if she wanted to run next door to look for a new skirt.  She nicely told me that she no longer wants to wear matching dresses with Brinlee and jumped at the chance to pick out something more her age.  She was so excited with her find that she chose to stealthily change in the car before we headed to the church for the broadcast.  The meeting was great- especially since I was able to go with Sadie.

Swimming- Sort of

Our dumb hoa has decided that they won't heat the pool for spring break anymore since they installed a hot tub last year.  There have been lots of people sun bathing out by the pool which makes the kids think that the water must be warm enough to swim in.  I got so sick of arguing with them about it, that I finally decided to take them over after school yesterday so they could feel for themselves the frigid temps.  They admitted it was pretty cold, but still played in the water for about a half an hour.  There were some blue lips and chattering teeth as we made our way back home.  I'm sure we will be wishing for that cold water here in a couple more months.

FROZEN!!!

We have been counting down to March 18th forever!  Today Frozen came out on dvd and Brinlee was bound and determined to be the first one in line at Target to purchase it.  A little snag was thrown in to our plans when Sadie ended up staying home from school "sick."  Turns out she just didn't eat enough breakfast and her stomach was growling.  We let her play hooky with us just because we kinda like her.  After picking up the movie and various other things at Target(that store is going to be the death of me and my finances), we stopped by Wendy's to pick up some frostys to enjoy with the show.  The girls cuddled up on the couch and sang along to their favorite movie.  Not a bad way to spend an afternoon.

Happy St. Patrick's Day

For St. Patrick's Day this year we decided to go more with a rainbow theme rather than just green.  Figuring what foods you can dye green and still keep appetizing is not easy.  Sadie and Drew helped me whip up these cute candy jars for their teachers.  They turned out really great.  We decided to have rainbow pancake skewers with a side of clouds (whip cream or marshmallows) and colorful fruit for dinner.  It was a hit and not too hard to pull off either.  My kind of holiday dinner!

Spring Break Happenings

Spring Break this year was more fun than we could handle.  My parents surprised us with a quick visit.  They arrived on Sunday and left early Thursday morning.  We had so much fun with them!  We went out to dinner at Fudds since that is pretty much a tradition every time they come.  We went to see Mr. Peabody and Sherman which was enjoyed by everyone.  We played lots of games and built lots of lego projects.  We spent the afternoon at Dave and Busters winning so many tickets.  I think the highlight of their visit was an epic water fight between the grand kids and grandpa.  He didn't stand a chance with Cole and his water gun.  We had lots of good food and treats which included Grandpa taking Sadie and Drew on an adventure to find the Waffle Love truck.  There time here went by way too fast.  We will just have to talk them in to coming back soon before it gets too hot!