VBS VBS VBS!!!

Tonight was the start of our VBS!  As you can tell our guys are so excited.  This will be Son#1's last time participating as he is getting too old.  Next year he will get to be an assistant.  I'm sure our children's ministry is ready for him!

Son#2 was too busy trying to???? to smile?  Concentrating?

Son#3 plans for VBS.  This is his night to shine.  He waits for this every summer.

Can't have VBS without the band.....loud music! 

Kids everywhere!

Matt and I were in charge of the Research Imagination Station.  We had so much fun!  We played forest sounds with lions and elephants in the background.  We made our tent and had scientific stuff around the room.  Along with maps and backpacks.  We had the bestest station! 

Happy Father's Day!

Today has been a good day.  Daddy woke up to cards and gifts.  The boys got him a new watch for his ski patrol training.  Matt needed a watch that had a second hand.  The boys found him something big, blue and water resistant.  He is wearing it with pride!  The boys also made him lunch.  I took pictures of them in the kitchen but never got the pictures of the completed dishes.  They did a pasta dish with cherry tomatoes and olives, a strawberry spinach and walnut salad with a yummy Italian vinegar along with a cucumber and dill salad. 

and yes, Son#1 and Son#3 came home from church and changed right back into their pj's!

 



Biking again.....

and this time NO ACCIDENTS!

We went out today looking to find a bike for Son#1.  He's been either using mine or Daddy's bike and it was time to find one for him so we could all go biking as a family.  Yea me!  Son#1 had a bike in his mind.  It had to be black.  It had to be a man's bike and he wanted shock absorbers on it.

 

We started out at Play it again Sports.  Matt just knew that if we went to the farthest one away from us (40 minute drive) that they would have the best selections.  I started laughing when we pulled up.  5 bikes!  They had 5 bikes!  The clerk sent us to a nearby bike shop and off we went looking for the bike.  Once at the bike shop we had sticker shock.  We didn't stay long and as we were leaving another customer followed us out and then he directed us to a small mom and pop shop just down the road where he bought his bike.  As soon as we walked into that shop there was Son#1's bike!

He was so happy that he immediately took it outside and started riding it around.  He wanted to ride it home but we decided that might not be the best (40 minute drive by car)!

 

So while I was making a few sandwiches the boys could eat before we went biking, Son#1 decided that he was going to cruise the neighborhood.  After that we went back to the scene of my accident and went biking as a family.  It was a beautiful day and husband said we biked for 5.5 miles.  My knee is still tender but it was fine for biking.

Water break 

Thor was with us today! 



Football!

Football!  Great and exciting night.  Michael made a touch down and Simon who plays defense got two flags!  Nathan got the ball several times and everyone had so much fun!

 

Simon is ready to take the flags!

 Very intent on playing defense!

 

He got the flag but I took the picture to soon! 

Simon and Daniel - the perfect defense team!

Nathan is just having so much fun! 

being bossy! 

Nathan was talking smack to the other team of how he was going to take all their flags!

Biking

What a beautiful day to take the boys biking.   I decided it was too nice a day to spend it at home so the boys and I loaded up the car and headed on out.  There is a really nice bike trail not too far from the house and we were really excited.  Everything is so green and pretty.  Unfortunately a few minutes into our bike ride Michael cuts right in front of me then stops.  I hard braked and flew over my bike and him and banged up my knee pretty well.  He felt so bad and almost cried but I assured him I was fine and we bike for almost 6 miles.  Oh!  My knee hurts!  I came home limping and Grandma covered my knee in Noxema.  She took good care of me and she cleaned up me up.

We had a good afternoon though and the pictures came out great.

 

Michael 

 

 

 

 

The boys watching over me as Grandma applies Noxema to my beat up knee.

Microwave and Lights

I'm so happy.  I love sitting on my back porch drinking my tea and watching the boys jump on the trampoline.  Now I really love it!  My dear husband (after much prodding!) helped me string up some outdoor lights so that I could sit out on my porch late at night with ambiance!  Love it!  Husband not so much but he's happy that I'm happy.  We also strung some of the lights up on the side of the trampoline so the boys could see.  You can make out a little bit of the trampoline from the top right corner of the picture.

We also decided to microwave some grapes!  A little over a pound of grapes.  We were learning about plasma (not blood) and the energy released from that http://www.sciencelearningspace.com/2009/10/plasma-grape/

Pretty fun!  Made the house smell horrible though. 

Here is our grape we cut almost in half.  I tried to get a picture of the plasma burning at its peak but I couldn't get the shot just at the right time but you can watch the video link above and see how exciting it was!

Walking Sticks

We are having fun making some walking sticks.  These were taking off the huge cactus in New Mexico.  We let them dry really well and now we are using our pocket knives to take off the knots and such and then saws to cut them down and then sandpaper to make them smooth to the touch.  So far we have put one coat of stain and sealer.  Once that dries really well we will sand it a bit more then put another coat on them. The boys have plan to sell theirs but I want to keep mine for all our camping trips!