DONE!!

Just a shout out to Ryan who submitted his final project and paper for his Master's degree, and now he's DONE and PASSED!

{insert Hallelujah chorus}

I'm so proud of you, Ryan.

Laundry

While we were folding laundry today, Annie thought it would be fun to dress up as Daddy.

Redecorating

I've been eyeing those gallery walls on Pinterest, and wanting to make up one for our family room wall.  After a couple of years here in this house, I finally gathered the supplies to make one up.

After reorganizing the pictures on the floor several times, I found an arrangement that I liked.  I cut out newspaper outlines, and taped them up on the wall before we set to work with a hammer and nails.

And it's done!

A "Duh" Moment

Near the end of the school year, Emma was given an assignment to type out on the computer.  It was an "extra" assignment given to some of the high achieving kids in her class.  As she sat picking away at the keys with two fingers, I started asking more thorough questions about the computer classes she goes to every week since 1st grade.  

There has not been one minute of that time spent teaching students in our district the basics of typing thus far.  At all.  How did I not know this?  They've used a mouse pretty much the entire time, taking tests and the like.

Lame.  Lame.  Lame.

So this summer I vowed Emma and Elizabeth would get the basics.

I had to laugh when I caught Emma "sitting" and playing typing games on the computer.

More Berries

Last year Ryan got some thornless blackberry starts from a guy from church.  They looked pathetic at first, and we crossed our fingers that they would grow.  Ryan's green thumb prevailed, and we had two good looking rows of plants by last fall.  Then we spent the winter hoping that we didn't just grow good looking, non-producing blackberry plants.  But we need not have worried.

We have the biggest, baddest blackberries that I have ever seen.

What's a girl to do besides bake a pie with all of the berries (and strawberries from Costco- ours are done), and eat it?

Twins?

Simon came to spend a few days with us.  I loved how Elizabeth dressed like Simon after church today.

Not Boulder Cave

Friday we decided we were going to Boulder Cave.  We were supposed to go back in May, but thanks to the stomach flu, we didn't make it.  So, we packed up the kids and some food, and drove up there......

....to find Boulder Cave was closed for maintenance until 2015.

Hm.

So, we drove another half hour more before finding somewhere to stretch our legs.  It was somewhere called Bumping Lake.

 We went on a hike, and found places to throw rocks in the lake.

 Someone made this teepee and left it in the woods.  It was pretty cool.

At the end of our visit, I took the girls into the restroom/porta-potty before heading home.  Maddie did not want to use the toilet.  She had a death grip on my legs as I tried to get her situated on the toilet.  In our struggle, the hat she was wearing fell off her head, and fell down.... down.... down.... into the slime at the bottom.

Maddie refused to go potty.

Annie refused to get anywhere near that hole.

Maddie was bawling when we got back to Dad and Simon at the car.  I told Ryan it was not a successful trip.

We got back to Yakima and went to Costco before the twins went potty.

That night, as we were getting the girls ready for bed, Maddie prayed that she wouldn't remember her hat falling into the hole anymore.  I think I may have scarred her for life.

Too hot

Summer means some hot temperatures around here.  Our a/c runs all day, and the upstairs is still warm.  There's just no way around feeling hot and sticky.

Tonight Ryan and I enjoyed the wading pool with the kids.  It felt good up until it was time to peel those wet clothes off.  Wet denim is the worst.  Perhaps next time it would be worth putting on the ol' swimsuit.

6 of us in one small wading pool displaces a lot of water.  It made us laugh to see how little water was left when we all got out.

Pickles

The canning has begun.

The only problem is that we have to wait a whole month before we can try our pickles out.

Summer Days

How do you stay cool when it is 99 degrees outside?

Annie-ism

Somewhere between our cat having kittens, and hanging out with Aunt Blair who is currently nursing, my kids are much more informed about how babies eat.  Today Annie was hopping around in the family room, when she suddenly stopped, grabbed her chest and told me, "My milk things are wiggling!"

I lost it.

And then texted Blair and told her that this was her fault.

Friday and S'more-ganzaa

Ryan and I arrived once more to join in the fun of Grandpa Camp.  What started as a keep-no-napping-Simon-happy-activity turned into a full family drumming experience.  Who knew food storage buckets could be so exciting?

 After dinner was the official annual S'more-ganzaa.  This was the first year it's been on the east side of the state, and it was hot hot hot.  The kids were not eager to be next to the fire.  I personally roasted way more marshmallows than I ate.

 Now here come the awkward eating pictures.  There are very few people who can eat s'mores and look good.

 Grandma was the official Keeper of the Chocolate.  We decided it was too hot outside to leave the chocolate outside, and it's just a good idea to have at least one adult watching the goodies.

 Rick lost his marshmallow to the dirt.  He's staring at it between his feet.

Once our bellies were full of sugar and chocolate (and a game of cribbage for Emma and Grandpa), then it was time to head home with some very tired kids.

Grandpa Camp 2014

This was Grandpa Camp week.  I took the girls up on Monday and hung out for a while, so Ryan could have the house to himself and do homework.  He also was part of an interview committee for hiring a new English teacher at the high school, which took up several hours of his day.  But once he was done, we went on a proper date to Red Lobster and proceeded to make ourselves sick on food.  Ryan ate 8 biscuits in addition to the meal he ordered.  We were both moaning about how full we were a couple of hours later.

Tuesday I watched a 1-year-old for the day, and Ryan did homework.  The little one thought the floor was hot lava, and spent much of the day kind of sad and being held.  Her mom spent the week at Girl's Camp (perhaps a bit begrudgingly), and this was my way of contributing to her effort.  

Ryan finished his homework for the week (except the submission), so he was able to join me in going to Grandpa Camp on Wednesday.  We joined up with all the family, and drove a van full to Wenatchee to play at a water park.

 Emma had a sunburn from Tuesday's outing to a pool, and preferred to keep her shoulders covered.

It was quite hot, and so Grandma decided to take a quick trip through the spray.

 Ryan and Colin before.....

 Ryan and Colin after their run through.

 Grandpa

 Simon was not wanting to play in the water, even held by Grandpa.  But Maddie and I had a run through.

Coming back, running after Blair.

A Great 4th

Yesterday we celebrated our nation's beginning, and the many who have given their lives for the every day freedoms we enjoy.  We started the day at a flag raising ceremony in a neighboring town.  The kids were not quite as excited about it until they saw free donuts.

Later, we went to our local Independence Day parade.  We found ourselves sandwiched between a lot of family members who came from far and near to watch their relation be the parade's Grand Marshal.  We thought it was just a shady spot on the parade route.  Ryan's principal and his family thought the same thing.  A grandma aged lady in the group assumed we were part of her group, and took all of our pictures.

After dinner, our ward rented out the city pool (like every year) after the pool officially closes to the public.  The water was perhaps less "refreshing" and more "chilly" than it might have been two hours earlier.  Ryan and the girls had a ball, and I was the fuddy duddy refusing to get my hair wet.  Once my hair is wet, then I'm too cold and I am done.  As it was, I got out at 8:45 shivering, and sat on the sidelines wrapped in my towel until the rest were out at about 9 pm.

Then it was home for pjs, and back out to the high school to watch the fireworks display.  We sit just outside the baseball field, instead of in the bleachers in the football field with everyone else.  It's not a popular place to sit, and we like it that way.

 James and Tiffany brought glow sticks.  While we were waiting for the fireworks to begin, James would throw all of the glow sticks backwards in the grass, and then the kids would race to grab one.

 Then we watched the fireworks show.

Fruits of our Labors

These are just the raspberries we picked today.