Memorial Day Weekend

We had a very busy weekend packed full of activities. Both of the kids love art in any form and so I try to take them to the kids museum whenever possible where they have a huge art room and they can paint and glue and use whatever kind of material they can find - and I don't have to scrub the floor afterwards! Its a win win for everyone :)
 

 

James has gotten really good at making his art look (most of the time) like whatever he is trying to make. Here he colored me a sunflower because he said it was almost as pretty as me... and then he promptly asked me for a Lego set that he has been eyeing at the store. Smart kid.



 

Friday was graduation at James' school. James has one more year, but since he is in a multiage class he wanted to see his friends graduate. He made us all dress up and Madeleine was more than happy to comply. Any excuse to wear a hat is fantastic to her.



 

Friday night we had some neighbors over for a cookout while the kids ran and played. Its still so hot that if we are outside - the water is on.



 

Saturday morning we went strawberry picking. I bet the kids ate more than we picked - and we picked a huge basket full!



 

 

 

Then I rushed the kids to a birthday party at the park. This is James and his good friend Kai from school. They get along wonderfully... when they aren't getting in trouble together!



 

This picture was taken before the cake was sliced and passed out... does he think I cant tell he snuck a taste or two?? At least most of the other kids had blue mustaches as well, including the birthday boy, so no one was too upset.



Sunday morning we hit the pool for the first time. Our neighborhood pool has been open for several weeks, but it was way too cold for me to even think about getting near it. Now it is still cold but it feels pretty good against the heat. Our kids love jumping in and getting tossed around - they have no fear!



 

Sunday afternoon we had out 3rd annual street party! We blocked off our street and let the kids run crazy while we all just hung around :) Between all the backyards, swing sets, sprinklers, bikes and scooters - the kids has a blast. When we finally dragged them home, they were wiped.  



 

Monday we went back to the pool in the morning and then spent the rest of the day recuperating and getting ready for the rest of the week. It was a fantastic weekend, but I hope we dont have another one like it for awhile! I think it will take us all week to get back to normal!



Summer is here! It is hot, hot, hot!

 

We have been using the hose and sprinkler almost every day to cool off, with or without bathing suits... because after a long bike ride a water fight is the best way to cool down :)



 

John took a two week trip which lead to James sleeping in the hallway again so he can hear if John comes home. Its a sweet thought but would never work because James sleeps like the dead.



Since John was gone for Mother's Day, I took the kids over to a neighbors house. The kids played in the water outside ALL DAY. I don't know how they weren't wrinkly cold messes by the time we went home, but they were exhausted - so I will take that as a win in the Mother's Day column.

 

Madeleine loves guacamole - she can literally smell it out in any house and then will eat it all. Its pretty impressive.  



 

James is extremely into Legos right now - he is constantly reading the manuals that he has on how to put them together and trying to figure out how to make bigger models out of what he has. He is also always trying to bargain his way into getting more Lego sets. So far, John is the only one who has been suckered.



 

After school one day, they were both so dirty that I just hosed them off outside - which of course they thought was the best thing ever.



 

My garden is finished and so super cute! John and the kids were a fantastic help getting it all done :)

 

Last weekend, Madeleine had a twig in her hand and fell while we were playing outside - jamming the twig into the corner of her eyelid. It swelled something terrible and I took her to Urgent Care, who promptly sent us to the ER. 

 

Thankfully she is perfectly fine and she had a great time getting hooked up to everything and having all the attention on her. We were the only ones at the ER (how often does that happen??) and so several of the nurses and a few doctors came to play "check up" with her. It actually turned into a good experience for her!



Photo dump

I always love going back through my phone pictures and seeing the fun random moments that we have throughout the days. I take way too many pictures with my phone and not my actual camera - which doesn't make for the best pictures but it is able to capture the best random moments.

Last year, Madeleine got this musical seahorse as a present from her "Aunt Amanda" and now she will sing along to it and rock it to sleep. Thankfully, because we hear it a 20 times a day, the lullaby that it plays isn't annoying!

 

James got a very long overdue haircut! I do miss his long surfer hair though.



 

James made a house for his dinosaur!



 

When my dad came to visit a few weeks ago, he brought us marshmallow roasting sticks - so of course we had to put them to use :)



 

We went to the mall a few weeks ago and walked into a children's boutique store. Right in the front were all these summer hats - Madeleine took one look at this hat, threw it on her head and ran out of the store. When John grabbed her and brought her back, she refused to take it off. So of course she is now the proud owner of a summer wide brimmed hat. That she wears almost everywhere!



Last summer, we were a part of our community garden. And while it was a lot of fun, it got to be a pain to have to walk there every day to water it or when I wanted a tomato. So this year the kids helped John and I plant our own. It turned out great - but they still want to go in there and dig... I'm pretty sure they have dug all the seeds back up.



 

Just a cute one of Madeleine at James' school playground!



 

There are train tracks that pass right by James' school - and at least once a week they get to see a train go by. They all line up and watch, and the conductor is always accommodating and will blow the  train whistle for them :)



 

Tire swing!



 

John built an awesome fence that goes around our AC unit and the garden - and of course James had to help. He started trying to help me paint all the pickets, but that just ended up badly. He then got to help John drill the screws in which was a much bigger success.



 

During the summer, our city park puts on a kids movie. They have popcorn, temp tattoos, contests and food trucks - and then when it gets dark, they play a movie on a huge screen. This was James' first time and he loved it! The movie was Frozen and of course all the kids sang along.



 

Hide and Seek :) Madeleine isn't sure whats going on, but shes not going to be left out!



 

We were at our friends house for dinner and since it was so hot out, we let the kids play in water... which lead to them stripping off their wet clothes. By the end of the night, they were all naked and running through the hose. But at least all the pizza and ice cream sandwiches were washed off!