Science

If you know Hyrum, you know he's a nerd, in the best sense.  If you don't know him, well, take my word for it, he's a nerd.  He loves to share this nerdiness with our children and they just eat it up.  They love science and anything that make a loud noise as long as someone can explain it to them.  

The crew, watching and waiting.

A while back Hyrum bought a book called, "Snip, Burn, Solder and Shred: Seriously Geeky stuff to Make with your Kids".  They had pop bottle rockets as one of the projects and he decided this was a project to do.  We drank the soda, empty an oatmeal canister, begged a few wine corks, thanked the bike, who's tire recently went flat so we could salvage the valve and with a couple other purchases we had our pop bottle rocket parts.

Filling it with fuel (water).

 After Hyrum's week in Ireland and a 70 hour work week, he took the day off Monday and spent a couple hours assembling the rocket piece with the kids and then setting them off.  The kids next door joined the fun and for about an hour they tested different ways of filling the bottle to see just how much water was optimal for the highest farthest flight.  It was a fun sight.  They kids have used it everyday since and totally love it.

I love Jonathan's look of anticipation here.

Birthday Season is Upon Us

Hannah gets to kick off birthday season at our house.  This year she enjoyed her day.  It was her magical birthday so she got the same number of presents as the date of her birth.  She opened a few in the morning and then finished up in the evening. One of her presents was a denim skirt, recycled from a pair of Hyrum's old jeans.  It was so easy and I am so proud of it.  She's worn it everyday since her birthday and loves it.  She made my day.

 

We had friends over for a waffle lunch and then had tacos for her birthday dinner and cookie dough ice cream cake for dessert.  It was a low key day with just enough fun for her to enjoy it but for me not to be overwhelmed. 

We are so glad to have Hannah in our family.  She is a great big sister and a wonderful helper.  She is a great reader and learn quickly once she gets going.  Hannah is sweet and sensitive but tougher in more ways than I give her credit for.  I look forward with great anticipation of the woman she will become.  I am glad I have been blessed with an opportunity to raise this little angel. 

Northward ho . . .

After Hyrum's family left, he decided to leave and head to Ireland for work.  Since school's out we headed to my parents' house.  It was kind of nice to be there for more than two or three nights.  We got 8 whole days. 

Soon after we got there Jonathan tackled Spencer with pillows.  Whenever one fell on the floor Spencer flopped right on top of it.  He thought they were pretty comfy.

We worked in the gardening.  Everyday we picked blueberries and raspberries.  The blueberries were going crazy.  We would fill 1-2 2 quart bowls everyday.  It was crazy.  I almost wish I liked blueberries because there were so many.  We picked beans twice so my mom let me can those and bring them home.  We also picked up some local cucumbers and made pickles.  They are so good.  I canned apricot syrup as well.  I love the summer time here.  Fresh produce and a few crazy months of trying to get everything canned before the season is over. 

We canned 26 jars of pickles one day.  We smelled like garlic and vinegar the next.

We also got to play a little bit.  I visited a couple friends from my high school days.  One of them had just had twins, so precious.  Another was one of my best friends and a roommate in college.  It was fun to talk to her and spend a little more time getting to know her husband. 

Just a comfy spot to read a book.  Like I said, a true vacation.

We went to the beach and though it was a little cool for swimming, it was a beautiful day and the kids enjoyed the "sandbox" as Charlotte called it.  We go up to Grandma's house without getting ice cream cones and sweet corn.  It was wonderful.  The kids also made a new friend while we were there.  One of my mom's friends had a granddaughter visiting.  She and my kids enjoyed playing together.  They made quite the bunch. 

Charlotte loves the sand.

We relaxed, played, worked and just generally enjoyed taking a break and being with family.  It was a good vacation, a real vacation. 

The kids and their new friend.  They were covered with chalk.  I hope her parents still like me!

The kids make chalk paint.  They think it's hilarious.  I hate trying to get all the blue tint off their faces. 

Digging a tench.

Spencer just wandered.  He'd find a shovel and just sit right down and dig for a while.  He was happy just to be outside in the sand.

Filling buckets and splashing in the lake.

The view across the lake from the beach.  It was a really nice day.

The kids enjoyed their corn out by the fire pit.  They followed it down with some s'mores.

We had to have our girl's night.  Polka dots ruled this time.  Next time I want to try chevron stripes.

A Visit from the Out-of-towners

Spencer enjoyed his cake.

I know, totally goofy title, but it was the best I could do.  Hyrum's mom and sisters came to visit and two are currently from Texas and the other is living in Utah so everything else I could think of excluded someone.  We were so happy to have Grandma, Sarah and Rachel here.   They all enjoyed our castle suite, complete with mural.  They wrestled, played, read stories and generally entertained the kids for several days.  It was nice to have an extra set of hands to get Spencer of out drawers, out of the bathroom, and generally out of something he wasn't suppose to be in.  We missed them when they left.  Grandma though is quite tricky and this past week we had a treasure hunt with clues she left for us.  Hannah ran around looking for the little squares of paper.  They finally found a bag full of popcorn, and treats, a book, and, Jonathan's favorite, pickled beets. 

We had a birthday party for Sarah, Grandpa, Margaret, Hannah, Jonathan and Charlotte.  We wished all those people could have been with us but at least their names were on our cake.

Thanks, Grandma, Rachel and Sarah.

Rachel is really good to entertain the kids.  They love her.

We took them to the Carnegie Science Center.  The kids love it and they wanted to show Grandma and the girls.  this is Charlotte and Spencer on a space work simulation station.  Charlotte just liked the roly chair.