Hogwarts week 6

I didn't take many pictures of our activities this week.  This one is the Diet Coke and Mentos experiment.  I only bought a 1 liter bottle, I think a 2 liter would have erupted more.

We also delivered crayons and coloring books to the local ER, adopted a tree, went on a math scavenger hunt (this really saved me- it kept Damon and Tyler busy for a good 30 minutes running around the house counting things), designed our own postcards, decorated a window, and read under a tree while drinking lemonade.

We also played splash tag.  It was a fun family activity - I just wish the kids wouldn't whine or cry when they got hit or got wet - it's how the game works people, get over it.  So you just play tag and the person who is 'it' tags the next person by hitting them with the wet sponge or one of the those water balls.  We were all pretty wet by the end.  

2 more weeks of Hogwarts summer school.

Week in review

Saturday was Colorado Cares day.  Our ward volunteered at a local community garden and also gathering food and making sack lunches for a homeless organization.  

 I did a big shopping trip to the grocery store on Saturday while Doug and the boys helped at the garden.  I got a car cart for the girls - they did very well driving. Chris wanted to drive as well, and was very whinny for most of the time.  I succumbed and bribed him with a doughnut and that helped.  So I didn't have a huge list, but I ended up getting quite of few pantry stuff because of some good sales.  Well, by the end of the store I couldn't fit one more thing in my cart.  I was trying to stuff yogurt cartons in the cracks :).  It was pretty funny.  I ended up with two shopping carts once it was bagged, over $200 worth of food and we go through it so fast.  I'm nervous for when my boys are teenagers. Yikes! It's amazing how tired I get just grocery shopping; pushing those big heavy carts, then unloading, then putting it all away, phew.

 New hair-do

 We go on lots of walks - keeps us sane and gets some energy out.

 This summer we have participated in a group called S.O.S (summer of service)  Every Tuesday they have a service project that is very family friendly.  We were only able to participate twice this year, but I hope to be able to do more next year.  This was the final activity: giving some treats and thank you notes to the fire department and then getting a tour.

 We got to see the helicopter too.

A few other things

Doug took the boys to Jump City yesterday.  We went once before and they have been asking to go again.  We probably won't go again for awhile, it's pretty pricey for just one hour of jumping. 

 Doug said they had a cool projector thing shining on the floor, they were trying to pop balloons electronically.

 Ice cream afterwards

 During the week we played with marbles and went to a new splash park in Erie.

 One thing that frustrates me right now with the girls is how they eat.  They beg for food all the time, but then when it's time for a meal they refuse to eat. (not all the time, but often enough that it drives me bonkers.) I try to not let them snack too much, but they still don't like to eat at meal times.  One day I was upstairs sewing and Chris called to me saying something about the girls and bread.  I didn't think much of it, if they got out a piece of bread that would be ok.  I came downstairs to a half of loaf of bread ripped up or smashed.  This picture is after I cleaned up quite a bit.  I didn't get too mad surprisingly - it was my own fault for not coming down earlier, and hey if they were hungry at least they chose something that was relatively good for them.

Fun being a girl

I remembered to take some pictures of the girls this week in some of their different outfits.

This is how their hair looks 75% of the time.  The only time it looks good is on a morning that they take a bath and it only lasts until nap time.

Having snack outside. 

 Ready for church.

They are letting me do their hair again which is nice. 

 Kaylee

 Jenna

 So I bought a new dress online, which is a little bit risky, but I just thought it was so cute.  I probably should have bought a size smaller, but I just took in a seam in the shoulder and it fits fine.  Kind of fun to wear something new and get dressed up.

 As a funny side note, this necklace is the belt from my 70's costume that I wore for Halloween last year.  But hey, I think it looks cute :)

Hogwarts week 5

This week we took a fun group picture, decorated picture frames, made a boat with natural materials (the avocado shell I thought was a stroke of genius), made a Disney treat, and a few others I didn't take pictures of.  We played a games called Knock Knock Your Socks Off.  You try and take everyone's socks off and the last person with a sock on wins.  Well, my boys don't know how to control themselves and we didn't even get to finish one game before most got hurt and Damon had a bloody lip, sigh.

Jenna and Kaylee update

 I thought it was time for a quick update on the girls, and I always have some cute pictures of them.

The girls seems to be growing up now.   Their hair is getting so long.  They can ask for just about anything now, though sometimes it takes some effort on our part to understand them.  We still struggle at breakfast time, they usually get a little bit of cereal in the morning while Doug and I get ready for the day and they watch Curious George.  But then they are not really hungry for breakfast when I am feeding the boys.  Sometimes I have them wait and eat later, but a lot of times when I decide to do that I forget to feed them.  Some of their favorite foods right now are: grapes, cheese, ham lunch meat, fruit loops, raisins, chocolate chips, mac and cheese, hot dogs, vanilla ice cream (they don't eat other flavors very well),  corn on the cob, chicken, juice, and popsicles.  They ask for popsicles whenever we get home from riding our bikes or running errands, it comes out as "sicle?"

k/j

The girls are full of energy.  They still don't play with toys very much, but they are slowly getting better if Doug or I play with them.  They like to play with the Perfection shape pieces or the pegs we have with our Chinese checkers game.  Kaylee is starting to do pretend play with the Little People.  I have seen her put people in the house and move them around a bit. They love the bouncy house downstairs and probably wish that I would let them bounce more.  I like to supervise their bouncing so they only get to do it when I'm down there with them. 

We have been playing outside in the water a lot and usually their girls take off their clothes at some point.  

j/k

 The girls enjoy our bike rides in the morning and will jump right in the trailer and try to do up the buckles.  They like it when we ride to a park so they can play.  Frequently there is hair pulling and slapping going on in the trailer too, sigh.

j/k

 The girls interact more now and we practice taking turns.  Jenna is more vocal in her demands and Kaylee is usually more easily persuaded to give Jenna a turn.  It is fun when they spontaneously want to give each other hugs or play together.  They are good to follow directions; if I give two crackers to one and tell her to give the other to her sister, she will.  It is fun to hear them say please and thank you, and excuse me - when appropriate.  Jenna now says "yes, mom" when I ask her questions like "do you want a cracker?"  It is pretty cute.

 They are starting to repeat prayers better now and it is funny how sometimes they take turns copying me.  One will say the prayer for awhile, then the other one will take over.

 This has been the girls' favorite game for the past few days.  My mom got them this little pitcher and dish set and the girls love playing with it.  It is definitely an outside toy until they figure out how to pour without over flowing.

Kaylee goes to sleep so well and naps well too.  Jenna must just not need as much rest.  She wakes up first (6:00-6:30), naps ok, but usually wakes up 1/2 - 1 hour before Kaylee.  Jenna also has a hard time going to bed, usually needing me to comfort her multiple times before she falls asleep and then she will cry out in the night around 11:30 or so too.  Hopefully she will grow out of this.

I love hearing their thoughts and what they have learned.  They know many letters and numbers.  They can count to 10.  They know many shapes and colors too.  They sing along to I am a Child of God and some of our more modern songs.  They can run, jump, climb, swing, slide, feed themselves, put on their shoes, put on their pants, and they have starting using a cup.

They are getting so big and I love them so much.  I am grateful they have each other for a friend.  That is one blessing of having twins last, they won't be home alone.

Hogwarts week 4

Another fun week with our Hogwarts summer school.  This week we made creations out of rice crispies, decorated flip flops, did math problems with side walk chalk and squirt guns, weeded at a cemetery, and read stories in a tent.

 As a memory for me, this may look like a group of happy children, but in a few short minutes it became quite the fiasco.  First just getting the tent up was an ordeal, then as we all gathered on our tummies to read a story Jenna kept jumping on people, Kaylee didn't want to share her pillow, and Chris started building his own mountain of pillows blocking our entrance.  So our two stories that we read were frequently interrupted with disciplining statement from me to try and keep the peace.  Sigh, you'd think that it would be easy to read a book to your kids, ha!

First Harvest

We had our first picking this week.  A few peas, beans, a zucchini and a couple of beets.  Doug and I enjoyed the veggies, the kids like the raw peas the best.  Damon and Tyler were good to help pick and then shell the peas.

Saturday July 5th

 Saturday we just had a fun day at home playing outside.  We filled up the pool and got out the water balloons and the slip 'n slide.  Tyler and Chris we getting pretty good at sliding. Damon didn't want to go down because of his hurt knees.

 Jenna liked playing in the water more than Kaylee.

 I even took a few turns.

 This was the only way that Kaylee would get in the pool.

 Our water slide is pretty fun!

Doug and I were able to go on a date in the evening for dinner.  We went to a newer BBQ place in Frederick. It was really good.  We ran into another couple from the ward and turned it into a double date.  That made it fun - we always seem to have better conversations when we are with other people.  Thanks for the date Doug, it is always nice to get away for awhile with you.