Pen Pals

We got to meet up at Murase Park with my friend Caralee and her six kids who were visiting from Wyoming.  It was fun to see Caralee and catch up with her, but it was especially fun for Emma to meet her daughter Erica.  Emma and Erica have been pen pals (I guess they are actually email pals) for the past year.   Caralee and I knew they shared a lot of the same interests and were close in age (Erica and her twin brother are only a few weeks younger than Emma), so we thought they would enjoy writing each other.  They have enjoyed it and they were excited to get together. 

All the kids had fun playing despite the cold day (in the middle of July), it even rained on us. 

We soon got too cold and had to leave, but not before Emma and Erica had begged to get together again.  We arranged for Erica to come to our house the next evening.

The girls had fun playing with bubbles, playing games, and making themselves giant chocolate chip cookies.  They also talked a lot, especially about their shared love of books and reading.  That was how their pen pal friendship started in the first place!  When Caralee came to pick Erica up she and I got to talk for quite awhile which was nice.  It was fun to see our daughters enjoy each other so much.  We weren’t much older than they are when we became friends in Mrs. Olsen’s home economics class.  (If only Mrs. Olsen could see us now, she might feel bad for sending us to detention!)

Duet

Isaac and Grace got to make their own guitars at a library activity this summer.  It couldn’t have come at a better time, Isaac has been very interested in Lee’s guitar and he had just got a shirt that had guitars on it.  Grace loved decorating her guitar but wasn’t as enamored with it as Isaac was.  He carried that thing around for several days playing his “kitar”.  One day he asked me to sit at the piano and play while he played the guitar.  Gracie shot up and said that she would play the piano.  So, she got up on the bench and started playing while Isaac rocked out on his cardboard guitar.  Their duet was darling!

What beautiful music they made!  These kiddos crack us up!

Squirt Bottles

Squirt bottles can be handy and a lot of fun in the summer.  Emma and I made some spray chalk for her to take when she went to play with some cute kids in our ward. 

That stuff was pretty fun (although I think I will use food coloring instead next time, it makes the colors brighter).  Isaac and Grace were thrilled to play with the leftovers and they had fun squirting up the driveway and street. 

Once the chalk was gone we filled the squirt bottles with water and the babies went to town squirting anything and everything.  The next day they asked for those squirt bottles again and a full on squirt bottle war ensued at our house.  Isaac and Grace thought it was hilarious to squirt Emma and they chased her all around the yard.  Emma didn’t hold back and got them pretty good.

Emma must have gotten Daddy a few too many times because he felt like he needed to get out the big guns. 

Emma really got it then.

Grace, and especially Isaac, were a little concerned about Emma getting so wet from the hose.   

They settled down eventually and realized it was all in fun, and that Emma LIKED getting wet.  It was so fun to watch them enjoying those squirt bottles.  Cheap entertainment!

Lego Store

A few weeks ago I had to give something to the owner of a Lego store here in town.  I parked in front of the store and left all three kids in the car.  Isaac was beside himself with what he could see in the store windows and was not very happy with me for going in without him.  I made a mental note to take him back someday.  Lee got home from work earlier than usual that afternoon and I told him about Isaac’s response to the Lego store.  Lee decided to take him on a little field trip right then and there.  So, Lee, Emma and Isaac headed off to the Lego store (Grace was still napping).  Isaac came home so totally excited and talking non-stop about all he saw at the Lego store.

Lee was nice enough to even buy Isaac a little Lego set.  Of course, Isaac was thrilled.  Emma was nice enough to put his space moon buggy together for him.

Isaac was one happy boy.  I see many more Legos in our future!

The sweetest part of this story?  Isaac kept asking when we were going to take Gracie to the Lego store.  He wanted her to go too.  I guess we will need to take them together soon!

Red, White & Blue

Our 4th of July included a lot of red, white & blue.  We started the morning with some patriotic pancake stacks.

We had red, white & blue drinks with our lunch.

Then Tenley helped me make red, white & blue strawberries.

In the afternoon we headed out to the General Canby Days 4th of July festivities.   Isaac and Grace were thrilled to have flags to wave around as we staked out a spot for the parade.

Once we got a place saved we walked around and enjoyed the fun and the perfect weather. 

 

I caught Grace making faces at herself in the mirrors at the sunglasses booth. 

Isaac and Grace played games.

Isaac was insisted on seeing all the cars in the classic car show.  He was especially happy to see the car his friend Phillip’s dad put in the show (we didn’t get a picture of that one).  He loved looking at the engines.

After seeing all the sights we went back to our parade spot.  Somehow Emma and Tenley talked us into an elephant ear…

Grace waved at everything and everybody that passed by in the parade.

She was especially cute when she started the double hand wave.

Isaac eventually started waving too…

..he especially got excited over the tractors.  It was a fun parade!

After the parade we went home to get ready for my extended family to come over for a 4th of July shindig.  It was so fun to have family over.  We ate super good food (mostly of the red, white & blue variety) and enjoyed the good company.

While we waited for the city fireworks to start we set off some fireworks of our own.  Lee, Dan and Jeff were our official pyro-maniacs this year, they put on a great show!

Isaac enjoyed the whole show seated inside a van with all the other little boys.  They had a blast in that car!

Grace immediately ran into the house when the first firework went off.  I found her freaking out on the couch, she wasn’t a fan!  I finally convinced to go out and she ended up loving them!

I broke out a bunch of glow sticks which were a hit with all the kids.

The big kids also played with a frisbee that flashes lights. 

I love the moon in this picture!

Then we sat back and oohed and aahed at the Canby fireworks.  We have a perfect view from our house!  No need to go anywhere.  Our 4th of July was a great day spent with family.  We are all proud to be Americans!