THE STAYCATION

DAY 1
Mel has the week off, and we debated a few options. We considered Yellowstone and Canada, but decided that we might better spend our money around home and let the kids eat and sleep at home. Good choice, I'm pretty sure. Last week we sat down and made a list of all the things we want to do. Today was Day 1, and we went with my sis's family up the canyon for breakfast at Silver Fork Lodge (my choice) and a hike to Doughnut Falls.

Thys had been wanting to go hiking for months. Here he is all excited to get started. Five minutes after this photo he was too dizzy (tired) to go any farther, and he had to be carried on Pop's shoulders. After a few minutes on the shoulders Thys asked Mel, "Are we going up or down?" That's a nice way to hike. Thanks, Pops!
Sophie was a little leery of the backpack when I first put her in, but she ended up loving it. She was relaxed and having a great time!
Pops and Ann at the falls.
The fam--except Soph--and she really is there, I just didn't turn quite far enough to the side. Sorry, Soph!
Soph was so relaxed, this was her ride down the mountain.

Cul-de-Sac-of-Fire

We had the traditional cul-de-sac-of-fire at my parent's for the 4th of July. It was a lot of fun with all the cousins and all the fireworks. Thys preferred the safety of Pop's lap, and Sophie needed to be confined to the safety of Mom's lap.
Anna preferred the front row with the crazy cousins. And once again, the Snuggie comes in handy.
Soph wanted her "banky," and then she was all ready to cuddle. I love it!
T with a giant firework.
Pops wanted a turn with Sophie and the "banky." He likes cuddling too.
Crazy cousin dance party.

Swim Lessons

Anna and Thys took swimming lessons for the last two weeks. We are taking a short break because Mel is off this week, then we're back at it for a few weeks. Thys was VERY hesitant about the whole process, but he did great, and even found the courage to be helped off the diving board. He surprised us all--even himself, I think. I told him if he was brave enough to go off the diving board, he was definitely brave enough to go to the bathroom in the toilet (and that is a whole other story!). Anna, of course, had no issues jumping off the diving board, even without a life jacket. She scared me to death when she went off the high dive, but she loved it!
Thys with pirate hooks ready to find the treasure under the water.
Anna waiting for her turn to "side breath."
T being helped off the diving board by his teacher.
Anna jumping off the board.

What We've Be Doing Since School Ended. . .

Summer vacation is a lovely thing in our household. My favorite parts are the lazy mornings, morning walks, no stress, and fun things with the kids. I am a much calmer and nicer mother in the summer. Here is what we've been up to. . . .
It rained a lot at the beginning of June, so one Friday night we rented Toy Story (my kids have never seen it) and had movie night. Anna gathered all our pillows and blankets and put names tags on our spots. She did well--I got the recliner and Mel the couch. Smart girl. We did it again the next Saturday with Toy Story 2. Now we are ready for Toy Story 3!

We went to the zoo with our cousins and signed up for a membership--now we can go whenever we want for as long as we want!
Soph at the zoo. She loves the wagon. She rides in the wagon every morning on our walk, and I never hear anything from her.
Anna's dance recital was June 23. She was a villager in Beauty and the Beast. As usual, I loved the show. Anna did great!(Anna is on the left side, 3rd girl back under the 2nd house back.)
(Anna is the 4th from the left.)
In front of Kingsbury Hall where she performed in the show.
Proud Mama and Papa
Ann loves to be the center of attention. Don't doubt that she was THRILLED with the flowers from Mom and Dad and Aunt Steph.
We've had several fun packages with Dutch Oranje paraphernalia for the World Cup. We love all of it! Thanks, Mimi and Bupa!
We tried making stroop waffles for family home evening. Stroop was great, waffles need work. Mel did a great job slicing the super thin waffles in half! (Thys isn't so much into pictures right now, in case you can't tell.)

SOPHIE

We're pretty certain that no one outside our immediate family really knows this little girl. She is a little ornery and unfriendly in the outside world; for example, we went to the zoo with my sis, and my sis called and called Sophie's name. She wouldn't even acknowledge her, but when I said her name, she immediately looked at me. She is sort of a stinker, but she is a very funny one with a darling personality. For most of you out there, here is a glimpse at the real Sophie, the one we know and LOVE!

Crazy pajama head
Eating her ice cream sandwich--she WILL eat everything Anna and Thys eat.
Only Mel would let a child do this--I understand if you pass on the jam next time you are at our house.
This girl is a master with a spoon. She has been feeding herself since she was about 15 months old--and no one try to help her! She can even get a bowl of Cheerios in by herself.
Ahhhh--the climbing and the buckling--my favorite part. She is ALWAYS on the chairs and table, usually trying to buckle herself up. Here she has followed the example of her naughty siblings and slid the chair over to the fridge to see what she might find a little higher up.

The Rest of May

Here are the pics that were on the camera from the rest of May. Pretty random stuff, but fun, nonetheless.


We are slave drivers around here. The three-year-old doing the dishes.

This is for Steph--see all my bows I made for Sophie not to keep in her hair? Thanks for the equipment.
Sophie's favorite new hangout--well actually, second favorite. She likes the top of the table the best, but I just don't go for that one if I can help it.
Anna's last soccer game in the freezing, freezing cold--but she got her trophy! (Notice the taped finger!?!?)
Thys wishing he could go to kindergarten medieval day
Anna dressed up for kindergarten medieval day
This picture is totally Sophie. It just sums up her little personality, which many people don't get to see. She saves it mostly for her own little family. She will sit the backyard and watch the chickens in this same pose. We love her to death!
Superhoro A with green hair from the school carnival (See how handy a Snuggie is!?!?!)
Superhero T (see how handy a church sweater is?)

6 Years Old

We are bit slow in posting because, in addition to other craziness, our computer crashed. I am now just getting the chance to download pictures and update the blog for May. The biggest event in May was Anna's 6th birthday. Even though it was on the 23rd, we also celebrated on the 20th, the 22nd, and the 24th. Who said birthdays ever only lasted one day? We went to Jungle Jim's on Thursday to avoid the weekend craziness there. She took a couple little neighborhood friends with her--and her brother of course. On Saturday she got to pick out a new bike and spend the day riding it. On Sunday she had a birthday party at Grandma and Grandpa's with all the cousins. It has become a tradition to always have a pinata at the cousin parties, so of course, we had a pinata. On Monday, it was her birthday celebration at school. She got to sit in a special chair while everyone else sat on the rug, she got to be first in line, she got to be the office helper, and she took ice cream sandwiches to share with her friends and to celebrate (?) the snow that fell that day!!! Another fun thing that added to her birthday was that she broke her finger trying to do a cartwheel the Saturday before, but we didn't know it until Friday amongst all the celebrating. All will be well, but she is the first person in our family to break a bone. Let's hope a little finger is the worst we have!!



Anna and Thys on the carousel at Jungle Jim's


Tinkerbell cupcakes for Jungle Jim's
The new self-selected big girl bike
Birthday fairy flower cupcake-cake for cousin party
Blowing out candles
Snuggie from Aunt Steph (by special request from Anna), suitcase from Grandma and Grandpa, cool cup from the Jorgensen cousins