Playing with the Birds

After watching the BYU production of "A Wrinkle In Time" we stopped at the bird Park by the MOA.  The boys loved exploring the various art structures and literally examined them from every angle.

Finally, the boys had enough exploring and decided it was fun to climb up and jump off.  We happened to catch them in unison (synchronized)!

A Wrinkle in Time

This afternoon we attended the BYU presentation of "A Wrinkle in Time".  The Provo Library had an incentive that if our boys were reading they could get a few pass to watch this play.  We also started reading the book together as a family so that we would know and understand what was going on in the play.

We we got to the theater the actors we interacting with the kids, playing games, coloring pictures and chit-chatting.  So everyone was on the stage together.  The production was done right there, up close to the audience.  I think that made a big difference in the overall feeling of this play.

We were able to secure the whole second row in the center section.  That was really nice since we were not the first ones there.

The show was done in 2 acts with a 10 minute intermission.  This was the entire cast; obviously there were multiple actors doing multiple roles.  Only the three main characters has single roles.

After the show we were able to catch Mrs. Whatsit (Stephanie) for a picture with some of the boys.  Michael and Aleky had run off and Quinten was asleep.

Overall, I think the boys had a fantastic time.  They were completely interested in the play and we didn't have to tell any of them to stop, sit down or be quiet.  Both Quinten and Gidean fell asleep during the show at one point or another.  But we had a great time as a family.

Summer is Starting with a Bang!

For a summer morning we got a quick start for the day. Michelle woke the boys up just after 8 o'clock. We took time for our morning devotional, got dressed, finish our ADL's and had a nice hot breakfast. With the kids still sleepy it was a struggle to elicit cooperation but we managed and we were ready for the day. The boys played while Michelle and I put together a quick picnic lunch to take on the road.

9:12 - We pull out of the driveway for the kids craft at the home depot.

The kids made a lawnmower pencil holder. Each boy had the chance to glue and nail their own project. And then they painted them to make them beautiful. Within reason, each boy stay true to his own color.

10:09 - Headed out from The Home Depot to the library for the summer reading kick off party.

We get to the library and head to the underground parking. The boys begin screaming! Hearing the echo is probably the best part of going to the library.  After a quick potty break we head up to the kick off.

The kick off lacked some luster and pizzazz. We put our names on a paper, got a tracking sheet for each kid and a Laffy Taffy. Next, we went downstairs to get a few books to get our summer reading program started with.

10:59 - We left the library for the park and lunch time.

We decided to go to the Scera Park in Orem. We ate or lunch and then played on the playground. However, the swing set won the popularity award for our family today! At one point we had every swing claimed by someone in the family.

12:16 - We left the park for Real Foods Market to see the farm animals.

It was quite the bonanza, going from booth to booth trying all the food samples and asking questions.  The boys started getting tired of all the food samples, most of which were not sweet.

1:51 - We leave the store for home.

We grabbed a couple gallons of milk before heading to the suburban. Quinten and Gidean were asleep before we got home; Gidean was asleep before we got to the first stop light.

We finally got home, the family was exhausted. The two boys who were asleep were successfully transferred to their beds for an afternoon nap.  The other boys were quietly playing. But there's no nap for me...I've got to many things left on my plate for today! But it's been a great family outing.

Pre-ride Checklist Gets Quinten A Pass To The Park

As we were doing some of the myriad of chores on our to-do lists we noticed Quinten standing by the back gate examining his new bike as if he was going through a pre-ride check list. His brothers were off at 7-peaks water park; he'd been left behind because he was taking a nap and they were only going to be gone a short time.

As we saw him standing there we felt bad and I decide to take him out into the park to ride his bike. A dirty diaper brought us back to the house where we picked up mommy and Gidean. We returned to the park much fresher and enjoyed the winding walkway through the park. Even Gidean enjoyed the fresh air and a ride on his toy. Mommy kept pace on the scooter and got a great leg workout in the process.

We were stopped by a couple taking pictures for their people blog about people in Provo. (we'll link the blog post when we find it. ) After our park excursion we went home to prepare dinner.

Bug Splats Force Emergency Suburban Cleaning

Michelle and the boys took a trip up to the Petersen's over the weekend.  It was a busy trip but Michelle came home with several completed wood projects for the home (it helps to have the tools and know-how to do these projects). We are very grateful to Uncle Kyle and Grandpa Petersen for their expertise, experience and assistance to expedite these projects to completion; Grandma Petersen also was essential to the whole project process, especially helping with all of the children at their house.

Coming home (apparently) there was a great swarm of bugs, encouraged by the warmer weather, on the highway greeting all of the travelers. By the time Michelle made it home the suburban was completely caked with bug splat. The boys were given the task of cleaning the bug splat off of the suburban. They loved this assignment because 1) they got to go into the front yard, 2) they got to play with the water, and 3) they could climb all over the suburban.

I'm not really sure that the suburban could be classified as clean but the kids had a great time in the process. (Love the journey, not the destination!)

David Gets A Lesson Using The Weed Whacker

Craig is planning on leaving town for the next week or so.  With him out of town David is going to get the job of mowing Starr's lawn. But she's wanting to have her lawn edged. We like the idea of having our lawn edged too. So it is time for David to learn how to use the Weed Whacker.

This morning we were able to catch Craig before he was leaving town. So he took David out back to learn the workings of the Weed Whacker and some tips and tricks for edging a lawn so that it looks great.

We wasting no time in letting David get some practice with his newly developing skill set. He tried edging both the front and back yards.  For his first experience he did a pretty good job! By the end of the summer he'll be a pro.

Library Kids

We just learned about a special program that the library is hosting called "Library Kids".  Each week they  get to go to the library where they do a project, listen to a story (being read to them) and get a treat.  The program has been quite successful, even though we just learned about it.  You have to call earlier in the week to get your kid's name on the list.  If you don't call soon enough you can wait as a stand-by, just in case another kid doesn't show (you can claim that spot).

Even though we called and had the boys name on the list, they still had to wait in line to get in and verify that their names were actually on the list.  I'm guessing there were about 30 kids in this younger class.  The older boys were in a different class.

This week the younger boys we're making a Leprachaun trap.  I guess we'll see how well they managed to put their traps together and see if they actually catch anything.

The older boys made a secret hiding book.  They glued pages of old, discarded library books together and cut out the middle where they could store their special things.  Then, when it's on the shelf, it just looks like an ordinary book, but inside are their hidden treasures.

Both groups get to listen to stories after they finish working on their projects.  For those kids who need additional time to work on their projects, they get to finish working during the story time.

Everyone who participated seemed to enjoy the activity.  Our boys are excited and want to go back next week.  We'll have to call early in the week to make sure that we get them a spot!

(Published on 6/2/13)

Family Night with Macey Ice Cream Cones

Michelle decided that it would be fun to take the boys over to Macey's for an ice cream cone.  The boys though they had died and gone to heaven, or at least the next best thing to it.  So we loaded them up in the suburban and headed on over.

Macey's has several sizes of cones and every one of the sizes is a good deal.  Good enough, in fact, that the youngest two boys weren't able to finish eating their ice cream cones.  Of course, the older two were hoping they could be the one's who'd be chosen to complete that task!

(Finally published 6/2/13)

Perplexus

We got two Perplexus maze balls for Christmas.  If you've never seen one (I hadn't seen one until this holiday season) they are pretty amazing.  Well, Quinten has become a student of the Perplexus and has been working very diligently on the mazes every day.  Quinten has been able to finish the simpler maze (the one in his hand) and has started working on the more complex one.  Gidean is learning to be like his older brother.

Donovan Makes Lunch

Donovan is in cub scouts and we want to help him quickly earn his wolf badge.  Making a meal for the family is one of his requirements.  So we let him make lunch today.  Not too bad for his first day on the job.