Backyard Fair

Two years in a row, and I think a new tradition has been born.  We hosted another backyard fair while the kids were out of school.  You could fish for a prize.

 Throw bean bags for a chance to win a cold slice of watermelon.

And search for hidden treasures in the sawdust sea.

 Ruby and her little friend Emma.

 Since face painting was so popular last year, I hired one of my YW from the Spanish Branch to paint the faces this time.  She does an amazing job.  The kids patiently waited for their special turn.

 There were parakeets and lizards on display as part of our open class exhibit.

 And of course, some yummy fair treats.  There was quite a selection of popcorn, smoothie pops, carmel apples, and rolls & honey butter.

 Hudson and Gabe with matching face paint and green shirt.

Wilkinsville 2012

Grandpa and Joyce and the seven Wilkins siblings and their families met for the Wilkins Reunion.  Each family constructed their own house out of cardboard to make up Wilkinsville, population 67.

 Of course, our house was the most engineered and best built.

 Favorite cousin time.  Ruby adores Linky.  Her heart was broken when she couldn't go home with him for the week.

 More houses.

 Finally their chance to use the finger paints.

 Besides all the building, there was lots of baby time.  The girls enjoyed loving on Gracie and Weston.

 There was a slam dunk contest.

 Grandpas Train

 Rough housing and wrestling.

 A science experiment making flubber.

 And clean up time.  This group of kids didn't stop the entire day.  They worked, played, and had so much fun together during the reunion.

Moving Cows

Brent informed us that the cows needed moved up at the ranch.  We were all excited to go and help out.  We loaded the horses and 4-wheeler, packed a lunch, and headed up.

The girls and I spent the first part of the day on the 4-wheeler.  I walked while Dalanie drove and we tried to push some of the cows.  We didn't get too far before we went to recruit help.

 The hills were so dry.  We were hoping that they had gotten some of the rain clouds that hit the valley.

 To wrap the day up, the kids got to ride and drive the cows through the pasture.

 They just ride along and chit chat like best of friends.  They look so comfortable and natural in the saddle.

 Ruby on the other hand always got squished in the saddle with a much less comfortable ride.

I was grateful for the chance for our little family to go together.  Few things make my heart want to explode more than spending a beautiful day together.  And looking back in the pickup to see dirty little faces nodding off to sleep.  And a stop for icecream where the girls take daddy by the hand and walk to the shop together.  And seeing the smiles on their sun-kissed faces through their unkempt hair.

Back to School

Well our summer flew by, but was nothing like the one I had envisioned prior to school letting out.  Instead of playdates and weekly home study themes, the kids had to fend for themselves and take on a little more responsibility with my being sick.  

Hudson's mind and body grew and he spent his time riding his bike, swimming, reading, and dreaming up a rock business (which sadly never came into being.)  He was very considerate of me and often entertained the girls so I could get some extra rest or throw up in private.  He helped out with making dinner, turning on/off sprinklers, and taking care of the chickens and horses.

Dalanie learned to operate the microwave and was beaming the first time she heated up corn dogs for lunch (it only took 45 trips up and down the stairs for further instruction from me.)  She would make her bed and often make Ruby's too.  On occasion she attempted to fix their hair, although most of the time they were trying to push and shove the hair out of their faces.  She loved to fetch me drinks and ask how I was feeling.

Every storm cloud has it's silver lining.  We grew closer as a family and our love multiplied as we faced challenges.  As hard as a few months were, I don't think we'd change it for anything.  All in all, we had a good summer and were still able to have quite a bit of fun.

I did most of the back to school shopping online because the thought of dragging kids in and out of stores exhausted me.  We did run up to town after some school supplies and I found some school shoes for Hudson on clearance.  He was quite excited about his 13 buck shoes since he was footing the bill.  When school rolled around we were all ready.

Our big 2nd grader.  I kept asking how 1st grade was because really, can he already be in 2nd grade?

Waiting for the bus like an old pro.

Dalanie's classes started a week later.  She happened to scratch her face up pretty good the Saturday before starting.

She was a bit apprehensive, but had a good brother to coach her and taker her by the hand.

Once home from her first day she said, "I was nervous today, but I don't think I'll have to be nervous again."  Her lunch scarcely was touched because she was so busy recounting the entire day.  I am excited to see her gain confidence and come out of her shell a bit.

Swing Set

Over a year ago, plan were set in motion for a swing set for our children  posterity.  You may remember me talking about it here.  Well we did get three swings on it last summer, but it sat unpainted for the majority of a year.  Finally Brent decided it was time for the next installment so he hired the neighbor kids to wire brush it all and then he primed and painted it.

 It's funny how much of a difference paint made.  Hudson thinks its the nicest color of paint Brent could choose.  He was very impressed with the color, or at least it gave him something to talk about.  And since we got that far, movie night was the perfect motivation to put on some tin roofing and lumber decking.  It was a crazy day, that deadline day.  Hot, hot, hot.

But it made it's debut and all the kids seemed to enjoy.

Since then, many evenings have been spent climbing the walls or ladders and giving underdogs on the swings.

 The kids are anticipating next years installment.  We'll see about that.