Summer!

Linking up with Mama Kat again this week for writer's workshop. Click the box at the bottom of this post if you want to know more. 

The first prompt I chose this week is: Share a summer sunset!

I haven't taken any sunset pictures this summer, so this is one from our drive to Oregon last June. 

Since that didn't involve much writing (or thinking) I am picking one more: List 8 things you miss about summer when you were a child.

1. I miss going to summer camp. I spent many years going to Camp Kuratli at Trestle Glen, a camp for The Salvation Army. This is a picture of me from who knows when:

I'm the girl in the middle, looking at the camera in my blue and white dress... oh the bangs! 

2. I miss working at summer camp. I worked at the same camp for two summers. This is a picture from my first year. 

Enjoying some brownies before dinner <3 

3. I miss being able to play in the river. These are pics of my girls playing in the river on the edge of my home town (Summer 2010) 

Alivia

Natalie 

McKayla 

4. I miss eating popsicles all day long 

5. I miss going to the Oregon coast, multiple times each summer 

6. I miss swinging 

5-16-12 Alivia 

7. I miss when a kiddie pool was all I needed to have hours of fun 

8. I miss when I could collect rocks with NO reason, just because I thought they were cool or pretty. 

What do you miss from your childhood summers?

This post inspired by: 

Pumpkin Patch

We got the chance to go out Saturday to one of the local pumpkin patches. I have to be honest when I say that I haven't been to a pumpkin patch in YEARS. I literally cannot remember the last time I went to one. Wow. Sad huh? I can make all kinds of excuses about why I didn't take the kids earlier, but that's all they are, excuses. I just don't like the mud and this was the first year I have had all three walking. We decided to just grab some smaller pumpkins instead of dragging the big ones all over. The girls were happy with them. We will get a big pumpkin at the store the weekend of Halloween. =)

At the pumpkin patch we got to all take a ride on a hay trailer towed by a tractor. I think Liv liked that best of all, therefore she is the only one who got any great pictures taken. LOL!

Then the girls got to do a hay "maze" and tower which the older two loved!

Liv did like it at first (ish - see above) but then when she didn't like it so much, I was a "mean mom" and had to take a picture!

There was also a couple of goats, that all the kiddos loved. Who doesn't love an animal that will eat ANYTHING? lol.

And I had to get a few pictures on the pumpkins, which I quickly regretted doing so early on, as the kids didn't quite understand that we couldn't sit on every pumpkin! lol.

And then we took one family picture (many thanks to the kind stranger who took it for us!)

I just love family days. =) If you are local, check out Grandpa's pumpkin patch. It was WONDERFUL!

Breathing

I think I am finally to the point in this term where I feel like I can breathe again. I am finally, with the dropping of one class, feeling like I can keep up on the homework. I am even (knock on wood) ahead for this week! I have one quiz to take online and I am finished with this week's homework. If I had known that I would have the downtime in my work study, I would have brought some homework with me, but instead here I sit, trying to keep busy online. Even updating my blog.

And among the random thoughts is my HEADACHE again. I hope this isn't those chronic migraines coming back. I just took a migraine pill, so hopefully it goes away!

I guess I can take some time to update on my girls. I will start with the littlest today. Miss Alivia is nearly not the littlest anymore. I can't believe she is 18 months already! She is comfortably in her 12-18 month clothing. The little "diva" loves to accessorize and I constantly find her with the beaded "mardi gras" type beads (I pick them up cheep whenever I can cause I LOVE watching my girls dress up) Liv is also now starting to run. It is stinking adorable because her little belly sticks out and she just moves! I am impressed at her speed sometimes. She is doing wonderfully keeping up with those sisters.

Natalie is definitely into the 3's. She is right on target for height and weight I would say, by looking at her next to all her classmates. =) She has the attitude of the three girls and is really getting into the explaining thing. She told my mom this morning that "Yer coffee is yucky and needs a bath!" Mom couldn't really understand her quickened speech, so I had to play interpret for her. I love that kid!

And McKayla, what can I say. I can't understand where the time has gone. In less than a month she will be FIVE! How did that happen? She is still so pettite. The lady who did my immunizations this week guessed how old she was and it was 3. I was like, "actually she will be 5 end of the month" The lady could hardly contain her amazement. Something along the lines of "I am not usually that far off" came out of her mouth. My peanut is only just now at 30 lbs and quite short. Her 3T pants fit just fine. =) She is loving to color now, and will use any material around to do so. Sharpie, dry erase, crayons, chalk, anything. But at least she has down that she has to use paper now! lol. (Now if only she could teach Natalie!) McKayla has also started a habit I am not so fond of. She is starting to tell lies. I hate that I know she isn't being honest, but she won't tell me. I would love to hear how some of the other mommies deal with this issue.

Both the older girls will be starting a dance class at their preschool soon. I don't want to tell them for fear the interest won't be there, but I am pretty excited! The whole family got to take a trip to the Salem Kroc Center and the girls all had a blast in the water. They have this entire area that doesn't get higher than 4ish feet. We spent a good two hours in there before they showed signs of the exhaustion started to really show. Each of the older two took another climb on the rock wall, *I will share pictures when I am at home* and we all just had so much fun!

That is all the updates I have. Probably an entirely too long, no pictures blog, but hey, you get what you get! =) PS Headache still present. Headache log is being started again to track them... BAH!

Swim Lessons: day 1

McKayla: When we first arrived out at pool-side, she was NOT happy. She could see that this wasn't going to be a play in the water that only hits your knees kind of thing. She kept saying "I don't want to go in the water" but I kept telling her that the only way she was going to learn was if she got in. Then I asked her if she wanted to sit by the water and kick her feet while we waited for it to start. She agreed and we sat. She seemed happy enough there. Then I head to head over to mommy and me classes with Liv. Jimmy told me that at first M still didn't want to get in the water, but once she was in she listened to her instructor and did just what she was supposed to. She kicked her feet and was jumping off the edge into the water. Onto day two and she is pumped to go back. She told me, and I quote "I want to go back to swim lessons in 10 seconds!"

Alivia: Liv seemed excited to just be around the water. She sat with me and M and kicked in the water too! Then came time for our class. It wasn't really what I was expecting. It is more of a class to teach the baby how to react if they are ever in the water or fall in. So, we sang the song "this is the way we wash our hair" and I poured small cups of water over her head (to get her used to it I guess). Then we used a small rubber duckie to get them used to reaching away from them in the water (like for them to get to the wall if they fell in). We sang a few more songs. Worked on how to climb out of the pool onto the deck. Then Liv got to "jump" off the wall to me. She loved that! She even wanted to go over the edge to the other pool! lol. She also got dunked under the water. I was hesitant, but she did wonderfully! I dunked her under (that sounds HORRIBLE!) about six times and not once did she even cry! I was amazed. Oh, we also practiced floating on her back, and turning over from her front floating to her back. :-)

That's it in a nutshell.

Day of REST!

I am so glad today I don't have to do anything except take care of my kids and "work" during church (I am in charge of making sure the nursery is staffed and lead the praise and worship time). But I am EXHAUSTED after this last week. If it wasn't six kids, it was work at walmart. Makes for a very LONG week! Then yesterday I walked ALL OVER that store. More than 16000 steps! :-0!

Anyway I thought I would take today and update on all my girlys! McKayla my oldest is just growing like a weed. I know she is growing again cause she is actually EATING! If you know me at all you know that McKayla is my problem eater. Doesn't help that she is also my "smallest" (smallest in the sense that she is only 3lbs smaller than Natalie who is 22 months younger and about 3 inches off as well) She is beginning to be a sassy little thing. I really fear her spending too much time with other kids because it seems she picks up all their bad habits! Overall she is doing really well though!

Then there is Natalie. What can I say about Natalie. She is my challenge. She is so stubborn and so strong willed! I know she is going to be the one we have fun with later! lol. Natalie still loves being with her preschool friends, and this past week even went twice without McKayla, which in itself was a joy to see. I was so worried she wouldn't do okay without her sister, since they have always been together, but she did wonderfully! Her teachers can't stop telling me how good a kid she is and how much she has grown this last year! :-)

And Miss Alivia! I can't believe she is 15 months old already! Seems like just yesterday she was that tiny baby in my arms. Alivia has turned out to be quite my water baby! She loves to go to the river with us and we hold her and she wants us to walk her all over in that water, all the way up to her belly (the other two won't go past their knees) Liv is also FINALLY walking nearly all the time. Only times she crawls is when she falls and doesn't want to get back up, or when I want her to walk! I still haven't been able to get it on video. Liv is also a lovey girl. :-) She loves getting hugs and kisses and has started really giving them. Lots of teeth in her little mouth!

And there you have it. Updates on my three beautiful girls. :-)

TGIF!

Too bad that my work week begins on Friday, and that I only have one week left until I start my other "job" of babysitting three more kids. Please tell me why I subject myself to the torture of six kids? Really, I must be out of my mind! Anyway. Its only six weeks, and I know this way that the kids will all have a good person trying to do what is best for them. :)

I also get to buy a new TV. I'm just counting it as a blessing that it could have been one of the kids heads that got broken. TV's are replaceable, children are not.

You know what else is replaceable? The Boise State Bronco warmer they also broke. Again just stuff, but SO FRUSTRATING when they keep breaking my things! lol. Someday I will learn to never buy anything that isn't plastic, metal or wrapped in bubble wrap until they move out. :)

Okay, will end with something funny!
What goes oh oh oh?






Santa walking backwards!

Have a happy Friday!

Wordless Wednesday