Monday, July 30, 2012

4th of July

We started the 4th of July pretty much like we always do... with a bbq in the back yard!  We made organic burgers, and had lots of salads, fruit, and of course -- a cake -- to celebrate Wilma's birthday.  She got a new hat, too.  I think the color worked perfectly with her wardrobe that day!


And then it was off to the fireworks.  We left pretty early this year, mostly because I always forget what time we left last year (it always turns out to be too early), and then we leave too early again.  But at least we got the spot we wanted!

We brought lots of games and snacks.  Joey, Grace, Matt and I played catch for a long time.  We always walk around the cemetery -- we go to the cemetery because it's got a good view of the fireworks that go off down the hill, and it's easy to get in and out.  We look at the names and dates and ages of people who died.  Joey always gets a little weepy when we get to the children's graves.  He hates it when anyone or anything dies.  Even bugs.  He's got a very soft heart.


Matt likes to walk off by himself.  We lose him a lot.  It's really a miracle he's still alive.



The sun was going down, and Haley was practicing the song she learned on the guitar.  Matt decided it would be a good time to draw.  At least he was sitting in one place.  Plus, he was drawing a map of how to get home, because he thinks I'm an idiot.



I made everybody their own bag of popcorn.  It was supposed to be eaten during the fireworks, but Matt had a hard time deciding if he should wait or not.  He kept looking at the bag, unrolling it, rolling it back up, contemplating...




He did a good job using self-control.  Then he decided to eat it.  He lasted a lot longer than I thought he would, even though it didn't make it until the fireworks started.

The moon was a bright red because of all the fires.  Love the red moon, hate the fires.


I knew when the sun went down, it would be hard to keep track of the children.  It gets pretty busy around the cemetery, so I brought 3 packs of glow sticks and gave them to the kids to wear.  It helped a lot (except when they decided to take them off and twirl them around -- which was stopped the first time they hit someone's car with one).


The kids are usually ready to go home before the fireworks are done, so we just pack up and head out.  It's kind of nice that they want to leave early, because we don't have to fight the crowds, and we can still see the fireworks display on the way home!



Tuesday, July 17, 2012

Painting Salt

We've been bored a lot this summer.  We're kind of just waiting around for our vacation to get here.  So, thanks to Pinterest, we decided to paint some salt.  We took glue, made a design, and then dropped watered down paint onto it.  We watched the colors spread, and the kids loved it.  It wasn't something that we could keep, because the salt begins to crumble after awhile.  But thank goodness for pictures!  I can snap one, and then throw them away!

Matt went with his standard rainbow picture.  He loves rainbows:



Grace did a beautiful smiley face:



Andrew and Joey went with swirly sunbursts.  They each did them a little different, and they turned out great:


Amazing Grace

Grace is a garage-sale-lover.  When she gets bored, or wants money, she sets up a garage sale in her room.  She merchandises everything very well (there may be a future there), prices everything accordingly (usually her prices are steep, so be prepared to bring lots of cash), and stays open all day long (or until we need the benches back).





Also, she is great at snorkeling, and looks fabulous in goggles.

Monday, July 16, 2012

Red Lodge, Part 2

After we had stuffed ourselves with pizza (see post below), we decided to go to a little creek side park and digest for awhile.  We found The Smallest Beach in the World, where we all just barely managed to fit.  The kids skipped rocks and played in the sand.  Then we washed them up, packed them back in the car (after Matt used the outhouse -- not because he had to go very bad, he just wanted to see inside there), and headed back to the park.

It was much cooler by then, so we enjoyed our time there a little more.  We also helped some local grandparents figure out how to fly their grandson's remote control helicopter.  Andrew was very useful, and had it figured out in no time.  Before we left, he was instructing them on how to use it, how to charge it, and how to store it.










Red Lodge, Part 1

A few weeks ago, we decided to hop in the car and go up to Red Lodge for a few hours.  We had promised the kids that we'd go get pizza at our favorite pizza place up there.  First we stopped at the park, played a little (it was really hot), talked to some people from the East Coast that had just come through the Beartooth Pass (it was the most treacherous, terror-filled road they had ever experienced -- but they liked Yellowstone), and then went on to eat some pizza.  Sometimes I am amazed at how much food it takes to feed us.  It's truly astonishing.

Matt, trying to climb the rope. He was not successful.

 Joey going across the rope course.  They were playing American Ninja Warrior the whole time.

 Grace taking a break in the shade:

 Andrew, looking cool:

 I found Grace trying to help out Matt on the swings.  She was doing a great job!

 But it was really hot, so she took another break in the shade:

 The next American Ninja Warrior:

 I'm not exactly sure what was going on here, but she was just being weird -- shouting something in a British accent:

 Joey likes to climb things, and then pose for pictures:

 See?

 Matt could have been here all day, dumping rocks:


 At the pizza place, coloring the child menus kept them busy for quite awhile.  Luckily, we ordered appetizers. And soda.