In Search of the Great Pumpkin

I had the opportunity to go with Thomas' kindergarten class on their Pumpkin Patch field trip. Mason hid my camera this morning, but fortunately, Vanessa loaned me hers. (THANK YOU!!!) It rained some, but we had a fun time. The kids went on a hay ride, picked out pumkins, had snacks, planted some kind of seed, checked out the animals, and played on the hay pyramid and maze. It was a busy field trip!

And More Success!

Once he saw how fun it was and how fast Thomas could go with just two wheels, Mason wanted to give it a try. Michael tested him out on McKenzie's first bike before he took the training wheels off the little boy's bike we've been borrowing from the Davises. As you can see, he passed with flying colors!

Success!

Soon after school started, Thomas began playing with some of our neighbors who are also in his kindergarten class. They all love to ride their bikes, but none of his friends use training wheels. When Thomas realized that he was already balancing pretty well on his bike, he decided to try shedding the training wheels again. This time, he was ready.

I included this picture because I absolutely love the moment surrounding it, even though I wasn't fast enough to really capture it. Mason was standing a little to the side, waiting for Thomas to successfully take off. Once he did, Mason ran alongside Thomas until he couldn't keep up anymore, and cheered "You're doing it! You're doing it! Whoo-hoo!!!" It was awesome.

He could not wipe this huge grin off his face!

I really like this picture because it was so spontaneous. Thomas got off his bike and asked his dad for a hug in gratitude for teaching him how to ride a bike! What a sweet moment. And I love Mason's expression, as well.

Summer 2009

Finally: OUR SUMMER 2009 HIGHLIGHTS POST
(It's broken down into several smaller posts to accommodate all the photos. Just keep clicking on older posts until you get to the end. The pictures should really be there this time. I hope!)

June was a full month. It began with a performance of Dinosaur Valley, performed by the entire second grade. McKenzie was a baby dinosaur. We learned about the importance of not trashing our earth.

Thomas graduated from preschool (actually, at the end of May), and McKenzie said "goodbye" to the second grade.

We attended Michael's annual work picnic where McKenzie and her friend waited an hour and a half in line to get their faces painted. We ate lots of cotton candy and the boys and Megan thoroughly enjoyed the bounce houses and slide.

Transplants and Workout Partners

After our garden was flooded by one of our water lines, Thomas and Mason decided some of the plants would fare better under the trampoline. For some reason, our garden didn't produces as well as we had hoped it would this year...

I thought I would recruit my four children as workout partners. (Thomas insisted on wearing a thick sweater for the first few times riding his bike in the summer heat.) I thought McKenzie and Thomas could ride their bikes while I ran with Mason and Megan. I felt like their personal trainer most of the time, encouraging them to ride just one more block. Thomas and McKenzie would often stop to look at rolypolys or whatever caught their eye. As you probably guessed, this exercise routine didn't last long at all.

I will add that we did go on some pretty long bike rides. We rode to Michael's work one day, and 3 miles to the river for a picnic and throw rocks in it a couple of other days. I missed an awesome photo op when Thomas skidded half the way down the bike ramp from the overpass. It was so hot that day that the combination of the seared pavement, his old tires, and skidding ripped a hole all the way through the tire, causing green slime to coat about 25 feet on the ramp. Thomas was a little shaken up because he wasn't sure he was going to be able to stop before the ramp made a hairpin curve, so he didn't want his picture taken. I ran and was able to catch him before he fell at the end. Thankfully he was going slow enough that I don't think he would have gone off the edge if I weren't there. Regrettably, I honored his request to not take his picture. I think I would make a lousy paparazza.

Father and Son Campout and FHE Horseriding

6/19-20/09
Michael and Thomas went on a Father/Son Campout. Thomas wanted to climb the mountain, so he and Michael went on a rocky hike with some friends. We heard about his adventure for the rest of the summer, which sparked the desire in our other children to "climb a mountain," as well.

6/29/09

At the end of the month, we had the neat opportunity to ride horses at the Jenkins' place. It was pretty exciting for the kids.

Mountains of Dirt and Mt. Rainier

In July, the kids learned how to deal with the intense summer heat by playing under the trampoline and digging paths and roads in the dirt for Max (the tortoise) and their trucks.

7/11/09

Michael's sister, Christine, and her family came all the way from Texas to visit family in Washington. We met them first along with his other sister, Sara, and her family at Mt. Rainier and enjoyed a picnic and a nature walk with them. When it was time to go back to the car and drive home, our children were disappointed that we hadn't "climbed the mountain." We tried to explain that we were on the mountain, and that we had climbed it (sort of), but it didn't work for them.