Family Camp 2011

We had a blast at Family Camp this year. It was a fun-filled, memory-making, high adventure week. Enjoy a photo narration of our good times.

Catching Creatures




Kayaking



Fishing

Trevor caught about 6 fish! His biggest was as 12 inch Rainbow Trout. He learned how to clean it, prep it, and cook it in the fire. He was so excited to eat his catch, "It tastes like chicken!" he said.


Skit Nite



Lounging on the beach



Hanging out with the teeny-boppers



Playing games in camp



We had 2 boats this year! The Sanger and the Malibu Skier



Talent Nite
Zachary kicked things off with the Star Spangled Banner and Jackson favored us with his sword fighting talent.





Celebrating the 4th





Eating!



Rafting



Water balloon fight!



Rock Jumping






Trying to go home

There is always a challenge when trying to pack up and leave camp. This year was no exception. Pulling the boat out of the water posed a challenge for our oversize trucks. Getting stuck in the mud is never fun. How many guys does it take to push a 2 ton truck out of the lake?

We are proud to announce that there wasn't one single trip to the ER this year. Woo hoo! That was a first. We were so spoiled to hang out with good friends and family for a whole week. The Minnicks came all the way from Montana to be with us! It was a fantastic week of good times, dirty fingernails, blue hands, HOT and/or COLD showers, card games, ghost town exploration, scary stories, staying up late, adult conversation at the late night campfire, and excellent dinners. We are already looking forward to Family Camp 2012!

End of the year Awards

The kids all finished off the year with some great awards. Mom and Dad got to attend several award ceremonies to honor these fantastic kids.

Trevor earned his Block R Award for the 2nd year in a row. To earn this award he had to be involved with a bunch of extra-curricular activities while maintaining good grades. He soared in his academics this year! He earned High Honor Roll all 4 quarters! That is a HUGE accomplishment for our boy!

Logan had a great year in athletics. His coaches were so impressed with him after each season for being consistent as one of the top performing athletes on his team. He was awarded with the Outstanding Runner trophy at the sports awards ceremony. Way to go Logan!

Lizzie had a great year in first grade. In fact, she liked it so much that she never missed a day! We were all so surprised to learn that she had earned Perfect Attendance for ALL 4 QUARTERS. Wow! Good Job Lizzie!

Jackson (and Mommy's) last day of Joy School

Jackson has successfully finished his preschool years. He had a fun year learning his ABC's, 123's, and making lots of cute crafts. Here he is on his last and final day as a preschooler. Goodness! That boys is full of spit and vinegar! Of course, with a little sprinkling of sweetness and sugar on the side... :)

Jackson and all of his siblings participated in 2 years of Joy School. The moms of all the kids would take turns hosting Joy School at their house once or twice a week throughout the school year. That means that I (ME, the Mama) have also successfully completed 8 YEARS of Joy School! (Yay me!) It is a bittersweet moment to say goodbye to those years - the years when kids were still babies. These kids are all growing up on me. Too fast, I say. 'Stop growing up' has been our motto around here for the last several months. But since there is nothing I can do to slow time or force them to stay young we will instead look to the looming future...

Jackson looks forward to starting kindergarten this fall and is in for quite a surprise... ALL DAY kindergarten! None of our other kids experienced a full day of school during their first year in public school. Another school in our area has had huge success with their trial of an all day kindergarten program and now our school has decided to follow their example. I'm sure there will be a Jackson update at the start of the school year. We cross our fingers and toes to get a loving, patient teacher for our squirrely boy!

For now, Jackson is happy to run wild in the backyard and soak up the long days of summer with all his backyard pals.

kids say the darndest things

We're having dinner as a family. Jackson's cup is empty and he is thirsty. He thrusts his empty cup towards Jeremy and says, "Daddy. More juice!"

Jeremy says, "Excuse me? Jackson, you are supposed to say, 'more juice, please'."

Jackson responds, "No daddy, YOU say, 'coming right up'!"

* . * . * . * . * . * . * . * . * . * . * . * . * . *

Here's another deep conversation between Lizzie and Mommy...

Lizzie: Mommy, are there any old movies I haven't seen?

Mommy: Yes, there are lots of old movies you haven't seen.

Lizzie: Like what?

Mommy: Well... let's see... have you seen Meet me in St. Louis?

Lizzie: No

Mommy: Have you seen The Wizard of Oz? That's one of my favorite old movies.

Lizzie: You're just like Oprah!

Mommy: What?!

Lizzie: You love The Wizard of Oz just like Oprah, but I hate that movie!

Mommy: Well then, it sounds like you need to watch it again because it's the best.

[How does this girl know that Oprah likes that movie? We've watched Oprah ONCE in the last 5 years!]

kids say the darndest things

While driving in the car yesterday we were having a family conversation that went a little something like this...

Jackson: All the girls nike me.

Daddy: Why do all the girls like you, Jackson?

Jackson: Dey say I so cute.

Summer Activities

Summer is just about here... only one more day of school for the kiddos and then it's over. Or it's beginning? Either way you look at it, the kids will be home all summer! My friend, Leslie, made a list of all the fun things they'd be doing this summer. I thought I'd do the same - even if only to get ideas from others so we don't end up playing video games all the days long!

Swim lessons

Swim in the pool

Water polo camp

Read books

Music camp

Go to Wild Water Adventures

Cub Scout Day Camp

$1 & $3 movie theaters

Scout Camp

Teach the kids how to cook - cookie squares, mac n cheese, pancakes, quesadillas (any other babysitting foods???)

Camping at the Beach

Once a week library visits (to check out more FREE video games! and books, of course)

Sleepovers

Camping in the mountains

Movies on the wall in the backyard

Smores with a backyard bonfire

Nerf battles

Airsoft wars

Pedicures

Chuck E Cheese when reading charts are filled!

Go to the farm

Check out the city parks with water features

Family bike rides

Walks to the gas station

Playdates


Of course, all of this fun will happen after the morning chore charts have been completed:
brush teeth
make bed
pick up dirty clothes
read
Jackson Job (read with Jackson, ABC Flashcards with Jackson, or white board writing letters with Jackson)
around the house job x2

That's the plan anyway... we'll see how long the mama's will power lasts :/


What are you doing for family fun this summer to keep the summer doldrums away?

Double Digits

Logan is officially 10 years old. It has been a great decade. Here are some pretty fantastic things Logan did in his 10th year:

- won a baseball championship
- went to his first concert: Star Wars
- shook Pat Hill's hand!
- won most of his Cross Country races & was awarded MVP for his team
- placed 9th in Cross Country District Finals
- earned his Bear rank in Cub Scouts (and several arrow points, belt loops, and beads)
- learned how to knee board
- won all but one of his wrestling matches
- went snow skiing several times
- took first place in Regional DI competition

Just for funsies, here are all the different "cakes" Logan got at his multiple birthday parties (remember Logan does not eat sweet or anything with too much sugar):
1. family party: Toaster Scramblers (top L picture)
2. Duran family party: french fries (bottom L Picture)
3. Ward family party: tator tots

Logan learned a little trick last year...he asked only for ca$h on his birthday wish list and ended up with enough money to purchase his own 32 gig iPod Touch. That was last year. This year he had a different expensive item in mind - a PS3. He put out his wish list again and he was gifted enough money to purchase a new game system. Here he is with all of his loot. WOW. That is a lot of cash for one kid. My favorite is the dollar bill boa necklace. Nice. :) (Special thanks to all the grandmas, grandpas, cousins, aunts, and uncles that obliged Logan's request for birthday $$ - you made his day!)

Here are the things we will always remember about you at 10 years old. You are a most obedient boy, always trying to do the right thing. You are a master at finishing your chores in record time. You are already an excellent co-babysitter - paying attention to the kids and cleaning up before mom and dad get home. You give the best goodbye/goodnight kisses. We love that you say, "I love you" as many times as possible at bedtime. WE LOVE YOU TOO. Happy Birthday, Logie Man.

Book Page Wreath

The last several weeks have been busy as usual, but I caught a small decorating bug. If you've ever done some decorating in your home you know what happens when you start one project... it snowballs. The above cabinet space in the kitchen needed to be revamped after Easter, as did the shelves in the dining area, the art above my couch has been screaming at me for months, and so has the family picture above my piano. Rearranging and repurposing items from around the house creates even more projects.

Soooo, instead of doing all those other things, I began with a craft project that I knew could be finished started and finished within a couple of hours. Those other projects would take much preparation and planning.

Here is the idea I found online. Read her blog for directions and tutorial on putting this wreath together. Here is the list of supplies needed for this project:

1 9 inch foam wreath (I used a wicker 12 inch wreath)
1 pack of mini glue sticks (and glue gun)
1 paperback book (I got a big hardcover book) 300 + pages
black, gray, gold paint (I used whatever spray paint I already had in my garage)

TOTAL COST: $2 + glue sticks

I purchased the wreath and book at the Dollar Tree. The small difference in the inches of the wreath made a HUGE difference in the end. And the size of my book was pretty big too. A paperback would have been easier for ripping out pages too.

Total time to complete this project. 2 hours (including a break for visiting with neighbors). Perfect for a Sunday afternoon.

The wreath I made turned out really really big. Much bigger than I imagined. It is nearly 2 feet across! I should have known this would happen - start with a 12 inch wreath and all that paper will double its width. Lesson learned. You want a small wreath...use a small wreath to begin with. I am happy with the results. And the enormous size has grown on me. I like it. It makes a statement.

As much as I like my new handmade decoration, I still prefer the look of the inspiration wreath. Mine is very fluffy while hers is more compact and scrunched looking.

Here's what I'd do different next time:
1. use a smaller wreath
2. use a smaller PAPERBACK book with words that stretch to the edge of the page
3. paint the edges of my paper even more
4. make my paper more scrunchy

For now, my paper pleasure will delight visitors as it greets them on my front door. (I have nowhere else to hang something this large.) And if you make one, please post pictures somewhere and leave a link so we can compare notes.

kids say the darndest things

Jackson and I are pumping gas at Costco when the freak hail storm hit us last Monday. The hail is hitting the ground and bouncing all over the place. I think to myself, Jackson's got to see this up close! I call him to get out of the car and check out all the crazy hail. As he's hopping out of the car some stray pieces of hail make their way into the car. Jackson sees them and yells (loud enough for all the other gas pumping people to hear), "WE GOT TO GET THE HAIL OUTTA HERE!"

Yes, that is my child. He is hilarious!

Take you to Rio, Rio

It's STAR testing at our school this week. That means that our kids do NOT have any homework for a solid week! Yippeee! What do we do to celebrate these extra few hours of freedom? We go to the movies of course!

The only family friendly movie that fit into our Tuesday schedule was the vibrantly colorful Rio.

This movie was made by the creators of the Ice Age movies. There is an Ice Age short just before the feature film begins. It was quite funny. That Scat (squirrely prehistoric creature) is a comedic character that we all muchly enjoyed.

Here's what we liked about Rio:
1. It had GREAT music! We'll be downloading several songs from the soundtrack for sure.
2. The colors were so vibrant
3. The setting was gorgeous - never been to Rio, but would like to see for myself if it is as fantastic as it was portrayed to be.
4. It was fun to hear a star studded cast of animated characters: will.i.am, Anne Hathaway, Jesse Eisenberg (The Social Network guy), George Lopez, Tracy Morgan, Jaime Foxx, Jayne Lynch.

Here's what we disliked about Rio:
1. The story was only ok. Not super engaging.
2. There were some skanky costumes towards the end (they go to Carnival in Rio) It seemed sort of inappropriate to watch a character in a children's movie walking around in a bikini.

We give this movie 2 1/2 drooling bulldogs out of 5.

Go see this movie if you're up for a family friendly experience. But take care to go to the $3 theater.

Don't go see this movie if you dislike talking animals, great music, or if you plan to just rent it at Red Box for free.

Or, just watch the Ice Age short and download the soundtrack from iTunes.