Summer Fun Week 1

Week One of our Summer Fun started on a Tuesday as Cerise's last day of school was on a Monday.  We started our Service Tuesday off with one of the projects that I was most excited about...leaving coins on the vending machines at the hospital.  Sometime that week we also decided to make a shirt for Scott for Father's Day.  I got the idea from Pinterest.  Then on Friday we did our first science experiment...Plastic bag explosions using vinegar and baking soda.  All in all a very successful week of projects and activities!

The girls decorating the notes that went in the bags with the coins.

Taping up a bag.

Sadly, the best picture I got of all 3 kids :(.

All the notes said the same thing, and the girls added cheerful pictures to each one.

Waiting on the first bag to break during Science Friday.

Writing in their Science Journals

Decorating a shirt for Father's Day.

What do you know...a Pinterest craft that actually worked!!!

Cerise added this to the front.

Oh What Do You Do in the Summertime?

The past couple of summers I have tried to have at least one fun activity for the kids every day.  I have written them on little cards and then placed a card in a little mailbox.  The problem with this is that I often pulled a card, decided I didn't really want to do that, and chose the cleaner, easier, and probably more boring activities.  So, this year we are revamping the system.  I am putting all the ideas on Popsicle sticks and on Friday night we'll pick 7 or 8 sticks, choose the 5 we want to do the next week and do them.  Also this year we are instituting "Science Friday" and "Service Tuesday" in an attempt to push me out of my "no mess" comfort zone and also to get the kids to think outside of themselves.  So, here is my list. 55 General Ideas, 15 Service Ideas, and 15 Science Projects.  Most of the things will be very inexpensive or free, with just a few costing more than $5 or $10.  I have tried to include links to any projects that might need further explanation.  I take absolutely no credit for most of these ideas.  Google and Pinterest are powerful tools ;).  I am actually really excited about all of this and excited to try to remember to take pictures as we do some of these things and blog about them!

General Ideas
Ziploc Bag Painting
Make Homemade Bubbles
Blow up and Play in the Backyard Pool
Have a Water Fight
Go to the Splash Park
Walk to the Frozen Yogurt Store
Make a Ball Maze
Sharpie Tie-Dye
Cloud Dough
Balloon Ping Pong
Take a picnic to the Park
Visit the Fire Department
Go to the local Free Movie
Make Cookies together
Make and Decorate Cupcakes
Fly a Kite
Have a Tea Party
Back Yard Camp-out
Make shaped crayons
Go Bowling
Play a Board Game
Go to the Farmers Market
Paint Rocks
Make Fruit Salsa
Write Nice Notes to every member of the family
Have a Nerf War
Have a Play Date
Go to the local Wading Pool
Have a Dress-Up Photo Shoot
Go for a Family Bike Ride
Hike a local Mountain
Paint Fingernails/Toenails
Fancy/Crazy Hair Day
Make Homemade Snow Cones
Run through the Sprinklers
Pick Blueberries at a local Farm
Go to a local Water Park
Make Toothpick/Marshmallow sculptures
Make full body Self Portraits (with sidewalk chalk or butcher paper)
Thumbprint Art
Shaving Cream Art
Make Bubble Snakes
Make Homemade Bracelets
Glow in the Dark Bathtub Swimming
Make Salt-dough Necklaces
Wash the Car
Have a Lemonade Stand
Make Popsicle Stick Bracelets
Make up Sidewalk Chalk Games
Make Homemade Ice Cream in a Ziploc
Condensed Milk Paint
Sand/Bottle Art
Make a "Chill-Out" Bottle (or 3)
Make Popsicle Stick Puzzles
Sidewalk Paint
Miniature Golf
Ice-Cube Excavation


Service Projects:
Give the Garbage Man a Treat
Take Donuts to the Dr's Office
Weed somebody's Garden
Pay for the next person's Snow cone
Babysit the older kids for someone who has a new baby
Wash windows on cars at the Temple
Leave a "Have a Great Day" cards on car windows at the Grocery store
Pick up Trash at the Park
Hand out Ice Cold Water Bottles to strangers at the Park
Take coloring books and crayons to Hospital Waiting Rooms
Leave Baggies with change on the Hospital Vending Machines
Deliver Flowers to someone
Make Treats for the Bishopric
Make Treats for an older person in the Ward
Sing at a Nursing Home (we'll enlist the help of friends for this one)
Here is a blog post with lots more service ideas!

Science Projects:
Make Homemade Bouncy Balls
Make Naked Eggs
Make Discovery Bottles
Color Changing Flowers
Blow up Balloons with Baking Soda/Vinegar
Make Oobleck
"Clean" Pennies
Make Faux Lava Lamps
Dancing Raisins
Ivory Soap Clouds
Baking Soda/Vinegar reactions
Play Sink or Float
Rainbow Milk
Exploding Bags
Make Glow in the Dark Slime

All Caught Up

Phew, I am finally all caught up on my blogging!  Scroll down to see LOTS of updates about what we've been doing the past few several months.  And keep your eyes open for my Summer 2012 post about our awesome plans for the summer with 53 fun (and mostly cheap) projects plus 15 science experiments and 15 service projects (complete with links to project ideas)!  I just need to insert all the links and it will be up (hopefully within a couple of days).

A Silly Sunday Morning

A couple of weeks ago the girls let me sleep in on a Sunday morning.  However, there was a whole lot of giggling going on in their room.  When I got up, I went to investigate.  I was handed a ticket at the door, which was then punched, and then I was allowed to enter the circus.  They had taped a "trapeze" to the ceiling along with their giraffe and zebra.  It was so funny and they were SO proud of themselves!!!

Preschool Graduation

Morgan has had a GREAT year in preschool this year.  She went to the same preschool that Cerise went to, and loved it just as much.  For her end of the year teacher gift, she helped me paint a flower pot that said "Thanks for helping me BLOOM this year!" and then put some beautiful Gerber Daisies in it.

Mo's class with Mrs. E.

Life wouldn't be complete without a silly class picture!

Tyson turns Three!!!!

My Bubbers turned THREE!!! How did that happen?!?  He has been looking forward to his birthday since mine in March, and it finally came!!!  He was so happy to get a new scooter, a new car ramp, a cool train with his name on it, a tractor, and a police truck.  

"Three"

Testing out the scooter, which much to my dismay has remained a mostly inside toy!

I love how the girls are "helping" him blow out his candles!

Won't You Be My Neighbor?

One of our neighbors arranged a sidewalk chalk walk in our cul-de-sac.  It was so fun to see all the kids in the neighborhood out working on their creations all day.  At the end of the day, we all walked around to all the driveways and saw each other's art.  One girl in the neighborhood even set up a free face painting table, which of coarse my girls LOVED!  Cerise set up a free Kool-Aid stand and the neighbor down the street brought muffins over.  We all got a little sunburned (I didn't even think about sunscreen) but the girls dubbed it the "best day ever!"  I love our neighborhood and our neighbors!!!

Cerise's advertisement

Cerise's ocean scene with a whale, a mom dolphin and a baby dolphin.

Morgan's puppy complete with water and food bowl.

My contribution.

Alpacas

Scott's supervisor at work owns some alpacas and had invited us out to the Alpaca Farm to see them.  I had never heard of them before, so we loaded up the kids and went to see them.  The kids LOVED it and keep asking when we can go back to see them again.

Miss Mo giving the alpaca a treat.

Tyson was much more hesitant around them, but even he warmed up to them and fed them.

Cerise was totally at ease with the alpacas, as she is with most animals.

This guy apparently wanted a closer look at Morgan.

Isn't he cute?

Aunt Donette and Uncle Howie come to Visit!!

The week before Spring Break, Aunt Donette and Uncle Howie came to visit.  We did all sorts of fun stuff with them, most of which I forgot to take pictures of, or only used my phone and the pics aren't very good.  But I DID manage to take pictures of the egg-blowing/decorating.

Spring Break

For the first time ever we decided to actually go somewhere for Spring Break.  We stayed in one of our timehsares in Coeur D'Alene.  The plan was to drive into Spokane for at least one day, but we ended up just staying at the condo the whole time and playing in the pool/exploring/hiking.  It was totally fun, totally relaxing, and exactly what we all needed.

Tyson hiking up the trail.  He did great considering how little he is.
He made it about  a mile and a half up the mountain before he sat down on the trail proclaiming he was D-O-N-E.

The girls up ahead with Daddy.

About halfway up and still happy!

Taking a much needed break.

A cool cave we found along the way.

The timeshare sponsored an Easter egg hunt on the Saturday before Easter.  It was fun and well done.

Helping Daddy cook hamburgers

The Ugly Bush

The first time we drove up to this house to look at it, Scott and I looked at each other and said, "If we buy this house, that bush HAS to go!"  It was so ugly and overgrown and just awful.  FINALLY this spring we pulled it out.  I LOVE our front yard now!

House with the Ugly Bush

Pulling out the Ugly Bush

The HUGE pile of rocks that we sifted out of the dirt

All reshaped, sifted and ready to go!

Without the Ugly Bush (and with the wishing well planter we scored for free off the street corner)

Baptism Day!!!

At the beginning of March, Grandma and Grandpa were able come up for a visit and Cerise got baptized.  She was SOOOOO excited and ready to take this important step.  She chose to have Daddy baptize her and Grandpa confirm her.  I am so very proud of the big decisions that she has made and the way she prepared herself and studied and prayed to know that getting baptized was the right choice to make.  In her words, "The water was REALLY REALLY cold, but when Daddy baptized me, I felt warm in my heart and I knew that it was the Holy Ghost telling me that I had made the right decision."

Cerise and Daddy in their matching new clothes.

The whole family :)

Daddy, Cerise, and Grandpa

Cerise and the two boys who also got baptized that day.

In front of the Font.