Is it July Already?

We celebrated the 4th of July all week last week. It was the first week we really didn't have much going on so we had plenty of time to do lots of projects!

We made marshmallows on a sticks dipped in white chocolate. While the chocolate was hot, we dipped them in sprinkles and sugar. I caught Will using the marshmallow as a "spoon" for the sugar. Can't say I blame him- what's better than chocolate and marshmallows- chocolate, marshmallows, and sugar of course!





We had some coop kids over, so they got to enjoy this project with us!

There were plenty of left-overs...

It was a good thing, because we had company later...

I used red, blue, and glitter polish to paint Alice's nails.
She got special nail pens for Christmas that we used to write USA on her big toes.

We made RED, WHITE, and BLUE necklaces with beads and pieces of straws...


We made a World Cup soccer game out of clothes hangers and glued flags of various countries on each hoop. Alice made me time her to see how fast she could kick the ball through all of the hoops. She played over and over trying to beat her last time. I'm not sure were she got the competitive determination (ha!) Will has quite a kick too.


She got a new soccer shirt that she insisted she wear while they played...

On Saturday we took the kids to a 4th of July parade. They were super excited about all the candy they got. We didn't last all that long becasue it was pretty hot.


Will wasn't too sure what to think about the clowns...



We made RED, WHITE, and BLUE cookies. It took a ton of red and blue dye to make them the right color. Not the healthiest treats we've made, but they were tasty.



We made fireworks t-shirts. Will really wanted to paint, but he can't stand getting paint on his hands. He washed them after each time he touched the paintbrush. Alice had paint all over her body and couldn't have cared less...



We made red and blue ice cubes. Will was very disturbed when he walked away and came back to find that his ice cubes were missing. Of course he assumed that Alice took them!


We made homemade ice cream. It was so much easier than the way we used to do it when I was litte, although I have fond memories of making ice cream growing up. I got a Cuisinart ice cream maker which made wonderfully creamy ice cream.


If you ask me, July is off to a pretty good start!

Berry Fun

Oh how the kids LOVE fruit, so we took a trip to a fairly local berry farm. I love this particular farm because they don't use pesticides so you can eat the fruit right off the vines. As you'll see from the pictures, Will took full advantage of this!
The raspberries were a little tricky to pick because of the thorny bushes that grew around the them. I was surprised that Will lasted as long as he did in the raspberry patch. In each area, the story was always the same... We would get to the end of the row and Alice would have a full bucket of fruit. Will would have none. Each time he seemed surprised and said, "I don't have any fwuit". Luckily Alice was in a generous mood that day and shared her fruit with him. I have to savor these moments, because as it goes with siblings, this is not always the case!





The cherries were also a little tricky. Most of the cherries were pretty high up and difficult to reach. Alice made it a game to find low branches and to pull them down so that Will could reach them. Again, I was very proud.





The blueberries were the easiest to pick, but by the time we got there, the kids were exhausted. Will still had enough energy to eat several free quarts!




And when we got home, I made my first cherry pie. It was delicious, if I do say so myself.

The kids thought so too..

A Very Busy Week

Last week was a super busy week. I was in charge of the preschool portion of VBS. We had three preschool rooms and a nursery with toddlers. It was a huge success and everyone really enjoyed it, but it took us awhile to recover.
Of course we still had the afternoons free and found plenty of ways to fill them.
There were ice cream cones and friends...


There was a new slip-n-slide...
I found one for $3. That's about as much as you should pay for one since they usually rip after one or two uses.
My kids were super cautious. Can't imagine where they got that from!


Their buddies were not so cautious. At one point I found myself saying, "We do not do somersaults on the slip-n-slide." It's just one of those things you'd never think you'd hear yourself say!


At the end of the week the VBS kids put on a show for the parents. It was kind of a nice occasion, so I suggested that Will wear a nice shirt and a nice pair of shorts. He did not appreciate my suggestion and threw quite a fit. After quite a long period of negotiation, we decided he would just wear a nice shirt and that he would wear his t-shirt under it. He wore it in the car and into the church and then insisted that I take it off.




After a long week, we decided to relax at the lake with Dallas and Laura and their boys. We found the perfect spot with shallow water that went on forever.





Will fell asleep before we left the park. Alice would have too if Brad hadn't promised ice cream on the way home!

It was a great way to end a VERY BUSY WEEK...