Doughnut anyone?

Happy National Doughnut day!  Who knew there was such a thing?  Not us, until a friend let us in on the little secret.  Kermit loves any reason to celebrate, and national doughnut day was something he couldn't let pass us by without some sort of celebration!  He's a happy kid!

Read out, Pig out!

Last summer a friend told me about something called "Read out, Pig out" that she did with her kids.  She let each child choose a snack to share with everyone, set out all the snacks buffet style, and then everyone got to read and snack.  I started doing it with my kiddos last year and they still get excited about their weekly "read out, pig out" parties.  Felicity asked if she could invite some friends to read out, pig out.  Of course, Kermit and Froggie wanted their friends to come as well.  I love my children's friends, so I agreed. 

First came the pigging out.  The "big kid" table.

The "little kid" table cleared out pretty fast.  Poor Froggie is a SLOW eater and was the last one at the table. 

He didn't seem to mind and wouldn't be rushed.

 

The allure of the swing set was too much for the little kids, so we let them play for a bit.

 

And then the reading started.  Sadly, it rained all morning, so laying on the grass wasn't an option.  Not to worry, these kids are creative.  The picnic table is a perfect place to read.

Although the lawn chair looked mighty comfy.

 

Two of the girls couldn't resist the trampoline.

Although that might have been a bit TOO comfy!

 This was the perfect place for this little guy.

All the little kids decided to lay out blankets in the front room and we read lots of stories here.

Last, but not least, Felicity and a friend found a quiet(ish) place in her room!

 

My little boys never read as long as Felicity does, so they choose a theme each week. I find some books to read that go with the theme and then I find a craft for them to do when they tire of reading.  This week our theme was Crocodiles.  After reading several crocodile books we went back outside to paint our own crocodiles. 

 

Kermit LOVES projects!

 Froggie worked very hard on his!

Eventually the big kids got tired of reading too.  This is how I found them.  Not sure what they were up to, but it looks like fun!

The kids were right.  Read out Pig out is more fun with friends. 

 

Dig in....to READING!

It was just me and the boys today!  Felicity was gone on a youth activity to Kings Island.  The boys and I took a trip up to the library to attend the summer reading program kick off party.  The theme this year is dig in.  The boys got to dig for a scavenger hunt clue which was to find a book with a plant on the cover.  After their hard work they were rewarded with a prize of their choice.  They each chose a stuffed animal.  Then they got to make a bracelet that says "read". 

 

After they finished their bracelets they each got a cookie and some lemonade.  Then the real fun began...choosing which books they got to take home with them.  These boys love the library, and look forward to our weekly trip there!

A little blood...

For the past week more often than not, this is how Froggie has looked. He has been having nosebleeds that last for hours. Packing it seems to help, and according to Froggie so do Popsicles. We ran out of Popsicles, mid nosebleed, this evening and there was no consoling the little guy. He boldly declared this to be "the WORST day ever". Up until tonight he had been handling it pretty well. I think he's just over it, as am I...

 

 

 

Can we go Camping?

All three of the kids love to go camping.  Kermit has been asking for weeks if we can go. This evening When I took dinner out to the picnic table I found him wearing this and spreading his sleeping bag out on the trampoline. I guess it's time to bring out the tent! 

 

 

 

Tuckered out!

Some of our friends from primary held a bake sale last Saturday morning to raise money for the people in Oklahoma. We decided to ride our bikes over. The kids had a blast riding bikes, playing with their friends, eating yummy treats, and stopping at every park we passed. Fourteen miles and tons of fun later I think someone was worn out!!!

 

 

Lawn Mowers

This morning the boys went to a kids workshop at the home depot.  They sanded, hammered, and painted.

 

The finished product?  Lawn mower pencil holders.

 

The home depot people were so impressed with their mad skills with the hammer, that they gave the boys certificates for successfully learning "safe do-it yourself skills"

 

Do you think that means they are qualified to hang a screen door for me?

 

After they finished their project the boys enjoyed juice and cookies.   They are so proud of themselves and are anxious to begin their next project.