Love their books

We went to get more library books the other and sign up for the Summer Reading Express.

The library gives a log book to each kid to track how many hours of reading that they do over the summer.

The Test Pilot jumped right on this. He has already been calculating how many minutes he has to read each day to make his goal by August.

Crash really doesn't "get" the log book but he loves books. For a child that can not read, he pours over books for the longest time. He loves story time in the evening with daddy.

As usual, Wingman just wants to do what his brothers do so he sits by them while they read or sometimes they read to him. It's cute to watch.

Here's to some good reading this summer.

Swim lessons 2010

Crash and Test Pilot are taking swim lessons again. The lessons are going really well this year. Crash is still not crazy about getting his face wet, but he loves to dog paddle all over the pool.

The Test Pilot is learning basic stroke skills like breast stroke, back stroke, and free style. He just needs to keep working on his endurance and confidence.

Crash has improved so much since last year. I have not had to get in the water at all with him this year. Yeah!

The Test pilot uses his down time at swim lessons to perfect the all important skill of performing a cannon ball jump. He is having a great time.

Wingman is just waiting for his chance for swim lessons. Next year...

Basketball Camp

The Test Pilot decided to try his hand at basketball. He participated in basketball camp run by our local high school basketball coach. Not surprisingly, he is a head taller than most of his peers.

He had lots of fun. He learned lots of new skills.

Here he is playing hot seat, which he loved. Of course, he always loved the games they played such as hot seat and knock out versus doing drills.

Watching him, brought back lots of good memories of my countless years at basketball camps. We found a gym that he and I can go play at. Looking forward to playing some more with him.

Fires aburning

It's that time of year. It's hot and this year it's dry, which makes the mountains a breeding ground for forest fires. I found it ironic that my last post was about how great the cabin is, but now we are praying it survives a fire.

A forest fire started by presumably a lightening strike has started near my parents' cabin. They have evacuated their whole canyon area at this time due to tremendous amounts of smoke. I have been told you can barely see right in front of you.

The fire is about 2 miles away and has burned approximately 800 acres. It has been dry and windy which are not making it any easier to treat. I have been told that the area fire departments are allowing it to burn while doing some things to contain the area it burns to protect structures.

There is a also a youth camp at the bottom of the canyon filled with 200+ campers and staff. At this time, they are not being evacuated.

Praying that the fire will be extinguished. Praying for no loss of life or injuries. Praying for no loss of buildings. (However, these are always replaceable.)

Everything is better at the cabin

We all just love going to my parents' cabin in the mountains. Everything is just better in the mountains.

It smells better there. I love to roll down the windows as we drive towards the cabin to smell all those pine and aspen trees. It's cooler there especially compared to where I currently reside. Worshiping God is better there. I love going to "church" at the camp where I grew up attending. The singing is just amazing.

My hair acts so much better in the mountains. No awful humidity to make it poof up and or do something bizarre after I spend 30 minutes on it. (I keep telling the Captain that this should be a good reason to move back, but he just laughs.)

Playing Scrabble on a rainy afternoon with your Nana is better in the mountains.

You can build forts in the mountains with your dad and your brothers.

There are sticks everywhere. Sticks to make forts with. Sticks to be pretend light-sabers. Sticks to be rockets. You name- you can do it with a stick. Crash became particularly attached to two sticks. We had to keep them in a safe place each night. Boys.

There's spring fed streams int the mountains. The boys loved throwing rocks in the creek, sailing boats in the creek, and occasionally wading in the creek. That water is coooold!

Here's Nana trying to keep Wingman from falling into the creek. Crash was the only casualty this year. It's not deep, but it's cold. They usually cry more from the shock than injury. (Someone seems to fall in every year.)

Grilling steaks, hot dogs, or whatever is so much better in the mountains. It just tastes and smells so much better there. I miss living there.

Looking forward to next time!

We're home again!

It is always fun to travel, and then it is so good to be home again. We just returned from our annual Memorial Day New Mexico vacation. We had lots of fun.

We spent time in the Sangre de Cristo Mountains then a few days in Albuquerque doing "big city" stuff that we don't have at home.

We got to visit one of my grandmother's on our journey. The boys love their Granny Jean. I just love that picture.

We took a trip to the National History Museum. Sorry the picture is blurry, but it's the only one of everyone in the picture.

Here's the Captain and I at the cabin. Apparently, if we are going to ever have our picture together we must take self-portraits with the camera. It thought I did pretty good for my first try.

All that travelling makes me want to cook again. I am so sick of McDonald's which we eat a lot of when we travel, because of the whole kid-friendly thing and they have a playground. The Captain and I decided on one lunch stop to eat at Subway which generally does not go over well with my kids. The Captain and I ate great fresh deli sandwiches with fresh vegetables, the children ate Cheetos and chocolate chip cookies. That was a proud mothering moment. Oh well!

Last day of school

Yeah! We are all so excited! It's the last day of school.

The little boys had their little day of Mother's Day Out yesterday. They celebrated with a pizza party. Crash's class had a "beach" party. They wore their swim suits and played on the sand volleyball court. They had water balloons which initially Crash was terrified of for some unknown reason. Then he saw all the fun and promptly assisted his class in soaking their sweet teacher.

I was just thinking of what a difference a year makes. Last year, if Crash was confronted with something unknown and scary to him (like the water balloons) he would have broken down into a huge fit that would have been hard to stop. This year he politely said "no thank you" but then eventually joined in on the fun. I am so proud of that boy!

Ms. and Ms. D have been wonderful have been the most perfect, wonderful, and fun teachers for Crash. We look forward to another great year with them next year.

Wingman reportedly ate 3 adult size pieces of pizza. That boy loves pizza. He loves his little class. He chants Miss R's name along with his buddies when we drive to school. He's such a socialite. We will be sad to not have Miss R anymore, but he will have a great teacher next year.

The Test Pilot has been having end of the year festivities for days now. He has gone to a bounce house place during school for a pizza party that also had COOKIES! (Emphasis his) They have had movie days. It's his last day to buy his lunch. He had perfect attendance at school. I am not sure what is in store for today. He has had a great year.

Mommy is just thrilled the school year is over because I am just tired. I don't have to get up at 5am anymore. Hallelujah! (I don't know how my mom did it all those years.) I don't have to live on a military time schedule to accomplish our daily tasks and be on time everywhere. It will just be nice to have a slower pace to our lives for awhile.

We have a few vacations lined up plus lots of swimming and hanging out with friends. Looking forward to lots of good times. Yeah summer!