Come sit by us!

Just in case you were wondering what it would be like to sit with us in church on Sunday, Connor grabbed dad's iPhone recently and started snapping pictures before we knew what he was doing.

Too bad there were no pictures of daddy.

Solar Cooking 101

Yesterday I baked some muffins using my solar oven and Carl decided that he wanted to make his own solar cooker. I helped him do some online research on different types, and then he sacrificed his cardboard house to make it. I wish I had taken pictures of the construction cause that was pretty cool. When Chloe came home from school she helped too. By the time we were all done there wasn't enough direct sun to cook anything (but Carl tried to boil water anyway).

too bright!

Today Carl got it out at 8:30 am and had some nicely done hot dogs for himself and Cadie by lunchtime. :)

max temp - 205 degrees

In case you're wondering, we got the plans here: http://sunnycooker.webs.com/

(this is a 1st grader version of the Suntastic Panel Cooker)

funny thing Carl said

(looking at the pile of clean clothes in my laundry room today)

"Wow, if I climb that I will be able to touch the ceiling!"

NOT REALLY.

funny thing Connor said

Connor - "Look mom, I took off my shirt."

Mom - "What a good boy! Now you won't get spaghetti sauce on it."

Connor - "Yeah, AND I can look at my tattoos."

Stormy seas.

Today we had a rough day at the beach. Everyone had been anticipating this trip all week but I don't think things went like anyone had hoped.

The moms (Itsy and Caroline) really wanted to get some cute pictures of the girls' new tutus. But the girls did NOT want to even put them on.

The kids were expecting to go swimming, but the moms said don't get your clothes wet.

The kids went in the water anyway, and then got grounded to the dry sand (yes, that's how mean we were).

Temper tantrums ensued.

Some got over it and had fun anyway.

Some did not.

Maybe next time will be better.

Christmastime at the Zoo

Yesterday morning when I went to wake little Carl up for school he said, "Mom, I just want to stay home and spend time with you." Never mind that I had been gone for four days, it was so sweet that I couldn't say no. So I told him to go back to sleep and I went back to bed too.

Later when we were all having a nice lazy morning together, we decided to go the zoo and see which animals came out in the cold. It turns out that a lot of them do. A lot more than in 100+ degree August, anyway. Here are some pictures of the fun:

All morning the kids had chocolate pop tarts on their faces because that's the ideal morning snack, and I kept forgetting to wash it off. :)

Recent activities

Our lives have been nonstop busy lately. We hardly remember what a relaxed weekend is anymore.

The kids are all doing well and our tiling project is getting closer to being done! Our great room and kitchen are complete minus touch up paint and baseboards! Here are just a few pictures -