Eevee and Luna's Birthday

Today is Eevee and Luna's birthday and the kids couldn't be more excited to celebrate. All week they have been asking the dogs what they want for it and asked what we are going to do to celebrate. 

Beck made them birthday banners. 

We made them a dog treat/cake with jerky on it. They seemed to like it, especially the jerky. 

 The kids got them a bone and a small toy for a present and even sang happy birthday to them. 

The dogs may not be my favorite thing ever to have, but they aren't that bad. Other than running away a few times they haven't been too bad and the kids love them. 

Hike Project

We love warm summer Sundays because it is the best time to go for a picnic and a hike. This week we went to the South Hills. We couldn't find the trail we were wanting, so we just went to one we have gone before. We even took the dogs this time. I'm not too sure they loved it, but they did a good job. It was pretty hot out and they got hot and tired fast. Luna eventually refused to walk and just laid in the middle of the trail. Eeevee cried until Beck picked her up (which didn't take too long). However it did make for a very cute picture. 

 Luna was dead on the way home. She loves laying on her back and did most of the way home. 

 One of our projects was supposed to be a hike scavenger hunt but I couldn't find a good list, plus the trial wasn't that great for finding too many things either, so instead they each had a baggie and they had to pick different flowers and leaves to make an art project. Cam spelled Luna and Beck did his name. Jacks and Emery just painted on the leaves and used them as stamps or brushes. The dogs birthday was soon after this, so they also wanted to make a present for the dogs. 

Summer break and projects are almost over already. We already went out and bought all of the school supplies and open houses are in a few weeks. The good part is they are all excited to go back and see their friends and have recess. 

Emery Softball

This year Emery also did softball. We have a neighbor girl she hang out with that is older and loves softball, so Emery wanted to try it out also. I was actually surprised how much she liked it, or at least said she liked it. After a few games of being a little scared of the pitching machine and not really trying to hit the ball, I told her if she hit the ball and got on first we'd give her $5. After that she tired hard and got on base a few times. She's happy it's over but says shes excited for next year. 

This is her first hit of the season! (her cousin is the one recording on her phone)

Projects

This week we went to the library on Monday to get new books so the kids can keep working on their BINGO. One thing the older three had to do was read recipes, pick  one they like and make it. Camden and Beckham both made cookies. Camden was first and made double chocolate chip. 

 Learning from my mom, I tell the kids a messy cook is a good cook. Maybe we should make a rule on how messy they should get. Camden dipped too hard into to coco and got it all over; along with some of the flour he measured out. 

 But they were delish in the end. 

 Beck wasn't near as dirty as Camden. His turned out really well also. By the time his were cooked the kids were full of dough and Cam's cookies. They had Becks later. 

Another spot they have in BINGO is to make a picture book. I figured it was an easy thing to do but made them use imagination. I was trying to help Jacks get BINGO 2 and 3 today so I was making him do a lot. Of course Jacks had to have his character toot in his book. They had some interesting stories to say the least. 

Bathroom Makeover

Since Brad and I both really didn't like how the kids bathroom was we decided to re-do it. I used the kids splatter painting in here and made it more colorful. I think I'll look for a different curtain, but so far we love how it turned out. 

I really liked how these turned out and the kids loved it. 

Egg Experiments

For one of out recent projects we did an experiment with eggs. We put eggs in OJ, corn syrup, water, salt water and vinegar. They sat in the jar for 2 days they we checked to see what happened.

 The vinegar was the coolest because it kind of melts the shell and leaves the egg bouncy. Before I could get a real picture of it Beck threw it on a rock and it broke. However it was cool while it lasted. 

 The one that was surprising was the corn syrup, it made the shell really hard. The other ones you could just crack in your hands but this one I couldn't. Brad thought I was being weak until he tired to crack it as well. It did break when I hit it on a rock though. 

The nasty left over of the vinegar egg shell.  

Jacks T-Ball

This summer Jacks was in t-ball and he was actually pretty good at it. Like every other kindergartner he did lose attention while in the outfield a few time. He like being the catcher the best and wanted to be there every time so he could put the ball back on the tee. 

Camping

This past weekend we went camping with Grandma and Grandpa Arrington and Uncle Jayson and his family. It was very hot but a lot of fun. The last time we went to this camp site I was pregnant with Emery. This time was a lot better and more comfortable as well. Jacks was tired starting out. I will never understand how they can sleep in the car, it never looks comfy. 

 Grandma bought a hammock and all of the grand kids loved it. 

 Even Grandpa enjoyed it for a few seconds. 

The best part of camping is dutch over cooking. Maybe it's because we have it so little, but I love the food cooked in there. 

 Grandma brought bird houses for the kids to paint and now they are hung up all around our backyard. Now we need to get some seed. 

 

 Grandma taught the kids how to play 21. Jacks was excited when his two cards were good and he was able to tell everyone to "hold us." 

 After a very steep climb the kids got to a very cold river. We had to keep telling them to stay close because the water was pretty swift. It's amazing how much fun throwing sticks into moving water is. 

 Once it became dark we had to have smores. Dutch oven cooking and smores make it a real camp out. 

 The next day we found some hot springs. Going earlier in the morning was good because then it wasn't too hot outside and in the pools. The kids loved that it was so warm in this water after being in the freezing lake the day before. 

We all had a lot of fun but are very happy to be home and clean. Although we did return home to a two and a half hour power outage.