Arrr! Pirates

Sometimes I am just an okay mom.  Sometimes I am a good mom.  Sometimes I am a really good mom.  Then there are days like today that I just rock!

Today is National Talk Like A Pirate Day.  In honor of that our schooling was all things pirates including dress.  We made pirates out of toilet paper rolls.  Those who could write wrote a pirate tale.  We learned some pirated talk and even got pirate names.

Meet the crew:

Rap-Scallion Stinky Sikowitz

Mate Gold Loving Beck

Scallywag Briny Guppy

Swash Buckler Lily Livered Plankton

Charlatan Clumsy Sikowitz

Commander Brine Soaked Pants

Chinese and trucks

A couple of years ago when Doug was overseas on a business trip, he bought a hand sewn Chinese dress for Lexie.  She now mostly fits into it.  I want one.

One night Doug found Peter like this:

He had fallen asleep with his train and truck.  The train he received for Christmas and the truck was a gift from a gentleman in our ward.  I think it was inspiration that made me print off this picture and give to Br. West (maker of truck).  Shortly afterwards he was in the hospital.  You should have seen his face when he saw his truck in the arms of sleeping Peter.  He was touched.  I am thankful for the spirit's influence in my life.

Teenager!!!

I now have a teenager in the house.  Thankfully he is usually even tempered and willing to talk things out.  I worry about how some of my children will be as a teenager, but so far so good.

Tangled Family

Doug brought home a new activity for us.  We all put our hands in and grabbed another's hand, then we tried to untangle the group.  Simple, but that's how we roll.

Getting tangled

Getting untangled

Bowling

We have decided to try a new tradition in our family.  For each individual's birthday that individual gets to pick a place to eat out at.  Depending on the time of day it can replace any meal.  Ben chose an all you can eat bar that was really good.  Chris and Lex went to Chuck E. Cheese's.  Evan chose bowling.  Luckily I had a groupon for a local bowling alley that included dinner so there we went.

Guess who had the camera.  Yep, no pics of mommy.

Hiking

After we got home from reunion, Doug and Ben took off for scout camp.  It was just me and the three little ones at home.  With that in mind I decided to have a little "camping" at home.  I let them set up their tents inside and I took them on a hike at a local park.  It wasn't much but they enjoyed it and it got us out of the house a little.

In the early summer this is a small river.  Now it was dry and the kids took a walk in it.

Evan was the grumpy old troll living under the bridge.  Peter, Lex and Chris were the goats.

Peter with an acorn found in/near the dry river bed.

Family Reunion

The past weekend was full.  First we met up with our friends in Fruitland, WA on Friday and then drove to Lewiston, ID on Saturday for family reunion.  The area we stayed at was called Hell's Gate and aptly named it was.  It was a scorcher of a weekend.  Thankfully we were able to swim in the river.  We managed to camp next to Doug's sibling and mom so all the cousins got to play while the adults talked.  Before dinner there was some play time and Uncle Roy came prepared.  He had made a paper rocket launcher and brought it along.  All the children made paper rockets and then launched them to see how high/far they would go.  Very simple but fun to do.  Sometimes it is the simple things that are the best.

Granny with all the grandchildren.  Doug's brother, Stanley, and his wife didn't make it but Roy picked up his two girls and brought them.  So for the first time all the cousins were together.

At night we had a campfire to sit around and talk.  The kids had glow in the dark sticks to play with.  I admit I am not fond of the glow sticks, so when asked if we could take them I said yes just to get rid of them.  Chris had a glow stick hat he made.  This is it the morning after.

Lex, Peter and Spencer playing with the glow sticks.

And then the weekend was over and it was time to return to home and get ready for the next adventure.