dad pile and lots of building, nighttime giggles

3/14-  We met some friends at a bouncy place today.  Cainan took right off for the high slide.  These kids need a couple hours of crazy bouncy fun and running!!

It's spring break week, so the place was a bit crowded.  Myka and Kezia were a little overwhelmed, but found a nice peaceful tire swing under the swingset.  We spent a long long time swinging and giggling under there.

All the kids piled on the airplane for a ride...

There was a perfect little clubhouse that the girls sat in and played, too.

When did she start looking like a little girl??

It's Friday and DADDY IS HOME!  This is what happens the minute he walks in the door.

Nothing brings me greater joy than this... a pile of the people I love most.

 3/15-  Boaz was aching to build something with his tools today.  He decided it needed to be a chair.  In his mind, it would be a big chair, but I convinced him it could be one for his bear.  We snagged some scrap wood from a neighbor and started hammering away.

He only slammed his finger once!

Cainan joined in and decided to build one, too.

Kezia thinks she can work the water on the fridge door.  We try to leave it locked, but sometimes forget.  Today we forgot.  She filled up two glasses of water and dumped them both on herself.  I was involved in the hammering and didn't see it happening.  Hate to say it, but we all laughed really hard.  She didn't think it was so funny.

Putting the finishing touches on the chairs.

 3/16- Boaz was so excited to build with Dad this weekend.

Look at the finished product!!

 3/18- At our CC classes the next couple weeks, the kids are designing and building bridges.  All the kids in all the grade levels are doing the same thing, so it will be fun to see the results.  Each team was given the same materials and there is very little direction from adults.  We looked at pictures of bridges and talked about compression and tension, looked at some of the shapes in bridges, etc.  Other than that, they're on their own!  They have to attempt to build a bridge that will hold a text book.  But mostly, they're working on listening to everyone's ideas and working together.  :)  Boaz is on a bridge team with Hudson and Teagan.

They have straws, rubber bands, and clay to work with.

It was so fun to watch them plan and scheme and test and try.

It was warm enough to dig in the sandbox for a bit today!  Kezia jabbered at the kids while they dug.

It gives me great joy to be able to send kids outside in the fresh air for a bit!

Tonight the boys helped me tuck in the girls.  They each read a story to a sister.

Then Boaz got silly and started making Kezia crack up. I'm thankful for the times when the boys take such sweet care of their sisters.

clay day and first bike outing

 3/10- It's a fun day for the boys!  Our friend, Jane, came and stayed with the girls so I could take these two up to campus to meet with Darin for art.  We got to go into a studio and work with clay!

Darin taught us how to make pinch pots.

We pinched and we pushed. And our fingers got yucky.

Then Darin showed us how to use tools to smooth our pots and make designs.

After the pots were done, we had some fun sculpting people and objects.  Boaz made a guy sitting in a chair.

Cainan made a ball with a C on it.

The pots...

Boaz's guy sculpture.

After we were done with clay, we walked over the pedestrian bridge to get back to the car.  Some other kids were begging cars to honk as they drove under and the boys thought that looked like fun... so we stood and did the same for awhile!

When we got home, the girls looked fancy with their hair pulled into ponytails.  Thanks, Jane!  :)  Kezia was pretty proud of her hair.

Then shortly after Jane left, we got a package from her daughter!  Leah sent Boaz a special birthday package.

The Big Book of Why... so perfect for this little man.  We will really enjoy this!!!

The sun was out just long enough for us to get the bikes out for the first time since... well, since months ago!!  The kids picked up the bike riding again without much hesitation.  It didn't take long before they were cruising up and down the sidewalk like they'd never stopped.

When Kezia woke up, she joined us and we went down to the cul de sac.  I give her a little help so we can keep up with the others.

The water was all the way up to the bridge today.  We love snow melting!!

Our peaceful backyard playground...  I am so thankful for this hillside, stream, and the great neighbors that let us roam it!

We had fun throwing weeds in the water and watching them get swept away by the current.

The boys climbed the snow hills and the girls just wandered around enjoying the fresh air.  Ahhhh... the promise of spring.  This mommy needs some spring!  (so do the kids!)

After a bit, Myka decided she was going to go home.  She was done playing and didn't understand that we needed to wait a bit for the boys to be done.  (We were watching a neighbor boy for a bit, too.)  She was angry and kept taking a couple steps closer to the sidewalk home at a time.  Then she'd look back and just slide a little farther away and kick the snow a bit.  Some neighbor girls were hanging out in the cul-de-sac, too, and she stood and watched them for awhile.  Just testing her limits a bit, but I won the battle.  :)