Water Attraction

We have had some unusually early days of hot, humid weather that normally only happens in July or August! Thankfully, we found our box of swimsuits and water toys to help the kids to cool down and enjoy the weather instead of being cooped up inside where the air conditioner was running (that's where I was ;-). We put the famous "Elmo Sprinkler" in the front yard this time, and attracted some of the kids from the neighborhood who wanted in on the fun! It has been great to see my kids making new friends, and I'm glad to see that the kids in this neighborhood are kind and respectful to both children and parents. I am thankful that God led us to a nice area, on a cul-de-sac where the kids can all play outside safely and are watched by many caring parents and neighbors.

Our Cute Kids

I just had to share this picture...they are all smiling and looking at the camera at the same time, yay! Although, Sam has his "shy smile" going...which is NOT typical for him. ;-)

Hands-on Science

We have been using the "God's Design for Science" curriculum from Answers in Genesis, and it has been great! This week, we have been learning about how to tell if something is alive, how living things are classified, and the different characteristics between plants and animals. We took a trip to the Minnesota Zoo (that is a membership worth having!) for more in-depth studies. We also made a game on poster board with "clue cards" describing a characteristic of a living thing, and the kids had to decide if the card belonged under the plant, animal or "both" category. It has been great fun, and we are all learning so much! :-)

Becca and Sam loved this new "Tropics" exhibit!



Christy really liked these black-and-white monkeys, but I thought they were skunks at first glance! ;-)



A diver was cleaning the rocks in the aquarium, and that was fun to watch!



Here is Daniel...happy in his swing while we set up the game!



Here is a close-up of the books we are using this year:



Some of the clue cards for the "plant" category were: Chlorophyll, photosynthesis, needs sun, cannot move around, needs carbon dioxide, created on the 3rd day of creation, etc.



Some of the clue cards for the "animal" category were: Moves around, cannot make food, carbon dioxide is a waste product, no chlorophyll, etc. Some of the clue cards for the "both" category were: Alive, cells, reproduces same kind, needs oxygen, designed by God, eaten by animals, etc.



All done!

Saturday Morning Snuggles

Eric and the kids had fun this morning just snuggling together on the couch. What a great time to rest, relax, and reflect on how good God is to us!

The Pink-eyed Monster

Christy picked up pink eye from a friend at a church activity a couple of weeks ago, and I was hoping that is would end with her. But, you know how kids love to play actively together and share everything! So, a few days after she showed symptoms, Becca started getting a pink eye, then a few days later, Daniel was showing sypmtoms, and then I thought Sam would be the last one to get it. But, I was wrong...after caring for all these kids, I guess I wasn't careful enough, so now I have pink eye! Oh well, at least we have good insurance and the medication is working well at curing all of us. Here is a cute picture of Daniel, after his treatments. All better!

Day at the Lake

Yesterday was so bright and sunny! The kids were just begging to go swimming, so we decided to head to the lake. After enduring a grueling 5- minute ride in the van, we arrived at Lake Marion. They all loved playing in the sand and splashing in the waves. Even Daniel had fun sunbathing with mommy while watching his crazy siblings splash around!

Enjoy the pictures!

(Almost) Four Smiles

I've been trying to get all four kids together so I could post an updated picture of them all, but it has been a challenge to get them to all smile at the same time! I have about 10 pictures, and in each one somebody is either looking away from the camera, or not smiling. So, I picked this one, even though Daniel had a look on his face that clearly says: "I'm DONE with this photo shoot..."

Picture Barrage

We haven't had time to post lately, but here are some pictures that are too cute to sit for eternity on a memory stick! ;-)