Everyday joys

A few recent pics of everyday life around here...

Blake on 'his' bike (no one tell him that boys don't ride pink bikes because he could care less and loves feeling like a big kid...and he hates wearing shirts!)

A few recent funny quotes from Blake....

randomly, when riding in the car, he announced, "I have big eyebrows"

Upon entering the bakery in Eagle River when we were up at Stormy Lake one morning bright and early, "Mommy!! I was born here!"

Dinner at one of our favorite restaurants, Maynards, with good friends...the kids were enamored with the huge fish in the water just under the dock 

Another night out with friends.....just before #3 was born!!!

And what would an evening be with boys being boys....scaling anything that can be scaled!

(This picture was blurry but I had to post it just to show the crazy places Blake finds himself in!)

Having friends from church over to our pool one HOT afternoon

And while the kids were jumping, I noticed that these were the shoes Sadie wore to the pool. Gotta love the creativity in this girl and the confidence she has!

And along those lines, we were recently going to a Twins game and drove past the Walker Art Center in Minneapolis. Many people would call the building 'weird' or 'unusual' or 'very different' at best, but Sadie's immediate reaction was, "Look at that cool building!"

Yes, art definitely speaks to this girl....in many different forms!

A different generation

While watching the Olympics one night, we told the kids they needed to get to bed. Of course, the whining and complaining ensued and we tried to quiet their concerns of missing the Olympics by telling them we would 'tape it'. Blake then walked over to the drawer, pulled out the scotch tape and yanked a giant piece off the roll. I said, "Blake, what are you doing? We don't just waste tape like that?" while he simultaneously proceeded to talk over to the TV and stick it on there. 

"Mommy, I taped it"

(I took these pictures the next morning)

Of course my kids would have NO IDEA what a tape was!! Or that in the 'olden days' as I am sure the 80s and 90s will one day be referred to, we actually used to listen to the radio and wait to hear our favorite song, hoping that we hit the 'record' button in time to get the entire song. And 'please be kind and rewind' on the Blockbuster VHS tapes will never be funny to them. And many more.....

Sadie's Farm Camp

Sadie's last day at farm camp was equally as exciting as Wyatt's. I try and make their last day special for each of them, so despite the fact that Wyatt knew all the same stuff as Sadie, we let her show us around and do what she wanted for the hour. We also brought along our neighbors Lillie and Grace since they had never been before and were anxious to see what this 'farm camp' was all about. Of course, Sadie felt extra special that they came as well.

I took this picture because this is what her hair looked like when I showed up and she didn't even bother to tell me what happened or how she lost her hair tie! 

Gotta love the cowboy boots he asked to wear with the hands in the pockets!

Sadie and her friend Meryl, who she went to camp with last year and this year

Such a great big sister--always!

Blake walked back over to the zipline to get back in line as if no one would notice....do you think he fits right in?

This is one of my favorite spots at farm camp...it's an old plastic kitchen in the middle of a circle of giant sunflowers. It's such a great little hideaway for kids' imaginations to run wild!

Always willing to pose

Another successful summer at farm camp in the books! Both Wyatt and Sadie are already asking when they can go back and 

Pizza Party

Last week Wyatt's baseball team had an end of the year party at a local pizza place where the kids got to make their own pizzas!

Watching a quick demo

All the baseball players got to make pizzas as well as any siblings 5 years or older. They took the kids back into the kitchen in groups of 5, so Wyatt and his friend John and their younger sisters were the last group to go.

Getting in the official uniform to make a pizza pie!!

Poor Blake had to sit and watch---he was just dying to get right in there with them! In time...

The boys eyeing the height of the ceiling to gauge how high they could toss their dough!

Waiting for the countdown to toss...

Wyatt got some good height...you can see it right above the hat of the owner.

Sadie's went a bit more sideways than up in the air, but it was salvageable.

Wyatt and his teammates (at least those who could make it)

While the pizzas were cooking, they gave out awards. Each kid got a medal and then Coach Jeff gave them personalized awards....Wyatt was "Most Coachable"

Wyatt had a great baseball season and truly is very coachable. He is a great listener and observes EVERYTHING out on the field. He meticulously watches every demonstration and listens intently while other kids might be goofing off or need to have instructions repeated several times. He loved making plays and the kids on his team this year were so good at catching fly balls and getting the other team out. It made it a much more fun season to watch!! 

Great job Wyatt!