McWane Center

My neighbor and I took our kids to the McWane Center last week. I signed up for an annual membership while there, so I didn't feel bad that we only stayed two hours. The kids started getting grumpy, the parking meter was running low on time, and I was ready to go.

Water play is always a hit.

The kids were crazy about the zip line.

Laney started pulling stuff out of her diaper bag and this is what she ended up with...
Ian and Cannon.

Luke and Laney as well

Not to be left out, Laney climbed up on the stool for a photo-op of her own.

I tried to get Luke in on the action but he had just woken up from his nap (as noted by his unruly hair) and he was in a pensive mood.

Sam's first day of REAL kindergarten

Sam started K5 yesterday and had a great first day. I saw a blog where the mom uses a small chalkboard to take a picture of her children's first day of school every year. So glad I saw this now instead of when the kids are in junior high. I'll actually have some fun pictures to look back on when they're leaving for college or getting married... whoa, that's a scary thought. ☺I offered to let him draw the K-5 on the board and he said "No thanks, 5 is kinda' hard to draw". He's a perfectionist, and very afraid of messing up. He never wants to fail. Our prayer for this little guy is that he'll use his gifts and talents for the Lord's glory rather than his own.
I love that he got silly and gave me a good 'ole smile. Every time I look at this picture I find myself smiling!
This is the only picture I have of him at school on his first day. His teacher is fresh out of school. I get the idea that she's still trying to figure things out. I'm not sure. I just got the feeling that I needed to drop him off and get out! Although she wasn't warm and welcoming, she must be good with the kids. Sam has only good things to say about her. I'm excited that he has a young teacher. I'm trying to embrace what she has to offer and not focus on the fact that she shakes hands like a limp noodle. Just keeping it real...

simon says and boot camp

we babysat the neighbor's kids the other night so they could go on a date. they're babysitting ours this weekend to return the favor. i LOVE babysitting swaps!

our neighbor mivi was visiting as well. so we had 6 kids and ron entertained them by playing a game of simon says. i just sat back and laughed.

after simon says, he held a mini boot camp and led them in jumping jacks,
push-ups,
random stretching, and other activities.
so that's what your kids were doing, erin, while you were enjoying a nice evening at dodiyo's.

grapes and more grapes

my kids' favorite thing to do at this point in time is stuff grapes in their cheeks and pretend to be chipmunks. laney says "i look like a chick-munk mommy".

slip-n-slide

ron was able to take part in some slipping and sliding action outside with the kids the other day. i love these next three pictures; luke was following ron the whole way!

after sam chased everyone around with the water-shooter, ron got it from him and did some chasing of his own. fun times!

for sale!

if you know of anyone who needs a crib and changing table, i'm selling mine. just leave me a comment or send me an email. $100 gets you a bed, mattress, and table.

barber shop visit

i took the boys to get their hair cut at an old-fashioned barber shop. what a fun time! the barbers did such a good job cutting their hair. and the boys seemed to be intrigued by everything they saw.

they even got to pick out a brand new hot wheels car after they were done.

the taco truck

ron has been talking about the taco truck for months. he goes at lunch time because it's not a great area of town. but, my curiosity got the best of me, so we took the kids for an early dinner a couple of weeks ago. it was very authentic.real mexican food, served by a real mexican. :)

he has a cooler on the side of the truck filled with pepsis and soft drinks with names i could read.
we got a few pepsis and passed them around. as you can tell, laney loved it!
i didn't get a picture of our dining experience. it was so hot that we couldn't just stand outside and eat. so we cranked up the A/C in the van, lowered the back seats, and sat together to eat. we passed around pepsi, tacos, and tostados. it was a nice food-sharing experience.

the truck is parked at the texaco on valley avenue in case you want to go. i LOVED their tortillas, but had an upset stomach for a good 18 hours after eating dinner. my take: eat at your own risk. :)

i've been trying to attract humming birds for a few months now. i realized that ants were crawling up the pole and getting to the nectar within a few hours of placing the feeder out. luckily, my step dad is brilliant and he built a little blockade for the ants.

he attached the bottom of a plastic coke bottle upside down to a metal coat hanger. then he attached a lid from a milk jug under that. he filled in the holes and instructed me to fill the lid with oil. the ants would have to get around the coke bottle bottom first. if they made it around it without falling off, they'd have to get past the oil. needless to say, there are a bunch of dead ants floating in vegetable oil.
but there are just as many beautiful hummingbirds around this feeder almost hourly.
thanks for your ingenuity, dave!