Derek's 15th Birthday

June 25th, 2011

Derek was thrilled with a new book of project ideas from Grandma, Twizzleberry certificates from the Boyd family and a block of wood that represented a trip to Home Depot for wood.

I'd wish I had taken pictures at Home Depot! His reactions could match that of a Willy Wonka golden ticket trip. He guided his freight cart like a professional (with an occasional burst of speed when his excitement got the better of him) and left with a good sized pile of wood, some hinges, a pound of screws, a pack of gum, and his brain overflowing with ideas.

The cake matched the gift

.

His flaming drill bit and chocolate rice crispy wood were not going to be much help in construction but it was a visual hit.

Proof of our cake demolition was evident in all of our black and red mouths.

The first completed birthday wood project?

A really tall, powerful, stand way back or you'll get your head knocked off

Trebuchet

The Hills in Rexburg

June 13-16, 2011

We were very excited to have Kara, Max and Zane visit us. It was their first trip after Zane was born and we were very excited to meet him. He immediately became the center of attention.

We had perfect weather for the kids to spend all the time outside that they wanted. They had played so much in our own backyard that to spice things up a bit we took them to the Hibbard school playground. It's great to live out in the country and have a "park" all to ourselves for a picnic and recess.

Nathan was so excited to practice on the monkey bars at "his school" before starting kindergarten in the fall. He was brave enough to get across three bars and determined that on his first day of school he would "go all the way".

Nathan also mastered the skill of "pumping" himself on the swing. Max and Hyrum were content to bobble around on their bellies.

Even Derek and Justin were entertained at the elementary school, remembering the good times they had at Kennedy Elementary. Derek thought all the equipment was super tiny having grown about 2 feet since the last time he had played on it. Fitting into a tire isn't as easy when you're over six feet tall.

Justin made silly noises and pretended to chase after Max and soon it was a full game. I have never heard Max laugh so hard or see Justin be quite so animated. Max would run as fast as he could, laughing hysterically the whole time, until he was safely is Kara's arms. Justin is so great with his younger brothers, cousins and neighbors and seems to have a real gift for transforming bored, sad faces into smiles, giggles and a really fun time.

Each day we rewarded ourselves for all that exhausting playtime with our normal routine of baths and books. It was fun to share our favorite books with our cousins.

Kara and I did manage to steal enough time away to make a couple of crafts. She had been wanting some quiet church somethings for each boy so we made a Peek-a-Book thingy for Zane and a travel car mat for Max. His car mat had a little city of buildings that he could move around, some little people and animals to bring a little life to town, complete with handles for him to carry it all by himself and a pocket to store his cars, people and animals in.

Just Like the Old Days

June 7, 2011

In an attempt to relieve the budget, give the dryer a break, and provide my kids with a steady summer job,

I decided to put up a clothes line.

Derek was so excited to put his designing and building skills to work and quickly had us all involved.

Hyrum was his right hand man.

Justin's buff gymnastic arms came in very handy for hauling sand to refill the post holes and his all

powerful body was the perfect support when Derek was ready to put the lines up.

Nathan added a few additional staples at his level and never gave up or took a break (even the obviously

needed potty break) until the job was done.

I instructed the boys on the proper technique of clothes hanging and they were instant professionals.

As it came closer to the time to take the dry clothes down the boys were hoping for a rainstorm so that they could rush out in the rain to save the dry clothes "just like in the movies". That opportunity came 3 days later. I've never seen my boys so excited about doing laundry! Now if only I could find a way to make the folding and putting away part fun.

After a couple of days looking at our clothes line Derek decided it would be visually better if he cut the extra part off the top of each post. We wouldn't want anyone thinking that having a clothesline was a cross to bear.