So many good ones...

So many fun birthday pictures were taken last week that I can't possibly post them all.  But I will say I'm seriously considering putting up a giant (or a few lined up) bulletin board in my living room to fill with pictures.  Right now it seems like a good idea and a fun way for the kids to see them all on a daily basis.  And it may fulfill my desire to live in my own picture museum.

mmmm....

I acutally got the idea when I saw someone's very large bulletin board on the curb for pickup.  Since the small but powerfull flood that came through last week many a neighbor has had belongings hoisted to the curb for pickup.  All things damaged by water in flooded basements.  And when I saw that bulletin board, well, it got me thinking. 

In the meantime, we've got two older kids in the house this week.  Back to back parties, lots of friends and way too much cake!  But lots of fun pictures to enjoy.

The day was hot; water was a must if I was going to keep these kids happy outside!

How many m&m's do YOU think are inside?

Who doesn't love to make their own sundae?

Fill sponge at one end of the yard, race to measuring cup, squeeze water into bowl...

and dash back to tag your teammate so he/she can go.  First team to 4 cups wins~

Our dining room wall that I put together in March including Ella Jane's birthday banner that I made for her party...

using bias tape from my great grandma.  I love that it is all handstitched.

Matthew's birthday banner using fabric from my childhood.  My mom has a fabulous collection!

 His and hers party favors~

Thanks to my friend Alice who let me use her sewing machine to make one of these lovelies!

There are jelly beans inside that raspberry jar for the girls to guess how many are inside.

All in all a busy few days but oh so fun to get ready for.  I love getting ready for a party.  Jim has one coming up soon and we usually don't do much since we've just come off the kids' birthdays but that may have to change this year.  

Midwest Summers = Hot & Humid + Rosy Cheeks, Sweaty Bodies & Lemonade

It's hot here this week.

I'm not sure why she's looking down.  And she's a spy.  She is wearing all of her spy gear.

                           

I took these in front of the refrigerator on purpose in order to capture this moment in time.  This is what it looks like right now.  I've been trying to think of everyday mundane things to photograph for the future.  My kids will look back on them and it may (or may not) evoke certain memories.  Some of my favorite photos include the ones that are taken in rooms with toys strewn about.  I like to see what's been going on in the background.  That to me reveals the everyday life of the family. 

{We dry our clothes outside in the good weather and over the vent during the long cold winters.  Some of the pictures in the sunroom include the dry rack on purpose so that I can remember what was going on during that particular season.  It's fun to see and old favorite shirt or a pair of pants that have been outgrown.}

But anyway, back to the weather.  Yes, it's definitely hot here.  I filled up our pool just yesterday and the water is (no kidding) actually warm.  Like too warm to be refreshing.  With hose water and normal hot summer days it'll stay cool all week but because of the humidity and high temps. it's been warming up quickly!

Looks like we're back to nightly showers to clean off these hot sweaty little bodies.

I saved the princess last night...

Oh, it's so very late and my kids are in the bath...at 10:43pm!  We've had a wonderful evening with friends and let the kids stay up late running around getting all sweaty.  I think the girls have been in the tub for maybe 45min.  Their water is probably cold by now.  But they're up there still playing so I'll see how far I can get down here on this post!

So, yes, I saved the princess last night.  And taking a picture of it is probably what a 12yr. old do but I couldn't resist.  It had to be done.

{A little backstory}

My brother has a NES; the one we grew up with in the 80's and when I was home two months ago now, I had a chance to play and remembered how FUN it was!  So I was quick to search Craigslist for one and voila! turns out they are all over the place.  We bought one and my mom was kind enough to ship it to us.

We've had a LOT of fun playing.  And I've had a LOT of fun going back in time and remembering how to master Super Mario Bros.  I forgot how many secret things there are to be found!  So long story short, I saved the princess and there was a lot of cheering involved.  And Matthew is in awe of my super mad skills on the Nintendo.

{shortly after I started writing, the girls wanted to get out of the tub and off to bed we all went.  It's now the 4th of July and we're spending a quiet day at home after our ruckus evening of  playtime with friends.}

Do you remember back to when you were a kid and played different made up games with your friends?  But before you played you had to establish the ground rules?  And by doingso you spent at least 15min. arguing over what those rules were going to be?

My kids got to do that last night and it was so funny listening to 6 little voices trying to be heard at once.  I just stayed in the background while they hashed it out.  The game had something to do with everyone running and/or riding some sort of bike or scooter.

If you look closely you can see all six kids here running down the hill and into our driveway. 

The night was a big hit with everyone.

Lastly, the ice cream truck came down our street for the first time this summer (at 5:00 on the dot I might add...who buys their kids ice cream when dinner is about to be served?)  Me apparantly.  I remember getting a treat from the ice cream man once (maybe twice) as a kid and thought this might just be the year to do that for my kids.  So out to the street we went and orderd up some ice cream! 

Sara chose bubble gum, Ella Jane, Tweety Bird and Matthew, Sonic.

Happy 4th to you all!

A little fun for Sara...





In full swing...

June is nearly over and summer is in full swing here.  Since moving to the midwest it has become one of my favorite seasons.  Actually when we lived in Maryland we had hot humid summers as well and spent many a fun afternoon racing through our big (flat!) backyard and jumping in our kiddie pool.  I have really fond memories of those summer days.

The midwest is more of the same except our backyard is on a slope so we take advantage of the slip n' slide as well as the pool.  The pool sits on the deck making it a perfect spot for kids to play while I make dinner.

During the summer, I break the weeks into themes because my kids I thrive on structure.  I find that it helps to have something to look forward to and helps bring more order to the day.  We've done frogs, and butterflies/insects so far. 

source

Next week we'll tackle rainbows.  These themes mostly include art projects, fun little snacks and related books from the library.  Sometimes they include a field trip like last year when we studied art and then went to the Museum of Art.

This was one of our snacks from this week.  Ella Jane's is on the left, Matthew's is on the right and Sara's is below.  I gave them those three supplies and they had to make a butterfly out of it.  What I love is that all three came up with something different.  What I love even more is that none of them are what I even had in mind to begin with!  Creativity and art at it's best.

 Thanks to our Parents as Teacher's gal we've been playing with Flubber as Matthew is demonstrating below.  He's using a straw to blow a big bubble.

 

We've been having learning time...and fun time...

 

 We've been running (and winning) races.  Congratulations to Ella Jane for taking 1st place and getting her first ever trophy!

 You didn't think she'd give up her style for a road race now did you?  Heavens no.  She was playing bat and ball with the Jim today in the yard in her summer dress, frilly headband and dress shoes.  Too bad I didn't have a picture of that!

 It's been a busy month for sure but we seem to do well when we have a few activities to get to.  Looking forward to the start of a new week.

A different take...

You don't see me too much on this blog.  I'm not against pictures.  I love them, and love being in them.  But I'm usually the one behind the camera.  Until now.  I'm trying to get out from behind it, relying on my timer or an extra child to snap away for me.  I want them to see that I was there too!

So, here we are Matthew and I watching a movie in 3-D.  They are all the rage right now as I'm sure you already know.  Thank you to Ella Jane for capturing this moment for me.  I  enjoyed my time with him doing something he really loved.

Sara took this picture of me when we were getting ready for her party.  She's a big 3 year old now.  It was fun to have her help, and it was fun to take a minute to capture that moment.  I love these two pictures.

This one I took of her and she is so dang happy!  She's barely containing herself.

Every day there is playtime in the basement.  This is led by Jim, not me.  I'm not so good at basement play and usually let them all have their time down there by themselves.  But the other night I snuck down for a few quick shots. 

There is a game that the kids play nearly everyday.  I think they call it 'catch'.  Jim is on one end, kids on the other.  They have to take turns.  Jim has a ball (each child has their own ball and is ready for their turn) and says "Go!".  This means they need to race up to him all the while being ready to catch the ball that Jim is about to throw to them.  They catch it, throw it back and go back to the end of the line.

They love it.

Looking forward to more of these kinds of pictures.

New experiences...

Our time in Seattle was filled with a lot of new things for our kids.  Things they don't get to experience here in the midwest.  Not because they don't exist; surely there are plenty of farms with tire swings and horses around, we just don't know any of the people that farm them.

And my aunt is not a farmer but she lives "in the woods" with a horse and a tire swing. 

Ella Jane was smitten.

I can't say she had the most fun because I think Matthew had a lot of fun too but he needed a lot of coaxing before he was ready to take the plunge.  When it comes to new things he is very cautious and many times will opt out.  I'm glad we were able to force put him on the swing so he could give it a try!

He had a great time once he was on.  During the time we were in Seattle, Will and Kate got married and after I saw this picture if reminded me of all the ones I'd seen of the royals waving!

We also had a lot of fun jumping on the trampoline.  As has been our routine in the past, we get picked up from the airport and go to my aunts' house for lunch and playtime.  The girls were sick but still had a lot of fun and it's a great time to be free after being couped up in planes and airports for 6 hours.

Did I mention this trip was full of new things?  It was.  We don't have any animals here at home but different family members have a few.  Sooo, my kids get a dose of what it's like to have a pet whenever we visit.  Matthew cozied up to Sydney and it was sweet to see his endearing side.

 

Thanks Aunt Mary for taking the afternoon to play with my kids.  They loved every minute of it!

At the shore...

These pictures all speak very well for themselves and tell the story of how our day went.  Lots of exploring and new experiences for the Gunn kids as we do not have the advantage of salt water here in the midwest! 

Just the smell of it, the site of kelp, the water ebbing and flowing brought back wonderful childhood memories and I have no doubt that if I still lived in the NW you'd find us at the shore.

The picture of Matthew staring out into the distance is just perfect for capturing "him".  I kid you not, he stood there for roughly 30min. watching the water come up to his boots and then go back.  The girls were busy turning over rocks and looking for crabs.  Matthew wanted to watch.  I finally decided to sit and watch him a moment realizing he was having a lot of fun just simply standing.  It was a pleasure to witness.

All those little kids in a row are cousins.  Matthew is the oldest at 7yrs. and then they all stairstep down from there.  One every year.  The youngest is two.  Oh the fun all those little kids had and perhaps that was the most enjoyable part of the trip for me; to see my kids race around with their cousins just like I used to do with mine.  Love the memories they are making.

More installments to come.