last camping trip of the summer

we decided to go on a quick overnight camping trip on Friday. We went to a state park close to home (good thing too, we forgot the air mattress & Chris had to run home to get it!) We had a lot of fun...Everett really enjoyed helping with the fire, Anna loved riding her pony(see below), and Paul had a lot of fun playing in the dirt, rocks, and with the little crabs. I love spending time outdoors with our little family, it was a lot of fun, and we're looking forward to next summer...
Anna was pretending they were riding her pony to the beach, she is such a fun sister

nice throw!
seriously, check out those lips!
little crab


this was actually in the morning, my kids wake up early!

there was a playground across from our campsite...cool!
3rd kids are crazy...I can't believe he climbed to the top!
the brothers

FHE

tonight for FHE we did service. Well I mostly did the service and the kids helped deliver it. A lady in our ward had a baby last week and a sign up went around for dinner. I thought it would be a fun FHE. So when we get there and I ask Everett and Anna to help me carry the stuff in Everett says, "what, we bought all that stuff, and you are just giving it to them". Everett really is a kind kid, he just didn't really understand the concept of this kind of service. I reminded him of the nice meals people brought over when Paul was born. Anyways, after we dropped it off we went to the park by the water. We played and skipped some rocks and then did a little lesson. Chris asked the kids how they felt when they gave the dinner to the family with the new baby, the kids said they felt good. Chris quoted some scripture and then asked Anna "is it good to serve people". Anna said "no, we shouldn't disturb people. Huh? Apparently she thought he said "is it good to disturb people". She has been learning to be polite to others in kindergarten this week. Kids are so fun to have around!

"help!"

"mom, help!"

this is what I woke up to this morning. I ran into Anna's room. "I'm stuck!" she said. I went over and unwrapped her from her blankets, she did kind of look like a burrito. She tried to sit up but her head wouldn't let her. "I'm stuck!" Then I saw it....the silly putty that she was playing with last night. I had no idea it was still in her hands when I carried her from the van to her bed (we went to the temple last night and grandma & grandpa babysat -thanks again! oh, and thanks for the silly putty too:). The poor girl. She was so sad, mostly because her silly putty was ruined. "mom, get the scissors, quick". I almost did, but thought that maybe I could unattached her from the bed and then google "how to get silly putty out of hair". Use PAM! (don't you love the internet!) And it worked...here's proof:

from strawberry rock

on Sunday I sat on Strawberry Rock (a rock Anna named in the strawberry patch!). I had my camera and decided to see what I could see. The kids and dad were playing hide and go seek. I think some of them turned out pretty cool.

Anna protected....

as you can see, Anna finally got a girl helmet (she's always been wearing Everett hand me downs) They came with the elbow and knee pads! How exciting! She had to try them on for her scooter ride with dad. I love my girl!

strawberries

I was so sad to leave my garden in Utah...raspberries, strawberries, rhubarb, apple trees, a pear tree, and a cherry tree, plus the 2 garden boxes for veggies. I love my landscaping here, it is gorgeous (my sister in law Heather said it looks like better homes and gardens). I really would love to put in some garden spots next spring, it's just finding the right place, we don't want to mess up the beautifulness. A few days after I moved in I noticed a patch...a strawberry patch...in my yard! I was so excited that something would grow that we could eat (the kids love the idea of growing food). I never thought these strawberries would be as good as mine in Utah. They are much smaller and don't get quite as red. But wow, was I wrong. They are so delicious! Paul agrees...every time we go pick them, he comes along and eats as we go. He can't help himself, he's always saying "mmmmmmm" while he chews, usually stem and all. Here's a picture of our harvest last night, I cleaned them and put them on vanilla ice cream, it was a treat!

since I was posting a picture of food, I thought I'd add this one. Anna loves to make something with her food. Here's her "healthy" afternoon snack. A cheese-it tree held up by a chewy trunk, on a bed of pringles.

sidewalk chalk

sweet Paul's footprints

Everett decided to draw 4-square on the driveway. I don't think Paul understood all the rules :).

first day of school!

all ready for school!

waiting for the bus

school part 2

the bus arrived, they were soooo excited. Anna sat in the front seat behind Ms. Donna the driver. As soon as the doors shut I started to bawl! I can't believe my kids are big enough to ride the bus to school... Click to enlarge the one of the bus, you can see both of the kids waving to us. They are so cute! Paul was really sad he didn't get to ride on the bus. He had this sad look on his face after they drove off. It was cute. He's really going to miss Everett!

first day of school

arriving at school

at their new desks