Camp Week

 Summer also means camps!  This year, we had Camp Week for everyone.  But first, Leah had a week of band camp.  She did a great job of learning six songs in five days.  She said it felt like her lips would fall off at the end of each day.

 But it was fun to listen to the combined 6th-8th grade band perform!

At the start of Camp Week, Emma and Noah attended our much loved Science Camp with Dr. Kylie. 

  They came home with so many fun experiments (or "experiences" as Noah calls them)- Science Camp is the best because it's all of the Pinterest activities that I don't have the supplies or patience to do with my kids, all wrapped into one fun week.

 Four different kinds of slime, tye-dyed shirts, solar powered ovens, paint balls, rockets, dry ice bubbles, tornado tubes, and a good dose of The Magic School Bus made Emma and Noah's week a super exciting one!

 Leah's camp was in the afternoons- show choir camp at the Methodist Church.  She had a great time singing and dancing with four of her best friends all week long, and did a great job performing the four songs they learned on Saturday.  

This summer has definitely shown a marked increase in friend time for Leah, and she has loved it.  They've also had a book club going all summer and taken a few solo bike rides to the library for various Harry Potter-themed activities.  She has a good group of friends!

And the evenings were Adam's Cub Scout Camp- Harry Potter themed and it was so fun!  He got to experience Care of Magical Creatures (identifying Iowa animal tracks), archery, beebee gun shooting, wrist rockets, wand making, a trip into the Forbidden Forest, Quidditch, Muggle Studies (knot tying), Transfiguration (boat building) and meet two visiting owls. 

I'd bet one of his favorite parts of the camp was the treats he and his buddy enjoyed afterward each night. 

Noah and I went on a date the final night of Cub Scout camp while Jason was out of town and the girls were babysitting, 

then headed down to see Adam's skit at camp.  When we got there he was racing around the parking lot on a pedal tractor bike, got a huge grin on his face when he spotted us, increased his speed and promptly flipped his bike onto himself and got the best case of road rash I've ever seen, poor boy.

That was a lousy end to a great week, but it didn't stop him from performing his "healing dragon" role in the skit magnificently.  

It was a long and tiring week for all of us, but everyone had a great time enjoying their camps.  Now back to the business of lazy summer days we go!

Summer Days

Lots of bike rides to our favorite parks. 

Lots of warm summer nights on the deck, playing Catch Phrase and eating s'mores.

Lots of corn, ready to be frozen. 

 Lots of cicadas, lined up and terrifying.

A pretty little mermaid.  

 Our 5th annual block party.  This is the only picture I took, but look at that sunset!  It was a beautiful night at the end of a very long day, and we enjoyed the chance to rest and catch up with lots of our favorite neighbors before getting horribly bug-bitten during the fireworks.

 Swim lessons!

 We opted for evening swim lessons this year, and it was so nice to have warmer water and sunnier skies than we have in past years.

 The three big kids loved it (Noah opted out this year)

and they all passed their levels! 

 "Being a mermaid" at the zoo.

 We found a lucky albino peacock feather! You can see the beautiful peacock just above Emma's head.

 And we had fun wandering around the zoo one afternoon (Leah was at her show choir camp).  We're trying to get all we can out of our annual membership- finding the feather, smashing some pennies and hanging out with the red panda made it a magical impromptu outing.

Naps when we need them.

And plenty of sibling togetherness and silliness.  I always find the nicest gems on my phone...

And always plenty of time for creative expression.  This craft table has seen more use than any other feature of our house over the years.  I love the sun room and it's beautiful light every day.

A Visit From Grandpa Art

Grandpa Art and his wife Rhonda came to visit us this summer.  It has been so nice having a finished basement to host guests in.  The highlight of the visit was a trip to the zoo, where Leah and Noah fed a hungry giraffe with a long tongue. 

 And slightly more adventurous Adam and Emma rode on a camel!

 They were very proud of themselves.

We also went to the park, ate ice cream, went out to dinner, and enjoyed a little birthday shopping for the summer birthday kids.

This is the first time Grandpa Art has come to visit us, and the kids had a great time getting to know him and Rhonda a little better.

Adam Is 9!

Let the season of birthdays begin!  Adam is NINE!

 After my birthday in March, the next family birthday is Adam's in July, and he has been looking forward to it for a really long time!  We had to set a rule that he couldn't plan specifics about his party until one month before the big day... which finally came last week!

Adam woke up really early to get a head start on the day- orange rolls and one big present that was the only thing he really wanted- the Lego Ninjago Destiny's Bounty, which he got started on right away.

 He wanted to have a Lego Ninjago themed birthday party, complete with a "Lord Garmadon's volcanic lair cake with a general shooting out of the top".  

 He was pretty pleased with how it turned out, and decorated it himself.

The whole day was full of fun and smiles- Emma sat down and made this incredibly thoughtful book for Adam-  My Brother Is A Ninja.

Soon it was party time!  Two ninjas and Master Wu helped get the party started. 

Adam wanted to do two things for his party- go to a park to have the ultimate ninja battle and watch the Lego Ninjago Movie. 

It was a beautiful day for the park (not to be confused with his 6th ninja in the park birthday party, which was a sweltering hundred degree semi-nightmare, or his failed 7th birthday swimming party which was relocated to our home because of torential downpours). 

 And every day is a good day for Legos.

Adam was super excited about the pizza that was delivered to our house mid-party, and the cake put on a great show. 

 Sweet presents from sweet friends.

And then it was time for the movie, which made for the easiest end to a party we've ever had.   

 Later Adam struggled to open his gift from Grandma Cathy, which was thoroughly taped up (a classic Grandma Gardner move),

and was SO excited to find another Lego set ready to be built. 

 Then it was on to the traditional birthday dinner with Mom and Dad- a tradition that is getting easier to uphold every year with the presence of a built-in babysitter at home.  

 Adam chose IHOP, and we had such a good time eating and chatting and talking about the amazing young man Adam is growing up to become.  He is my best big buddy.

 Then over to Target we went to exchange a few gifts for yet another Lego set.  He deliberated thoroghly, but once he saw the Harry Potter Quidditch field set, the choice was made.  He was so excited to show Leah his first Harry Potter Lego set!

Adam beat me out that night- I headed to bed before he did. 

Jason stayed up with Adam to help his with the Volcanic Lair.  A few days later he finished the Destiny's Bounty and Lego fun has been abounding ever since.

Adam is such a joy in our family.  He is very deliberate with his thoughts, and likes to thoroughly weigh out his choices before making any decisions.  He went birthday shopping with Grandma Morales when she was here and came home with a Lego set, a pack of baseball cards and an IOU for $6, which she dutifully mailed him in a birthday card a few weeks later.  And he didn't forget about it!

He tells great stories, is a wonderful writer and is a whiz at math.

He is very rarely in a grumpy mood, despite needing the least amount of sleep of anyone in our family except Daddy.  I can usually find him up late at night, reading by headlamp, and then up bright eyed and bushy tailed in the morning.

He holds the door open for me whenever we come in the house.

He loves Legos, baseball, Cub Scouts, and origami.  Loves loves loves them.  Adam is never at a loss for something to do- I can usually find him crouched on the ground fiddling with something.

Adam is a fun little brother and a great big brother- he is patient with Noah and has never once told him to keep his hands off the Legos that fill their room.  He's generous and sharing and kind, which is a great blessing to our family.

Adam loves his friends- Mason, Solon, Gabe, Topher, and Ben are his go-to best buddies.

He still plays the piano with gusto- Haydn's Surprise Symphony is his favorite.

He is super helpful around the house and we both love that he can accomplish tasks like installing door knobs, changing hard-to-reach light bulbs and hammering up his Scout Camp birdhouse.

He loves math and takes pride in constantly beating Leah out in multiplication problems.

He worries about going on a mission because he has morphed into a somewhat picky eater and can't imagine having to eating food he doesn't like.  

He is adventurous otherwise- always willing to try new things and setting the example for the less-eager kids in our family.

He wants a dog, is constantly thinking of ways to to make a lot of money, and wants to be a Lego builder when he grows up.  I tell him that he would be a great doctor because of his lack of need for sleep, his critical thinking skills and his kind heart.

We love you so much Adam.  Happy 9th Birthday Mister Man!!!