The Post In Which...

This is the post in which I try to convince all my non-local friends and family to move to the Seattle area (or at least have a summer home here)!

I make no secret of the fact that I love it here.  Sure, we have a few dreary winter months, and more cloudy, gray days than I prefer, but our summers?  Oh! The summers!  

Sometimes, on perfect summer days, I think to myself, "how many bleak days is this one perfect day worth?"  So far, the perfect days are firmly in the lead.  

In addition to lovely summers, the scenery here is gorgeous.  I know some prefer the rugged beauty of the desert, but I'll take trees and green every single time.  I've blogged before about hiking at Mt. Rainier, but this is my view driving down the street in our small city (never ceases to amaze me):

This summer we did our best to take advantage of the beauty around us.  We hiked...

...sometimes even in the pouring rain.  

We went to beaches and parks and discovered a fabulous spot on the river just a couple miles from our home.  After finding this particular area, I returned at least once a week for the remainder of the summer.

It provides the perfect combination of shallow, slow-moving water, dirt, rocks, and mud.  Also known as "little kid heaven."

Did I mention the water is cold.  Brrrr!  Graham thought Finley was completely hilarious.  

Should you choose to move here, hopefully you will be blessed to find friends who are generous enough to invite you to spend a couple days with them at their parent's vacation home on a nearby island.  If you are, you'll see much more of the natural beauty this area has to offer.  Parks and lakes abound (and are especially helpful for passing the time if by chance you read the ferry schedule incorrectly and cause your friends to miss the ferry by 2 minutes, forcing them to wait another 2 hours - oops!).

We had an amazing two days playing on the island.  Once our friends joined us, we spent the afternoon at the "swimming hole."  Two moms, eight kids, and lots of fun.

Aubree and Bethelle swam out to the further docks and enjoyed being little fish.  

The younger kids enjoyed the shallows, the water slide, and the sand.  

At one point, Bryce came over to me, slightly upset and claiming that a bee had stung him on the bottom of his foot.  Bryce tends to be a little on the theatrical side when he gets hurt, yet this time he was remarkably calm.  So calm, that at first I didn't believe him!  

He recovered quickly, and soon was trying to swim in the deeper water.  

While swimming and playing in the sand is always fun, the same cannot be said for the cleanup process.  It seemed like we would get one kid cleaned off and start on the second, only to have kid one head back into the dirt forcing us to start all over!  Finally, we required all cleaned children to stay sitting on a blanket and gave them snacks to encourage compliance.  

It was a special treat to spend the night at the cabin with our friends.  These eight kids get along fantastically well.  Certainly there are moments of quarreling, but for the most part they are always deep in complicated imaginative scenarios and enjoying every moment they're together.  

The next morning we were up and out the door determined to pick blackberries.  We'd seen a great berry picking spot behind an old one-room schoolhouse that is now used as a fitness center.  Besides lots of berry bushes, this location also boasted a playground, which made it a double winner.  

Elke and I spent an hour and a half picking berries while the kids played nearby.  Occasionally, one or another of them would wander over to "help," but once their bellies were satisfied, they'd head back over to play.  

Towards the end of our berry picking adventure, a lady came out from the fitness center.  "Excuse me," she called to Elke and me, "are these your children?"

"Uh oh," I thought, "are we not supposed to have them here?  Were they being too loud?..."

"I just had to tell you," she continued, "that we are so impressed with your kids!  We've been having an exercise class for the last hour and we were watching them. We can't believe how well they play together and watch out for one another.  You're doing a good job, Momma's!"

I do believe I can live off of that compliment for a month!

After we finished berry picking, we set off on a short hike.  On this hike, we discovered huckleberry bushes.  The kids were hooked.  At the end of the hike we went back to the cabin for lunch and while the two little boys napped, the big kids hunted around the property for their own huckleberry stashes.

What a great crew!

When Graham and his buddy woke up, they went out to the sun room to watch the big kids in the backyard.  When they got bored of that, they made their own fun.  It's a true friend who will lick a window with you.

We had just enough time before we had to catch the ferry to head home to visit one last park and go swimming in another lake.  Glorious, right?

As you can see, summers here are practically perfect in every way.  The only thing that could make them even better is if YOU were here.  Yes, You.  So, start saving for that summer home now!

That weekend we had 6 kids

I have not kept up with my blogging this month.  Not because I don't have anything to write - on the contrary, I'm overwhelmed with posts in draft mode - but rather because September's been a whirlwind of commitments, activities, and company.  So, this is me resolving to clear out the draft pile.  

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In August I had an opportunity to watch my friend's two young kids for a few days.  H and B are the same ages as Thane and Graham (don't let their super height fool you).  My kids couldn't wait for them to come and stay.  Extra playmates?  What could be better?

We spent our first morning together playing at a river we'd recently discovered (more on that fabulous find in another post).  Unfortunately, the weather that morning remained chilly.  H and B were undaunted; despite the shockingly cold water, little B especially found great pleasure in dunking his head repeatedly and then refusing to be wrapped in a warm towel.

All went amazingly smoothly the first day.  Even bedtime was a breeze because H and B were so excited to be sleeping in a new place (and it helped that they'd exhausted themselves with playing all day). 

The next day dawned bright and sunny.  Soon all the kids migrated to the back yard to burn off some energy playing in the sprinklers.  

When the bigger kids tired of the sprinklers, they devised a new method of entertainment - seeing how long they could hold their breath under water.  This kept them occupied for a surprisingly long period of time!

It's been long enough since H and B stayed with us, that most of the details are fuzzy, but apparently we made it through day two happily enough.

Until bedtime.  

While on the first night both H and B fell asleep happily and quickly, on night two, little B would not stay in the toddler bed (he sleeps in a crib at home), and H was still completely keyed up and couldn't lie still in her own bed.  Since they were sharing a bedroom, this combination did not bode well for any hope of slumber.  

I sat outside their room for a while whispering reminders and putting B back to bed.  After an hour, I explained to precocious B that if he got out of the bed again, I'd have to take him to another room to sleep so his sister could rest.  Five seconds later, he hopped out of bed, and I scooped him up to fulfill my threat promise.  

Up to that point, B had been nothing but happy and calm.  So, you might imagine my surprise when he opened his mouth and let out a scream that could rival any siren.  On and on went his scream at full blast.  "B!" I insisted, "you can't scream like that..."  

I'd intended to complete my sentence by saying, "the other kids are trying to sleep and you're going to wake them up!" but before I could get that far, the wailing suddenly ceased and little B, in a calm but serious voice retorted, "Yes, I CAN scream.  I can scream just like this!"  And he opened his mouth back up and proceeded to clearly prove his point.  

Honestly, it was so hilarious to hear a barely two-year old respond that way, that I had to laugh.  The laugh eased the tension of the moment, and though it took another five or ten minutes, we were eventually able to get B semi calmed down and ready to try his bed again.  

However, when we walked back into the bedroom, we found sweet H hugging her knees, and sobbing.  With all the tender feelings of a four-year-old whose parents have been gone for 3 days, she cried, "I just want my mommmmmmmy!"

Seeing his sister upset sent B back to tears as well.  Both kids were beyond consolation, and I knew there was nothing I could do to make it better.  In that moment, the thought came to my mind, "say a prayer."

I quickly tucked H and B into their beds, and knelt down beside them.  As soon as I began to pray, the sweetest, calmest feeling of peace entered the entire room.  Not only did it wash over me, but I could feel the tension melt out of H's body, and hear B's breathing relax.  As the tears streamed down my face, I offered my sincere prayer and felt an overwhelming sense of love and gratitude for the gift of the Holy Ghost and the love of our Heavenly Father.  I knew that He loved H and B, and that He knew how much they missed their parents in that moment.  It was just a tiny glimpse of how He feels about each of us.  

By the time the prayer ended, both H and B were completely relaxed.  H told me, "I feel really warm inside right now."  

"That's the Holy Ghost comforting you," I explained, "I feel exactly the same way."  I love the simple testimony of a child.  

This was such a special moment for me, that I've felt compelled to record it so I don't forget.  I think I'll always have an extra special place in my heart for these two adorable rascals.  

Happy Birthday Graham

Graham turned two a couple weeks ago.  I'm in denial.  

I still like to refer to him as my "baby," but a few months ago, after one such reference, Thane turned to me and countered seriously, "You know, Mom, Graham's almost two, which means he's not a baby anymore, so you shouldn't call him that!"

Graham doesn't seem to mind.  In fact, when he sees a picture of himself or his reflection in the mirror, he joyfully yells, "Baby!"  Around here we're pretty convinced he's just about the cutest (not) baby around.  

As the baby of the family, he's often at the mercy of the myriad schedules of his siblings and parents.  When his birthday fell on a Thursday this year (our busiest day of the week), we decided it's more important to celebrate the occasion than the actual day.

This particular Thursday also happened to be the first day of preschool for Thane, and we all know there's only one good way to start preschool... with a party!  

One of Thane's preschool friends was also having a birthday that week, and his mom brought cupcakes.  Check it out... a party and cupcakes, all on Graham's birthday (good thing he's too little to know or care they weren't designed specifically for him)!

Graham did get to open presents on the evening of his birthday, even if his older siblings were a bit over eager to help.  

His favorite gift is a photo book all about him.  

The next night we invited over Graham's buddy, Henry, had cake and ice-cream, and really got down to the business of celebrating.  Aubree and Bryce insisted that I make a cake for Graham.  They even brainstormed and came up with a theme (Elmo, because Graham loves the Sesame Street alphabet books we have).  Note to self - 2 year olds do NOT need or care about a decorated cake.  Sprinkles would've worked just as well and I would've saved myself a major headache.

Graham seemed to enjoy the attention and, impressively, did a great job trying to blow out the candles.  

He did an even better job polishing off two servings of cake and ice-cream.  

Happy Birthday Baby Big Boy!

Summer Chore Challenge - Mission Accomplished

Summer is over, and so is our Chore Challenge.  I'm beyond pleased to report that it was a smashing success!  

I had an inkling things were going well when, a month into the challenge, Aubree paused while sweeping the kitchen and asked, "Can we do summer chore challenge next year too?"

I admit that a big part of the reason I implemented this program was to force myself to focus on training. I know it's important to teach the kids how to work, but in the moment it almost always seems inconvenient, and it's too easy to rationalize that, "I'll teach them next time."  This system made "next time" become "this time" and the kids were begging for it!
Since most of the Chore Challenge tasks initially involved the kids watching me do a chore while I explained step-by-step what needed to be done, the first few weeks required a lot of my time and attention.  Just when it started to get overwhelming, however, they transitioned to the more independent steps, and suddenly my burden became much lighter!

Thane with his little Lego step 6 prize

The kids doing so many extra chores was surprisingly challenging for Mark.  "Am I allowed to load the dishwasher?" he'd ask, then jokingly fret, "what can I do around here these days?"

It was also interesting to watch how the different kids reacted to the long-term nature of the challenge.  I liked that the kids had to do a lot of work before seeing progress on the actual challenge chart or earning any rewards.  All of them started out strong, but Aubree was noticeably motivated.  Halfway through, however, Aubree's enthusiasm waned and she made very little progress towards her goals.  

Right when Aubree began to taper, Bryce and Thane started noticing how close they were to completing many of their goals and they ramped up their efforts.  Thane never turned down an opportunity to do a Chore Challenge task and was thrilled to be the first one to earn his grand prize.  He chose a Superman "Rainbrella."

I should note that one of his challenges was to learn to ride a bicycle and he did it!  Starting and stopping were the only tricky points.  Comically, he seemed magnetically drawn to every single "No Parking" pole down our street.  I'm pretty sure he crashed into all of them at some point or another.  

Bryce earned his grand prize not long after Thane.  He chose a Lego mobile police kit as his grand prize and then spent hours happily putting it together.  

Seeing her brothers earn their prizes, and realizing that school started in less than a week, lit a necessary fire under Aubree.  She sat down and figured out exactly what she needed to do to finish in time.  The last week of summer was a whirlwind of work, but she managed to finish just in the nick of time and earn her chosen grand prize - a American Girl flute for Kit.

Since all three kids finished, that also meant that they earned a family party.  Hurray!  The program worked so well, I've already started thinking of things to add to their lists for next year...

City School 2014

As a result of tricky pick-up and drop-off schedules, Aubree had an extra long time at Farm School this year (5 days!), and we only got to have Jaylen for 2 1/2 days.  So we packed as much as we could in that short time!  

Immediately after picking Jaylen up, we drove to the American Girl store.  With such limited time for City School, I'd tried to talk Aubree into doing something different this year.  She could not be swayed. "Mom," she countered, "it's a tradition and we look forward to it all year long!"  Jaylen echoed her sentiments, so away we went.  

I also happened to be watching our 10 year old neighbor girl that day.  While Aubree and Jaylen wandered the store with big, eager eyes, our neighbor commented, "these dolls creep me out!  I feel like they're watching me!"  Haha!  

Both girls brought their own money to spend.  Jaylen somehow managed to find a deal (I wasn't sure those existed at the AG store) and got a $48 cello for $18.  Aubree bought Kit a pair of blue glasses and frequently comments about how great Kit looks when wearing them.  

Sticking with the tradition theme, we next stopped by the Lego store, where Bryce parted with some of his long-stored allowance.  The girls were sad to discover that the kid play area at the mall had been converted to a toddler play area, so they couldn't take their yearly seagull photo.

The next morning the girls were up surprisingly early considering how little sleep they get when they're together.  They fired up their imaginations and insisted I take a picture of them posing with their "royal tapestry."

Soon we were heading out for the day's adventure at the Children's Museum.  This children's museum had a very simple, natural focus.  As an adult looking around, I initially wondered if the kids would find enough to keep them occupied for long.  I should have known better (especially since I was in the middle of reading a book stemming from the Waldorf philosophy)!

We all started off in the water area, which in retrospect wasn't the brightest choice because Graham was soaked by the time we were done.  We had no time constraints, so I sat back and watched as the boys spent a solid 30 minutes experimenting with the water works.  It was fascinating to watch them, especially since Bryce and Thane stayed together and worked cooperatively the entire time.  

I stuck with the boys, while Aubree and Jaylen flitted about the not-too-big museum, exploring the different exhibits before ultimately creating an elaborate make-believe game that incorporated all the different areas.  I don't know all the details of their drama, but I know it involved capes...

and maps...

and secret hide-outs...

and even more mysterious capes.  

Meanwhile, the boys also had great adventures.  Graham found an uneven, sloped path that was his favorite part of the museum.  Around and around, he'd make his circuit, laughing every time he got to run down the slope.  While Graham completed his laps, Bryce and Thane burrowed into the cave built underneath.  They pulled in every pillow rock they could find and happily pretended to be small forest creatures.  

They also all enjoyed playing in the sandbox (did I already mention that playing in the water first wasn't the best choice?).

One small, netted area was full of fall-colored fabric leaves.  Surprisingly, the boys loved this spot.  They'd grab a pile of leaves and throw it at me.  I was sitting on the other side of the netting, and would then immediately push back against the net so the leaves flew back towards them.  Cue hysterical laughter.     

Over and over and over again.

The last area the boys visited was genius.  It was just a huge stack of cardboard boxes of all shapes and sizes.  Bryce and Thane got busy building a big house with doors, windows, telescopes, and (later on) even a roof.  So much fun!

Saturday morning we loaded up and drove to Ensign Ranch for a day of slip and sliding.  Jaylen's family came to pick her up not long after we arrived, so she only had a short time to slide, but our little family met up with a bunch of friends and stayed all afternoon.  

 

We all loved going down the hill on the tubes, though Bryce got hurt a couple times and decided he only wanted to go down with Daddy.  Graham especially loved going down and never wanted to stop.  

Thane proved he's becoming quite the big kid by consistently and enthusiastically going up and down by himself!  When the kids weren't going down the slip and slide, they were out canoeing with Mark.  Such a fun place to spend the day!  I think it will have to be a new summer tradition.