Soldier Tag

So my kids have been blessed this summer to play outside almost constantly. This particular night, they had fun with some of the neighbors and they played soldier tag when it got dark... all you could see was the little glowstick necklaces we bought them bobbing around in the dark as they chased each other and laughed so hard! I think they look pretty cool dont you!

Playdate at the River

sydney has made friends with the little boy across the street who is just her age! we took the two of them downtown to the river for a little playdate. Candy bars, throwing rocks in the river, seeing fish scales, and waving at the people on the boats, they had a really great time! Plus they are just dang cute :)

Birthday Party Fun! Mel's Birthday

One of the girls' best friends held a dolly and me tea party for her birthday! The girls loved it!

Halloween 2010

We love halloween! We are more of the pumpkins and candy type people, not the scary stuff. For halloween this year the kids were: Dylan-Super Mario, Marlee-Fancy Nancy, and Syd was a pink skeleton. We went to so many fun events with friends. We went to a neat church party in quincy, the kids played on the jump jumps, entered a halloween contest ( syd won her age group!) we ate hot dogs and drank to much hot cocoa and bought to many cookies at the bake sale. Halloween night we went trunk or treating around to local churches, went on a hay ride, played outside and once again drank to much hot cocoa! The kids love to visit the senior citizens where aunt vonnie lives and we just had an all around great time!

A jump in the leaves

One of my favorite things to do as a kiddo in the fall was to jump in the leaves. I would pretend i was a baby bird and I would make a nest of leaves, then jump out of the swing and land in my nest. Of course I thought I could fly. We took the kids and our neighbor friend to Riverview Park here in Hannibal and we had a blast jumping in the leaves - yes even mommy and daddy jumped in the leaves! What a fun day!

Meeting more friends!

We have been so blessed this summer! We got to meet more friends from across the country! This time they were east coast! Maryland! I have been friends with the momma for quite a few years after meeting her online through a neat yahoo group. They came through town and we got to spend a couple hours with them showing them around downtown Hannibal. It was sooo hot outside and they were all troopers and I have to say, I loved them. The whole family! I wanted to keep them!!! The kids were gorgeous and handsome ( for the boy of course) and so polite and kind to my kids. The momma was everything I had thought she would be and so much more! The daddy was kind and easy to get along with. We had a blast!

More penpal and guest pictures

Ok found some more adorable pictures of the girls and their penpals from Texas that came to visit! Please excuse the chubby mom in bed in the one pic... I was snuggling some cute babies!! :) Yes they are still babies to me. I had so much fun. Loved those kids!!! Their mom was pretty dang awesome too!

4th of July and guests

When I started the penpal program a couple years ago, I never imagined I would actually get to meet penpals from across the country! We had the honor of having the girls penpals from Texas come to stay with us for a few days! It was perfect because it happened around the 4th of July so we got to show them what Tom Sawyer Days was all about!
We played outside, we snuggled, we ate pizza, we went to a parade, we went to the arts and crafts and Dylan and Sydney both got to ride their first carnival rides ever! Our little family watched the big fireworks in our favorite spot ( no Im not telling, but it is the BEST SPOT EVER) and we had to say goodbye to our penpals. But it was such a neat summer memory!

The Easter Bilby

I can't believe Easter is almost here!!! Where the heck did the time go???
I am really getting excited, with the flowers blooming outside, the warmer weather and of course, concentrating on the real reason we celebrate Easter... Our Savior.
I have an amazing friend who lives in Australia ( my dream, where I want to live :)
and we were emailing today about our Easter plans. She told me that they dont really have the Easter bunny... maybe an Easter Bilby??? So of course I had to go look up what the heck a bilby was... oh my goodness, it is the darn cutest thing in the world!!
I have been working on the penpal program today, and I just get so amazed at the fact that we have friends from all over the world now, and that with homeschooling, my kids are getting to learn about things like the "easter" bilby!!! Just from her mentioning that, we got to go look up what it looks like, how it lives etc.. what a fun learning opportunity! Im pretty thankful for it.
I hope everyone has wonderful easter plans.. this year I believe we are going to take pics of the kids in their Easter outfits and do the hiding of eggs, etc... then have a nice lesson and dinner... lesson on the real reason of Easter and dinner because we like to eat :)
With Love, JL
ps-- im not posting a picture of a bilby... go look it up with your kids!! It will crack you up!!! :) I love it!
pps-- check out my friends blog... from down under :)
www.flowersnplaid.blogspot.com

First playdate of the summer... and a birthday party!

SILLY CUPCAKE GIRLS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Yesterday we had our first little playdate of the summer! My friend Debbie needed someone to watch her daughter Emmy for the day, so we got to play all day! We had so much fun! We made cupcakes ( that is the picture, lol) took chocolate chip cookies to our neighbor who just had his knee replaced, visited with them, played outside a bit, although it was muddy, watched Camp Rock, had a picnic lunch, and then they played horses and barbies all afternoon! We had a great time!

Today we have a friend from church coming over, miss sarah, and we are celebrating her birthday that was saturday. We are going to decorate a cake and get messy!! It will be fun!

After that, I am going to try and catch up on laundry and keep painting my kitchen cabinets. Whew. Oh, and at some point I have to start planning school for next school year, which we will start July 1st. Busy days!!!!!

LDS Zoo Day

It is a week from tomorrow! I can't believe it is so close!! I am so excited! I have almost everything done, just need to finish the kid goody bags and I have two or three more things that are coming in mail this week to put in big goody bags. Then to find a way to get all of it, including humongous rainbow resources catalogs and all the prizes, to the tables by the sea lions. Any good ideas?? A wagon isnt big enough, and I thought about borrowing my in laws produce wagon thing, but im not sure it will fit in my van! Keith said, we will strap it to the top! But for that long of a ride??? Anyway, it is going to be absolutely fun!!! Cant wait to make new friends! Drop me an email if you want to come!!!