Dates

Having 5 kids makes it pretty hard to spend one-on-one time with any of them. We've tried in the past to take them out on one-on-one dates but then things would get crazy and we'd stop doing them. This summer we scheduled a date just every other Saturday, Tyler and I trading off. We had to set some parameters so no one broke the bank. They get to pick some (free) activity (park, raquetball, swimming, etc.) followed by their choice of treat.

So far we have played raquetball followed by cheese curds and custard at Culver's with Grant, Garrett and Shayla. Ty decided to mix things up a bit and chose to go running at Willow River State Park followed by cheese curds and custard at Culver's. It has been such a great thing.

Grant and I played raquetball this past Saturday and then chatted over our lunch. I asked him how he liked sharing a room with Shayla, and he confided in me that he liked sharing with Shayla but he didn't like his bed. Who wouldda thought? Yes, it turns out that he really doesn't care for his blue sheets. He wants red, lots of red. And not just the blankets. He wants to paint the whole bed red. Now, would I ever have known this if I hadn't been out on a date with him? Probably not. Now I have to figure out how to break it to him that I'm not going to paint his bunk bed red, but that we could try and get him a red blanket for his bed.

Ask a question...

Driving home from church today I asked the kids what they learned about. All of them piped up with what they learned and I got a kick out of their responses:

Ty: I learned about Elijah
Shayla: I learned about the 5 loaves and 2 fishes
Garrett: I learned about sharing
Grant: I learned about coloring!!!!

Happy Father's Day!

I know this is super late, but I am so grateful for the father that Tyler is to our kids. He sets such a great example for them to follow and loves to play with them right on their level. Some of his specialties are making up silly songs to sing, teaching them how to play every sport known to man, wrestling/tickling, riding bikes together, raquetball, hiking, and yard work/gardening.

I asked the kids what they liked about their Dad and this is what they said:

Ty: I love to go running with Dad

Shayla: I like that Dad is kind and thoughtful

Garrett: I like that Dad plays with me

Grant: I like that he plays with me. Like Miya toys, foot pass, and I'm all done.

Miya: I love hanging upside down, cranning my neck to follow my Daddy across the room. And I love it when he changes my diaper :)

Last Sunday Tyler came home from a full day of meetings and had an hour before his next round of meetings. He looked at me and could tell I was at the end of my rope. He got the kids fed and movie put on so I could go take a nap. He is always doing little things like that and they mean the world to me! Happy super-late Father's Day!

Independence Day!

We made tie-dye shirts on Monday July 5th. The kids loved it--Grant kept running around saying "We are a tie-dye family!!"

(I bought the kit 3 years ago and we finally did it! I just had to buy 2 new shirts and bump everyone else up a size or two :)

Silly faces

Grant getting ready for the softball game

Garrett getting face-painted

Miya enjoyed her first 4th of July, complete with church picnic, tug-o-war and foot races, watermelon, fireworks and swimming. (you can kind of see her doing her tongue-twisting trick. She does it non-stop, just to show off. I can't for the life of me do it, but Tyler can. I think it is a talent you are born with or not.)

We had a few snaps, sparklers and firecrackers to light off at home, which everyone but Grant enjoyed. After retreating to the house for a round of firecrackers Grant emerged and said, "Can we never do that again?"

It was a great weekend to reflect on the blessings of family and freedom. I recently read "The 5,000 year leap" and have been deeply impressed by the freedoms we so abundantly enjoy.
So many inspired souls fought to lay the foundation for this great nation, and so many have lived and died to protect that freedom. I keep thinking "where much is given, much is required" and want to do all I can to help preserve the freedom I enjoy everyday. Cause freedom isn't really free. So from one proud American to another, happy Independence Day (just a wee bit late)!

summer swimming

Somehow it looked bigger in the store...

Time Out for Women

In our first ever sister's retreat I met up with my Mom and sisters and s-i-l in Pittsburg for Time Out for Women. It was such a wonderful weekend -- the only thing that would have made it better was if Sarah had been there. Next year, Sarah!Emily, Ang, Kris, McKay, Miya and Mom playing "Settlers" at the hotel and feasting on delicious popcorn (thanks, Em!)

Downtown Pittsburg was really pretty. This advertisement for PNC bank was made out of different plants--quite creative. (This one's for you, Seth!)

Kris, McKay, Lani and Mom



Kris, Ang and Mom by the same fountain

McKay got to borrow one of Miya's outfits after having a blow-out at the Chinese restaurant--what a cutie (but he still looks like a little man, even in ruffles)

I LOVE McKay's expression in this one!! Fierce!

Sisters, sisters...there were never such devoted sisters :)

Running into Danielle, a dear friend from Indiana was the icing on the cake!

They kept trying to hold hands. Cousin bonding taking place here.

My favorite quotes/thoughts of the weekend:

"Selective Neglect"

"The hardest part of being blind is...not seeing"

Hilary Week's "Climb every mountain" song, laundry version

listening to beautiful music and being inspired and filled with hope and joy,

and laughing a lot, because laughter heals the soul.

Can't wait for next year!

attempted photo shoot

I thought I would take some photos of the kids for Father's Day.

What was I thinking? Getting 5 kids to all look and smile at the same time proved nearly impossible. The last one is my best...i think.

Notice Garrett's face. He wanted to hold Miya and refused to smile without her.

Now notice Ty's face. Now look at Garrett's. Oh, and how about Miya's happy face.

I wanted to cry, too.

It didn't help that Miya was tired and hungry.

Train...

Train wreck

Almost all of them are looking at the camera...notice Miya pulling Shayla's hair

Shayla was crying a milisecond after this shot.

They are all kind of smiling, and almost all looking.

Success!

terrible horrible no good day

Yesterday we were playing out back when Grant got attacked by a wasp, and then it turned and started stinging Garrett, too. Grant ended up with just 1 sting, but Garrett got 4--two first and then two later in the day when he bravely visited the site of the earlier incident. Notice his puffy lip and right eye. Poor kid. He was so brave about it too (after the initial blood-curdling screaming, of course). Tyler and Ty went on a wasp hunt and found and destroyed the nest with about a can and a half of wasp poison later that day. Hopefully that is our last wasp incident of the year.

On a lighter note, we have been enjoying all of the fresh fruit of the season. Raspberry, blackberry and strawberry picking and lots of fresh melons from the store. We were having honeydew with dinner and Grant said, "Please pass the honeydude, Dad!"