More Fun, All Caught Up

Evan's 4th Birthday...breakfast on the red plate:


Our new birthday tradition, invented by Evan--The Birthday Donker:
For Evan's birthday, he wanted to go on "a aventure" in the woods, so we did. Samuel said, "Mom, this isn't fun. THIS IS AWESOME!!!":




Evan's birthday party, a conglomeration of all things Super Hero-esque:
Here's me, with an apron as a cape, explaining the Super Hero Training Obstacle Course to the eager Super-Heroes-in-Training:

Over the benches, across the balance beams...


...through Super Hero Headquarters, down the slide.......jumping through the hoops, crawling through the tunnel, across the hot lava, and then smashing through a brick wall to land on pillows behind it:



Each Super Hero had their own unique style as they crashed through the wall:This one did a somersault landing every time:


Hands out, brace yourself...
...landing successfully, but don't forget to open your eyes!
This one has mastered the opened-eyes-landing technique:

And this one enters daintily, giggling the whole way:





We made Super Hero communication devices out of Jello boxes (Joseph is having fun, I promise!):

Here I am, being Dr. Octopus for freeze tag (hey, it's for the kids!):
The Super Heroes were supposed to pose for the camera in daring acrobatic poses:
It didn't work out quite as I had planned:





Evan was so nice to include Annie in all his birthday festivities:
Otter Pops!!!


Kindergarten Graduation, at which I wanted to stop and have an Assembly Etiquette lesson for all the parents, but instead just told my dad to shove his way to the front and take a picture like all the rest of the parents:
Cookies!!!

Walking to school one last time for the all-important Board Game Day Because the Teachers Have All Packed Up and Don't Want To Do Any More Teaching:
Reading with Grandma:

Look! Annie and Evan playing together! Take a Picture!






New house colors and flowers blooming (grass is still a work in progress):


A post-kindergarten-graduation-and-birthday trip to CA (just Sam and Evan with Grandma and Crampaw and without the pesky little sister). Here they are at La Jolla Cove going into a cave/tunnel out to the ocean with Aunt Kendra (check out Evan's face...I'm not sure how he's feeling about it):



Contemplating life on his thinking tree:
I guess it was cold at the beach?


The boys and my mom and sister stayed in a beach house right on the beach at Camp Pendelton. In addition to walking out the back door and being at the beach, they got to see tanks everywhere!


Angry Birds!!!
I think my sister told them to drop and give her 20:



Going up in the Big Orange Balloon at the Great Park in Orange County. Everything in Orange County is so Great and Big and Exciting compared to our little life in Flagstaff (or so the people there seem to think):

Snuggling on Grandma's love seat:
Playing games, beating Grandma :)
Loving his beach ball so much he decided to lick it, I guess:




Neighborhood friends at Grandma and Grandpa's--Conner and Abby live next door and often invite them to go swimming (in the same pool I used to stare out my window and dream of swimming in most days in the summer when I was a kid):
Andrew and Anna live in the next house. They went to Scooter's Jungle with Sam and Evan and Grandma:Then, we came back to CA a few weeks later and look! Annie and Evan playing together again (this time at the Discovery Science Center):
Making a bug out of kitchen utensils--kind of clever:

Laying on a bed of nails:
Reunion with old friends from youth group (Kristyn, Tricia, April, and Ann Marie):
Annie playing with my friend Ann Marie's daughter. We follow each other's blogs and have decided that they are very much the same...our two cute little stinkers:
My family at the table for Jeremy's birthday...I like it that Ranger (my sister's dog) even stuck his head through the door to be in the picture:


We got to go down to my parent's friends (the Lasters) home in San Clemente. Their backyard is the beach. Here are the kids, checking out the surf, watching the sets come in:

Man, Annie and Evan played together a lot recently! But don't tell Evan or he will be sure to prevent it in the future:

The boys wanted to dig The Biggest Hole in the World. That's an idea that no other boy has ever thought of or tried before.
Jeremy dutifully studying...at the beach, not too shabby!





Ice Cream!!!
Playing games with Crampaw, not sure what the deal is with the barretts in her hair:
Shooting guns with Crampaw:
Now I am all caught up. Phwew.

Fun is...

...dressing up in cowboy costumes for VBS (Annie didn't officially attend but she wore a costume anyway)

...helping lead the singing at VBS
...tagging along with the big kids every night to Gold Rush Mining Camp (i.e. VBS)


...and then being so tuckered out you can't keep your eyes open for the short car ride home


...being invited to a pirate birthday party
...putting together costumes for your kids from your costume stash

...watching your daughter dress up in your old costumes

...marching in the 4th of July parade with friends to celebrate a birthday (our country's and a special seven-year-old's)

...waiting for the parade to start while enjoying otter pops
...watching the parade from the only open spot on the sidewalk (in front of the port-a-potties)


...standing next to a storm trooper (we're still arguing about whether it is a storm trooper or a clone trooper)

...seeing the Batmobile up close
...watching a seven-year-old get the special thrill of riding on a car in a parade with the "Tangled" soundtrack playing as a birthday present from her cool Aunt Rachel
...4th of July parade with people cheering, the audience spontaneously singing "Happy Birthday" as we passed, being escorted by the Star Wars color guard...
...proudly waving your American flag

...getting to follow the cool antique tractors (a little stinky but very quaint)

...passing out candy while Beth rides circles around you on her unicycle

...tiger masks and balloons
...oh no, not fun...losing your balloon and watching it drift into space

(heartbreak)
...a surprise Storm Trooper attack

...spraying yourself in the face with cool water after a long (actually short) parade
...walking back to the car with smiles on your faces and all the candy passed out (actually, all the candy was passed out a third of the way into the parade route by our eager candy-passer-outers...oh well!)
...4th of July grub eaten outside in the cool Monsoon weather
...homemade 4th of July decorations
...friends and family to celebrate with at your own home in the land of the free, home of the brave! Thanks to God and to all those who serve this country and keep us safe and prosperous!