Coloring

The kids have had so much fun coloring lately.  Brooke has gone from little scribbles on a paper a month ago to drawing pumpkins!  She draws a circle for the pumpkin shape, circles for the eyes and nose and a line for the mouth.  She also adds scribbles for the hair and grass below.

She has been working on a letter workbook lately.  She is getting better at controlling how her pencil moves on the paper.  I'm so excited about how much interest she has in learning letters!

Catching UP



Brooke and her Backyardigans



So, one of the main reasons behind my poor updating on the blog has been the lack of time I have spent on our main computer!  I have been keeping updated on things via ipod.  My little handheld device has photo and video, so it's easy to stick it in your pocket and capture quick (not that great quality) photos.  Then, I forget to get them on the computer so I end up with a big random blog post like today's.  Sorry!

I submitted lots of clothing and a few extras to the county fair.  I won "Best in Class" for my fun pink and green outfit!

I wasn't sure how well my sewing and knitting skills were, so it was fun to hear the nice comments on all my projects.  Every project got a "1st Place".  Yeah!

Brooke and the pretty flowers at Smallwoods.

We discovered a u-pick orchard near Cashmere and went there on a weekly basis!  Nectarines, pears, apples, peaches and grapes!

So many "firsts" for me at the orchard.  It is so much fun to pick fruit right off the tree!

As I mentioned in previous posts, Grandma Carol was here most of the summer.  Most of our morning activities usually last a few hours, but do not extend to nap time... so that's where Grandma helped out!  It was so nice to stop by Caitlin's house for a change of pace and a breather for me!  I'm pretty tired today, my second day without Grandma Carol!

We took Brooke and Oliver to Kid's Day at our local hockey rink.  They LOVED it!  The lights, the spectacle, the music, the kids, and the free over sized tshirts, it was all great!

Brooke still chants, "Let's go WILD!".

The kids dressed up for the kids parade in Leavenworth.  We handed out information about our local MOPS group.  Then we watched the bands, drill teams, and princesses on decorated floats and they marched past us in the grand parade.  The kids loved it!  They both sat on the sidewalk clapping and dancing to the music and waving to the princesses!

Brooke was a fairy princess ballerina.

Back to the orchard AGAIN!  This time with best friend Riley!

Our town is really starting to become a destination with it's businesses.  A group of us knitters met at the local drinkery for some knitting and beer.  It was a good time!

Now that Caitlin is in Seattle often and Grandma Carol is back to Alaska, I'm looking for morning extending activities.  Brooke had a great time having lunch with Daddy and then playing the marimba along with the 7th grade band!

Oliver (little stubborn boy) ended up conducting with Daddy because I kicked him out of the marimba playing.  He insisted on playing the wood marimba with the very hard bell mallets and WOULD NOT GIVE IN.  So, no more marimba playing for Oliver until he can behave!

We have been so lucky having Grandma Carol here most of the summer!  She has stayed at Caitlin's house and helped her keep her garden, house and dog happy!  She is always up for whatever adventure I choose for the day and LOVES her grandchildren!  We are going to be pretty lonely when she leaves!

Last night Caitlin drove home from Seattle and they came over for potato leek soup (YUM!).  Both kids wanted to be on Grandma Carol's lap.  Playdoh was going on noses, the floor and everywhere else.  It was a great night!

When Kent got home tonight, Brooke was so excited to be with her Daddy!  She asked to sit on his lap and she gave him hug after hug!  It was so sweet (and Kent LOVED it!).

We got this "new" old chair at a yard sale down the street!  I think it fits the look of our house.  Oliver wanted me to take a picture of him so he tried hard to climb up!





He did it!  He just LOVES to climb.  Couches, tables, chairs, laundry baskets, even if a small cup is on the floor, he will turn it over to climb on.  I believe this is the main reason I have spotted two gray hairs on my head!  Oh yes, and HE took his pants off!

Brooke wanted a picture of her "grumpy face".  This is the face she makes when she is not happy about something.  She makes this face when she is nervous about seeing someone... for instance, when a Kent arrives home from work, when I arrive home from something, or if we go over to Auntie Caitlin's house.  I think it's the attention that she "likes/dislikes" about seeing someone.  Complex girl!



There's the girl we love!  We are off to MOPS this morning.  I have orange/blueberry bread made for brunch and a 25 jar soup mixes ready for the "craft".  I am co-leading the craft job this year.  It's been fun, but I think we'll be doing more simple crafts in the future!  Wish me luck!

MOPS "School"

Today was the first day of MOPS.  Brooke was not interested in going (because she knew she would have to be away from me).  So to convince her to go I told her she was old enough to go to MOPS school.  She helped me pack her backpack (on Oliver's back in the photo) and we headed to MOPS happy and excited!  Brooke had a pretty good time during the two hour time, Oliver not so well.  The baby room was full of crying kids and it caught on like wildfire!  I'll get better as the kids get used to being there... hopefully!

Silly Kids

I haven't been using my camera as much as I usually do.  I made myself grab it tonight and caught a few silly/cute moments in our backyard.

Hike to Lake Valhalla

Now that Brooke is three she is quite the seasoned hiker (even though this was our first hike of the summer). 

Into the woods!  Only a few switchbacks (very gentle) and then gradual slope to the lake.  A perfect hike!  3.5 miles to the lake.

Once you get over the ridge you see the lake.  It's all downhill from there and the time goes by so quickly because you are so excited to take your shoes off and enjoy the sand!

The dogs loved the cool water.

Oliver and Brooke played on the beautiful sandy beach.  This place has to be one of my favorite places on Earth.  It's unbelievable!  The only bad part this year was the bugs, but that is the story of this summer in many places we go.  They were not terrible, but they were definitely there!

Videos

Here are a few fun videos of the kids.

Lunch Time Visitor

Grandma Carol stopped by our house with a special guest!  The very hungry caterpillar was here to visit the kids during lunch!  Do you think he likes bread and spaghetti?  You'll find out!

First, he checked out Brooke's meal... then it was off for Oliver's yellow plate.

Oliver was very brave!  The video should be fun for kids to watch, I'm sure!

Dress Up

These two kids love playing dress up.  Oliver picked out this outfit.  One boot (his very favorite part), a purple bracelet and skirt.  Classy!

Brooke has been loving dressing up princess-like.  She did this outfit all by herself.  The wings, the "crown", princess shoes, tutu and gloves.  Good getting dressed practice for her.