Rowing Clinic

This month Noel and Asher tried a week-long rowing camp that was held up on one of the lakes in Madison. Once they learned proper technique, the were zipping around on boats in the hot summer sun.

If it wasn't your turn to zip around on the water, you practiced on Ergs... rowing machines that tell you how strong you are pulling. Noel was really good at it.


Here is Asher looking so cool out on the water.


Sylvia and I did some fishing from the bank, while we waited for the kids class to end.

It was fun to be out in the evenings on the lake. I think next year I'll have Noel try rowing the whole fall season, instead of just a week long camp.

Sylvia's 4th Birthday!

Sylvia's birthday was an "Ice Age" theme.


She loves the baby woolly mammoth in the most recent movie. So, after hours of work, staying up past midnight the night before the party, struggling to get the various shades of brown just right, I created a masterpiece cake. It was then consumed within minutes at the party, and I wondered "Was it worth it?" I think so... I enjoyed the challenge... even if I was the only one. :)

The favorite game at the party was a various on "Duck Duck Goose". We played "Duck Duck Sloth", and the kids were laughing wildly as they chased each other around the circle.



We also played "Pin the teeth on Diego the Saber-Tooth Tiger". The last game was a version of musical chairs... we did musical Maiasaura- nests, with blankets scattered around the lawn. It was fun. The older kids definitely had the advantage... Sylvia came in second twice.


After the games, the kids dug in sand for little plastic dinosaurs that were hidden.


Opening presents with kids under 4 is still a challange... they all want to help and play with the toys instantly. We moved through it quickly though, and Sylvia has some fun new loot to try out.




Here are Sylvia's buddies. She has great friends. She plays with all of them on different days of the week... it makes for a busy social life.


Sylvia's Grandma and Grandpa McMullin sent her this adorable dress. She looked like a movie star for her birthday.

It was so relieving to have everything go well for the party... I watched movies in the basement with Noel for the rest of the day.... and Sylvia played with her toys. Everyone was happy.

Smell the Roses

This year, our roses have been amazing. I cut them way back a year ago, hoping I wouldn't kill them off. Then this year they have bloomed and grown into amazing displays of color.

Sylvia loves picking up the soft rose petals as they drop on the grass. I love looking out the front window at them.

"Wow. Wow. Wow."

This morning, we walked outside, and Noel pointed out some mushrooms that had sprouted up. Mushrooms are a new thing for Sylvia, so I told her to feel how soft they were. She did, and was impressed.
She stood silently a moment, and then in serious amazement, says "Wow. Wow. Wow." :)
She helps me to love this world.

Asher's 12th Birthday

Asher turned 12 while we were visiting my sister in NY. Asher got a harmonica, and so did the little girls. (Sylvia and her cousin Nora). Here they are jamming out.

This is my sister Lisa, her husband Wil, and Nora. They are sporting the latest trend in NY party hats.
My sister was wonderful and got party plates and made red velvet cupcakes for the party. Red Velvet cake was the signature cake of the Waldorf-Astoria hotel in NY during the 1920's.

Lisa bought the little girls matching party dresses. They looked adorable, and ready to party.

A Proud Mother Moment...

Tonight the older kids were all playing in the same concert for the first time. Asher played viola with the 6th grade orchestra, and Noel played cello with the 7th graders. The neat twist though, was that for the final song (a joint piece for the whole middle school orchestra: grades 6-8), Mattias (grade 4) got to play along on his electric bass. It was sooooo cool.



There were only 3 electric bass players, and the amp was really cranked up. The song was from the Rocky movies "The Final Countdown". It starts with a long bass guitar slide, and then goes into a rock beat. The electric basses were plugged into an amp the size of a dishwasher, and it shook the seats in the gym. The whole crowd was watching them in awe. These 3 boys led the whole group of 80 plus musicians.



Mattias ended up getting to play, because Asher asked his orchestra teacher if he could. She was wonderful to let him do it. Mattias has only been playing bass since Jan., and has taught himself from a book... so it was amazing to see him work hours and hours this past month, and learn this difficult song. I worked with him to get the right rhythm over and over, day after day.

When he was playing... I was soooo proud! He was standing up next to 2 shaggy haired 8th graders, and was keeping up!
I would hold my breath when I knew a tough bunch of notes were coming up, and then almost jump out of my seat, and squeal at Sean when I saw Mattias nail them each time. Whew. I am glad it is over. My nerves can't handle this kind of stress. :)

All the kids played beautifully, but it was such a proud mother moment to see my little bass player shine.

"Hey Chicken!"

Today we spent the afternoon at our friends house, the Johnsons.

Our friends are chicken farmers, and are raising a new batch. Noel is looking at some chics in a box.


Sylvia has been practicing holding them the past few weeks.. and is now a pro.

She decided to give the chicken a kiss. A second after this picture was taken, the chicken kissed back with a hard peck to her eye. Sylvia decided not to kiss any more chickens.


Noel came along to dig up some strawberries that Brook didn't need. She transplanted them to our backyard this evening.


While the big brothers are inside programming robots, the younger siblings engage in the weekly sport of "chicken catching".

Sylvia and Laura run wildly after the chickens. Whenever Sylvia would see a chicken pass by, she would yell "Hey, Chicken!" and gallop after it. It became her battle cry. For 2 hours, I sat in the sun, and listened to "Hey, Chicken!"

Here Sylvia is trying the sneak approach... She actually catches the white chicken. It is the first one in 2 months that she has been able to catch.





Persistance pays off. Sylvia becomes an expert chicken catcher for the rest of the afternoon. She catches chicken after chicken with her friend, Laura. The chickens were glad to see us go.