Water Conservation Garden....

We went to Cuyamaca's Water Conservation Garden today with our Daisy Scouts. It was one of our last meetings for the year. The older girls are going to Brownies next year and we decided that the troop needed to break for the summer. We'll come back all fresh and new in the fall.

Anyway, today was great! The kids enjoyed learning about ecosystems, gardening, bugs and composting. I'm pretty sure that they now understand that everything works together, and needs to, in the garden. Afterwards we met some of the girls and their families at a nearby park with water sprays. They had fun playing together and keeping cool.

Ecosystem

Compost

Picking carrots

Daisies

Water park (Noah is in front and Ben and Hannah are in the background)

Early...

Another morning with the early risers in our house. This morning was with Ben and Rebekah. Ben decided to read to his little sister and she really liked it. She sat there on his lap for a long time. It was so sweet that it made my heart swell ♡.

Mayo...

Daddy was making lunch for the kids today and asked each child how they wanted it, because they are all so picky. He found ham and cheese in the fridge and started to ask them and here is how it went down with Noah:

Daddy: Ham and cheese, Noah do you want mayonnaise on your sandwich?

Noah: Yes... Actually I want mayonnaise in my sandwich, and the ham and monster cheese in it too.

Daddy: Ah, in it. OK

Specifics. pfft.

Last library trip...

This afternoon we went to the local library to check it out and see what was going on. There was a story time and puzzle time scheduled but it was running late. We soon found out that that was cancelled and that there was a flag painting going on instead. Today they were recruiting people for the summer reading clubs and so we signed up, and the flags were going to decorate the library. So the kids got busy painting flags. They each got to paint 2 flags. The first ones that they did weren't done with care and were kind of gloppy with paint that was all mixed up (I think the librarian didn't explain the directions very well). The second ones were much better, Hannah's actually had a picture on it. 

After painting the flags they were supposed to go around the library and try to find some books. The kids had their library cards waiting for them at the front desk ready to be picked up. Ben found a comic about Spiderman and found a spot to sit and read. Hannah and Noah couldn't find books. Noah kept bugging Ben (I was nursing Rebekah nearby) and they wouldn't leave each other alone. At one point Noah had become so crazy he knocked over a bookshelf, books went sprawling everywhere and I was mortified. We left. It may be a very long time before I take them to the library again. This craziness seems to happen every time. ☹ Perhaps I'll have to take them to pick up their flags at the end of summer, but then again...I may just have to go alone.

Littlest book worm

Painting flags

Ben reading a spiderman comic book

Daisies...

Hannah had a Daisy meeting today and she brought her new Nintendo to show her friends. It was so funny because all of a sudden the girls disappeared and reappeared on the couch with their own Nintendos. They sat there all quiet and working on their games. A couple looked on while the others played but 4 out of 6 of them had games. I was surprised with how popular they were among this age of girls.

Nintendo...

Ben and Hannah have been wanting a Nintendo DS for a LONG time. They see them everywhere and talk about seeing them, who had one, what game they were playing, what color it was... all the time. We can't afford to buy two so we challenged them to try to save their money to buy one. The games are also pretty expensive so they would be responsible for buying games (unless they got some as gifts for birthdays or Christmas-or just because). So they saved their money and remembered that they were saving their money every time we went shopping for about a year. They didn't spend much of their own money. 

Today we went to Target and they picked out their own Nintendo DSi and asked the salesman to get it out of the glass case for them. They picked out a game each as well. There was a deal on them and they each got a game for free but we thought they'd be too hard and not interested in them so they chose a kids game for themselves. Ben got the Cars racing game and Hannah got the Princess game. We are very proud of them for all the work and restraint they did to save up their own money to buy something that they wanted. They learned about saving and the value of it. We hope they remember it for the future.

Test video...

Ben doing a portion of his martial arts test, in video!

Fourth section...

Today we went and hung out at Ben's Martial Arts school. He had a big day there. We went to see if he was ready to test, he was! He tested and passed! He is now one of the newest of the Fourth Sections in the school. He has become serious about his martial arts in the last couple of months. We think that something 'clicked' and he's more serious about his class these days. So with passing his tests he will start to learn more advanced moves and he will have a black stripe around the neckline on his white jacket. 

After his test we stayed for another hour and a half while he (& others) prepared for the show at the San Diego County Fair. They will be giving a great show!

Congratulations Ben!!! We are so proud of you!!

 Taking the test

Now Ben gets to wear a red shirt (no more ugly grey)

Ballet...

Tonight we went to the ballet. Marissa finished her first full year in ballet and at the end of the year they have a recital. We went last year as well, and this year was a little more difficult to handle. Noah doesn't nap anymore and was so wiggly from the beginning. He and Corey left early and got to bed early. Ben got wiggly in the 3rd act but we all wanted to see Marissa so we stayed until the end. She is getting good! We were all very proud of her and we look forward to next year!

After the ballet

Marissa :)

Sewing...

I have been trying to get back into sewing on my machine but Rebekah won't sit in the room quietly with me. She wants to be held and in the end I'm not really getting much sewing done. But the kids are! They sit in there with me and take out their needles and thread them, they find fabric and get to work. Ben has been making some funny little hats that look like they belong on Peter Pan's head and Hannah is always trying to make "something new". 

Hannah trying to visualize what she'll make

Butterflies...

This afternoon we went on a field trip to the Monarch Butterfly program in Encinitas. We've been before and this time was just as great! There is little classroom where they have a little program set up with a movie, slides and kid participation. They learned a lot and it was totally geared to kids. They learned about the four stages of the butterfly's life cycle, and then they got to witness it out in the butterfly area. Then we went to the butterfly area where there were so many butterflies flying all around. There was watermelon in there for the kids to pick up and hope that a butterfly would land on their piece. The butterfly lady had some caterpillars that she passed around for the kids to handle and pet as well. They loved it.

Butterflies

Ben got one on his finger!

Hannah caught one too (as one flies by her face)!

Rebekah got one!

Noah caught one

Swearing in...

This morning, I took the kids downtown to witness history :) We were present as my little brother (Chris) was sworn in as a lawyer! The kids loved it especially since their cousins were there too. What a proud day! We are all so proud of Chris! The kids were great during the short ceremony and afterwards made off with all the rest of the little mints left in the room. I'm so glad all the lawyers and judges were gone by that point ;) Anyway it was a great morning with the little bro.

Chris with Mom and Dad