Summer Magic (a week in review)

This week we...

Monday:

A nice family in our ward hosts "Swim Monday" at their amazing swimming pool each week. It's mostly for primary age kids and their moms. The rules: bring a treat to share and have fun. As my big boys wore themselves out jumping off the diving board and sliding down the slide, Jake wore himself out smiling and talking to the ladies. Once Jacob got stuck in this little raft it took him about 30 seconds to drift peacefully off to sleep. The life of a one year old is pretty wonderful. Tuesday: Oh sweet Tuesday! What a day. The boys and I made smoothies and orange Julius for lunch. Check this out. Does this look like summertime in a cup or what?

Will exclaimed over lunch, "Mom nothing beats a boy cheese sandwich and an orange Julius." I had to agree. At our house grilled cheese sandwiches have been known as boy cheese sandwiches since Will was about 2 1/2. There are no girls at our house and the idea that we called our favorite sandwich after them was a little preposterous to him. So he renamed it the Boy Cheese sandwich, and it's been know by that name ever since. If you come to our house we would make you one and we might even whip up an orange Julius for your too.

After lunch the boys and I snuggled up and read the Magic Tree house book High Tide in Hawaii. I love those quiet times after lunch. My boys love the Magic Tree house books and this one was a good one. We are now wondering all about tsunamis and coconuts. I think we might need to break into a coconut this next week.

Tuesday night brought our first T-Ball game.

coach Mike giving some pointers

Ike and the boys in the hot sweaty dugout.

Will, the conversationalist, on first base catching up with the other team.

Jake was not content to sit and watch while his dad coached and brothers played so he became the official bat boy.

and helmet boy.

Will stopping a grounder.

Ike at bat and there's that cute coach again.

The team.




Wednesday we hosted a race at our house for all the boys hot rods. The boys and I made a chart and kept track of the fastest cars and the cars that went the farthest down the ramp.

I love the names the boys came up with for their cars. My favorite, "Abraham the Mini Van.." Surprisingly enough Abe was pretty fast.

A shot from the finish line.

Thursday was swimming and T-ball practice.

Friday was more swimming, reading "Ready Set Snow," dinner at a friends house, and family movie night.

And Saturday...... Oh beautiful Saturday was Blackberry picking.

We found a local U-Pick farm about 15 minutes away and rose early and bright to go pick some blackberries. It was magical to say the least.

We came home with purple hands, purple mouths, and lots of blackberries.

A view from the field. There were tons of rows of berry bushes all covered in plump juicy berries. Yum!

Cute berry pickers.

Some more cute berry pickers.

The end result.

Making fun summer memories.

Next week we're going to Manhattan!!!!!

Satan's been to our house.

Yesterday Ike came walking out of the bathroom, he'd apparently been doing his "business," and said, "Mom, Satan was telling me Don't Wash My Hands, but I washed them."
At a boy Ike!
Our hope is that he can continue to resist such temptation.

I was so proud of my young man:)

Happy Birthday to the Epitome of Manhood!

Yesterday, June 16th, we celebrated the Epitome's birthday.

He is another year older....

And wiser too...

The Epitome has done some pretty great things this past year. It's been a good one for him. For instance, here he is Dr. Anderson for the first time. That was a proud moment!

But the greatest thing that he has done this year is ......

be the dad.

The boys pondered and pondered over what to give such a guy. How could they really express their love and admiration for their amazing dad in a simple gift? So after much thought and deliberation the boys decided that to honor Dad's monumental fantasticness, they would each build him an honorary Lego Pirate Ship.

That would do quite nicely.

Isaac's

Will's

Jake gave the Epitome a one of a kind, open mouthed Jake kiss and his one of a kind nose scrunch; two of his signature specialties that he is famous for around here.

Mike will never forget this birthday, rarely does one receive commissioned pirate ships that were built in ones honor, but putting that aside, Mike will never forget this birthday because he got spend the morning at the DMV!

His drivers licence expired on his birthday, so he had to get it renewed. Why he cut it this close is a question to answer on another day. But lets just say he had to take a number and then wait 3 hours for his 3 minutes in the sun. (Or in other words the amount of time it took to take a new picture of the Epitome and create a new license.)
Lets just say the Epitome was blessed with the gift of patience on his birthday as well.
And blessed with a realization that one should never spend their birthday at any governmental agency. People that do that eventually go postal. It is not healthy.

Stay away from the DMV, the Post Office, the County Court house etc... on your birthday.

I think the day just got better and better for him though. He got to go out to lunch with is wife, he got to eat Jambalaya for dinner, and open some fun gifts, he got to eat cake and ice cream, and to top it all off he got to end the day by talking to his mom. It was her day too you know.

Thanks Mutsi, for bringing the Epitome into the world.

He is the Man we love the most!

DMV or not June 16th is a very special day.