Bible Pictionary

This week has been so hot that even the kids don't want to play outside for more than 15 minutes at a time. I can hardly blame them. I love summer, but 110 degree heat index is a little much for me too. We've had to find activities to do inside, and tonight we played a sort of Bible Pictionary. Rylan and Bree drew their favorite Bible stories(with a few helpful hints from Daddy), and I got to guess which story their art portrayed. We awarded candy prizes. Here are a few of my favorite pieces of art from the evening.

Exhibit 1

Exhibit 2

Exhibit 3

Exhibit 4

Exhibit 5

(1) - Daniel in the Lions' Den - by Rylan

(2) - Eve, in the Garden of Eden - by Bree

(3) - David and Goliath - by Rylan

(4) - Jonah and the Big Fish - by Bree

(5) - I have no idea...Elle called this a "stroll-ba"

July, the Fourth!

Proud to be American!

The prep started on Saturday. Cammi came over and we worked on party favor rockets exploding with candy!

Here they are! The kids did most of the work themselves. This was the first project Rylan and Bree learned to use a hot glue gun on. Mommy was oh, so, proud! :)

Rylan's special project was strawberries dipped in white chocolate and blue dusting sugar. They tasted amazing!

So pretty!

This cherry pie made me feel VERY American! :)

I think the most fun was all the prep before the actual holiday. I just loved spending time with the kids, working on these projects and getting the chance to talk about our American heritage with them. I feel amazingly blessed that my parents spent so much time making sure I understood what it truly means to be an American and knowing our great nation's history, how it was rooted in faith in God. I hope that I can impart that to my children too. How blessed we are to live in a country whose beginnings speak so clearly of the favor of the Lord. I pray that our family continues to live our lives as a testament to that, and never forget to seek His precepts above all!

Rylan, Bree, and Elle all helped to make these yummy jello parfaits.

Each family at my mom and dad's Independence Day Barbecue came prepared with a reading, poem, or song to share. Wyatt presented a dramatic recitation of the Gettysburg Address, our kids sang 'God Bless America,' and there were many other beautiful readings we enjoyed listening to. Here is Rosalee, sharing some tips on flag tradition and etiquette.

Of course we had sparklers! Really smoky ones....

Grant was extremely fascinated by this trailer hitch.

Ivy made it through about half of the fireworks before going to bed, but the noise didn't seem to bother her at all!

I have no idea what you call this ball-on-rope, rung game, but the kids really enjoyed it!

Bree had fun with the bottle rockets!

It was a simply beautiful holiday. We are forever indebted to the men and women who gave their lives, so long ago, and today to secure our freedom. How wonderful it is to live in America where we can worship the Lord without fear!

Monster Bash!

Rylan had his 6th birthday!

Daddy made some awesome monster cutouts for the party!

We had funny monster hats

And lots of friends to play with. In true little monster fashion, several sand and water fights broke out! :) We even had a water balloon war.

Of course Aunt Michelle made a pinata!

Mad monster dash for the candy!

We enjoyed food from the grill,

And munched on monster cupcakes for dessert.

What a wonderful evening it was, filled with family and friends there to celebrate! Happy 6th Birthday, Rylan. We love you so much and you bring joy to our lives as we watch you grow and mature.

Under All That Hair

Yes, there actually WAS a boy hiding under all that hair!

And isn't he handsome?!?!

At the Car Wash

"Fun" Summer family activities. It's amazing what you can pass off to small children as fun. :) Slave labor, anyone? Actually, I really do enjoy washing cars, and the kids had a super great time. It was pretty fun watching them play in the soap and water. On a random side note, man, there were a lot of dead bugs on that truck. It was like a massive bug graveyard.

Elle Marie - Our cutie bug!

Elle-Bellie is 2 1/2 and up to plenty! Pretty much anything that Rylan and Bree can do Elle tries to accomplish. She loves to try and quote their AWANA verses with them, sing the alphabet song with them, color with them, build tinker toy objects with them. You get the picture. Basically, she is turning into a big girl overnight and it's very bittersweet. Last week she started speaking in the first person and now it's, "I need a drink," as opposed to, "Elle needs a drink."

Elle is a singer. She is always humming or singing a tune! She has an awesome sense of humor, even at the age of two and is always entertaining the rest of the family! Her favorite person is Aunt Michelle. I think it's because she makes her so many sock monkeys!

Elle is the queen of funny faces!

Grant - He's all boy!

Grant is 18 months this week, and here's a little update on what he's been up to lately.

Learning to talk - current word list:

Mom, Dad, baby, stinky, eat, done, uh-uh, kitty, fish, bye-bye, hi, and lots of other things we can't understand.

He loves to give his stuffed animals kisses and pushes them around in their little stroller. His two favorite toys are a talking/singing tool box and a wooden rifle that Wyatt made. He has the gunshot sound down pretty well, and if all else fails he just uses it to smack his siblings with! He and Elle are mostly inseparable, but he is also great at playing by himself.

Grant is a daddy's boy and much prefers Daddy over Mommy any day of the week! He is a curious little imp :) Last week I caught him coloring on the walls several times, and Aaron found him trying to stick objects in the electrical outlets! He is all boy!