Random bits of our week

We've been busy getting ready for Blackberry Days which begins tomorrow! The girls look forward to this week all year. When not waxing floors and washing endless sheets we spent some time with friends. The girls had a Spa Day at their friend Kylie's, and I wish I had some pictures of them with their oatmeal masks, and the fancy hairdos Kylie whipped up. Kylie also got a new kitten so we spent a few more days there getting the girl's fill of cats. Here are a few of the random shots that ended up on my camera...

Ceci took this photo of herself. The pose is most definitely inspired by her aunt Brittany...

Ceci took this picture of Tennie...a common shot with pencil and paper!

This picture of Ceci is for my dad...she is in one of his t-shirts (her pjs)

Adele set up a beauty salon in the bathroom

Her customer all decked out with polished nails, hair styled, make-up done, and a feather extension to boot!

We spent an afternoon at Folsom Lake with my old high school friend Hayley and her three kids:
Dolly, Sophie and Tucker

Lastly, helping Mormor with the planting

More on summer jobs...

Summer jobs are coming along. I dream of my children finishing breakfast and jumping into their daily jobs cheerfully, and without reminder; the house running smoothly with everyone doing their part. During this summer training I would like to say that all the jobs get done, checked off, and we are a well-cogged wheel. But some jobs go undone, and I still do a lot of reminding. Overall though, these kids of ours do a great deal around the house without complaint. Their help most definitely makes my/our life easier.

A week or so ago I was running kids around, trying to do a list of things (that were for the family), and felt that I was getting behind on some of my housework. My room was a mess, and I had a pile of laundry a mile high. While making dinner the girls asked if I would read more of the current book we are reading to them and I told them I had some things to get done that I didn't want to put off any longer...so no, I was not available to read. After dinner, feeling tired, yet determined, I went to my room to get started on my tasks. It was spotless. The laundry was folded and put away (all of it!), and there was a little note written by Adele on my bed that said something like, "We wanted to help so we did the laundry." The girls were so full of joy for having done something for me, and were dancing around saying, "Now you have time to read!" I was so overcome with their love, and figured that while our summer job training is far from ideal...it must be working...at least a little bit!

The girls helped Geoff's mom paint the old trailer with spray paint. Adele is guarding her nose from the smell...

Adele cleaning out Kipper's food/water dishes

Tennie scrubbing the sink...

and a few of her finishing touches

And totally unrelated to a post about job training...

Ceci wanted me to straighten her hair for church today. I took a picture and then she took over the camera and somehow got these two adorable pictures of herself. I wanted to share.

Lazy Summer Days

We're alive here, just lazy. And in between being lazy we've been sprucing up the garden, cleaning the house a little more deeply than we have time for during the year, trying out some healthy recipes, playing games and reading good books, having friends over, and swimming whenever possible. Unfortunately, no matter how slow we try to take it...summer seems to be zooming by!

An extensive Littlest Pet Shop game has taken over the hallway this week

Farm Stand

This past week the girls noted that we had more zucchini, summer squash and strawberries than we could eat so they set up shop down on the street. We live in a location that gets a pretty good flow of traffic, but the cars pass by quickly. Surprisingly they made $15! Then again...they keep talking about the "college girl" who gave them an $8 tip...

Camp Whippoorwill - Day 9 and Finale

Day nine of Camp Whippoorwill was more swimming, play rehearsal, and cleaning up. On Sunday, when Geoff's sister and the rest of the family returned from Italy, we had the grand finale...a play written and directed by Tennie called, 1776. With only three designated times to pull it together, and often unwilling participants, it was pretty good. They forgot two scenes that demonstrated their knowledge about what they had learned this week (the point of the play in the first place), but there was high drama off stage before the play as two of the actors quit (until a compromise was struck with the director). The pre-show high stress was carried over a bit into the actual performance. Most importantly, they were happy with themselves when all was over.

Buy your tickets here!

There was an unusual amount of dancing. Sometimes to patriotic songs, and sometimes not...

The in-between scene jester...

And King George III

TK agreed to be in the play if his role was a creator of a DS game in 2011 about the Revolutionary War era.
Tennie did a nice job of trying to weave that in.

More dancing...

The British at Lexington

I like to think those Patriots are resting in this much joy

Uh-oh, is this real of part of the play?

George Washington having just signed the Declaration of Independence

The Patriots won the war (Geoff is dead, but has a legitimate concern to still defend himself...)

Marching to 'Yankee Doodle'

This was Ceci's hip-hop dance, and this smile was her cue to Adele and Taeya to join her on stage

It was so sparkly I had to include two shots

Some of the dancing wasn't so historically accurate

Some of it was...

Bows everyone

Oh, a live audience! We have more dancing!

Definitely over for others (Mitchell was bribed to behave with marshmallows...
maybe the one in his mouth was one too many...)

And that is the end of Camp Whippoorwill 2011.

Camp Whippoorwill - Days 7 & 8

Our camera has bit the dust, which is a big bummer! So my pictures are gleaned from Geoff's mom's camera...and are few.

These last days the tiredness and togetherness has begun to show its effects, but overall the kids remain cheerful, helpful and respectful. We have "Whippoorwill Points" which we give out freely whenever we see a positive behavior of any kind. These points are eagerly collected and counted and a great force for good.

Our schedule has slowly become more relaxed, although we're still fitting most things in. Here are a few random shots of the past few days.

Post-swim Popsicle time!

A trip to the park, and Tennie showing off her very pink cheeks!

Adele in her latest, favorite pose

Tennie wondering if volunteering to direct the End-of-Camp-Whippoorwill-play was a good idea...

"Okay, we'll cooperate...for 20 seconds!"

A painting project

And for the last night of Camp Whippoorwill: a movie night and Grandparent sleep-over

Camp Whippoorwill - Day 6

After multiple wakings in the night by snoring, sleep talking, and Kipper's growls our tired campers ate breakfast by the pond.



As usual there was a lot of swimming, good eating, and free time, but today the girls had a special outing to the nail salon with Mormor.



Ceci wanted to see if she could fit between the back door and screen. Her window faces had Taeya laughing hysterically. And who doesn't love a good audience?


We ended the day with a book on Benjamin Franklin and then hit the sack early. There was no struggle getting the kids to sleep...