{A NIGHT OUT}

The weather has been beautiful and warm, so we decided we should dig out the camping supplies and go out to White Water before it gets too hot!  The kids thought it was the perfect way to start their Spring Break.

The kids favorite thing to do is to feed the fish.  However, they had to work for fish food!  They were told by the park rangers, that if they collected trash, they would take it in exchange for fish food.  The kids ran all over the camp looking for trash!  

 Drew didn't care that much about feeding the fish, he just wanted to catch a fish!  He was surprised when he got his finger bit twice, but it didn't stop him from trying!  After several failed attempts, he finally was able to hold on tight to the slippery little sucker!

The older boys lately have been obsessed with climbing trees!  

 Do you spy the 3 Men and the Little Lady in this picture????

Drew and Ian obviously do not have a fear of heights!

Owen just likes hanging on the lowest branch!

Mya on the other hand would love to follow Drew and Ian up to the top of the tree!  She was mad at me for not hoisting her up any higher in the tree.  

Do you see that blue in the very top of the tree?  That was Ian and the top of the swaying tree!  I was just waiting for another big fall!

 We had a blast going on a night hike along the river!  We got each kid their own head lamp to make our adventure more fun!

Mya dancing in the moon light!

 I love our family explorations!!!

 We found all kinds of creatures on our camping endeavor: ducks, fish, toad, mouse, caterpillar, birds, centipede, rabbits, squirrel, beetle, and a raccoon!!!!

 We stayed up late playing games and eating popcorn, which attracted the coons!

In the morning, Kenny and the older boys went on a long hike.

While they were away, the younger kids and I were left to play! 

It started with a simple soaking of our feet in the water.
Which led to...

 Shorts coming off.....

 and then more clothes came off!

When the boys finished their hike, they jumped in to relax and play also!

Drew continued to explore!

 Jumping for fun!!!!

Our camping trip was the beginning of our fun spring break!  I love having my kids home from school and not having to stress about school projects and homework!  I love my family!!!

{Blue & Gold}

Yesterday we celebrated the Cub Scouts birthday party at a Blue & Gold banquet.  Each boy was asked to bring a cake that they made to be judged and enjoyed for dessert.  The boys were given a theme for their cakes: Resourcefulness!

I gave the boys some cake options and let them decide what they wanted to make.  Drew wanted to make a fish cake in a fish bowl.  Fish are resourceful right?

 He made the whole cake by himself!

Swedish fish were placed throughout the "water!"

 He was very pleased with his finished product!

Ian decided on making Kansas Dirt Cake!  Dirt is also resourceful!

It was very hard for him not to eat all the gummy worms!

Flowers for the cake to finish the look!

They both did a great job and were eager to see all their friends cakes.  We went to the event and were shocked at how amazing some of the other cakes were.  

I thought this cake was adorable!  Duct tape is very resourceful!  

   I am very proud of my little cub scouts!   I am grateful for the experience Drew and Ian had in following an assignment and gaining the knowledge of making a cake.  I think they are so cute!

{3,014 Jumps for Frugo's}

Last week Drew jumped on his pogo stick without falling off for 2, 779 jumps!  

 I sent out an instagram picture of him and mentioned how well he did.  My friend Erica commented that her husband Brett had tried to do that as a kid and that he was impressed with Drew's jumping skills.  He challenged him to jump 3,000 jumps and said he would take him to Frugo's for frozen yogurt for a reward if he could accomplish it!   Drew was up for the challenge!!!

 But the catch was... he wanted Brett to count the jumps!  Lucky Brett got to stand and count Drew's 3,014 jumps!  Drew surpassed his goal and was ready to reap the reward!

 Drew jumped right in to Frugo's.  The Grover's encouraged him to fill his cup up to the very top!  Drew only filled it up half way and Erica grabbed it from him and filled it to the top!

 He proceeded to fill it with his favorite toppings!  This was a big treat because our family rule is two spoonfuls!  He just kept piling on the gummy worms, sprinkles, and fruity pebbles cereal!

 He was pleased that he almost had a pound of Mango Tango yogurt to eat all by himself!

This boy loves his pogo stick and Frugo's!

Drew was very grateful for Brett counting his jumps and taking him to Frugo's!  Its nice to have friends that encourage your children and are awesome enough to reward them for meeting their goals!  Thank you Grovers for being so generous!!!  

The new challenge Erica mentioned as we left Frugo's.... 10,000 jumps for $30!  

The Catch...we have to have a pogo stick that counts the jumps!

{Weekly Recap}

I really enjoyed this last week.  The weather was gorgeous which meant shorts were brought out and we spent a lot of time outside.  

Since daylight savings time we have been able to return to our family evening walks!  Our kids and especially our dogs are all thrilled to go out and explore.  We talked to the train engineer from his window and the boys were giddy when he blew his train whistle for them!

Our piano had a face lift!  I was so excited to have a "Piano Dr." come to our home and replace some of our broken keys!  He informed me that our piano was built in 1915...a true antique!  A story about our beloved piano:  My sister Holly gave it to me as a Christmas present after Kenny and I were first married.  She bought it and another antique piano for my sister from a church auction in Kansas.  Each piano cost $40!  What a steal!!!   Ian started piano last week, so he and Drew are enjoying the new ivories!!!

Owen has been busy playing in the dirt.  His clothes are always filthy by the end of the day, but I know that means he is happy and tired!  He couldn't wait to introduce me to his new friends and was eager to make them a home in a plastic cup.  Unfortunately they did not survive the evening and in his prayers he said, "Please Heavenly Father help my worms to come back to life."  I don't think he remembered to ever check again to see if his prayers were answered!  He is always on the go and making new discoveries!

Ian for St. Patricks day made a Leprechaun trap.  He designed it and created it all by himself.  He doesn't believe in Santa Claus or the Tooth Fairy, but for some reason he does believe he might capture a little green Leprechaun!  I don't get it!!!!

We have been informed that a mountain lion and its cubs and a bobcat have been spotted down in the boys fort at the park.   Needless to say, the boys have had to find a new fort at the park.  They decided to make it up high were they can't be eaten!

Robbie and Drew....King of the Tree

Ian and Max choose this tree to call home for their new fort.  Ian has earned the privilege, since entering scouts and learning about pocket knife safety, to take his pocket knife with him to the park on occasion.  He received the pocket knife from Ge and Grandad and loves that it has his name carved on it.  It took me a while to realize however that he was cutting down branches from his fort to clear more room for people to join them up there!  I had to put a stop to that after a big pile of branches were collecting around the base of the tree.  I didn't want the park maintainers to kick us out of the park!

I LOVE my weekly workouts with my friends!!!!

I have been toning up since January with my dear friend Courtney, who is a body builder!  She comes to the park 3 times a week to get us ladies into shape!  She does this out of the kindness of her heart and our group continues to grow.  She has us squatting 50 lb sand bags around the park, sprinting with our kids on our backs (so grateful Mya is light), and has us dragging heavy ropes.  Every day is different and she makes it so much fun!  I am so grateful for her and that she shares her talents with us women!  She is amazing!!!

I really love my life!  Amazing husband, kids, family, friends, weather, what more could a girl ask for!  I am truly blessed :)

{Beaumont Basketball Boys}

Drew and Ian have been involved in playing the city basketball league for the last several years.  It keeps them busy and active through the winter and their basketball skills continue to improve!

Ian begged Kenny to coach his team this year which he did.  It was fun for both of them, but also trying on Kenny's patience!  Ian loved having his dad coach!

 Ian's strength is still his height and his defense.  He had tons of rebounds, several great assists, some baskets, and enjoyed an undefeated season!

He scored on this shot!

"The Clippers"

Kenny did an amazing job coaching these young boys and was pleased with a season full of victories!!!

Coach Dad & Ian

You have some amazing seasons and then some not so great seasons.  Unfortunately, Drew did not have a whole lot of wins this year, but he still had fun making new friends and bettering his basketball skills.

 Drew's greatest strength is his speed!  He is small, but is scrappy!   He also made several shots from the side which always had me cheering!

Drew picked out his basketball shoes and I loved how the blue stood out on the court!  It made him easy to find. 

I loved watching my boys play this year and was sad to see the season end.  However, I was glad to have our nights back.  The boys had practices Mon.-Thur. and games on Friday and Saturday!  It kept us all running!!!