Great Day of Service

Every year the Methodist and LDS congregations sponsor a Great Day Of Service.  The projects range from building homes with Habitat For Humanity, to laying sod at a school, to croqueting hats or scarfs.  This year Andy was home for the weekend and our whole family was able to participate.  We chose to help with leave removal and scraping off paint at a Camp in Chapel Hill, NC.

The weather was a little bit cool, but at least it didn't rain on us.

Andy (in black) Daniel (in green) Eliza (in pink)

Nathan did well to watch me scrape paint for about 45 mins. before I needed to go feed him.

Eliza came to help with the scraping.  She went back and forth several times.

Bradley taking a break from raking and moving leaves on a tarp.

Daniel also took a break to try out the playground equipment.

Dad working up a sweat!

Nathan got tired of his stroller so we let him swing for a little bit.  He got tired of that too.

After swinging Nathan and Eliza moved to the van to take a nap and watch a quiet movie while we finished up our project.

Bradley trying his hand at scraping.

Daniel was a great helper too.

However, the giant mountain of leaves was too much to resist!  Some on had to jump in them!

Daniel and Bradley

 

I spent the whole time taking care of Nathan and scraping.  Unfortunately we didn't finish the scraping, but we did make a large dent in it.  After working from 9-12 we headed to the stake center for lunch.  They had had a breakfast a one of the Methodist churches and the luncheon was at the LDS church.  It was neat to see all the others who had participated in the Great Day of Service.  It was a great family activity and I am so glad we were all able to go this year.

March 23, 2013

Wednesday after school...

When Daniel came home from school on Wednesday I noticed that he had a little bit of purple on his chin.  When I asked him about it he said he got tripped in P.E. and hit his chin on the floor in the gym.  I knew it was going to bruise well so I got the camera.  He started whining about not wanting a picture, but this is for posterity!

 

He has such a sad look on his face!

 

The last two were taken a couple days later.  You can see how the color really started to show.

 

 

Can you tell he still isn't happy about getting his picture taken?

Every time I look at him my first thought is that his chin is dirty.  :0)  Luckily he didn't brake anything.  That was Dad's first concern when he saw pictures.  He wanted to make sure no teeth were harmed during the accident.  :0)

March 20, 2013

An Early Easter Egg Hunt

For playgroup this last week we met at a park and had an Easter Egg hunt for the kids.  The weather was nice and the kids were able to play for a while before we hid the eggs.  Some of the moms took the kids on a walk around a little loop and three of us hid plastic Easter eggs around the playground.  It worked our really nicely since we were the only ones at the park that morning.

I know the eggs are not easy to see, but there are plastic eggs all over the playground.

The little bits of color in the picture are eggs not garbage...this playground was very clean.

All the kids coming back and getting their baskets so they are ready to start!

Eliza was one of the oldest kids there so she had to wait while the others got a head start.  She was really good to wait for her turn.

Eliza finding her first egg...

eggs everywhere...

Eliza climbing the rock to get the egg on top.

 

Eliza wasn't as excited when she got to the top.  I guess it was a little higher than she originally thought.  I had to help her back down.  She got lots of eggs and was very excited about the candy inside!

March 20, 2013



Getting so Big...

Our former neighbors stopped by for a play date.  We haven't seen them for a couple of months even though they only live about 5 miles away.  It was a lot of fun to see their twins Hannah and Vanessa.  They have gotten so big.

Eliza and Vanessa

Eliza was very excited to have two babies here.  They are still small enough that she was able to hold them.  Nathan has been too big for her to hold him for a while.  After our visit I realized I didn't get a picture of both Hannah and Vanessa.  

Owen has also gotten so big!

We enjoyed their visit and need to do it more often.

Nathan was helping me in the kitchen.  I was trying to make dinner for one of the ladies I visit teach who recently had a baby, and Nathan just wanted some attention.  I got out a pan and some serving spoons and he was a happy boy!

 



He slowly worked his way over to the step stool and tried to pull himself up.  He can get to his knees but not clear to his feet.  My days are numbered!

Nathan can now roll around and pivot on his belly.  He also gets up on his hands and knees and rocks back and forth, but hasn't figured out how to move forward yet.  He might also be related to his Grandpa Kenison because he can back anywhere in his walker!  It doesn't matter where he is in the house he ends up at the blinds or by the plastic bags.  He definitely wants to be a mover.

March 13-15, 2013

Mini Glof

This last weekend the weather was really nice and sunny.  Since it had been two weeks since Andy came home last we decided to do something fun as a family.  The boys have asked for a long time if we could go golfing, so I found a mini golf place called 401 PAR.  It was about a 30 minute drive to south Raleigh, but the weather was great and we took a picnic.  They have a 9 hole course, a driving range, and a playground next to the mini golf course.  We got there in time to have our lunch and then started to golf.

Daniel was very good!

Bradley wasn't quite as good at putting.  I think he really wanted to drive like they do in real golf.

 

 

I could use some more practice.  :0)

 

Dad showing Eliza how to do it.  She got a hole in 1!

 

 

Daniel getting ready to put through the chapel.

I got a hole in 1 on this one.  :0)

Nathan was a good sport to sit and watch everyone play.  I think he was just happy to be outside.

 

Eliza and Daniel waiting for their turn.

 

About half way through the course Eliza decided she really wanted to play on the playground.  Since it is right next to the course, inside the fence, we let her got play.  After the boys finished playing she came back and Dad helped her finish.  She is pretty good.

Daniel practicing his other driving skills!  This was the most popular "toy" on the playground.  He really wants to drive one that actually moves.

 

Dad talking to Uncle Quincy and soaking up a little too much sun!  :0)

We burned the back of his neck and ears pretty bad.  He was a true red neck!!

 

Looking back at the course.  The people over the fence on the left were at the driving range.  Andy was sad he hadn't brought his clubs so he could try out the driving range.  Some of those guys were hitting it far!  Others...not so far...or so straight.  I am sure I would be in the latter group if I tried.  :0)

 

In all it was a lovely day!  The kids loved golfing and can't wait to go again.

I know you are all awaiting the final score from our trip.  It is like this, Andy had the lowest score followed by Eliza, Mom, Daniel and Bradley.  That just means that Daniel, Bradley and I won right?!  High score wins. :0)  The only reason I didn't get a higher score than Daniel is because I was lucky, I mean talented, enough to get two holes in one!  I think Daniel also got a hole in one.

 (Andy didn't get any and yet he still had the lowest score.  Hmm.)

 

Thanks Dad for taking us and for fixing our van.

(Earlier in the week Bradley came in the house and said, "Mom, Daniel broke a little piece of your van."  Luckily for him I was on the phone with Aunt Malea, which probably saved his life.  After I got off the phone I was busy getting dinner and homework done and forgot to go look at my van...until the next day.  Then I noticed he had ripped the whole wiper off the back!  I put it in the back of the van so we wouldn't loose it and waited for our Dad to come home and look at it.  When he finally made it home it took a while to fix it.  Not because there was a lot broken, because there wasn't.  He had to figure out what it was suppose to look like and how it was suppose to fit together.  Then he realized that there was a spring on the underside of the arm that needed to be reconnected.  The hard part was getting it to stretch far enough.  He used a screwdriver to get it stretched, but then it was in the way and he couldn't get the hook back in the whole.  Finally, after many attempts, he used a wrench to stretch it past the point where the hook was suppose to go in.  Then he used kite string to tie around it and hold it.  Then he removed the wrench, pushed the spring into place, and cut the string.  It worked!!!)

 

March 9, 2013