Summer of Fun!

We had some beach time. 

Micah put up a new swing the boys are crazy about.

A few splashes in the backyard pool.

Xav had swimming lessons in St. Albans.

Micah and the boys went on a few hikes.

We wandered over The Notch to Cold Hollow Cider Mill for cider donuts and free cider samples.  They were *out of ice cold sample cider*!  I was shocked.  They were selling what little they had as fast as they could make it.

Stayed at Jay Peak.  Micah had a crazy mountain race up there.  We spent a day at the waterpark, which we loved, and rode a tram up the mountain.  Merrick was teething.

Practice Makes Progress

Our littlest little is a mover!  He likes to go, Go, GO!

This is him last month, trying to figure out how to use this container to get himself upright.  He can't even get his feet under him yet.

Just three weeks later, his feet are positioned and he's using the bins as a step to try to climb on the couch after a book!

Just a Cardboard Box and Some Imagination

Mal and Xav with the cardboard box car.  I couldn't get the embed link to work.  So, click the orange words.  :)

Summer Science Experiments

The boys and I have been experimenting some this summer. 

This one involved putting a stalk of celery in colored water.  We chose red, hoping for big contrast.  It was supposed to happen over night.  After a disappointing result the first morning, M had the idea to put it in more direct sun to speed things up.  It worked much better, but still wasn't the "wow" I was hoping for.

Here we put blue and yellow food coloring in the bowls, used a folded paper towel as a wick and soon had green water in the third bowl.  This one was quick and easy and worked very well.

We also did three others where I completely forgot to take pictures. 

One was about condensation and involved ice and salt in a metal bowl with a lid.  We talked about the ice on the outside of the bowl and how it got there.  The boys thought the water was leaking through the bowl at first.

A major fail was the experiment where we tried to grow a gummy bear.  We soaked fruit chews over night in plain water.  There was, of course, supposed to be some expansion.  I think regular fruit chews are moister than a good old fashioned gummy bear and didn't expand so much as disintegrate.

Lastly, was an experiment called Invisible Skin.  We coated our hands with a few drops of vegetable oil and compared how the water acted compared to just a plain hand.  We learned about water molecules and that polar bears have an oily coating that acts as a protective layer against very cold water.

July - Thomas? Is it really you?

We spent a good deal of the month dealing with thrush, so Merrick had a purple mouth and hands.  Little, old ladies would see him and comment about me feeding him blueberries.  I'd just smile and nod. 

We went to NH again to visit our favorite family from Canadialand.  We had a great time.  I had some grown up refreshment with Heather, the boys enjoyed the playground and pool at the hotel.  Of course, we had to do some shopping at the outlet stores too!  It didn't hurt that *THE Thomas the Tank Engine,* his very own self, was seen on the track behind the hotel.

As one friend said, "That's a lot of boys!" 

The boys wrote thank you letters to Mat and Jen for allowing them to play with their model train when we stopped there.

Mal helped with groceries and even wrote a list for me.

This is Mal waiting patiently for 5 PM so he could do something with Daddy.  {LOVE}

When Company Comes to Call

***This entry got lost in the shuffle at some point and never got posted.  So...  a couple of years go by...  I think it's because the pictures aren't on my laptop.  That's my story and I'm sticking to it.***

I had some of my favorite girlies come to visit us for a long weekend recently. We had a blast, quite literally! ;)  OK, we let Dave join us. 

We took a trip to downtown Burlington (sans kiddos) where we wandered Church Street and saw a fun street performance of flaming hoop jumping. We wandered down to the lake and had a yummy lunch. We stopped at the Maple store and hooked Alonnie up with enough maple syrup to last a week or two. :D

Another night we watched the movie New in Town. It was predictable, but fun.

We also had lunch one day at Smuggler's Notch. Chef Boy R Dave prepared some of our food and briefly graced us with his presence.

I finally got to meet Lora's Carolyn.

Micah built us a sweat lodge (an igloo shaped sauna) that was fabulous! He did a great job. And after that, we came out and gorged ourselves on s'mores.

June - Tractor Tires and Sneetches

Is this a picture of the rare and elusive star-butted sneetch?

No.  Just a toe sucking baby.

Micah decided he'd like to have a tractor tire to workout with while training for the Spartan.  A helpful friend delivered this. 

The boys were excited.

Merrick is enjoying cereal, takes a bottle, and can sit up a bit.

Micah ran a 10K.

Chef Boy R Xav helps in the kitchen.

May - Maine and a birthday

Christian Friday School graduation was warm.  It seems like graduations are always hot and sticky.  It's *May*.  It shouldn't be that hot yet.  But it's always a joy to have time together with the Friday School families without worrying about classes and running araound.  I like to "do the chatting" with the other Moms.  This is a Mal's eye view of graduation.

Our Friday School trip this year was to Acadia National Forest in Maine.  We took an extra day to visit with Micah's college friends, Mat and Jen.  Mat wowed the boys with his model steam train.  That train turned out to be their favorite part of the whole trip!

We really enjoyed exploring the mud flats and tidal pools with our ranger guides.  It was a gorgeous day.

Merrick had his first bath in the tub.  He is just too big for the kitchen sink!

We were thinking he might end up being a redhead.

The boys signed a birthday card for Dave and I had to laugh when I saw what they wrote.  Completely unprompted and unassisted, Mal let Dave know that he loves him.  Xavier signed his name in "wizard writing" which just means curly letters.  He picked that up watching Disney's The Sword and the Stone.

Sharing this shot of Xav, just because he is adorable.

Yard clean up is still moving along.  Micah takes such great care of our home and yard.  I am so blessed to have this family.

Self Portraits and the Pox - April

Mal loves to get his hands on the camera.  I often transfer pictures to my computer and find a few shots he has taken of himself. 

All the boys had the pox this month, including Merrick.  They all took it pretty well.  The baby didn't even get sick.

Growing boy.  {{LOVE}}

Lego creations.

Third tooth gone!