What?

SHARK!

Be an Angel Day 2016

It has been a busy year so far.  We've done a lot, but I haven't always had time for blogging (or I've been too tired or I just haven't wanted to, etc. etc.).
So here are the kids on the last day of school last school year.

 
Here they are on the first day of school this year.

They started school on Be an Angel Day.  Apparently they were well behaved.  :Phew.
I wasn't really worried.  They are angels.
Since it was Be an Angel Day, for dinner we ate chicken alfredo with angel hair pasta.  Yumm.

I'd been promising the kids all Summer to eventually take them to the Museum of Natural Curiosity at Thanksgiving Point.  Finally on the first day of school, we did that for FHE.

There's a spot in Kidopolis where you can change a marquee to say what is "playing" at the theatre.  Nichole went up there to change it.  I was sitting down with a sleeping Lucky in my arms and had a great view of how she was changing it.  I could tell at first she was trying to make it say "World of Birds."  (Where does she get it from?)  She found she didn't have all the right letters so I could see her changing it to say "World of Animals."  Again, not all the right letters.  By this time, Jeremy had joined me and we watched as she changed the marquee to "World of Beasts" and as she is so clever, she made it into "World of Egg Beasts."  Yeah, so she got her "World of Birds" in there after all.  So clever.

Skipping ahead to today.  It is National Waffle Day.  For dinner we had... waffles.

Father's-Son's Camp-out

While Nichole, Lucky, and I had a girls' plus night, Jeremy, Jr., and Jr. Jr. went to the ward's Father's-Son's camp-out.
They ate hot dogs and s'mores and french fries and scones, started a campfire, and slept in a tent.

And got really really dirty.
Good times.

Girls' Night

While Jeremy took Jr. and Jr. Jr. to a Father's-Son's camp-out, Nichole, Lucky, and I had a girls' plus adorable two-year old boy night.

We ate pizza, gummi bears, and brownies while watching a movie.
Good times.

Bad Poetry Day 2016

Up the mountain

To the summit we climbed.

Sometimes deer,

Sometimes cows,

Sometimes bicycles we passed. 

Up the mountain

To the place of trails we waited

And waited

And waited

And ate chips

We followed the trails to find the birds.

Not three-toed, but hairy, the woodpeckers we found

Some mystery birds and juncos, too.

No more as the noise of whining occurred.

Down from the mountain we finally came.

Cows we passed

Again

and again.

Home, we arrived. 

The parents napped.

The children vegged.

The poem ended.

Juggling BBQ

It's that time of year again.  We were able to go to a friend's juggler's BBQ again this year.

Nichole was very interested in joining in the juggling this time since she's had quite a bit of experience now.  She was able to learn some new tricks while we were there. 
On the way to the BBQ, we had scripture study in the van.  We discussed the 10 Commandments in Exodus, including the commandment, "Thou shalt not steal."  We let the kids know that you shouldn't take other people's things without permission and definitely not with the intent to keep them.  Then we explained since we were going to a BBQ, "Thou shalt not steal... except while juggling."  That was one of the tricks Nichole learned this evening- stealing- taking the juggling balls from someone else while they're juggling and keep juggling them yourself.

She also learned to pass six juggling balls between two people.

All that juggling was good exercise and good fun.  The boys kept themselves content with the bounce house again.

And with food.

This year we contributed some interestingly flavored chips and something that's new.  Limited Edition Swedish fish Oreos.  Yep.  Now those are interesting.  They are not the best tasting.  Our kids liked them, though. Interesting kids.

In general the chips were better.  The Greek Tzatziki and dill pickle flavors were my favorite.  I didn't care much for the Brazilian ones or the biscuits and gravy.  The cheddar bacon mac and cheese I could take it or leave it.
Great time this evening.

Tell a Joke Day 2016

August 16 is National Tell a Joke Day.  We went to pack meeting for cub scouts and the whole way home the kids were making up and telling jokes.

Jr. earned several belt loops toward his Wolf.

Before we got in the van, however, we saw that the moon was up. 

I mentioned the man in the moon and Lucky asked about it.  I told him the moon looks like it has a face, a man's face, so it is known as the man in the moon.  Nichole then told him, "Yeah, the moon goes through different faces."  Ohhhhhh, good one Nichole.  Faces- phases.  Ha Ha Ha Ha. 

Relaxation

August 15 is Relaxation Day.  A good way for me to relax is birding.  I got the chance today to go birding with a group of birders from around Utah County.  We went up into the mountains to a nice spot where today's group leader had seen a three-toed woodpecker.
We missed that woodpecker today.  We may have heard it drumming and calling but we only saw hairy woodpeckers and northern flickers.  And lots and lots of other birds.  Ah, relaxing.

Dark-eyed junco and house wren

After the field trip was over, a group of us went on to Utah Lake to look at shore birds.  Lots and lots of shore birds.  Ah, relaxing.

The only way I could get a picture of a solitary sandpiper was through the window of the vehicle I was riding in.  If we tried to get out, it flew away.

I didn't even have to go on a snipe hunt this time to get better pictures of a Wilson's snipe.

To add to the relaxation, when I got home, I found out that a woman in our ward had some extra food left over from a family function and dropped some off for us.  That made dinner easy to figure out and prepare.  Ah, relaxing.

I like this holiday.

Catch of the Day

I walked into the bathroom to get a toothbrush ready for a child and this is what I found. 
Somebody likes that the toothbrushes have suction cups on them.

Ice Bottle

Jr. Jr. left his water bottle in the freezer for a few hours (overnight) and when he took it out, it looked like this.

What?

Play in the Sand

August 11 is Play in the Sand Day. 
Whether you're at the seashore

or in the middle of the desert,

have fun celebrating today.