Jr. Jr.'s Birthday

We got to celebrate Jr. Jr.'s birthday in October. He is now old enough to join in some of the big kid activities at the libraries so he has already done a couple at the Provo Library. One was Teen Minecraft Club. The other was Teen Takeover: Choose Your Own Adventure. The three oldest kids went to that and got to do different activities based on different book genres. They came home with ideas of new books to try. Love those libraries.

While celebrating Jr. Jr.'s birthday, Jet got excited about the candles on the cake. He knew what was supposed to be done to them so he kept blowing them out while I was still lighting them. Finally we got them all lit and he managed to blow out a line of them since I placed them in the shape of a 1 and 2. Jr. Jr. thought that was hilarious since the 2 was the only thing still lit. "Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha! Now I'm only 2." We finally managed to get them all to the point Jr. Jr. could blow them out himself.

And in true shelf cooking fashion (i.e. learning to substitute), since we couldn't find moose tracks ice cream, we took chocolate ice cream and added mini peanut butter cups to it.

And of course he got to pick his birthday dinner. At first he wanted both garlic bread and soft pretzels but once he decided he wanted sloppy joes, Dad suggested making the pretzels into pretzel buns to put the sloppy joe filling in. He was fine with that idea.

Happy Birthday, Jr. Jr.

Summer Reading

Summer reading programs are in full swing. Jeremy made a couple balloon sculptures for Spanish Fork Library and Nichole and I delivered them. Their theme is "Tales and Tails." Provo Library has the same theme.

Jr. Jr. and Nichole both helped Jeremy build Orem Library's sculpture this year- a fairy lying on a toadstool while reading a book. Their theme is "Once Upon a Library." We brought some extra pieces home for the kids to demolish.

We've been doing lots of reading and activities for both Orem and Provo programs, including Stories in the Park with the Provo Library 

and Provo Story Trails again this year.

So far we've done "The Lion and the Clever Jackals" at Lions Park, "The Husband of the Rat's Daughter" at Riverview Park, and "The King of the Birds & the Roadrunner" at Rock Canyon Park.

We've also taken time for crafts,

picnics (lots and lots of picnics),

outside time,

and other activities. Yes, Minecraft was one of the Summer Reading activities. Jr. pointed out the world had the Provo Library in it.

Oh, and we've thrown in a little reading. A little? Well... a lot of reading then.

We LOVE Summer Reading!

What We Did for a Road Trip

Jeremy had a couple of fairs in Montana recently, which meant... road trip for the family.
I prepared binders for each of the kids with pens, pencils, colored pencils, and lots of printed activities and blank paper for drawing (oh, and spiral notebooks for writing).  One of the favorite activities to do together were the mad libs.  I found several online and we had leftover Quibbler Mad Libs from Nichole's party (I blogged about it on August 2).  The binders were good for in the van as well as in the motel.

Jeremy decorated the front of the boys' binders (we ran out of time for Nichole's so he'll get to hers later).  They all had glow-in-the-dark paint on them.

Lucky got the Flash symbol.

Jr. Jr. got the Bat symbol.

Jr. got a Minecraft decoration.

Jeremy worked hard and made some amazing sculptures at the two fairs (I don't have access to the pictures right now- catch me later).  The kids and I hung out in the motel and watched Disney Channel, read books, did scripture study, ate food, and Nichole worked on her homework (yes, during the Summer). 

We also got creative and silly at times. 

 
Nice to have cool air blowing on you.

This becomes this.  

Nice red cheeks.

Jeremy brought him and I a special treat again- "wagon wheels" and cherry 7-up (with extra cherry syrup).  Mmmmm.

The actual traveling had good times and not so good times.  Poor Lucky was exhausted on the way to the second fair.  His ear was hurting as well.  He kept asking to stop the van and be held.  Poor little guy.  However, at one point, while we were stopped at a rest area, he went and picked flowers for everyone.  What a sweetheart. 

I think getting out to run around a few times helped as well as those times he just needed to be cuddled.

Watching a movie was a good distraction as well.

 Overall, it was a good trip.