Third of July Fireworks

Our Independence Day celebrations got underway on the third of July.  A neighboring town does their big fireworks show the night before the 4th.  I think this is great.  We went and saw it last year and decided to do the same this year.  The show was set to start around 10:20 because that's when it gets dark in this area at this time of the year.  We met the Carnegies in a parking lot and killed time by letting the kids do some Pop-Its.

 We brought some candy and popcorn to help keep the kids occupied.  Truman really doesn't have much of a sweet tooth, except where candy is concerned.  The boy loves candy and will eat and eat and eat if you let him.  We don't normally let him, but he did munch more than his fair share on this night.

I will spare you the details of how Truman choked on a Red Vine and threw up all over the ground.  But he did.  It was an eventful night.  Maybe next year we'll make it through without any mishaps.

 Poor little Joshy did not care for the booms of the fireworks so he snuggled up with his mom.  So cute.

 The Carnegies shared their glow bracelets with us.  I need to remember those next year.  The kids love them.

 The fireworks started a little early and we appropriately ooh'd and ahhh'd over them.

It was a great start to our holiday!  I think this might become a tradition!



Brave in Pajamas

A summertime tradition that Matt and I started after moving up here is going to the drive-in.  I love the drive-in.  Love it.  You get to watch movies in your pajamas surrounded by pillows and blankets, eat yummy snacks, and watch two movies for less than the price of one at a regular theater.  We go at least once every year.

This year we decided it was time to try taking both kids.  On chose Friday, June 29, we took the kids to see Brave.

 To say they were excited is an understatement.  Because we go every year we've got a system.  First, we borrow Glade and Cheri's truck.  (Thank you!)  We sweep out the back and put down our picnic blanket.  Then we fill the back with our couch pillows and put our bed pillows and some blankets on top.  We pop a couple of bags of popcorn, fill cups with drinks, and load up a big bag of candy.  Then all we have left to do is put on our pajamas and pick a good spot once we get there.

 Another bonus to the drive-in is that kids under five are free!

 We got there a little early so we had some time to kill before the movie started.  The movies start when it gets dark.  Up here in the far north that means sometime around 10:00 or even later.  The kids were great.  They didn't fight or fuss and were happy snuggling up and waiting.  Eventually Matt did get out his iPad and let them do some kind of coloring thing on it.  It's the first and only time they've ever been allowed to play on it.  We are pretty stingy with technology at our house.  I, in particular, am concerned about the amount of screen time my kids get and what they are exposed to.  I'm not exactly anti-technology, but I do kind of hate it sometimes.

 When it was time for the movie to start the iPad was put away and the snacks were brought out.  I was so impressed with how well the kids did.  We knew Audrey would be fine.  We took her to the drive-in to see Toy Story 3 when that came out.  We weren't as sure what Truman would do.  We didn't need to worry because he was great!  He watched the movie and ate a ton of candy and had a great time.  We all did.  Our accomodations were a bit snug, but it was perfect.  We didn't stay for the second movie because Audrey and I had seen it and it was pretty late. 

I think we all enjoyed the movie.  Both kids said they liked it and I did too.  It's not my favorite of all the Pixar flicks, but it was entertaining and had a good message.  And even if it hadn't been all that great, watching a movie as a family at the drive-in would have made it worthwhile.

It's been hard trying to balance all of the work we need to get done before the baby arrives with some fun activities I want us to do with the kids this summer.  I'm glad we took the time for this.

Pirates on the Dirt Pile

On one side of our house we have a dirt pile.  It is situated on a hill and is actually the dirt the builder shoved from our lot to two empty lots while they were building our house.  At one point it really was a huge pile of dirt, but since our house was built it has gradually turned into more of a garden for weeds.  However, to the kids in our neighborhood it is "the dirt pile."  "The garden" is an empty lot across the street a couple of houses down from us.

The dirt pile is a big thing for these kids.  They love to play on it.  Audrey informed me that they like to play pirate and bury treasure (rocks).  She said that sometimes they look for jewels.  The one thing I know is that even though it looks to be covered mostly in clover, dandelions, and thistle, the kids manage to get dirty when they play there.  I mean really, really dirty.  Like Pig-Pen filthy.  When they run down the street after playing you can literally see the dust flying out behind them.  They come home with faces, arms, feet, and legs coated in dust and I finally had to forbid Audrey from playing there if she wasn't wearing jeans or jeans shorts because of how incredibly dirty she gets the seat of her pants.

But they love it.  And someday it won't be there and instead two houses will be in its place.  So I don't mind indulging their love of the dirt pile.  It's good for kids to have a place to play and use their imaginations without adult direction.  I had lots of places to explore and according to my mom I got plenty dirty.  It reminds me of the picture book Roxaboxen by McLerran.  I used this book when I was teaching my kids about writing a memoir and I love it.  Audrey likes it too.

These first two pictures of Audrey and Connor were taken on Wednesday, June 27. 

If you look closely you can see stairs carved out of hillside, complete with pieces of wood to stabilize them and prevent the dirt from eroding.  Sometimes there is a flag planted at the top.  Many of the neighborhood kids play on the dirt pile and they all add their own touches.

The rest of these pictures were taken Saturday, July 21.  On this particular day Audrey was joined by Connor, Audrey P., Landon, Lydia, and Truman.

I think we'll all be a little sad when the bulldozers make it over to this part of the neighborhood.

What could be better than a Saturday morning spent playing in the dirt with your friends from the street?

The Big Dance Recital

The big day finally arrived and Audrey was so excited.  I spent extra time on her hair and make-up to get it perfect.

 My favorite part of her costume was this pretty hair clip.  It's heavy and sparkly and the pictures really don't do it justice.

 Audrey I left early for her 12:00 call time and I got a couple of pictures of her in front of the marquee.

 We got the same dressing room we had last year.  I love the big lights and oval mirrors.

 Sooner than I expected they called for her class.  The girls lined up in the hall and got ready to head to the stage.

 I'm a little biased, but I think she's the prettiest.

After taking a few pictures I went and found my seat in the loge, which is essentially what they call the front of the balcony.  Matt, Truman, and Cheri were already there.

 I was so proud of Audrey!  She did such a great job!  Audrey is the youngest and has the least experience of all the girls in the class.  Even at dress rehearsal she was struggling a bit.  When the other girls are waving their arms to the right and sticking out their right legs Audrey would be doing the left.  When they did a little jumpy thing to the left she'd be going right (can you tell I never did dance?). 

But at this performance she did everything right!  I don't know what happened between Thursday and Saturday but I was and am so proud of my girl.

 This lift at the end was quite the show-stopper for a Ballet I class.

 After Audrey's number I went and collected her from the dressing room and brought her to sit with us.  Matt gave her pink roses from all of us.

 She was even in a good enough mood to take a picture with her little brother.  We stayed and watched the rest of the performances.  Her two cousins were also performing but we missed Macy's dance.  It was too soon after Audrey's so we weren't back.  We got to see Penny though and she was super cute and did a great job.

 We took these last few pictures on the way to the car.