Gone Fishin'

Fishing is a mostly male past time that runs in my family. I can't say I really spent a lot of time doing this while growing up, but I certainly had the opportunity.  But my Boyz have taken a different spin on the sport and often fish in our front hallway.  I can always tell when they're sneaking out of the locker room with a duster or a mop in their hand that they're going on a fishing expedition.  Some days I indulge their creativity, other days I don't - it all just depends on my mood.  Sometimes, I've been known to use it as an opportunity to get other things done around the house and I'll coach them and say "You know, fishing requires a lot of patience." or "Maybe they're just not biting right now..." to hold them off for a bit while still maintaining their interest.  Then after a while, they'll feel a tug on the line and when they raise up their "poles" they'll find an oreo or a box of raisins or a piece of gum or some other treat clipped to their "lines." It doesn't take much to capture the creativity of a child. And once you do, usually - they're hooked.

Summertime!

The joys of summer!  No schedule!  No homework! Freedom!  We're taking full advantage.  Here's a glimpse:

Summer is about choosing your own clothes to wear.
Running around in your jammies half the day.
Doing puzzles.
Planting a garden.
Being creative.
Reading a whole book in a day.
Swimming in the pool.
Trying to catch a chipmunk with fresh strawberry tops from breakfast.
Chasing flies around the house because the door's been open too long.
Nighttime swims instead of baths.
Popcicles through the window of "Bub's ice cream shop"
Spending the day watching construction across the street.
Staying up late reading with a headlight on your head.

"Bub's ice cream shop" popcicle treats!

Say summer!!

Kiefer enjoys picking out his own outfits (multiple times a day!)

Griffin's still in his jammies

puzzles!!!

Fletcher enjoying the lid to a puzzle

Kiefer being Kiefer :)

Fletcher experiencing what the grass feels like!

popcicle treats

And the drips they make!!

Good thing we're in swim suits you can just go jump in to wash off!

Helping Daddy-o with a fix it project

What great helpers!!

A perfect summer day

Fletcher enjoying his first ear of corn!

Carter & Kiefer on a "Fly Hunt" wearing headlamps in their jammies with flyswatters ready to fire!

Kiefer jumping off the diving board for the first time

"I liked it! I think I'll do it again!" (and again...!)

Good way to get out of the sun and dream a little....

Best way to end the day!

Get Caught Reading

The first chapter book I ever read by myself was "The Boxcar Children."  We've read that one together so much as a bedtime story that they boyz have it memorized. We act it out and pretend that we have a boxcar in our back yard.  Now, we'll have to pretend we have a magic treehouse because Carter is pouring through the Magic Treehouse chapter book series. We learned of this series from our older cousins.  He read the first two in the first week of summer and now picked up the pace a bit and has read one a day the past two days. I'm going to have to go back to the half price bookstore to restock!   Good thing there are 22 books in the series! That should last at least a few more days!!   The first day of summer break we made "Reading Trees" for them to add leaves to with each book they read or that we read to them.   The leaves on his tree will be filled out in no time.  And he drew a treehouse in the tree, too.  Most appropriate!  Now we have to continue to encourage Kiefer and the others to follow suit.

Carter making his reading "Tree" -his is a "weeping willow"

Kiefer working on his tree

Final products

Carter drew a tree house and they both had me draw them swinging in tree swings from the branches.

Caught Reading!

Caught reading!

Caught up in treehouse reading

Bedtime reading with headlamp!