Starting the Shed

Gabe's parents have now made two trips down in as many weeks to help us get the shed underway this summer.  We will be forever grateful, not just for the decreased labor costs, but also for the knowledge we are all gaining through this process!  There have been some more harrowing moments,  like trying to get those rafters up there, but so far it has been a wonderful experience.  Thanks guys for taking on this project with us!

Chop Chop

Noah's violin teacher suggested we try the kids cooking magazine "Chop Chop".  All I can say is that it is amazing!  The kids LOVE to read through it.  There are so many recipes that are super healthy and made with real, whole foods.  It is getting the kids so excited about cooking and trying dishes they would have baulked at before.  Some of the recipes are super simple and some are more involved.  But, they all have step by step instructions for kids to do everything themselves as well as time management for pulling a meal together.  All the while they have explanations and science behind why things are done a certain way and what different terms mean.  Not to mention various fun games and taste tests to be done with the food. I was able to take so many pictures because I didn't have to help!  I won't belabor it, but it is a must have magazine for kids out there:) 

Breaking Ground and a Busy Weekend!

Our tinfoil tent didn't survive the winter and we really need more space for all of our outdoor "stuff", so we have officially broken ground on our new shed!  Thanks to our gracious neighbor who took time on a morning he should have been sleeping to drive his tractor up over the hill and move some dirt for us.  

This was Fiddle Camp weekend for Gabe, Noah, and James.  They were joined by Heli, Rain and Suvi who drove up from Boston.  It sounds like they had an awesome time visiting, dancing the night away (Gabe gets full credit for letting Noah go out in public in that outfit) and of course playing the violin and guitar.  

While the older siblings were away Ben, Audrey, Nannie and I attended Audrey's art show at her preschool.  The theme is "circles, spots and polka dots" so I was able to convince her to wear this dress.  The art work was fairly amazing!  

On Saturday we finally ventured to the waterfall nearby that we have been trying to visit for years!  It was a great walk in, complete with walking up the river bed to see the waterfall then proceeding to scale the wall of the gorge as a short cut to get back out... Ben wasn't impressed, but the tree roots did prevent us from sliding all the way to the bottom;)  

James Turns 8!

This big guy is eight already!  Everyday he grows to be a more practical, caring, smart, sweet and thoughtful guy.  James has one of the more amazing brains and active imaginations I have ever come across.  He is so passionate about space, science, Star Wars and everything in between. If he doesn't understand how something works or if he is really excited about something, he literally can't stop thinking about it until he figures it out or there is some other resolution.  

He loves his brothers and sister more than I could have hoped and although there is often fighting, James is getting better and better at being empathetic and thoughtful when offering a solution or he blindly defends whoever he thinks is being wronged... either way:)  James loves climbing trees, swimming, skiing, running and riding his bike.  He may also love Legos... not following the instructions of a set (he gets Noah to do that part for him), but instead creating elaborate scenes and buildings. James is an outside the box thinker who will one day change the world with his ideas and imagination!  We love you, James, and can't wait to see what the next year holds!

Random Things and James' 8th Birthday Party!

James had a blast at his birthday party this year!  As it turns out, a Friday afternoon at the end of the school year is an awesome time to have a birthday party... there was almost no one else at the trampoline park.  The kids all loved the ball pit, dodge ball and just bouncing.  Thankfully, everyone walked away injury free!  James really wanted a "chocolate cake with only white frosting that looked like clouds on top and colored dots on the sides".  It was super specific, where he came up with it I am not sure, but his mind works in crazy ways I don't even try to figure out anymore... he was happy:)    Thank you so much to all of our friends who made the trip to join us during this busy time of year!

In other happenings, the chickens still love crashing our picnics, especially Matilda. We finally got the boy's beds put together... I didn't get a picture of the beds, but I did get a picture of the kids playing with the boxes;)  And, summer swimming is in full effect now that we have new swim suits.

Birthday Parties Galore!

After Children's Sunday, we headed north to Brewer to celebrate Lily's 4th birthday party at a gymnastics venue. They kids were a sweaty mess at the end, but had a great time!

James insisted on a trampoline park birthday party this year, but I didn't think he would actually go through with it since I have been trying to get the kids to have their parties anywhere but our house for years and no one will take me seriously.  Needless to say, he was serious and I waited too long to be able to schedule something convenient for everyone this time of year.  So, to compensate, we invited all of our family who wouldn't make it to the party to join us at Govenor's Restaurant in Orono after Lily's party.  This may have been one of the top ten days in James' life... we all had dinner and then ordered the "Federal Deficit". Honestly, I have wanted to order this dessert for years, like since I was a kid, but I have never had an occasion or enough people to do so.  The Federal Deficit is "A delicious combination of our Banana Split, Brownie Delight, and Strawberry Shortcake, as well as six large sundaes! We start with vanilla ice cream, then add hot fudge, caramel, peanut butter, blueberries, cherries, pineapple, strawberries, raspberries, marshmallow, a banana, a biscuit, a brownie, nuts, jimmies, and a pile of whipped cream!" As it turns out, 18 is the number of people this is appropriate for.  Thank you for everyone who came out with us to celebrate. It is probably obvious, but James had an amazing time!

Children's Sunday

Today was the church service to celebrate the conclusion of the Sunday School year.  This is by far one of my favorite services.  The kids all do an amazing job stepping up, showing off their talents and accomplishments from the year.  They all greeted and sang.  Noah and James even got to read scripture and prayers throughout the service.  We are very proud to be part of this church:)