Wildlife

I am starting to think we live in the zoo...There was some discussion if these were turkeys or turkey vultures ( I am not really sure of the difference) but in the last couple of pictures you can see definite turkeys...hey Tom, you probably don't want to be around here in November!

Earth Day

For Earth Day mom bought us these shirts, made out of recycled plastic!

Rivers and Spires 2010

The annual Rivers and Spires Festival was held this past weekend. This is a mostly free festival with music and entertainment stages set up all around downtown. They have a huge childrens area with inflatables and activities for kids of all ages! It is really great that we live in a town that puts on festivals such as this for its citizens!

Thomas didn't really have any desire to go and so mom and I took the kids. The weather was nice and dry, with a small chill in the wind, but not bad!

We headed to the kid zone first, where we came across and horse and of course, the kids had to see it! We then, found some inflatables to play on, Tapanga was to small and Tyler didn't really want to play on them, but Tanner really enjoyed them.

There were many groups that offered games and activities to participate in. Tanner and Tyler "milked a cow", Tanner tried to hook a steer, and the kids dug in hay for prizes.

After digging in the hay two of the kids got Chick Fil A tattoos and Tanner and Tapanga made sun visors.

The theme for this years festival was about protecting the environment and so a few of the activities had to deal with planting seeds. At one table the kids took a napkin and got it wet, then they took a piece of corn, a radish seed and a bean seed and placed it inside. It was then folded and placed in a ziploc bag made into a necklace. 3-4 days later we would start to see it rooting and we did!

Another tent had the kids plant pumpkin seeds in a cup and these starting sprouting a few days later! It took us a few days to plant them in the garden by the time we did they were as long as a pencil!

After playing games and having fun in the kids zone for a couple hours we ventured out to see what else we could find. One of the neatest things this year was people that were standing on a pedestal, painted in either all silver or all gold, playing an instrument. The trick was they would only move and play if money was placed in the bowl. The kids and myself really enjoyed watching this, Tyler was a little nervous about going up to them and he would run quickly away. The people were really good at holding their pose while the waited for the next donation!

After visiting the weinermobile, we found a spot on the curb to watch the childrens parade.

Tanner and Tyler really enjoy getting to see the military vehicles, which is pretty cool because the kids can climb in them and check them out.

After eating lunch at the Blackhorse, we went on search of what else we could find. One thing we were looking for was a sword set, because the boys had been seeing people carrying them around and desperately wanted one! What we did find were some inflatable toys, Tyler got himself a guitar, Tanner a sword and Tapanga a Dora!

I am really thankful to live in our town that offers opportunities for times like this! Fun activities and events for all!

Our First Garden

Thomas had been talking about wanting to plant a garden. I had been putting it off for a couple of reasons, but the other day we were at Lowes and I caved in. So we bought some strawberry, cucumber, green pepper, and tomato plants. We also bought some zucchini, cantaloupe, and watermelon seeds.

A couple days later it was time to get to work...I am not much of a player with dirt type of girl, so I took pictures while Thomas and the kids planted the plants...Thomas' mom helped also.

We hope with this experience the kids will learn a little something about working with the environment and just getting a few pieces of produce will be worth while!

Hanging out with the Nelsons

Joy and Eric had a leak in their bathroom and Thomas volunteered to help Eric fix it. So on Sunday, he went over to help. Joy invited the kids and I to come hang with her while the guys worked on the floor.

I decided to bring the kids bikes with us, since they cannot ride them as much around our house. Joy and I took the kids on a bike ride down to the park, where Joy and I walked and chatted and the kids played. The boys really enjoyed riding their bikes around the walking trail!

Joy's neighbor was having a birthday party for her little boy, I was thinking of going home because I had school stuff to work on, but the kids were invited to the party and Joy then invited us to dinner. She said she was thinking of having kabobs, funny thing...I had some marinating in my fridge. So we decided to stay over, I ran home and to the store to get a few supplies!

Andrews birthday party was pirate themed and Michelle had many activities planned for all the kids. They made eye patches, bandannas, went on a treasure hunt, walked the plank and had a water balloon fight! What fun for the kids and what a great day spent with friends!