Lowden's Summer Reading

I've been making a list of all the books Lowden has read since school got out. It's on the right hand column. As of today, he has read 12 books and 2,818 pages so far. I don't even read that much. He loves it though and only seems to have time to do it in the summer. If anyone has some good suggestions for books, I'd love to hear them.

Update: End of Summer Reading Total was 11,603 pages! Good job Lowden!

Off to Swim Lessons

Off to another day of swim lessons. They are loving wearing their flip flops and swimsuits almost daily. Can you see how heavy my swim bag is? All those towels, googles, shampoo...it adds up! Glad that life is less hectic with schedules. I'll take just swim lessons any day. Hope you are enjoying your summer fun too! We'd love to hear about it!

Quiz #17

Brooke told me about this great book called Scrapbook Shortcuts with Quizzes and Questions by Simple Scrapbook Magazine. I tried out a few of the quizzes yesterday on my kids. Here is Quiz #17 (with two brief question alterations).

1. Who's the smartest person in your family?
parker: me.
lowden: me of the kids. but in all it's you (meaning mom).
lauren: mom.

2. What is your dad really good at?
parker: working.
lowden: fishing and taking naps.
lauren: taking hikes.

3. What can you do better than dad?
parker: catch balls in kickball.
lowden: kickball.
lauren: flip. flip on the trampoline.

4. How are you like mom?
parker: we both have blue eyes.
lowden: because we both have blue eyes and we both love marine life.
lauren: we both like to scrapbook.

5. How are you different than mom?
parker: she is a girl. I am a boy.
lowden: her hair is blond. my hair is (lowden asks me "What color is my hair?" I say "brown") brown. You are my mom. I am your son. I have a fish tank. You have a printer. But, they are both the same size.
lauren: cause she knows about birds.

6. What is your mom really good at?
parker: kissing daddy.
lowden: making food and being a really good mom.
lauren: give me a hint. i don't think of any. give me a clue. um...watching kids?

7. How tall is daddy? (FYI- He's 5'11")
parker: i don't know. 6 million 26 jillion.
lowden: i have no idea. somewhere around 6 feet.
lauren: uh...3 foot

8. What one thing is mom always saying to you?
parker: "you earn 36 minutes good boy...go to your room."
lowden: "check your zipper" cause you say it a lot. "blow your nose"
lauren: "if you do what I tell you to do, I'll love you forever."

9. What did you and dad do together that you'll always remember?
parker: backpacking
lowden: swam in a freezing cold river and sat in a little warm pool of water that I call a hot tub.
lauren: uh...going on a hike.

10: How do you know that mom and dad love you?
parker: because you are my mom and dad...sheez.
lowden: because they always say that to me when they are really really really kind to me.
lauren: because they give hugs and kisses to us every night.

I am going to put this in my scrapbook since it's so fun!

See Lauren Dance

Lauren had her dance recital today. It went really well despite the fact that she was missing three teeth. She loved that she got to wear makeup. She was especially thrilled about the mascara although it is not easy to put on a blinking 6 year old. But, after a lot of q-tip help...we succeeded! She had a lot of fun. I dragged the boys to watch the recital too. They kept asking "is this the last dance?" I figure the culture is good for them! Plus Lauren's been to plenty baseball and basketball games. I had to take a picture of her rock star hair afterward. Can't believe how old she is getting! These pictures below are self-posed. She often has that shoulder thrown in there when I take her picture. Pretty funny! Makes me smile.


P.S. The boys had a great time hiking! I am still waiting for pictures. So, I'll share some when I get them. They came home dirty and smiling. I guess that's a good sign!

Hiking Boys

Lowden, Parker, and Dad set off on a overnight hike tonight! Makes me smile to see them together like this heading out for an adventure. Livy, Mo, and Uncle Martin are joining them too! Should be fun!

Lowden's Photography Elective

Lowden was working on a photography elective for cub scouting this afternoon. He had to take pictures of a subject in different kinds of sun light and indoor light. He asked me to post our favorite picture on the family blog. This was taken by the window inside the house without a flash.

Lauren's Hair Drying Lessons

So...I've been trying to teach Lauren how to dry her own hair. We have time everyday after swim lessons to work on it. She's getting pretty good. I had to get her a smaller hair dryer so she could hold it up easier. She also is on a tooth losing spree. She lost one last Tuesday, one yesterday, and the other today at swim lessons. Aren't these cute pictures?! Do you think she'll get her two front teeth by Christmas?

Random Quotes from the Kids

"How many more days until tomorrow?" --Lauren Age 4

"Mommy. Daddy. Mommy. Daddy. Today is Tomorrow!" -- Lauren Age 4

"Help Dad in his work and help Mom in telling us what to do." -- Lowden Age 6

"How old do I have to be to have my own metal?" --Lowden Age 6
(In regards to his desire to build his own spaceship.)

Parker's Silliness

Here is my silly silly Parker. These pictures were not scripted by me. Every position he got himself into was done by his own regard. Here is what he wanted to say about soccer: "Hi. Howdy. Soccer went good dudette. I like playing dude. Bye. Ta Ta. The End."

Lowden's Comments

This is a picture of Lowden leading off on third base. He's really enjoyed stealing bases this year since this is the first year they were allowed to do it. I asked him how he felt about baseball this year. This is what he said: "I felt really good. Especially stealing and hitting. If I can pick any position in the field to play, I would definitely pick second. That is my most comfortable place to play on all the field. Of course, catcher and pitcher are really important on the field. But, second base is where I usually get placed (when he's not in the outfield). Second base is my favorite ."

Blog

So, in an effort to keep family and close friends updated on our family happenings, I have started a family blog. I have also added links to our recent pictures. My goal is to keep it updated with pictures and the like. You'll see an old post from September of 2006 as I was thinking about starting it then but never finished working on it. You are welcome to leave comments. Let me know what you think. Give me ideas for what you would like on this website and your wish will be granted (maybe). And...of course, you are not by any means obligated to read this blog. There will not be a quiz or anything. (At least not yet...just kidding)

Margaret

See Bennett Swim (Well, Sort Of)

Today was Bennett's First Day of Swim Lessons. All three boys have swim at the same time which is nice. So, while I shower them up, Lauren does her lesson. Bennett loved the water although it was a little cold this morning and his lips shivered almost the whole time. He maybe put his face in once but only briefly. When it was time to get out, Bennett started yelling "I'M NOT DONE YET." (over and over). Once I got the towel around him, he gave up that battle. They all had great fun...you could feel the excitement from the kids in the pool that it was the first day of summer.

Lauren's Dress Rehearsal

Lauren had a dress rehearsal for her recital last Saturday! She did a very good job remembering her dances.