July 2014

As I have mentioned before, Canaan loves to play with chalk outside.  On this particular day, she practiced her ABCs on the deck railing.

We celebrated July 4th at a local small town parade.  The kids really enjoyed the animals, music, dancing, farm equipment, etc that we saw.  And they really enjoyed the candy they were able to catch or pick up off the ground.

Jude was wiped out after the parade and lunch.  He fell asleep in the car and Matthew transferred him to our friend's bed.

I got 12 inches cut off my hair.  I have always wanted to have long hair but recently grew tired of it.  I wasn't doing anything special or fun in the way I fixed it and decided it was a good time to cut it.  I was able to donate my hair.

We attended a friend's Sunday afternoon lunch at the park and again Canaan found something...a tiny grasshopper.

More bubble wrap makes fun for Jude.

Matthew had surgery in July.  (His surgery was a success, he recovered quickly, and there was no further treatment needed.  Praise the Lord!)  Grandma came to help with the kids.  She got Canaan this princess outfit which was a big hit.

Grandma was in the hospital earlier this year and sent this book to Canaan because Canaan had questions about the hospital.  Canaan sent the book with Matthew to the hospital so he wouldn't be afraid.  She was mostly concerned that he was going to get an IV.  It was really cute and sweet.

Jude thought it was hilarious to wear Grandma's shoes.

We had a spell of very hot days so we headed to the park and then to Target to purchase a pool  Ahhh...spending the hot days in the pool is a much better idea.

Canaan decided using her umbrella while the sprinklers were on to water the grass sounded like a good idea.  She doesn't mind getting wet, but she was excited to have a use for her umbrella.

Thank you Grandma for coming to visit us!!

One Saturday we drove to see the Scottish Highland Games.  It was entertaining, but the kids were not that thrilled with the experience.  Matthew and I could have stayed longer, but it was hot so we headed home.  It was a very expensive day!  The food was ridiculous, but we didn't have other options so they got our money.

Every time we go to this park lately, Canaan has asked to build a sand castle.  So this day we packed our sand toys and headed to the beach.  The kids really enjoyed playing in the sand with Matthew.  And Max loved getting to swim and fetch.

For months and months now, any time Jude has picked out a shirt to wear it has been Superman (unless there isn't one in his drawer).  This is how he tells me he wants the Superman shirt.  It cracks me up every time!

June 2014

Jude is all boy, of course.  He will turn just about any toy into a weapon of some kind.  This particular toy spins around once you pull the stick.  He points it at me generally and says, "I'm gonna getchu Mom."

We spent a day with dear friends in June.  The plan was to pick them up early for a ferry ride to Friday Harbor in order to see Mount Constitution.  We ended up waiting a few hours for the ferry.  Canaan found several caterpillars to occupy her time.

I took Canaan and Jude to JC Penney to have their picture taken.  I like to do this every 6 months.  Here Canaan is 5 and Jude is 2 1/2.

I have taken the kids' picture with this "I love Daddy" sign for the past 3 Father's Days.  It has been fun to watch them "grow" as they hold the signs.

Jude really enjoyed pulling these magnetic letters out of a bin of beans and matching the letters to the letter board.  He has been singing the ABC song but misses some of the letters.

Canaan's favorite part of June was a camping trip with our co-op friends.  This was the culmination of studying maps with our friends.  This was Canaan's second camping trip (she didn't remember the other one) and Jude's first camping trip.  They LOVED it!  They slept great in the tent and had a blast.

Matthew has been working on trimming some juniper bushes that have taken over a portion of our yard.  This particular day a friend came over to surprise Matthew.  Jude thought the chainsaw was too loud.

May 2014

Last year Grandma got a water table for the kids.  It has been fun for two summers now.  It is just the right amount of water for getting each other wet.

How many pillows does Jude have on his bed?  I came in to his room to find him arranging pillows and then jumping or diving into them.

Matthew took Canaan to see Snow White at a local theater.

"Mom, do you know why I was in the bathroom so long?"  She tore all these squares of toilet paper since we ran out of paper towels.  "Just in case."

Before and after pictures of another haircut

Canaan invited me to the Mother's Day Tea at preschool.  It was precious!  The theme was strawberries...there were songs about strawberries, strawberry jam, strawberry drink, a strawberry necklace, and on and on.

Grandma sent these plasma cars to the kids.  They have definitely been a hit!  We let the kids ride them around in the house since it is wet out so often.  The enjoy following each other around the house and have even made a path between the furniture in the living room.

Canaan has been wanting a bird feeder since she got tools for her 4th birthday.  Matthew put one together and the kids helped paint it (right before her 5th birthday).  We have been enjoying watching the birds come to eat!

Happy Mother's Day to me!

A nearby park has the most beautiful view of Lake Washington.  The kids love to swing and play at the park, and Matthew generally takes Max to swim.

Canaan completely colored this gate with chalk to "surprise her friend" that was coming over later that week.  She cracks me up!

another picture of HAPPY Max

Canaan found this caterpillar at church.  We brought it home and Matthew made a home for it.  She took it to preschool on Monday for share time.  It was perfect because they were studying caterpillars and butterflies that week.

last day of preschool

celebrating Canaan's 5th birthday with close friends at our house

Canaan requested a white cake (she's not big on sweets).  I talked her into letting me put strawberries on it and making the layers different colors.

It was messy (what was I thinking with 4 layers?), but it was yummy!

Canaan the explorer.  Canaan's best friend got her this butterfly net and bug home for her birthday.  She was so excited.  Here she is ready for some Memorial Day fun.

I think there were 5 kids playing with chalk at the Memorial Day shindig.  Max apparently stayed still long enough to be outlined with chalk.  So funny!