Happy 4th of July!

The kids have been working on some projects that interact with the video game system they have.  It has been fun to watch them build stuff together and see the finished projects!  

The garden has been growing like crazy.  This is from last Sunday and it is even more wild now.  We have only had four cherry tomatoes so far but there are a bunch of tomatoes that we will be enjoying in the coming days.  That makes Olivier super happy! 

We enjoyed the three day weekend.  On Friday night we watched a movie in the backyard.  It was a lot of fun!  And on Saturday night (the 4th) we watched videos of firework shows in the backyard.  It wasn't as fun as actually watching live fireworks show but it was a nice alternative.  It helped us celebrate Independence Day independently. 

Anna and Matt made some firework art to celebrate! 

Thankful for a relaxing week and weekend!  With the increasing rate of virus infection we are keeping away from others! 

More fires!

On Monday the kids started attending a day camp.  We have a lot of mixed thoughts but after the first day and getting a better understanding of the safety precautions in place, we want to allow them to do something out of the house.  We weren't sure they would enjoy it given all the restrictions and limited amount they can do (normally this camp has at least three field trips a week and now they never leave the school), but they are all enjoying it. 

Monday started the week off with a sudden fire in the northern part of our county.  Although it was smaller than the fire last week, it did cause more damage.  One of my co-workers has to leave in a hurry because his family was evacuated but thankfully their home was not damaged. 

Work has been keeping me very busy and Matt actually was on campus a couple times this week.  Other than that, it has been a fairly "normal" week.  Still not sure what "normal" is or will be, but we are keeping a positive attitude and doing what we can. 

Oh, and Anna has neon pink highlights in her hair!  Sorry no pictures but something fun for the summer!

Fire! And Father's Day!

First I am going to back track a bit, last weekend I took these photos to show how giant our tomato plants are.  And they have grown a ton more this week.  There are lots growing and we are looking forward to eating them!  Yum!

On Sunday the kids and I made homemade pretzels.  They were super tasty and it was hard to not eat them all when they were warm!  Olivier watched them bake and warmed his toes!

On Monday Matt and the kids went to the beach.  They walked around and explored a lot. 

Olivier's new bench!

And about two hours after they left, a fire started right by where they passed to get home.  The winds were very strong and constantly changing direction which caused the fire to quickly spread.  By the time we went to bed it was 400 acres and only 10% contained.  Thankfully they were able to act quickly and no homes were lost and in the next few days is was fully contained with very few additional acres burned.  It is really amazing that no homes burned because there are a number of homes that fire went right up to the backyard. 

Tuesday was a day of teeth!  The kids all went to the dentist in the morning and Anna went to the orthodontist in the afternoon.  Braces are coming soon!  If you have any soft food recommendations please let me know!  

On Wednesday and Thursday the kids did some science kits.  One kit included water beads which they decided made a cool foot massage.  They really enjoyed doing them and it was nice that they are doing them and then thing about other things they can do, which included using some stuff from the kit on Thursday with the beads they made on Wednesday to try different things.  

They filled the days with walks, making smoothies, picking up library books, and groceries.  

On Saturday Anna has her normal horseback riding lesson and I thought I would share a few photos.  She is doing great and even being adventurous and trying the tricker jumps!  

And today is Father's Day!  I want to take a moment to note how thankful we all are for everything Matt does for our family.  He is now the main caregiver for our kids and although it has its challenges, he has done an amazing job.  I often look back at the days when the boys were born and Matt stepped up to help more with Anna because he couldn't do as much to help with the boys and I think this plays a huge role in their close relationship.  And as they get older, they will look back at this time with Matt and appreciate all that he has done for them during these challenging time.  Thank you Matt!  We all adore you!

Today we went to a local state park and walked the paths out to the dunes.  The weather was perfect and we got lots of walking in.  We are blessed to have these beautiful places to visit. 

Happy Father's day Matt!  Happy Father's day to our fathers, uncles, grandfathers, and brothers! 

Scary week!

This week there are no pictures!  Lucky kids have evaded the camera this week!  :-)

On Monday the kids put together a project that create a spin art machine.  They worked together and worked through the trouble they were having, and the final result was some cool spin art!  Anna also made some candles from a kit she got.  They turned out great and made for a fun project.

Tuesday was a fairly quiet day, with a trip to inspect the construction progress in the park.  It is moving along quickly!

Then Wednesday hit.  Although it wasn't in our town, in a nearby town, there was an individual who shot a police officer in the face during the pre-dawn hours.  As the sun rose, another individual was found deceased and believed to be a victim of the individual who shot the police officer.  That resulted in a long day for law enforcement from around our County as they conducted an extensive search.  Everyone was very tense, even those who don't live there as there were lead that caused alarms in other areas, including where we live. 

Matt and the kids knew the weather would be heating up so they went for a walk early in the morning and the kids asked to get the ingredients to make smoothies.  Matt agreed, but only if they walked to the store (it is a mile away) and walk home.  They quickly agreed and went back out to get the ingredients.  They made strawberry, blueberry, and banana smoothies with pineapple juice and kept track of the recipe they followed and decided what adjustments they wanted to make Thursday. 

Overnight Wednesday and into Thursday morning, there were additional sighting of the individual who was involved in the incident Wednesday morning so it was a tense morning.  As the day went on, law enforcement was able to narrow down on his location  in a river bed and after a confrontation with law enforcement (three of which sustained gun shot injuries), the individual was shot and declared dead.  We are thankful for the persistence of our local law enforcement, and although it is tragic that another life was taken, we are thankful that more lives were not taken. 

The kids and Matt took a long walk around our neighborhood, running into Olivier's 2nd Grade teacher.  After the long walk, they made the new smoothy version, which they all agreed was better than the day before and they all enjoyed. 

Friday was a bit cooler thankfully.  Matt and the kids went on a walk to the store to get ingredients to make peach mango smoothies!  They tried it out, and Anna really enjoyed it but the boys preferred the Friday version of the strawberry blueberry smoothie.  In the afternoon they did groceries.  Nothing too exciting but was nice for them to get out of the house.

It has been a quiet weekend.  With so much being thrown at us, we are thankful for so many thing, and continue the discussions of what the "new normal" should be. 

Emotional week...

This week the kids started their summer vacation.  Not the summer vacation we had planned but we hope to make that trip next summer.  

Olivier has saving his money so he can get his dwarf hamster Pop a ball to run around the house in.  He made him one out of cups.  It didn't work too well but we love the thinking that went into his idea!  

Last Sunday we went to a nearby lake/park to get out of the house for lunch.  We enjoyed the time outside.  Anna and Olivier went to look at the lake where the color was more blue with Matt and Anna promptly came back to the path because there was a dead fish.  

And Mason went down to check it out.  

Although the nearby zoo is closed, you are able to see the flamingo enclosure from outside.  And this is a version of "I Spy", can you spy the flamingo egg?  We were surprised by the size!  And many of the flamingos seemed to be fussing over it.  

On Wednesday, Matt and the kids went to the beach and enjoyed the nice weather.  The kids have been teasing me for taking photos of everything and they were happy to point out that Matt took no photos of their beach trip.  We also talked to the kids about their great uncle Danny passing away.  Hearing the news Tuesday night I though waiting a day would give me a chance to process and share the news a bit easier, but I quickly realized, my heart aches and the kids have a right to understand why.  We talked about his love of Grizzly football, and others who have passed away and we miss.  It was hard but also a small piece of the puzzle to help all of us heal.  

On Thursday we celebrated Anna's promotion to 7th grade (see prior post).  We got the boys a little something for making it through this school year, and lucky for Olivier, we got Pop a ball to run around the house in.  He really goes crazy!  

And for Mason, we got him a wooden puzzle project that made a treasure box that has a combination! He really enjoyed making it with Matt.  

Today we went to a local spot to try and enjoy another picnic lunch.  The temperature was nice, not too hot but the wind was very strong.  We tried to find a spot that was a bit more sheltered but we didn't make it too long.  We then went by the barn to see the horses but left fairly quickly due to the wind again and decided that we needed to head home.  

I also want to take a moment to acknowledge the unrest in our country right now.  With the shelter at home orders that began in mid March, many have talked about the new normal once the shelter at home orders begin getting lifted.  During this time, many have had their mental health pushed to the limits, and as part of that, there has been a movement swelling that finally seems to have taken hold of our country that was really spurred by the murder of George Flyod, a black man, by a white police officer.  Our nation is working, knowing we must do better!  We have had discussions with the kids about why there are protests, why there are riots, why they are happening around the nation, and why they are happening around the world.  As part of that discussion we pushed beyond our comfort zones, realizing we have to get uncomfortable, listen, and support.  

As part of those discussions,  I have been looking at what we have around us to remind us that we can do better.  One reminder is a sticker Anna has on her water bottle that simply states: "Love, Empathy, Respect".  Another is the message I had written on our white board that we keep in our living room a couple weeks ago.   

And today, I went out of our way with the kids to remind them of this saying painted on the rocks where we had lunch.  It reads:  "Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing is going to get better.  It's not."

Now we have to care a whole awful lot!  It must get better!

6th Grade Promotion!

Today we are celebrating Anna's hard work as she has now officially completed elementary school!  Wow!  

The school had a drive through celebration.  Not what the teachers, students or families would prefer, but we were so thankful to see each of them one more time and say goodbye.  Matt decorated the car!

 You did it!!

When we got home, she was excited to see this sweet sign!  Moving from her elementary school colors to middle school colors! 

Each of the 6th graders got goodie bags with some special gifts and we had to giggle because Anna and her dear friend Lupe's stuff got mixed a bit.  They were together in kinder and are such dear friends for each other now! 

Also included in their goodie bags was a flash drive that had the 1st grade classes singing of a song with the librarian.  They traditionally share this during their promotion ceremony and it was wonderful that they still shared!  Love seeing their sweet personalities!

And they shared memories from over the years.

Thankful for the smiles now!  Not a nervous kindergartner any more!

We are so proud Anna!  Way to go!!

Much too soon...

Uncle Danny, we will always root on Cal Poly when they play your Grizzlies, but our heart will forever ache that you will no longer be here with us for us to razz at the game.  You have left us all much too soon.