Just a day

We're midway through summer, and the kids and I were finally able to do one thing on our "summer craft/project" list (not much of a list..just some ideas bouncing around in the brain). So after a few days of talking about it and the kids following me around wondering "when" it would happen, we got out the ingredients and very quickly molded together a volcano (surprisingly quick--why'd I'd think it'd be hard?)..an ERUPTING volcano. We'd like to do another one, a bigger one, since I swear the one I remember making (or just seeing?) as a third grader was MUCH larger.  ;)

 We followed this recipe but doubled it: http://chemistry.about.com/od/chemicalvolcanoes/ss/volcano_2.htm

 June's face saying, "Really, this is as big as it gets?"

 Cole pouring the vinegar in..

 ..and how 'bout some more baking soda?

 And more?

 And more!

Summer '12

Junie's five and boy does she know it! She keeps saying, "No, I'm the guest. I'm the birthday girl" whenever asked to do her chores.

Good sisters

Self portraits

June's always up for lazying around on a beach...she laid there forever!

Lake Sherando-Father's Day Camping Trip

Cole happy to be on fire duty at all times.

We made blueberry muffins in orange peels. June's face can attest to her dislike.

He LOVED them.

Pretty Dayne. Only getting older. :(

Hurt feelings. Sometimes Cole has the biggest heart of all.

My bubs

Cole's been so tough lately. SO TOUGH! I find myself regularly asking, "How will I ever raise this kid?!".

Yet, I know he really is special. There's something GREAT inside of him. I can sense it. How do I get it out of him, though--on a more regular basis?

Junie, we love you!

Cole's morning prayer over breakfast: "Thank you that June was born into our family and makes everyone so  happy."

That sums up our life with June in it. Happy 5th birthday, baby girl!

Trek and a 5 year old..almost

Boston/kitties/more pics than I know what to do with..

An excessive amount of pics..but really, how do you edit such a great trip?! Geof. and I were able to fly up to Boston for three days US ONLY time. So nice.  The pics below only show ONE day in Boston. My camera's battery died after day one and I forgot the charger. Check Geof.'s facebook pics to see our day trip to Maine and New Hampshire's coasts (beautiful!) and our Celtics/Heat basketball game (I didn't realize how fun watching bball could be..)! We stayed at our friends' Jonathan and Libby's and they spoiled us rotten with a beautiful guest room, seafood galore, and a good deal of driving us around! THANK YOU, Wakemans!

 Here I am at Harvard begging them to reconsider my application..?

 Harvard..we took a train from Boston to MIT and when that proved to be disappointing, we walked the mile and a half to Harvard's campus. It felt like 100 miles--to both of us--maybe that's because we'd already walked all over Boston? Didn't drink enough water? I dunno..

 Benjamin Franklin

 Old State House

 Street performers. If you've ever been to NYC's central park, this was almost exactly the same thing. Fun..but we didn't give them the $20 they asked for BEFORE showing us the flip-over-five-girls trick.

 Fresh market-CHEAP produce! We bought raspberries and cherries for nothin'!

 We were told we HAD to try out Italy's famous cannolis in a restaurant in the North End of town where you literally feel like you're IN Italy. The cannolis proved to be DELICIOUS and we only wish we'd bought more. The people were great--out on the street talking with their hands and gesturing just like you imagine Italians to do. So cool. We even walked up to a group of them and tried to have a discussion. I don't know how much they or we understood. Awesome.

 Paul Revere's home

 Waiting in a restaurant for take out pizza. SO GOOD.

 Paul Revere and the Old North Church in the background.

 This was Geof.'s face pretty much the entire trip. Do you think he enjoys history/travel much? The Old North Church housed the nation's first organ and oldest clock..cool, huh?

 Revolutionary War Era graveyard. Graves as old as the 1630s!

 View from atop the Bunker Hill Monument. 294 winding steps we "almost" ran all the way up..

 U.S.S. Constitution, the world's oldest commissioned warship afloat (my words, not the "official website")...

 Three levels down..where they packed in 450 crew members! They had to rotate sleeping downstairs and keeping watch on deck.

 There's that face again.

 Train ride to Boston. A bit tired..

 Dayne with fuzzy kitten (before we realized they had fleas).

 I don't know who taught him that (see below).

 Love this face.

 And these faces, too.

Good momma