Summer Bucket List double header

We love Moon Marble! It's the same thing every time and we don't care! We'll be going here forever and we'll make sure the grandbabies love it too!

Those boys naturally head to the top row. It's about coolness.

We leave our mark on the way out.

And in the same day we are at the drive in! We are clearly very committed to our summer fun.

Did you know that there is a good amount of time to fill before the movie actually starts? Plenty of time for a card game on ouchy gravel.

Time for some graphic novel perusing.

Time for exploring the stream bed nearby

And wowsers...drive-in movies are so late...I'm so tired! These ladies seem to be fine!

Megan goes to camp!

The Murph 2017

If I were a normal person, I'd be able to tell you how much I improved on my Murph time from last year to this and if I were a normal Crossfitter, I'd have a digital record of my path of improvement....(Mark does! He wore a weight vest for the first time!)

But I'm really not that person. 

I just want to get it done. And then I want to go home.

And that's just what I did.

Thanks for the memories, Murph.

Fire pit!

We asked a fellow from MW Landscaping to come over and give us a quote for a firepit and pavers in the backyard...oh, and just for fun, what would it cost to throw in a pergola?

He said, "Well, on the low end, I'm going to say about 18,000." 

I put on my very best calm voice and said, "oh, is that all? Let us talk about it and we'll let you know."

And then we went down to the store where you can buy rocks (Home Depot) and we bought enough to build our own dang firepit. 

And it is awesome.

And now I realized I shouldn't wear that skirt and shirt together.

No matter! Check this OUT!

We are in business. S'more business!

Meg speaks

Megan is twelve. And that means she is old enough to be asked to speak in church. She is very independent and takes her responsibilities in stride. She wrote her talk, practiced it a few times, said a prayer in her heart and even let me braid her hair. 

And she did amazing. (I'm not surprised at all.)

Summer Bucket List - Downtown day

Well, I won't lie. It feels weird to do all this stuff without Ethan. He love Kansas City Day....even when he's in the deepest throes of adolescent poopery, he will rally and come along to explore the cit-AY.

But! We will forge on!

One is never too old for 2 foot tall tables and ready to roll art supplies. NEVER.

And we can just admit it. THIS IS ALL THEY REALLY WANT.

They want to fill their baggie with candy. They have a weight limit and they must carefully consider quality vs. quantity when making their selections.

Laney is doing complex equations in her head....must maximize the sugar!

I promise you. Mathew is mulit-tasking at this very moment. He is primarily selecting his mother-approved weight in candy, and looking for the perfect moment to slip under the radar and buy himself another stash without being noticed. If he fails to do this in secrecy, he will not be allowed to spend his own money because the little girls with feel gypped and/or want to share. Neither of these is acceptable.

Everly goes for the good stuff. Ice cubes. Melty chocolate.

They are masters and weighing and going back for one more Tootie Fruitie.

Last stop! Nelson Atkins Art Museum.

The glass maze. It's simple and dangerous. Don't get cocky or you'll round a corner and your nose will pay the price.

I think this may be one of my favorite photos ever.

 I'm not so sure we aren't going to get in trouble for touching these exhibits. But if you leave stuff outside, we're gonna have a hard time leaving alone.

There's a reason this is one of the things we look forward to each year. It's just really fun!

A new idea for a hot day

Megan and I like to peruse Pinterest and Facebook for new crafts. 

Doable crafts.

And we found this one. It takes rocks and old crayons. We have both of those in abundance. That will save me from going back to the store for the 5th day in a row. (Why can't I manage to buy all the things at once?) (I really should learn that nice cashier lady's name. I spend more time with her than anyone else.)

So...to the rocks.

You just pick them out, wash them off and pop them in the oven for 15 minutes on 350.

Then you just pick a color and let the melting begin! It is so lovely.

You can do layer upon layer and it all looks cool and swirly.

And if it doesn't turn out, you just wipe it off before it cools and start melting again. The girls were great about not touching the hot rocks. We ended up with a few that cooled before we could get to them, so we just popped them back in the oven and we were back to it. 

So fun!

Mathew turns 14...All day!

I cannot tell you how many times Mathew has surprised me with breakfast in bed. He is the sweetest of the sweet. So I figured it was time for him to experience the joy! 

He selected cocoa, sausage, pancakes and scrambled eggs. I added the ketchup on top because I know him. And eggs are awesome with ketchup, I don't care what people say.

He loved it! He told me a couple of times that day, "That was AWESOME!"

Even with a long day of partying ahead of us, I got side tracked and weeded the flower gardens in the back yard. I had to smile when the garden sprinklers came on...I love they way they look in the morning sunshine!

Since it's a "friend year", Mat decided he'd like to have his church buddies over for a wii battle and snacks. We made some pizzas and provided multiple sources of sugar.

While the party was going on downstairs, we set up the bike wash in the front yard. I love watching them run through and squeal when the cold water hits their shoulders...then they love to lay on their towels and "bask" in the sun. Reminds me so much of spending entire days in my swimsuit when I was a kid.

Mathew asked for a chocolate cake with whipped vanilla frosting. And because he is a 14 year old boy, he wanted to handle the FIRE.

Riley Horspool, McKenzie Clarke, Christopher Tayler, Dax Hurst and Owen NeSmith help him celebrate :)

I love teenager parties!!

Later that night we had Mathew's family birthday dinner: roast beef, mashed potatoes with gravy, hot rolls and corn.

And a cherry cake. He decided against my favorite marachino cherry icing. Someday he'll understand what he's missing!

He got some spending money from his Grandmas (his FAVORITE. This boy values the power to buy treats at will), a cubs hat with his initials embroidered on the side (from Dad), 3 new video games and tickets to go see Jim Gaffigan with mom and dad on July 20th.

His friend, Riley, gave him the game "Snake Oil", so we played it as a family and it was hilarious! You have to convince each other to buy your product in a 30 second sales pitch. I was amazed at how creative the kids can be and how well they think on their feet.

We were all laughing!

Mark trying to sell Megan his babysitter pill. And none of us with forget Megan's Gangster Fish...."You gotta WHACK EM! WHACK EM HARD!"

It was a great birthday and we are so glad Mathew is a part of our family. He's smart and funny and helps balance us all out. Love you, Mathew!