SBL - Tbones game without Maffers

The T-bones game fell on June 19th...and Mathew missed it. Again. 

This time he was at Scout Camp. 

Last year he was with Mark at 11 year old camp.

The year before that, he was in Chicago watching the Cubs play. 

(Cubs?...T-bones?...Cubs?...T-bones?...nope.  I don't feel bad about that one.)

But like any loyal family would, we went without him. 

But we promised to buy him a bag of kettlecorn and  we hand delivered it to camp on the way home. THAT'S the love.

Everly enjoyed a night off from MCADD. We made sure she ate really lean and low-fat all day so she could indulge in a cup of cookes 'n cream dip 'n dots. 

Totally worth it, I'd say.

Anna spent her Wachter Bucks on a huge bag of cotton candy and a corn dog larger that her femur.

Laney went for the dip 'n dots and a personal pizza.

Meg did the dip 'n dots and a big salty pretzel.

Ethan found himself a chocolate shake and then sweetly washed out his cup and made multiple trips up the stairs to refill it with water for the little ones. He's a good egg.

I reminded us all that funnel cakes are really yummy and also a very poor decision for your digestive comfort.

Mark really appreciated it, I'm sure.

Isn't he cute?

Oh...how was the game, you ask?

I have no idea. We come for the treats.

SBL - Sharpie Tie-dye t-shirts

Last year we made the bleach shirts. (When I say we.... I actually mean me, just so we're clear). 

And they turned out aMAZing. I am telling you, I would actually pay for one of those in the store. But they were NOT kid friendly. Cutting intricate designs out with a razor and then spraying with bleach isn't as kid-friendly as it sounds. (It's possible I didn't entirely think that through).

So this year the little girls are trying out the sharpie tie dye technique. It's basically putting a plastic cup under a spot of shirt, popping on a rubber band and then letting them do what they will with different colors of sharpie markers. 

When they are satisfied, we use a dropper to apply rubbing alcohol and the magic happens!

It's the best.

We did four circles at a time and then let them dry. Then we would go back and do more circles and it really did turn out super cute.

Meg turned hers into a flower garden.

Best part: they got to participate! And they are adorable... that too. And colorful. Also, no razors involved. Always a plus.

Summer Bucket List - Wonderscope

Mathew is at Scout Camp and Ethan is a youth leader at cub camp this week, so me and the girls thought it was the perfect time to hang out and play pretend at Wonderscope. 

I only got a couple photos, because the battery died, but we always love the farming room. We missed the mini grocery carts and the market this time, however. Not all changes are good changes, Wonderscope Decision Makers!

Also, I'm thinking costumes that involve dozens of little kids contaminating one another with head lice is not a great way to go. Not that it I, as her parent, had the backbone to tell her that she could not be a moo moo. That's pushing things a bit to far, don't ya think? 

We loved the water room this time and got our shorts good and wet.

The art room was fun and the girls loved face-painting until a mean mom came in and yelled at her kids and ruined our good vibes. I won't judge. I've been her on more that one occasion.

We spent a couple hours and then headed to Wendy's for a nugget/salad/chili buffet. That's where you buy lots of different items (primarily from the dollar menu) and everybody just goes for it. It was fun and educational. They were shocked to learned that bleu cheese is actually MOLDY and could not understand why I would allow any to touch my salad.

I truly have no idea.

Camp Naish 2015

Mathew has arrived to Camp Naish. 

There will be bugs, raccoons, unsatisfying meals in the mess hall, frequent trips to the Trading post for discount slushies (he remembered to bring his cup from last year, yay frugal!), fights with the other boys, overcoming fears, bonding with the other boys, passing off merit badges, visiting the wildlife post, and a millions other things that I would never be able to remember. Because I wasn't there. 

But he'll remember and he'll tell you all about it someday.

For now, there are some great photos!

Arrival:

Blue slushie tongue:

Deer!

Mess hall with Sammy.

The shooting range:

Sleeping outside of the tents and under the stars.

Competing in a a mystery box cooking competition.

Looking good! I'd eat that!

Showing us the wildlife hut during Family Night.

And his largest triumph. Mark told him that if he was able to overcome his fear and get up to the top of the tower, he could pick anything out of the trading post.

It took him several tries, but he never gave up. He went back over and over until he made it all the way.

And then he found the most expensive thing for sale (a fancy multitool) and gave Mark a big smile.

Don't lose it, buddy!

I hope he hangs on to that tool and it reminds him that he didn't quit and he did something really difficult by pushing through a little bit at a time.

A great year!

SBL - Ernie Miller and failed birdwatching

We set out for a fun trip to Ernie Miller Nature Park and hoped to see what it was all about. Many others have been and said it is beautiful and fun for the kids. 

We parked the car and started walking down a trail to the visitor's center. A butterfly landed on Everly and then parked on each of the kids before flying off. 

Magical!

If we had turned around there and headed back to the van, it would have been a lovely trip.

Then we went in and were ignored by the help desk lady while we tried to figure out exactly what we were supposed to do there and how to go about it.

We did a goofy "treasure hunt" and looked at a couple of depressed owls in their cages.

We finally figured out where a trail head was and started on our way when the full horror of this being a "Cicada year" unleashed itself on my little girls. My word, the sound is deafening and they are literally falling out of the trees. They are everywhere on the trail, making the job of not stepping on one of their huge, crunchy bodies the sole focus of our hike.

Laney simply stopped about 50 meters in and refused to go another step. I started to give her a lecture about why she need to get over it and enjoy the beauty of nature when I realized that I actually would prefer to not go another step either.

We started back to the van and the girls asked me to open their honey sticks that they received as a reward for answering an owl question posed by the grouchy desk lady.

After gnawing on the tops of four of those impenetrable sticks, all four of them announced that honey is not that great. I agreed. Not exactly a refreshing trail treat on a muggy, humid Kansas day.

SUPER FUN!!

And we didn't even get to watch the stinking birds! We don't get to cross it off our blasted list!

Haircut budget

Today I looked over at Mathew and thought...."Oh my. You need a haircut, son."

It is a little adorable.  But it's time to see those beautiful blues again. 

And while we're all it. We'll give Ethan a trim too. His hair grow pretty fast, but it's magnified by the fact that it grows "out".

I'll be forever grateful for the first lessons on haircutting I received at a timely Relief Society activity night. Add that to the spying and eavesdropping I did at Great Clips and they are almost never embarrassed to go out in public.

Now I save us 30 bucks every 6 weeks by doing it myself.

And if I (we) could work up the courage, Mark's haircut would save us another 20.

Maybe we could save $20 in safer ways, though....

Special shout out to my sneaky cameragirl.

Meshugge Melee

Christmas of 2013, I bought a groupon for 2 months of crossfit classes at Crossfit On Track. 

Today Mark competed in his first competition, representing On Track in one of their 3 teams. 

I'll tell you he was nervous. He was talking so fast I was starting to wonder if he had switched personalities with my 10 year old daughter, ala Freaky Friday style.

I wasn't nervous at all. 

1. I wasn't competing

2. I've seen what he can do.

And he did great!

It was seriously hot and there were a few burpees involved.

He's not afraid of a few burpees, oh no.

I knew he would do great...but I was surprised at how great he did! It was awesome to watch! I was so proud!!! I bought that for Christmas!

I couldn't stay for the whole thing, I had kids to pick up, but it was fun and he's caught the bug. I would guess that he'll be doing another not to far down the road.

Let's look for one that is planned on a cool October evening, shall we?