Security Increase

So I went to the coffee machine today and I guess I didn't get the memo that security has been increased at our house!

Now I am wondering... Is the Lego man guarding the coffee for me or protecting the coffee from me?

Sneaking in a family hike

A typical evening is usually quite busy with activities such as sporting events and homework.  The last few weeks have been quite rainy and some of the gloomy fall days have started.  The daylight is starting to get shorter and the crispness in the morning air reminds us that winter is just around the corner.  On Monday evening however, clear skies and bright sun were calling us. We left the dirty dishes on the counter, forgot about all chores and things we had planned to do and went out together for a fantastic family hike.  It only took about 10 minutes to drive to the starting point and the hike itself was super easy for the kiddos.  We walked for about an hour total but loved running and playing in the leaves and enjoying the gorgeous views.

 

Look at the size of the leaves!!

Our goal is to cast normal life aside a few more times this season to create some great memories and enjoy the beautiful Alaskan fall!

For our Alaska friends with kids this is Thunderbird Falls. So close and such a nice easy family hike!

Emma found it so relaxing she couldn't even keep her eyes open!

Lazy Saturday

Our family likes to be busy, we like to be outside, we like to do activities and we enjoy going on adventures together.  With that being said, it's always fun to have a day here and there where we just laze around with nothing that needs to get done and nowhere we have to be.  This Saturday we did just that.  We spent time just hanging out and enjoying family time.  I had started decorating for fall last week so we worked on a family Pinterest craft (again I can't get over how much I love Pinterest).

It was the first time finger painting for the girls and we all had fun.

 



Our little fall forest has many trees and we love each one of them :)

(Side note:  I love how Jasper has to be involved in all the activities. I mean what dog doesn't like to watch finger painting right?!? )

This fun craft now sits on our mantle and makes me smile every time I see it.  As we gather as a family for all our meals we have a visual reminder of how we all support each other and stand together :)

Cleaning Crew

My cleaning crew do not do the best job, they cannot reach high places, actually make more mess then they clean and yet they are so darn cute!

What you mean vacuuming doesn't look like this at your house?  Kinda reminds me of the rugrats show as they follow 6 inches behind me while I vacuum!

Dancing

Even though Josh is not quite two years older then his little sisters, he utterly adores them!  It's neat to see how he tries to nurture and teach them things.  This morning he was trying to teach Sarah to dance.

"Dance....Emma....dance"

Yes that is right, he is dancing with Sarah and he get's them mixed up 95% of the time, and yet they don't care!

Dance babies! Your mama loves to watch these sweet moments!

Toy Story

For any of you who have ever watched Toy Story, you have to admit that when the loved toys get packed up because Andy is getting too big for them it's a tear jerker.  I recently watched this movie again with Joshua and it hit harder this time around.

As we slowly packed up the toys from the big kids and put them away until Josh was old enough we kinda didn't notice them slowly going. In fact we kinda liked the extra play room but opening those containers now I was hit with a rush of emotions because these toys were their favorites! They were played with for countless hours. They were taken everywhere with us and they even slept in the big boys beds with them. Now they have been sitting there just waiting to be loved again.  I am glad that I get to remember all the joy it brought the older kids while we unpack these toys.

Welcome back Buzz and Woody....you will be loved again to infinity and beyond!

This is Joshie now....

 


And here are some pics from when Buzz and Woody were cool the first time around at our house :)

Rainy Day

Last week we had a few mornings that were kind of yucky....not a crazy amount of rain or anything just the sprinkling where everything is wet.....foggy dreary type mornings.  The kidlets and I made the best of the reading/play time inside.  This particular morning instead of our regular crafts we decided to make another pinterest activity.  Cotton ball race track!  Who could have guessed that a little tape on the floor, a straw and different puff balls could provide so much entertainment.

We tested out the different sizes of puff balls, the boys tried blowing on them in different places (right behind the puff ball, above it, close, far etc) to discover which methods were the quickest and which ones they had the most control with.  There was more learning involved then I had expected!

They finished it off with good old races hahaha!

Oh and I am quite aware that Zachary has an eagle costume on.......josh was dressed as Darth Vader but his costume was going to inhibit his ability so we had to remove it :)