A Busy Couple of Weeks

Sorry for not blogging lately...we have been having summer fun.

Enjoy the photos below!

Deanna Rose with the Sharky Family 

Taking Naps Outside with Pops

Visiting the Zoo
It looks like John is crying but he's laughing. 

Eat, Play and Pray...Together
A new thing we are doing at church on Tuesdays. We eat together, play a game on the soccer field, and then we prayed with playdough. 


As we played with playdough, the question posed was "What do you think God was thinking about when He made you?" 
John: He was thinking I would have red hair and play baseball. 
Me: Do you think he thought you would be a kind boy? 
John: I think he thought I would be like Benny, a great baseball player. 
(We aren't too worried about his self esteem.)


Me: Sophia, what do you think God was thinking when he made you?
Sophia: Girl
(Enough said...) 

Sidewalk Chalk Paint
We made sidewalk chalk paint
2 Tbs - Cornstarch
2 Tbs - Water
5 drops of food coloring

We made this and it was fun. I didn't go exactly by this because it was a little too thin, so I added more cornstarch.
We used paint brushes and painted away on the sidewalks. It was super easy to wash off also...so it was a winner!

One more story:
Last night was baseball and Sophia and I had this conversation...
Me: Sophia are you ready to go to the baseball field?
Sophia: NO
Me: We need to get dressed, so let's put on these shorts.
Sophia: No, I a princess. I not wearing those.
(She then grabs the shorts and runs back to her room. She opens her closet and points to her pink tutu.)
Sophia: I a princess, I wear princess.
(We put the skirt on her and she prances (literally she prances when she runs) back to the living room. She twirls saying "Princess, Princess, I a Princess.)

So off to the baseball field we go...one in baseball pants and the other in a princess tutu.

Hope your summer is going great also!

First day of Baseball Practice

John had his first t-ball practice tonight. He woke up looking at his pretend watch and saying "I got baseball in 30 minutes!" All day he wanted to know if it was practice time. Can you say he is eaten up with it??? It cracks me up. He insisted looking the part so at 4:00 (practice was at 6:00) we had our baseball pants and belt on, shirt and jersey on (a St. Louis Cardinals one, I am surprised they let us into practice!) and I convinced him that the cleats could wait until closer to time. He told me that we could NOT be late. 

To be honest, I love that he is so passionate about something. At this time, he breathes it. A lot of the time, when he wakes up, he says "Let's go play some ball!" I remember my brother being so excited about baseball and I didn't really understand why. My parents were the same way...and I always moped around because it was another baseball game to go to. At one point I told my parents that baseball was ruining my life. :) I understand why my parents got so excited...it is exciting to see your child be passionate about something. I felt like a baseball mom - even though it was only a t-ball practice- I had everything packed and ready to go. I have to admit...I liked it. 

The program that John is participating in is called Smart Start. There is no competition and it teaches fundamentals and skills that players need to know for the future. It also teaches parents how to help their kids out with practicing. We even got a manual with key terms and pictures in it! The kids do stations around the field helping them with different skills. On the last practice, they have a "graduation party". It is 6 practices - all through the month of June for 3-5 year olds. If you want some enjoyment, you should come out because there are around 30 kiddos out on the field - all different ranges of abilities. 

I think it would be fun to see the little ones play a game but the program really supports the no competition idea while the kids are young..and I have to admit that it probably is a good idea. 

Wednesday is our next practice and I need to get a picture of John and his buddy Jenna playing ball together. Enjoy the pictures. 

He is ready to go! 

He is showing me his gum in his mouth and saying "Mom, you have to have gum to play ball."

Scooping up a grounder!

Hitting off a tee- this is probably his least favorite part. He doesn't understand why he has to hit off a tee when he can hit the ball being thrown to him. 

Twice a month, a group of families gather to eat, pray and spend time with one another. This is the Anapra group. We pray and discuss our friends in Anapra, Mexico, trying to find ways that we can help and encourage them, even though we are hundreds of miles away. 

Tonight was our last meeting for the summer and we will meet back up in September. We had a cook out to celebrate and spend time with one another. The thing that is special about this group is that it is several families, who live very busy lives, but take time out of their busy schedules to stop and reflect on how we can help others that are in need. 

I have enjoyed getting to know these sweet families throughout this year. 

Day 4 of Colorado: Garden of the Gods

On day 4, we traveled to Colorado Springs to spend the night and then be on our way home on Friday. Before getting to Colorado Springs, we visited Garden of the Gods. I had never been there before and all I can say is "Wow". It literally takes your breath away. If you haven't visited this sight before, I would highly suggest it. You can travel the loop and see the amazing rocks from the car. You can also take different trails to get a closer look and climb the rocks. We did both and it was beautiful. 

Once again, the kids loved climbing the rocks and getting dirty. 

We stayed the night in an beautiful hotel and ate at a great restaurant called Phantom Canyon in downtown Colorado Springs. I would love to explore Colorado Springs more in the future. 

We headed out about 7 am the next morning and arrived back in the BS around 8:30 pm. 

It was a great and relaxing vacation. It was great vacationing with Turnboughs and the sights were beautiful. We have already said that this could end up being an annual trip.

I hope you enjoyed the pictures and the stories from the trip. If you haven't ever been to CO in the summer...you should plan on it. BEAUTIFUL!!!

Day 3 in Colorado

 Day 3 in Colorado started with the Jensen family heading back to MO. They had gotten out there a few days before us and needed to head back home. So we saw them off and made a plan for the day. We hung out in Salida for the morning. We went to a yummy coffee shop named The Simmering Cup and shopped around the cute shops. Matt got us delightful treats from the downtown bakery. Afterwards, we headed back to the rocks and the river. Below are a few pictures...

 After lunch and naps, we headed up to the Monarch Pass. We rode up a gondola to 12,000 feet and it was beautiful!  

Sophia was still sleepy from her nap and held on tight the whole time. 

 John's face got really chapped and it hit him at the top of the mountain.
He broke down so we put chap stick on his face. It started stinging, so in the middle of the observation deck, I took care of my sweet boy and blew on his face for about 5 minutes. It started to feel better.

We saw snow!! John even threw a snowball at me! 

After going up to Monarch Pass, we headed back to Salida for dinner at the Boathouse. We walked around the town for a little stroll before heading back to our house. 

If John can't climb a mountain, he will find something else to climb on!

There was an exhibit of animals made out of metal. It was quite amazing. Sophia saw this horse and said "My Little Pony"! 

Day 2 in Colorado

Day 2 was a fun filled day. I might start with the fact that I knew my kids loved being outdoors but I truly saw how much they loved it this vacation. Both of them loved Colorado. They wanted to "climb mountains and rocks" each day. 

On day 2, we set out and ate at the Pancake House. Then it was off to our first hike. This hike was labeled "easy" but I am not sure I, nor any of our family, would agree to that term. It was quite a trail, but all 4 kids and all the adults made it! We hiked to a waterfall and it was beautiful!! See the pictures below to see some highlights of the hike. 

This was the view behind us as we hiked up the mountain. 

Sophia was an amazing little climber. One of her sayings was "I can do it!" and she would get really frustrated if you didn't let her try. 

The boys standing by the cave we found.  Kampbell was getting to close to the cave, so big cousin, John held on to him and said "No Kampbell!" Kampbell hates the word no so he cried, but John felt good that he had "saved the day". 

My sweet Sophia had a common theme through this vacation. It was "Momma, hold you". If she wasn't saying "I do it myself."  she was wanting me to hold her. We had a lot of bonding time this trip. :) 

This was the scariest part of the hike. Most of us stayed down below when we reached close to the top. To the right of the picture, is the waterfall. Kurtis and Luke headed on up and John was not going to be left behind, so up he went. Matt followed along and captured a few shots of John climbing. This boy seemed to have no fear. He did however, not want to come down next to the waterfall. He took the longer way around because he refused to get close to the water. We aren't sure why...but he made it down safely! 

Sophia was not going to be left behind either. She wanted to climb. We did climb a bit higher, but I finally convinced her to come down with trail mix! 

John climbing more of the high part.

He was quite proud of himself. 

Luke and Kurtis by the waterfall. 

The family taking a rest before heading back down.

 After hiking, we had a picnic by a stream and threw rocks. 

After lunch, we headed to an old abandoned mining town. They call it a Ghost Town. It has one little General Store and then a bunch of old buildings. It looks like a scene right out of a Western. Across from the General Store, there is a place where all these squirrels live. You can buy food to feed them. They are the friendliest squirrels ever! Barb sat down and a bunch of the squirrels jumped on her lap. It was crazy!!

The day ended with a meal back at the house and S'Mores for dessert. The kiddos were worn out and slept well.