Too much responsibility?

Almost every day this summer, after lunch, we rest. This means, I put a movie on for the kids, then I lie down on the couch and less than 5 minutes later I am asleep. I desperately need this down time and I think Joshua does too. Well today, Sarah didn't agree with the movie choice and wanted to do art instead. I was too tired to try and convince her otherwise and conked out on the couch. Before I fell asleep, I had been folding laundry so we could pack for our trip. I had one load folded and one dumped out on the coffee table that needed to be folded. When I woke up, I was nervous about what Sarah was up to (I'm thinking markers on the wall, glue on the floor). I shouldn't have been. Sarah was folding laundry. She had already done one load and then got the other load out of the dryer, took it to the living room and was folding it for me. She said "I wanted to do a surprise for you and I thought if I did this chore for you, you would have more energy to help the baby grow." How sweet is that. I really have to be careful that when this baby arrives she doesn't have too much responsibility heaped on her shoulders! I guess I have to be careful that she doesn't put too much pressure on herself either, she is only 5 1/2!

Sarah and Matthew playing with his remote controlled car.

Joshua getting love from Uncle Dennis.

Super Joshua testing Aunt Cathy's strength with a lift and hug.

Meagan and Sarah getting tricky.

We really should have had the camera out more... Everyone had so much fun playing with one another. These are just some of the few shots we got!

Cousins

We were lucky enough to get a visit from family this past weekend. Donald's brother, Dennis and his family, came to visit for the night. They live in Germany and we don't get to see them very often. Well, I think we chose a good location when we moved to Chico because Dennis' mom lives in southern Ca and Cathy's parents live in Oregon! Hopefully they will stop by when travelling between the two many more times! Keilana who lives here in Chico (Donald's other brother, Greg's daughter) came for dinner as well. If we had been more on top of things, we would have included our kids in the cousins shot, but they were already in bed! I was telling Cathy how our kids are so much younger than all of the other cousins, it is like they are generation 2.0 of the cousins! We will get to see them again this weekend in Simi Valley when we go down for Donald's sister's baby blessing.

Donald's ladybug

Can you see the wings on it? At least once a summer, Donald carves up a watermelon in some fancy way. He specifically told me not to put this on the blog! I like Donald's bug eyes to match the bug he created.

Sheila at 34 weeks. No comments please, it is just to add to the history of our blog.

Joshua's swimming has progressed by leaps and bounds this summer. The latest thing Donald has taught him is how to do a cannonball. It is really quite cute. He is also teaching him how to do a kneeling dive and helps him "dive" in backward.

My best friend Din Din

You may want to click on this picture to enlarge it. This is one of the only times that Joshua has drawn something. Art is just not his thing! This is a very special picture because it is the first time I've had the opportunity to see Din Din. The picture on the left is of Din Din as a 3 and 1/2 year old. The picture on the right is of him as a grown up. You see, Din Din is Joshua's best friend. Din Din plays with him, but more importantly, he takes him all sorts of cool places. If we talk about going someplace some time, sure enough, Din Din has taken Joshua there already. He has taken him to Disneyland and camping, to parks and to San Francisco. Oh, he took him to the jungle too! Sometimes when mean ole' mom says no to an activity, it is ok because Joshua has already done that activity with Din Din. He has also taught him how to drive and how to use magic, how to fly and how to use his super powers. Really, Din Din is a great friend, we have all learned so much from him and we've learned a lot about Joshua too. One of the best things about Din Din is the way Joshua's face lights up when he talks about him. It is wonderful to see his imagination blossom so fully!

4th of July

It was super hot this 4th of July. We decided we would still roast hot dogs and marshmallows. The kids thought it was a blast, but Donald and I kind of decided that using the fire pit will turn into more of a fall or spring activity! The kids and all of the flies we collected had a great time. We swam after eating and learned that you really do need to make the kids wait after eating before they swim! Joshua must have had a few too many marshmallows because he threw up in the pool. Very gross. Donald spent the rest of the evening cleaning the pool and we put the kids to bed with no mention of fireworks! My mom said she could see fireworks right from her front yard, so I'm thinking that next year we are travelling to Simi Valley!

Sarah's first cucumber

In Michigan, our next door neighbors always grew cucumbers, and always shared with us. So, when it came time to plant the garden, Sarah wanted to be sure we planted some. So far they have done great. She wanted me to take a picture to send to our old neighbors. I'm sure they will be thrilled to see it.

Earlier this week we went with Shelly and her girls to the lavender farm near Mt Shasta. It was a beautiful day and the farm is in a beautiful setting! The kids were able to cut little bouquets of lavender to bring home. It was so much fun for them. The lavender was really beautiful and fragrant. I wish it was a bit closer, but it was worth the drive. I'm so glad Shelly keeps making plans and taking me places because I've been keeping myself cooped up at home!