Twinkle, Twinkle Little Bat

The boys participated in an after-school production of Alice In Wonderland last week.  A wacky time was had by all!

Cheshire Cat is ready to go!

And tells Alice like it is...

...a few times!

Mad Hatter hits the tea party

Jack introducing himself

Harry introducing himself

Harry showing off his art work....a fountain his friend Sara helped him make.

Harry digs into the after party treats

Jack showing off his favorite part of his costume...the tail!

Play is done!

Alice In Wonderland

When you wish on a load of hay

Our neighborhood has a hayride every year, some number of trailers filled with kiddies - they cover the entire neighborhood, stopping at either the entry to a cul-de-sac (there is a bit of a competition for best party) and specific houses that really get into the spirit of things. It's a blast, but I learned this year that when they first started it, there was only one trailer of kids and the second trailer carried the parents....it's good exercise now, but I'm thinking the party ride might have been fun too ;-) Dean had to leave for a business trip, so Aunt Jackie came along and lent a hand with the corraling of kiddies

They do approach things differently

Leaving the wonderful Mrs. R's house, always the first stop

Harry ended up with as much straw in his bucket as in his costume

Jack and Joe mid-transform

Mass exodus at one of the houses

Jack and Aunt Jackie en route

Harry is forever showing us the way, still our Human Garmin

The Harvey Girls' Hayride

Sweet summertime

I set out to enjoy the summertime, not overschedule and just enjoy having our boys out of the rush of schooldays....so far, it's been a blast. We've all remembered how to nap, and it's amazing to be able to really talk to them about their behavior, watch them making good choices, steer them when it's needed, and solidify what we hope is a good foundation for the men they will become.

In addition to the movies and bowling, we've found a few activities:

A craft store has weekly classes - they did the wearable art, and came home with visors, friendship bracelets, and tees....

...they've had a lot of playdates, and somehow managed to start a boys' version of poker nites while lunching at Five Guys a few weeks ago....

....they've had some birthday fun - Welcome to 5, Spencer!....

....and their t-ball cards landed in our mailbox today.

Sweet, indeed!

Kenny Chesney

We're gonna have a real Good time

It's our second season of trying to go to the free summer bowling, and we finally made it yesterday! With sweet Erin along for the ride. It was a lot of fun to bowl, to try and beat a version of The Claw, and to make the tough donut decisions at KK.

The last picture is the three of them hamming it up and telling me they are 'FULL of donuts!'

While I was getting things together to start bowling, I caught them wrestling and it brought back a memory....

...of the beginnings about 5 years ago :wub:

Doors' Roadhouse Blues

take me back to days full of monkeyshines

Who would have ever thought four boys all afternoon could be so much fun for a mom? The boys each invited a friend for a little after-school adventuring, and it did my heart good to hear them laugh and watch them run around like crazy...hopefully they are sleeping as peacefully at their house as ours are here!

The bouncing foursome

Harry practicing his game face

Cheers to fun with friends!

JB's Barefoot Children

It's all happening at the zoo

If you've been around a while, you may remember that Harry has a penchant for walking like this:

April 06

Well, he's added an accessory - what a difference 4 years can make!

The school took a field trip to a zoo yesterday, and it was a lot of fun to chaperone. We truly lucked out as the weather back home was not great, and we dodged all sorts of storms on our way there and home. The kids were a dream, and I thanked my lucky stars as I watched some moms running after excitable kiddies. It would have all been worth it, regardless, this morning, as Harry said "Thank you for being my partner at the zoo, Mommy! I love you SO much!" :wub:

This zoo is really cool because they have built a high sidewalk where the giraffes can come right up to you and enjoy treats.

It's a big hit with the kids!

I didn't take many animal shots, but thought this guy had the right idea....lazing on a sunny afternoon, indeed ;-)

And I'll be surprised if someone didn't send this to the coke people - this peacock was screaming for a coke....know how that feels!

After a fun lunch, we went back to the giraffes for a second round of treats, and Harry just let this guy dive right into the cup, skipping the middleman....

..getting nose to nose at one point about his behavior and concerns that he might still be hungry even tho we'd fed him numerous times and there was a line waiting for their chance

Thanx to the teachers, bus drivers and amazing kids and parents for a fun day! Thanx to my DH for making it possible for me to share these wonderful times...love you!

Simon and Garfunkel's At The Zoo

SOnshine, it's better than moonshine

We took a little trip to the science museum this week, and it was a lot of fun....and educational...and fun! They have a display representing the sun and moon - this granite moon weighs 1/4 ton
Harry, Zach, Graham, Aunt Jackie and Jack checking out the pendulum

Jack was digging the light display - bustin' a move and watching his shadow

Harry also dug the light and mirror displays (and I caught Jack going to the other side of this mirror)

The boys had fun playing in this hall of mirrors (and, no, Jack hasn't come down with any diseases yet...ewww)

Harry's head on a platter

then it was Jack's turn

There were so many cool displays, and the kids are really into space lately - the planetarium is on the agenda for our next visit.

Harry got in a little astronaut practice

...can you beat that smile??

They got to check out their weights on the different planets

And had a chance to go on several adventures - here's Jack as a scuba diver, checking out the various maps

Aunt Jackie and Harry went on a tour of Greece and Italy and a few other places

before Harry got a chance to test his meteorological skills

Jack took to the seas

Thank you, Aunt Jackie, for a great gift that we can use thru the year....

Here they are pushing the Earth around at the end of a fun day

Allman Brothers' Soul Shine