Catching up...

I have been a blogging slacker. SLACKER. I am getting started on my Christmas cards and that usually includes a family letter. And that includes an update. And there is a LOT to update.

So this post, is an update, Christmas card style!

Harmony: This girl is busy from sun up to sun down. Band. Reading. Writing. Drawing. Hanging out with friends. She has had so many fun opportunities lately! Playing in the half time show at a UCLA game, going to the Disney studios to learn about art...and of course there are all the band competitions, football games, dances, hanging out with friends, movies, sleepovers...her schedule is tough to keep up with!

Ethan: is getting to be as busy as his sister. He too, is a band geek. With Ben & I having absolutely no musical abilities, we find this odd! I have loved to see him progress in his playing. He took up the baritone last year and has worked his way up, in a little over a year, from beginning band to advanced. He has totally shot up and now towers over me, which he loves to tease me about. He, has a lot of the same talents & interests as Harmony. Reading, writing, drawing & music.

After a year, Connor gave up on the band life! He decided to do something different and it is much more up his alley...yearbook! He has loved walking around the school with his "press pass", taking pictures and using the computer to design pages. He is a "techie" kid and loves anything to do with electronics. Of course he still loves Legos, and designs detailed bases. Mason considers Connor to be his personal slave, and Connor is too sweet to say no!

Ivan: This kid is...fun. He worked hard to prove that he could be safe while riding his bike to school. He has done a great job (even though it still scares me) and loves the freedom of riding back and forth. He has had his struggles at school but we have been working through them. He still loves Legos, pirates and playing video games. He had a rough Thanksgiving break, as his best friend moved. We all took it hard, and were sad to see them go!

Mason had an interesting start to kindergarten...a few of the boys decided to use their scissors to cut each others clothing, lunch bags, back packs etc. Mason ended up with a hole cut into his favorite hat, 2 shirts, and his backpack strap cut. Luckily the kids learned their lesson and we are no longer dealing with it! Mason is, just like his Dad and brothers, a Lego kid. He also loves playing at the park. He is learning to read & write and it is fun to see him learn & grow.

Ben & I are trying to keep up with the kiddos. It is hard to believe how time has passed & how the kids have grown and changed. Ben still travels quite a bit for work. We are currently waiting on our newest set of orders, which will most likely be in San Diego.

So there you have it. Our life in a nut shell.

On band camp, hot weather and Harry Potter

No matter what I try to do to slow our lives down...nothing ever seems to work! We are always BUSY.  But I suppose if we weren't busy, we would be bored...so I guess it is a catch 22.

Harmony, had freshman band camp this week. Since she didn't go last year, and never really learned all the fundamentals of marching, she decided to do it this year. Which means she and I were up and out of the house by 7:30, so we could pick up her friend and get her to camp on time. 8:00-12:30, they practiced marching, were given new music and made new friends with the kids just joining. It was followed up by marching in the parade at the Ventura County Fair.

It has been a hot week (by Camarillo standards) and so the boys and I have spent a lot of time indoors...at least until the sun started to go down anyway! Then out came the bikes, scooters, light sabers, swords and shields. The boys spent pretty much every evening watching the sun go down as they played. I love that even though they are "too old", that Ethan and Connor still get out and play with Ivan & Mason.

Speaking of setting suns, we had the most glorious PINK sunset the other night. I love living in such a beautiful place.

Sunset photos courtesy of Ivan :)

Friday (July 31st) is Harry Potter's birthday! So after dropping Harmony off at band camp, the boys and I headed to Simi Valley for a Harry Potter birthday party. There is a used book store called $5 or less and not only were they hosting, but each child was given a bag, that they could fill with free books.

We had a great time combing through the shelves, reading all the HP signs, searching for the Golden Snitch and coming away with tons of free & cheap books.

Harmony starts school on the 21st and the boys on the 27th. So the end of our summer is filled with one more band camp, orthodontist, optometrist and well child exams. As well as a couple of shots for Connor and getting Mason ready for kindergarten!

Whew. I think I could use a little bit of boring in my life!

Den chiefs & den leaders

Even though I said I was tired of writing about day camp, there are two other things I want to mention.

FIRST: Den chiefs. The boys were volunteered to help at day camp. They need service hours and so I decided that this would be the perfect time. I am very thoughtful that way.

Even though they were volunteered, they were AMAZING! They were literally climbed on, wrestled on, forced to entertain, lead and be patient with the boys. They were just so good. Ethan was my den chief so I got to put him to work.

Connor was put in a group with kids he didn't know and totally rocked it. I was only able to catch glimpses of him but it was fun to see.

Although he is not my child, a friends son was there with us also. He too was amazing and I was so proud of all of them.

SECOND: Den leaders. All volunteers. A lot of us were with our own children but not all. "Mr. Patrick" was basically Mason's bff the whole week. Making sure he was ok and having fun, wearing sunscreen and drinking water. I would catch him holding his hand, walking and talking with him.

I really appreciated that he had someone to be with all week. Ben was gone on a field exercise and so I know it meant a lot for Mason to have a man around.

So that is it. The final, final installment of the day camp saga.

Day Camp (Day 1 recap)

Last week, for the second year in a row, I got to spend some quality time at day camp.

8:30-4:30 in the sun, with 13 boys (ages 9-10), doing crafts, learning skills and running around like crazy.

It is NOT for the faint of heart. However, because of Ivan's...uh quirks, he really needs someone there with him. So I am up.

Day camp would have been one thing, but throw in Ben being on a field exercise, and Harmony being at summer school, it made for a busy week.

  I made Ethan and Connor come and volunteer at day camp, and threw Mason in to the tot-lot. Tot lot is for siblings and they get to go do some of the same things the older boys do.

Mason was a little unsure!

When the week was over, and I uploaded all my pictures, I had over 200 pictures. Between my four boys, the boys from our ward, friends boys and the boys in my den...it makes for a lot of photo ops.

Day 1:
Games, bb guns (Ivan's favorite!) crafts.

Ethan was the den chief for our den. He was amazing!

Tot lot was able to shoot rubber band guns. Mason loved it!!

Ivan was old enough to shoot a real bb gun! He did an amazing job!

 The trading post is always a hit and the boys loaded up on candy!

Making cool leather name tags...

The first day was fun yet long. At the end of the day, this is what we all felt like doing...

Gone camping...

Last year, Ben went to scout camp with Ethan. It was his first year.

 I was having some issues with my "baby" leaving me. So having Ben with him made it that much easier.

Yesterday, Ethan & Connor set out for Scout Camp. Ben did not. Ethan has a year of experience under his belt. Connor has none. He hasn't been away from me for longer than a night.

I am putting my trust in his leaders...who are very good guys. I am not worried at all...just amazed at how fast my boys have grown up. Amazed at how quiet it is without them. Amazed at how well Ivan & Mason play together when the "big boys" aren't around.

 

 

Their backpacks were packed. Lots of snacks. Money for the trading post. Extra socks & underwear that I snuck in to a side pocket.

The 3 oldest kids getting instruction on being good leaders & examples

They are going to have a great time...and I am going to smother them with hugs and kisses when I see them again.

Happy Birthday Connor &Ben

(how big is that chocolate milk?!)

After the huge party that we threw for Ivan, the idea of getting another party done in just two weeks left me tired! So we decided to hold off until the 27th. Although the plans for his luau are in full swing, we still had to do something for his birthday right?!

Harmony had a big GS activity yesterday and we ended up being gone until almost 1pm. So unfortunatley his day wasn't very exciting!

It is a tradition to let the birthday person pick a restaurant to go eat at. Harmony is all about Ruby Tuesday or Planet Hollywood etc. What did Connor want? Taco Bell. Ivan chose McDonalds on his birthday. Is that the difference between boys and girls? (:

Connor had already picked out 2 lego sets before his birthday, Ben got a new ipod for his birthday, so Connor was gifted his old one. He also got a fun new beach towel, pj pants with a skateboarder on them, a Bakugan book and some cool markers. But the big gift was the skateboard!! Doesn't he look so cute riding around?

He ended with his favorite, a "C" dinner of mini corn dogs, chips, chocolate milk, cinnamon rolls eaten at the coffee table while watching Journey to the Center of the Earth.

Happy Birthday Connor!