Summer 2014: Week 5

Week 5 began with a visit from Grandma and Papa!  We hadn't seen them in 6 months, so it was so nice to get to visit for a few days.

So hip they have to wear tie-dye.

We took a picnic lunch to Lone Ranch Beach.  The tide was way out, so we were able to watch some creatures, collect a few shells, and found some really impressive forts!

Mama and me.

This picture is hilarious to me.  She's a funny bird, like her mom.

Dad and Mom.

Grandma is so fun!  She jumped with the kids and learned a few flips and tricks, too!

Dad and Jeff.

Saying goodbye is hard!

Another day, another river trip!  I think Jackson was refusing to get out of the blanket, so the girls picked him up and threatened to throw him in the river.  Ha ha.

Jordan and Trent are fish.  The other kids swim for a few hours and then are ready to leave, but these two are always wishing for more time.

The kids plotting their next water attack.  Thanks to Papa and Grandma for the awesome water shooters!

After Grandma and Papa left, it became the week of appointments.  Dental, chiropractor, eye, and orthodontist appointments.  And along with all the appointments, the rain came for a visit!  We had 3 days of rain, which I thought my garden would be happy about, but... 

with the rain came the bugs as well!  I found two moldy zucchini yesterday, black aphids, and slug tracks too.  Not to mention the spotted cucumber beetles I keep finding.  This is the part of gardening that makes me not want to grow anything!  You work so hard for months and then the dumb bugs come and ruin everything.  Bugs are like deer--total meanies.

However, we have been harvesting salad greens since April and haven't had to buy any from the store, save once.  Hopefully the sun will dry everything out and we will be back on track soon.

Saturday was supposed to be a lot of things.  A day to finally finish recovering my kitchen chairs.  A day for a family hike.  A day to take our new boat to the river.  Instead, the sunshine showed up and so did my allergies.  So I'm stuck inside sneezing and wheezing, missing out on all the fun.  I know, poor me.  I guess I was meant to put together our history and reading curriculum for next year instead of what I had planned. 

While I was doing that, Jeff put up the girls' little tent and they stayed out there reading and having treats in their cool new fort.

And that's all she wrote for week 5 of our summer vacation!

Summer 2014: Weeks 3 & 4

Week 3 was all about the water!  We went to the river three afternoons and to the pool another day.  My car and garage are as sandy and covered in peanut butter as you would expect.  It's wonderful.  :) 

We are really enjoying the beautiful weather and not having to be on a schedule for a change!  Here are some pictures from the past few weeks of our summer break.

The kids made these cute watermelon rice krispie treats to take to fellowship.

Meg at the river.

Jackson gets so cold!  Even on a hot day, he has to spend a fair amount of time on the warm rocks wrapped up in a blanket.  I'm on the lookout for a wet suit in his size!  This year he has entertained himself by skipping rocks and is getting pretty good at it!

For our project this week, Megan and I sanded down this old, scratched up table and painted it.  Well, we painted it until we ran out of paint, let's put it that way.  My dad's voice rang in my head, "If you're going to do something, do it right!"  But then I remembered summer rule #52:  You are not permitted to fixate on perfection, but only to have fun and do your best with the resources you have available to you at the time.

So you can see, my hands were tied on the matter.  Rules are rules.  Probably could use another coat if we ever decide we'd like to do that.  But it turned out great for Meg's first real project, and now Jackson has this cute table in his room!

The 14th was the lowest tide of the year, so we went to McVay Beach to explore.

Jackson was my tide pool buddy, and Jeff stayed with the girls.  It's funny because the girls were content to look pretty close to the shoreline, but Jackson made a beeline for the water.  He always wants to go as far, fast, high and loud as possible.

My people.

Meg and Jordan are my little beachcombers.

Jordan + Daddy = Trouble.  

This is her mischievous little grin after they filled our treasure bucket with gravel.

Wet, but happy.

We had to get up early for the tide pools, so we went home for a nap and then up to Miller Bar later that day to swim.

Swimming with my girls.  They are so brave and jump right in that freezing water!

This dragonfly kept landing on everyone's head for a quick "hello."  The kids were tickled that it kept coming back.

The rock skippers.

She told me, "Mom, we have all summer to take pictures!  You don't have to take any more pictures today!"

But these sweet faces need to be photographed!  Look how blonde Jordan's hair is getting from the sun!

And that was week THREE. 

Week 4 began with Father's Day.  The kids all made Jeff gifts this year, with no help or input from me.  Jackson made Jeff a catapult, Jordan crocheted a bookmark for his Bible and gave him some seaglass, and Megan made him a custom eye patch.

Dad can be blingin' with his awesome new eye patch!

Also this week, Jackson began swimming lessons.  The heated pool is really nice for our poor little popsicle boy!

Week 4's project was washing the windows!  Super fun, right?  Jordan was my helper for this job, and she's a fantastic window washer!

So those are the highlights from week 4 of our summer!

Summer 2014: Weeks 1 & 2

We have been enjoying such beautiful, warm weather with just enough wind to keep us cool.  Here is a snipet of our summer so far...

Meg's first horse ride ever!  She's been asking since she was 7.

redneck slip-n-slide

 Jordan before her haircut...

and after!  Megan says she is next in line to get her hair chopped off.

Family project, turning an old closet door into a bench seat.

Jeff is teaching Jackson a little programming.

First family dinner of summer.  Here are some of our sweet friends here in Brookings!

Food coloring flowers.

This was an Irish folk concert at our library.  It was amazing!  The recorders made me feel like I was in Narnia!

Jackson with two friends, Dave (left) and Sean (right), at a field trip to the Cal-Or Lifeflight airport in Crescent City, Ca.  One of the homeschool dads, Tim, is the lead pilot for Cal-Or and he taught the kids all about his job.  It was super interesting!  Jackson said that he wants to take flying lessons when he turns 14.  I'm not so sure about that!

Jordan and Isa in the cockpit.  This was really a neat thing for the kids to experience.

Mira and I wanted to climb in the plane and check things out, too!

A few of the homeschoolers who came to this class.

Picnic at the park in Crescent City after the field trip.

For my birthday, from the sweet Powers kidlets.  My birthday fell on a Fun Friday, so we had friends over to play.  It was wonderful!

Birthday prizes from Julie and Cindy.  I'm quite spoiled, don't you think?  Can you believe how beautiful this carrot cake is?  We are enjoying the episodes of Bugabee!

My sweet friend Dawn got me this beautiful rose bush!  I can't wait to get it potted and on the patio.

The kids made a chalk walk on the back patio.

And then they had a water balloon fight.  ;)

Reloading.

Madison

Julie made this strawberry cake for all of us!  It was so good!!!

Carolina throwing a water balloon at Trent.

Trent was using his noggin' to smash some balloons.

Jordan and Jenna worked together on a square.

One side of their work.

These boys are always up to something.

Later, Jeff said that he wanted to do a square.  He really should use his artistic talent more often!

So that was the first two weeks of our summer vacation!