Sunday, Sunday

You never quite know what will happen on a Sunday morning as you are trying to get ready to head out the door for church. I don't know why Sunday mornings are different then weekdays, but for whatever reason they are. Last week I came out of our room to help Ella brush her teeth and I found her trying on her snow pants and coat that she had gotten from grandma. Yes we even brushed her teeth in this get-up. Somethings just aren't worth fighting.

This morning when coming out of my room I found a very different scene.

They were all getting along so well. Notice though that Ella has a book of her own just in case things don't go the way that she would like.

Trav decided to wash cars with the kids this afternoon after we had tried naps for about an hour and no one had fallen asleep. They had a ball and the cars look great.

I had a hard time getting a picture with Kole in it because he doesn't stand still long enough for me to get one. I did manage to get this one of him dumping out the soap bucket for the second time.

After this adventure we had just come inside and spotted the woodchuck in our backyard that had been digging around lately. I asked Trav if he could shoot it, but he said he couldn't in town. So he called our backyard neighbor who bow hunts and asked him if he wanted live target practice. The kids and Trav all went out to watch and after many arrows and finally a baseball bat; we are rid of that darn woodchuck.

We ended our day with a family picnic on the living room floor, a movie and some freshly baked cookies. Then all the kids were in bed by 7ish. Which is the best part about a no nap day!!

Butterfly Project

This summer we have had several new 'pets' at our house. A friend of mine told me about hatching monarch butterflies and how easy it was. We have lost a couple along the way, but have released several and are on our last batch this fall. The best part is the only thing we have to feed them is milkweed.

They start out so small, but it doesn't take them much time to get bigger.

By the end they were eating more than one leaf a day.


Here is a cryslis, an empty cryslis and releasing our first butterfly.



The girls have loved this project. You can see how excited they are.

They also enjoy trying to catch all the other little butterflies that are around the zinnias and garden. This was Ella's 'outfit' for catching them one afternoon.

First Day of School

Addi is setting into school nicely. She is starting to get up a little bit earlier in the mornings and is always excited to go and see her
friends. She told me after the first day that she didn't even forget once to call Dad Mr. Popken. I'm sure at times it can be hard to remember.

Last Few Weeks

Since school starts in a week we have been trying to fit as much activity into the last few weeks as possible. Here are a few highlights.

-We traveled to Elma for the family reunion. A great time was had by all. Trav and I were partners in Minute to Win It. It went very well even though we didn't win!

-Kole tried sweet corn for the first time and loved it!!

-The girls and I enjoyed watching Cinderella at Treasure Village!

-Several trips have been taken to the pool to try to stay cool and to the library for more books to read.

-We have been working on hatching monarch butterflies. The girls are holding the first one we released. I am hoping to blog more about this project later.

-Many projects on the house have been completed including re-staining the front deck, getting a clothesline put in, building steps off the back, completely priming the basement and now starting to paint, putting a storm door on the front, etc. The list goes on, but it was great to get all these projects done around the house!!

-Kole has taken quite an interest in books. His favorites are That's not my truck and That's not my train! He expects you to start reading as soon as he brings you the book, and just turning the pages for him to look is not acceptable. His sisters have even gotten the chance to read to him some.

Tat Um Up!!

We have a bag full of temporary tattoos that we have picked up at various places. The girls really wanted to put some on. Trav thought it would be a great Sunday afternoon bonding experience if we all put on several. Here are what a few looked like. Adds and El both had four, Trav had three and Koley and I each had two.

Our tough tattoo pose! Ella was still a little dazed after her nap. :)

Kole didn't quite know what to think, but he let us do it!

Showing a closeup of the tats!! Mine says Pigs Are Good for Iowa!!

Both girls had the cooled tat that read "Be a Bobber not a sinker! Wear your life jacket!!"

Blueberry Pancakes

I decided to be adventurous with my cooking and put the fruit in the pancakes rather than on the side or on top. The girls weren't too hot on the idea, but I think that Kole liked it judging from what he looked like when he was finished!

Who knew?

Who knew that a lawn fertilizer truck could be so entertaining? There was one across the street today spraying the neighbor's lawn. All play stopped for the 10 minutes that he was there. I can understand Kole being mesmerized because lately he loves all trucks and tractors. I was a little surprised by the girls being so interested. It could have been that the guy rode around their yard on a little stand up cart. Addi informed me that she knew what they were spraying for. When I asked her what, she informed me "Dog poop!" I looked at her quizzically asking "How do you know that?" "Well Mom, there's a dog on the side of the truck." In her defense there was a dog on the side of the truck, but after I stopped laughing I did tell her what they were really spraying for.