Keith Goes to Nursery

Keith went to nursery today for the first time.  At first he was really excited to go to class like his older brothers and sisters.  Once he got in there with all the other kids, he got a little worried though.  After a little while, he settled down and fell asleep for a while.  It's hard to believe how fast Keith is growing up!  The kids all grow up too quickly.

Happy Mother's Day

Happy Mother's Day to all you Moms and Moms-to-be out there!  Mike and the kids got up early this morning to make breakfast-in-bed for Mom.  The kids also made some fun cards, which gave Mike an idea for the pancakes.  He used a honey bear full of batter to make outlines for a heart and spelled the letters of M-O-M and then filled them in.  Then after cooking them, he buttered them and added the word "we" with strawberry sauce to the heart as seen below for a "We Love Mom" pancake breakfast.  Lena loved the cards and breakfast.

Attack of the Cocoa Monsters!

The day started ordinarily enough.  Mike and the older kids were off to school and work.  Lena was washing the dishes in the kitchen.  She finished up in the kitchen and went to find the kids for their morning walk with Sally.  They were innocently reading books on the living room floor, but all was not well.  The distinct smell of chocolate filled the air.  As Lena assessed the situation, it became clear that Keith and Alyssa were covered from head to toe in a chocolate powder.  Thinking that it was hot chocolate powder, Lena asked where the bucket was.  Alyssa replied sweetly, "It's in your room Mommy!"  Lena's heart sank as her soul filled with dread.  She ran up the stairs to see what damage had been done.

The kids had taken chocolate on your pillow to a whole new level.  The bed was covered in cocoa powder! They must have jumped on it to distribute it so evenly.  Of course, it had to be a white quilt.  Look at their pleased little faces.  Happy Mother's Day Mom!

This picture says it all for how thankful Mommy was for the opportunity to clean up all this cocoa.  Can't you tell how thrilled she was!

So if you are ever washing the dishes in peace and come out to a strong smell of chocolate, Beware!

The moral of the story is, make sure you walk the dog before doing the dishes. 

Putting the cocoa away after your son makes brownies and getting your kids to wash the dishes for you are also excellent ideas.

Gone Fishin'

We recently went fishing at a friend's house who has a pond.  Grandpa came along and helped with the bait and fishing poles.  The kids had a great time and we caught four fish.  Rebecca, Kirsten, and Jon each caught fish.  Keith even had fun casting his little bobber out without a hook.

Father and Son Campout

Mike, Jon, and Ethan had fun at the Father and Son's Camp out this year.  They took their hammocks and enjoyed sleeping under the stars on a nice cool night.  Mike really liked waking up without any stiffness at all.  The only weird part was hearing some small animals foraging around under the hammocks in the middle of the night, but they didn't bother anyone in the hammocks.

 The kids had a lot of fun with water guns and stick guns and a wood shower stall that was made into a fort.  There were always a bunch of boys standing on the bench and looking over the top of the walls for approaching enemies.

 After a service project, we went down to the lake.  Unfortunately, they didn't get out the life vests and paddles for the canoes.  So Ethan picked lilies, Jon went swimming, and Mike took pictures.  It was a fun time.  Now the girls want a camp out with Daddy.