To the Lake!

The weather has been completely unpredictable this spring and summer.  But we were able to take a quick dip in the lake.  It was lots of fun!

Bishop Field Day

What a fun day it was!  The sun was out and it was warm enough to play all of the games Mr. Scopa had planned for all of the kids.  There was tug of war, messy yard, parachute, water freeze tag, limbo and the sponge toss.  Thanks to Google auto-awesome, you don't have to sort through 50+ photos (I was the 9 am - 10 am photographer).  Instead, you can watch a short clip.  I haven't found Ashley in here, but Adam is in the last two photos.  Enjoy!

Almost First Graders

I can't believe how much the kids have grown over the past year.  Here they are at Bishop, just before school started for the day:

Self Portraits

The A-Team came home with self-portraits they created during art class this year.  I thought they were fantastic!

Farmer in Training

Ashley loves to help out around the house, especially if it's in the garden.  Here she is harvesting spinach for the dinner salad:

Minute Man Park

We took a step back in history and visited a homestead in Minute Man National Historic Park.

Green Eggs and Ham

The citizens recently took part an afterschool play. Ashley was the box and Adam was the boat.  Below are some clips and photos of the big day:

The Vault

Daddy had some business to attend to at the local bank, so we all tagged along.  One little monkey was excited to see the vault.  The second little monkey only wanted to see the ramp.

And the third little monkey couldn't be convinced to walk close enough to the door to take a photo.  Smart kid, eh?

Cars 3

In preparation for the big media launch, Adam is sporting his new Cars hat:

Shannon Beach: Little Guy Rides

We hopped across the lake for a visit to a locak state park.  Tate decided to join in the bicycling fun too:

Hikin' Family

There is one thing Tate lets us do which A+A did not:  use the canopy!

Jungle Gym

Credit to Daddy:  his ability to offer an instant-jungle-gym to A+A doesn't change even if the kids are older (and bigger!).

Bigger Bicycle

Adam is attempting to learn how to ride a bigger bicycle.  It's impressive to watch Daddy keep up:

Homeschooling, Lesson #30: Baking

It's the warm smells of baked goods which cheer up rainy days.  Today my chef-in-training learned how to crack an egg, and I learned how to use the pause button while recording so that you, my dear reader/watcher, can be spared from long clips of monotony while waiting for something to happen.

What we might call a win/win all around.

And in typical fashion, Adam was available when there were mixers to lick.

Somehow, both of them magically disappeared when it was time to clean up!

Tween in Training

Visit to the salon?  Check.
Manicure completed?  Yup. (Thanks Baba!)
So what's a girl to do next?
"I want to go shopping!" chirps Ashley.

I promise I am not making this up.  We finished the haircuts and went across the street to Whole Foods to reward the clan with some gelato at Whole Foods in exchange for peacefully (mostly) getting their hair cut.

As we're leaving the store, Ashley announced her intentions.  Wha? Well, her nails looked good, her hair looked great, and she wasn't ready to go home yet.  So what did she want to buy?  "Fruits and vegetables!"

As Papa Marty might say, "Ahh, you people from Massachusetts.  A bit different!"

For the record, she's decided to try mushrooms and eggplant.  And she also picked out a lovely red cabbage (no dressing!), an avocado and a pineapple.  Quite the adventurous shopper!

Family Haircut

What a site!  All three kids (and one Daddy) in the barber's seat at the same time:

I am beyond thrilled to report that only one child was crying, and that YouTube was not deployed during this visit.

Double Sliders

Once upon a time, we used to watch the citizens go down a slide together.  Now it's an older citizen who accompanies the younger:

So she tried again:

Oh Fer Cryin' Out Loud

All parents out there know it when they see it:  fake crying.  And sometimes it's hard to get a kid to stop.  My solution?  Record it!

2017 Ballet Recital

What an exciting weekend we had!  First there was the hair and makeup:

Then we were treated to a fabulous show:

And just when you thought it couldn't get any better, a lovely bouquet of flowers was waiting for our ballerina:

What a magical day!

Return the Favor

It appears A+A have a barter system set up.  You fix my buttons, I'll comb your hair:

Moment of Quiet

We had one.  One. Brief. Moment.

And then the little one spotted me and took off!

Lego and more Lego

With each passing day, there's a greater interest in Lego.  I wonder if the Lego fascination will overtake the car obsession?

Nope!  He designs new vehicles.  One interest fuels the other.

Mother's Day

Just found this one on Daddy's phone...  to remind us all of how precious our little ones are.

Dentist's Dream

This kid is every dentist's dream.  He walks up to the sink and shouts "Tee! Tee!"

On this day, he demanded control of an electric toothbrush and started boppin' away.

Let's just hope he got all of 'em, even the ones in the back.

Mr T the Comedian

Sometime Mr T is a comedian and doesn't realize it.  Although the clip is long, stick with it.  There are some very rewarding moments.

Password of the Week

Adam's password of the week:  was

After writing out the sentences all week long, Adam got to try his hand at using the word in a sentence.  The last two lines were a whopper!

"I playin' with my iPad on the way to Noo Yark.  It was fun!"