Day #16 Just a low-key Tuesday

This morning I found myself still unwinding from our busy weekend and trying to catch up Monday. Fortunately Tuesday's are a low-key day around our house. Plus, I had a Dr.'s appointment this afternoon which meant the children would be left to their own devices for a couple of hours. I spent the morning doing some finishing touches on the Alphabet writing books I am making for my future Kindergartner to practice with. Reading has come more easily to him, and we really need to focus on his writing. Fortunately my appointment was very near the copy place I wanted to visit to bind his books. Who knew binding a book was so fun? Line up the paper and push a pedal on the floor to punch the holes. Then start the coil at one end and go through a few holes and hold it up to a little machine with a spinning belt and watch it feed itself the rest of the way through! I was highly entertained! My enthusiasm made the store clerk giggle a bit... Anyway, for a mere $1 fee, and about 8 minutes of my time, I was able to bind the Large Print Alphabet book, the Alphabet Book, the ABC Sentence book, and another Letter Practice book. It was all kind of fun; mostly because I was not trying to corral any small children at the same time! :) I must say though, I have a greater appreciation for what teachers do for their students. I cannot imagine the time it takes to do that over and over for 20-30 students and multiple books covering multiple subjects. I had such an admiration for the older boys' Kindergarten teacher. She is who I got all these copies from. I wish she could have taught each of my little Kindergartners.

Anyhow, after my errands were run, I was anxious to come home to see how well the fellas had followed my instructions. I was pleasantly surprised to find most of my requests had been followed. The house was tidy (I have a new standard of "clean" with everyone home all day, every day) and they had filled out their little worksheets I made for their animal book reports. The information they filled in was interesting, but being the visual learner I am, I much preferred the drawings they had each rendered to depict their specific animal. Next week I am looking forward helping them make posters for their book report presentation. To finish off our Time to Read Tuesday, I am headed off to read a couple more chapters of The Chocolate Touch to them. Take it easy, we'll catch ya later! :)

Day #15 A Good Day to Make A Lava Lamp

Well, the first 2 weeks of summer just flew right past me. I worried that my schedule and goals would be too much to keep up with. However, I have been pleasantly surprised that it has all gone so smoothly. Don't go getting the wrong idea...its not all rainbows, skipping, and smiley faces at our house. Although, we have managed to mostly stay on schedule and accomplish what matters most to me thus far. Plus, I have yet to hear anyone mention boredom of any sort. Our busy weekend wore me out a tad; but we still managed to have a great time with our Make it Monday theme. If you are seeking a more in-depth instruction manual for today's activity; I've gottcha covered...just click here. Once again, thank you Pinterest and all you millions of fun moms who keep pinning awesome things to do that I eventually discover and make with my kids!

Once you have your water and oil in, start adding  food coloring

red for Mr. JayDee

Add the alka seltzer and watch the reaction!

when it settles, add more alka seltzer

lava lamp!

so much fun!!!

fascinating!

It will never cease to amaze me what children find entertaining and fascinating. We watched our lava lamps bubble for nearly 30 minutes. Simple, free, and fun. Had I wanted to be all "teacher-y" about it, we could have discussed the Science aspect of this little experiment and what causes the reactions; but I was just in it for the fun today. So, there you have it. Today's fun was brought to you by: recycled water bottles, vegetable oil, water, food coloring, and some broken up tablets of alka seltzer. And five handsome little boys who love making things together on warm summer afternoons, under the shade of our pop-up canopy! :)

Day #14 A Special Sunday

This weekend came with more hustle and bustle than I had anticipated, but I would not have changed it for the world. On Sunday, we had the opportunity to head back up Provo Canyon to join with the extended side of my family once again for a special Sunday. In our Church, when a baby is born, their father or other relative give them a special Priesthood blessing wherein they receive a name and a blessing. You can learn more about it here.
It was a wonderful meeting and nice to be surrounded by family for our church meeting for the day. After, we headed to their house for a delicious brunch and some more play time with cousins.

Von Bon & Em; this little lady makes me want a girl! :)

The Olson boys & cousin Parker; he fits right in! 

Baby love!

Since we were all dressed up, my sweet sis took some family pictures for our living room wall. Can't wait to see how they turned out! I recently updated the picture of all the boys together, but our poor little PQ is about 3 months old in our "current" family photo on the wall! :)

Day #13 Wind vs. the Family Picture

Today was another fun-filled day. Complete with everything from cousin play time, wiggle cars, scooters, yummy food, old barns, family photo shoots, and WIND. Picture-wise, this will be the most boring post known to man. I am not a huge fan of the wind, so I spent most of my day inside; snuggling up with my newest nephew; Parker, and chatting with my mom and sisters. It was a good day. As always, getting out of the house took longer than I anticipated, but there was still plenty of time to play before assembling for our family picture. At some point, I will have to post pictures of all the obstacles we over came to even attempt a family picture that day. This was no ordinary picture. It was an extended family picture made even more unique and special because this picture was to contain 23 children under the age of 12, yep...you read that right; 23. To make things more interesting we decided to take this picture in the loft of a 120 year old barn. It was a beautiful backdrop, and we were intent on getting some shots; despite the ridiculous high winds that decided to kick up all weekend long. Getting us all up into that loft was reminiscent of a scene from Goonies or National Treasure where the characters are carefully winding their way over and through obstacles while floor boards are creaking and cracking around them. There was an old ladder, leaned against a wall that led to the second story loft. Then some rafters to step through to get to the loft platform that lacked any sort of a railing or wall; it was just wide open to the drop off below. "Stand still" "Watch that drop-off" and "Stay on the cross-beams" we the most commonly heard phrases as we all assembled. Most would have called it off. We persevered. It probably seemed a little nuts to anyone on the outside looking in. Many would have just nixed the whole thing. But you see, this was important to us. My sister and her family were visiting from out of state, and there were 3 new grand babies to be pictured for the first time with the ever-expanding clan. So, we all worked together and put in our best effort to make the most of it! That is what family is all about, right? After several shots we carefully wended our way back down the ladder, breathed a sigh of relief as the last person exited the barn safely, and headed back to the folks for food. We'd all worked up a pretty good appetite, and everybody ate well; and slept good that night! :) As I mentioned, the newest addition to our family was present and his sweet momma was willing to share him with us all day. My oldest was the most anxious to hold him; and we snapped some pretty precious shots of them together. I may not have gotten enough photographic evidence of all our fun that day, but the pictures I got of that pair were good enough for me. So, here is the oldest Page grandchild, holding the youngest one....

E and P 

Love P's face here! E, 151 months; P, 2 months
Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Boy...how you fill my heart with joy!

That boy always has been the best "oldest child". The Lord knew just what He was doing when He sent him first to our home. What a spectacular Saturday! Yay for family time with cousins and grandparents!

Day #12 Field trips, Friendships, & FUN!

The original plan for Field trip Friday was to spend the morning over at the Children's Art Festival next to the Museum. We went last year and had a blast making fun and easy art projects. So, with great excitement and anticipation; we headed over early to get a head start. As with life, sometimes the best laid plans...just don't go as well as you, well, plan. It turned out to be a rather hot day. The little guy was tired and not a fan of waiting in line to do projects. And, although this event is always crowded, today just seemed more so. After a few projects a some face paintings, we took a vote and decided to call it a day. As we were walking home, I decided to be spontaneous and grab a 5 buck pizza as we passed by Little Caesars. Once we were all inside the store, I realized that although I had my keys and phone, I didn't have my wallet. Oops! We headed out the door and I promised the boys we do something fun later on.

decorating pictures with patterns

having fun at the Art Festival

Showing off our creations

Just as we were walking into our driveway, a gentleman drove by in a truck. He slowed down and called to me. I assumed he was looking for directions. He asked if we had been down to the bank yet. Then he told me that it was customer appreciation day and they were giving away free lunch; complete with hamburgers, chips, cookies, and soda. The boys were super excited! The bank is only a few blocks away, so in no time we were sitting in the shade on the lawn enjoying our lunches and listening to fun music that was being DJ'd in the parking lot.

Lunch time!

Once we arrived, we were delighted to discover an added bonus to our new-found, free lunch, surprise. The local Fire Department was there and they brought with them 2 fire engines and some gear for children to try on. The boys had a great time getting all geared up and posing for pictures on the trucks. What an afternoon!

 The little man was a bit nervous about putting all that gear on, so he stuck to just trying out the jump seat where the fireman ride on the outside of the truck. He looks so little in there! I was a bit sad he didn't get dressed up, but glad he at least wanted to try the seat out.

After our lunch excursion, it was time to head home for a little down time before our evening field trip with some friends. The evening plan was a recent but welcomed addition to our Friday. Our good friends the Parks invited us over for a BBQ before heading over to Payson Canyon to hike the Gratto trail. Dinner was delish and included chicken, rice, fruit, BBQ bacon wrapped onions and broccoli salad.

Before heading up the canyon, we made a little detour and stopped to pick up the boys' participation ribbons from the local art contest. We were hustling, so only the big boys came inside with me. I will have to get pictures of all of them with their art work and ribbons later.

With ribbons in hand, it was time to head up the canyon. The weather was perfect up the canyon and the kids were full of all the energy needed to make a mad dash up the trail to the waterfall. Rock throwing, water splashing, and dare-devil type moves (standing under the freezing waterfall) ensued and we played until everyone was too chilly to play any more.

cute boy! Ready to hike

It helps to hold your arms out for balance! :)

stand back, he's armed!

crazy boy! the water was icy!

5 handsome fellas

nice towel...

lookin' good!

flowers for mom!

A huge thanks to the Parks for making us part of their Field trip day. We had a blast. In the world today, it's nice to find another family with such good boys. Hope everyone had a fabulous Friday! Catch ya later!

Day #11 Toilet Paper Drive Part 2

This Thursday morning greeted us with some much appreciated cool weather and our final trip to the dentist for fillings. Now all boys have lovely teeth and we don't need to go back to the dentist until our fall cleanings. With the dentist out of the way, it was time to complete our toilet paper drive by dropping off the donations. The boys were all very excited about this culmination of our little drive. I think they did a wonderful job with the help of many family and friends. THANKS TO ALL WHO DONATED! :)

We were greeted by Carol who took us over to the large floor scale so the boys could see how much their donations weighed. We hauled it over in 3 of our large laundry baskets. The grand total came to 112 rolls of toilet paper that weighed 33 lbs (including the baskets) Carol was very sweet and explained to the boys what a blessing their service was to many families. She told them that each family that came there for help was given one bag, with two rolls of toilet paper in it; and that was all the toilet paper they would have for a few weeks. Once the paper was weighed, she let all the boys get on the scale individually and then altogether.

Grand total of all Olson boys!

Yep, that is 276 lbs of pure awesome boys I have been blessed with. It was sure a neat experience to host this drive and help the boys complete some community service hours for their Citizenship in the Community Merit Badges. Carol reminded us before we left that they are always in need of toilet paper; if we'd like to make it a summer tradition. She also told E to keep them in mind when he chooses his Eagle Scout project. Before leaving we loaded all the bags of toilet paper into a shopping cart so Carol could take them over to the "store" part of the facility. She said they were totally out for the day, and that each person stopping by today would receive toilet paper that the boys helped to collect.

It was a good day. I think the boys all had a fun time, more importantly I hope they learned that even they can help make a difference in the world. I reminded them that although we often pray for blessings we'd like to have, we should never forget how blessed we are to have the many wonderful things we have; especially such a simple necessity...like toilet paper.

If you'd like to get involved, here is the link I found this particular opportunity on:
http://communityactionprovo.org/
Just click on the "Volunteering" button and it will lead you to a variety of ideas, needs, and suggestions of how to get involved. We hope you are all having a great Thursday!

Day #10 Wednesday finds us back in the Kitchen

I'll be honest. After last weeks pulling taffy debacle, I was a tad hesitant to try a new recipe. However, the JayDee man has been begging me for weeks to make mozzarella sticks for him. Not being a huge fan of fried stuff (*correction* I am actually a really huge fan of fried stuff...that's the problem) Anyway, I hit up Pinterest to find a recipe that baked the sticks instead of frying them. We found just what we were looking for here:http://everycollegegirl.com/how-to-cook-healthy-mozzarella-sticks/
and we followed her recipe exactly. To get started, I gathered the boys. It never ceases to amaze me how quickly a table can be cleared and wiped when I say we will start our cooking endeavors as soon as its clean...However, I digress. So, I gathered the cuties.

Then I put them all to work measuring out flour, bread crumbs, and grated Parmesan. Thanks to my handy, dandy, white board...I knew what was going on today in advance, so I had the presence of mind to freeze the cheese this morning. Let's just say it would not have gone over well with the crew if they had had to wait for cheese to freeze; that's far worse that watching a pot of water boil. :)

Beat the egg

measure out some flour

time for the bread crumbs

and more bread crumbs

With our 3 separate bowls ready with flour, egg, and Parmesan cheese/bread crumb mixture, it was time to create our assembly line and grab the cheese out of the freezer and start dipping.

ummm, ick mom...this is messy

With the sticks all dipped, it was time to put them in the oven and heat up some marinara for dipping. Technically, this recipe says to bake them for 4 min. It also cautions to not overcook them, because they will melt into little cheesy blobs covered in breadcrumbs. I shared this information with the boys, and I think the oven door was opened about 27 times for them to each check on the progress personally; so our sticks took about 7 min. to crisp up. :) Then it was time to sit back and enjoy the fruits of our labors!

With the big thumbs up from the G-man, I knew we had achieved baked mozzarella cheese sticks success! So I sat down with the fellas and started to enjoy my cheese sticks as well. Of course, this is a house of boys...so just eating the sticks was not sufficient. They had to have a cheese stretching contest. Silly boys!

 Well, that's it for today! Another fun Wednesday experimenting with the fellas in the kitchen. What's Cookin' Wednesday's at your place? Any must-try recipes you'd like to share with us??? We are always up for something new!