Little Cowgirl

Kinsey always carries the stick horse around upside down. The binky, one sock, and no pants are also fairly typical.  Silly baby!

Love these kids!

Bracken's 7th Birthday Week

Happy Birthday Bracken!  You have grown so much this year. Not only are you taller, but you have learned so much.  You've loved learning to play the piano and often figure out how to play new songs by ear. Jurassic Park, Cuckoo, and Star Wars are some of your favorites right now. You get excited about anything to do with wilderness survival, have really taken off with your reading, and are quite the scientist and speller. You watch out for younger kids and take good care of and teach them. Happy 7th Birthday kiddo!  We're so glad you're in our family. 

Brian was working the grave shift of his surgery rotation all week, so we waited to have our whole family celebration on Saturday. That just meant Bracken got a whole week of birthday celebrating! (Wed.- Balloons, Crepe breakfast and candles, playing in the morning, Thanksgiving Point with our friends Josh and Ava in the afternoon, riding bikes, pizza for dinner, and a late bed time with lots of stories. Thurs-Saturday A trip to Richfield. Saturday- birthday celebrating with dad, Melissa and Steve and the Mitchell's.)

 Crepe Breakfast

Opening presents from Grandma Sue...an explorer vest with lots of pockets and a survival book! The pocket knife is mine...it just mysteriously keeps finding its way into Bracken's pockets, bedroom and backpacks. 

Chandra threw a tea party for Bracken and even gave him half of the York Mint she earned from the library.

Bracken wanted to go to Richfield for his birthday, so we did!  We went swimming, he played outside shooting bows and arrows, bb guns, bike riding, lassoing goats, wrestling and lego building with his uncles. He got to ride Nebo (holding the reigns all by himself).

Campfire Cake for our Wilderness Survival boy.  

He put all of his candles out by pinching them or creating an air draft by smacking his hand down close to the candles.  Blowing them out must be for little kids. :)

On Saturday we came home and had a birthday celebration with Dad!  Time for more presents...the most exciting one being flint and steel.  We headed right to the backyard for him to make a fire and roast marshmallows.  He tried cotton balls, laundry lint and paper for kindling, and was very triumphant when it finally ignited...can you tell?

Then we went to the Mitchell's house to share another cake and ice cream.  The kids spent most of the evening in their dirt back yard trying to start another fire with the flint and steel.  Such a fun birthday week.  Happy Birthday Bracken! We love you!

Happy Valentines Day!

Mystery Science: Why we Wear Clothes

Today for Mystery Science the kids learned about why we wear clothes. :) they made some pretty awesome hats to protect themselves from the Sun after being shipwrecked on a tropical island. Bracken made a hat with a paper towel next to his head to absorb his perspiration, a paper plate for stiffness, and aluminum foil on top of that to make his hat waterproof. Chandra made three hats, one to protect her from sun, one for rain, and one to be cute. I think all three of her hats are cute. 

BB Gun

A week after Christmas Bracken got a present from our neighbors a couple of doors down.  His very own BB gun!  We are seriously surrounded by the Best neighbors!  (And yes, they checked with us beforehand.) Oh my goodness, to say Bracken has been delighted is a huge understatement. He is over the moon! He read the manual for his bedtime reading.  He's written letters to his cousins and uncles and neighbors and friends to let them know he has a CO2 pistol BB gun that splits army men action figures, and that they need to come visit and shoot it with him.  I hope his primary teachers were able to get a word in edge wise on Sunday because he was bursting at the seams to tell his class about it. He tells anyone who comes to our house about the safety and the magazine and how to hold a bb gun safely and all the rules surrounding it. 

 Brian grew up shooting army men action figures with BB guns. Bracken also likes shooting at targets and balloons because they're easier to hit.  But he is super excited every time he knocks an action figure over.

Whenever Brian has an afternoon at home now, Bracken wants to go shooting.  He earns his BBs by doing his studies and chores happily...it works perfectly, rationing out the BBs so they last a while, encouraging industry, and super special fun time with dad.  Thank you Pinegar's!

Snow Fun

Brian had more time at home in Dec-January this year since he was on his psychiatry rotation and it just has a lighter load.  It has been AMAZING.  We also had a couple of good snowstorms and the kids spent a lot of time outside with Brian.  They made 2 igloos, a sled hill, 2 snow thrones, and 6 snowmen.  

 Kira and Kinsey

 Chandra and Bracken

 Getting ready to make another snow fort.

Even Brian could fit in their igloo!