We took the boys to the Arboretum on Sunday, not realizing there was a big garden and plant show going on there all weekend. We ended up buying several tomato plants for our garden, Ezra won a tape measure from one of the lumber yard vendors, and Finn got a new hat.
Oh, and Ezra fed a peacock!
I haven’t posted in a few days and I’ve got a hodgepodge of photos to share. First, after dropping off Sofia after school one day last week, I returned to the car to find Ezra in this meditative position. So peaceful.
On Friday, Bruce had the day off and spent a little time building a trough for boat races for the next woodworking class. The boys helped him with the painting.
The trough proved to be a little too narrow but the boys still had fun. Later, they filled up a bucket and put their Star Wars fighter pod guys on rafts. Finn was enraptured.
Happy Birthday, Jamma! We all hope you’re having a fabulous celebration and wish we could be with you.
(The boys couldn’t agree on how the card should be held, so we have two separate pictures. In case you can’t see the drawings, Ezra drew the Titanic and Finn drew himself in your favorite color.)
We’re finally done with Spring Break and both kids are healthy enough for school — just in time for my one weekend available to sneak away and recover from the last few months. Thanks to Jamma, my friend Cari and I spent a lovely, relaxing couple of days at her condo in Palm Springs. We sat by the pool and read books for hours on end with no one to take care of but ourselves. It was wonderful. How could it not be with this view?
My three boys had a great weekend, too. They hit the carnival at the local Catholic church down the street and ate too much bad food and went on some rides. Kid paradise.
This roller coaster was “a little scary” according to Ezra. He looks kind of petrified in the picture.
And they built, among other things, this wine cork and tape launch pad.
A good time was had by all.
I took an early-ish walk this morning and was struck by all the beautiful flowers. It’s definitely Spring. I could have taken 50 pictures, but instead, I took just one of this monkey flower that I really love.
I got home and at the end of breakfast Ezra said, “Mommy, come quick! You have to see this! It’s an E!” His corn flakes had apparently spontaneously made an E.
A few random things this week. Finn got some Darth Vader stuff for his birthday and took some time to show it off. First, his new shirt.
Then the helmet.
On Wednesday we had a park play date that turned into dinner at the Heffs (with the Smiths) and then a group bath with Holden, Avery, Charlie and Finn. And Barbie.
Charlie and Finn cozied up on the couch after the bath.
On Thursday we did some chalk drawing on the driveway. Lucy drew a rainbow and a butterfly (I tried to get her in action but wasn’t fast enough).
Ezra drew the Titanic.
And then got out the big lens so he could try lighting some stuff on fire. Yes, it’s a cigarette butt; he found it in the grass next door.
Yeah, boys and girls are different.
We didn’t have enough mallets for the woodworking class on Friday, so Bruce made some. (Note to Jamma, he used some of your dad’s wood.) I thought they looked very cool all lined up when they were drying.
Yesterday, Finn got one out of the garage and was playing with it while we were sitting on the front porch. He was pretending to be Thor.
We had the second woodworking class / potluck yesterday and another good time was had by all. The task for this class was a little more complicated — the kids were to draw something on a piece of wood and then use chisels and mallets to carve it out. Here’s Bruce demonstrating the technique. (He makes it look much easier than it is.)
Then the kids started working.
With 90 degree heat, a more difficult project, and even more kids than last time, things were a little more chaotic and some kids lost interest. But in the end they all ended up carving, sanding and painting their projects. Here is Ezra’s E F. (He said he tried to make a plus mark but ran out of room.) Ezra did his completely on his own.
Here’s Finn’s. He had a little more help.
After the class we had dinner.
And more chaos ensued.
The kids loved the slingshots left over from Finn’s party. Here Finney and Ashlyn push (or rather pull) the surgical tubing to the limit.
Ian and Jenner took a few tries, too.
Some kids took some time to dig in our garden-to-be.
And there was a water balloon war.
Basically it was everyone against Ian and Rob. But they held their own, in part due to a great hiding spot.
At the end, most of the kids were soaked and exhausted … but still smiling.
We’re preparing for Finn’s 5th birthday party tomorrow. We’re expecting 25-30 kids (Finn insisted on inviting his entire class) and Bruce has had all sorts of nutty ideas. It’s gonna be crazy.
(Ninjago weapons prep)
(party supplies)
We had some pretty awesome morning hair today, so I had to take pictures. Of course, the boys had to goof off but you get the idea.
Finn’s Alfalfa ‘do.
Ezra as Edward Cullen.
We had a very laid back Easter (as usual) with the boys just happy to run around outside, work in the garage with Bruce, and later in the afternoon start readying the area in the way back for our vegetable garden. When I came out to empty the compost bowl about 4:00, this is what I saw.
Wait, who’s supervising the boys?!? Oh, right …
After a good soaking in the shower, the boys were ready and anxious for cousin Thomas (and Bob and Vanessa) to arrive. Vanessa and Bruce set to studying their Physics (they’re taking an online class together) and all three boys just played and played.
After dinner we had a little Easter egg hunt in the backyard. I tried to get pictures of all three boys at the start, but couldn’t quite make it happen.
Here are some shots from the hunt.
Since the eggs were all filled with candy, the boys then got sugared up while watching Tom & Jerry cartoons. And so it was another very traditional Easter celebration.
The Easter Bunny visited our house overnight, much to the boys’ delight. Instead of just leaving the baskets out, the Bunny left notes taking them on a scavenger hunt. At first they weren’t sure if they were supposed to open the envelope.
But finally they got into the swing of things.
And set to decoding the message.
Clue #1 took them to the white bathroom.
Clue #2 showed the fireplace — tricky because the next clue was behind the screen.
Clue #3 sent them to the gnome. Apologies for the blurry photography; it was quite early.
Clue #4 had them upstairs in the office.
And the final clue …
… outside on the upstairs patio for the big payoff!
Then they went inside because it was a little chilly.
Note to self for next year: don’t leave the boys unattended with their Easter candy.
We did some egg dyeing with the Heffernans and Nuccio/Dyes yesterday. The kids had a messy blast.
And the end product.
Bruce’s latest project: Angry Birds slingshots. Here’s Finn showing off the prototype.
Then he ditched the water ballon and launched Yellow Bird.
And, of course, I have video.
Bruce held his first woodworking class for the kids yesterday and it was a rousing success. (Perhaps a little loud when all 11 kids were hammering at the same time, but super fun nonetheless.)
Finn helped with a little cleanup before everyone arrived.
He really likes the shop vac, so long as he has his “ear mops” on.
Once everyone was here, Bruce gave a demonstration on what they were going to make: a platform.
I also took a couple of videos.
Then, the hammering began.
When the platforms were all built, they painted them.
Poor Ezra was sick and couldn’t participate in the class. He slept through most of it, only coming downstairs during dinner to drink some juice and promptly throw up all over the patio. After that he felt much better.
I don’t have any pictures of the finished products because we moved directly from the class into dinner and drinks. The kids ran around like crazy and the parents had a chance to chat. It was great! (Except for the throw up.)