Something New

 For one of Max's classes he had a summer project.  The teacher wanted the kids to try something new.  He had to pick something to do and document the process.  I encouraged Max to pick some type of volunteer activity.  He decided he wanted to help animals.  After a bit of research and few phone calls we figured out he perfect project - making cat toys for the Animal Protective Association. 

We hit up Petco and Joann's to buy all the supplies needed for the toys.  Max made sure to pick grey fabric so that they would look like mice, but he decided that the fun little blue poms would make great  tails. 

Max cut the fabric, sewed them, stuffed them with catnip and batting, and added the blue pom tails.  They turned out pretty darn cute! 

We made and extra for Chewy and he really seemed to like it. 

 Today was the big day when Max had the chance to deliver his project to the APA.  This wonderful woman, who is a retired new personality here is town, is in charge of education and community outreach at the APA.  She was waiting for us this morning and gave the boys and I a tour.

 We got to tour the room with the big noisy dogs, Will covered his ears for this one.  Then we went into the cat room.  Max was super excited to pet this sweet little kitten, Mr. Dice.  He was pretty skittish.  I think three little boys was a bit much for the poor guy.  Before Mr. Dice was put back into his kennel Max had the opportunity to hold him, and he loved it.

 

Then we were off to the puppies.  All three boys fell in love with this sweet, little, three month old puppy.  He was adorable!  Rex the puppy seemed to love the boys just as much as they loved him and Max very seriously asked if we could adopt him.

Before we headed out there was just one more article of business - giving them the cat toys he had made.  The adoption coordinator explained the Max that the cat toys with catnip will be perfect for when they take the cats pictures for the website.  The better the pictures the more easily they are adopted and the catnip toys really help them to get great photos.  

This was a wonderful experience from start to finish.  I'm so grateful for how welcoming the APA was to the boys and I.  They learned a great deal and had fun in the process.  Max had a huge sense of pride as we left knowing that he had done something that could help those sweet little cats get adopted. He even started planning how he could help the dogs get adopted. . . he thinks he should make dog toys with crushed up dog biscuits inside.  I just love it!

Peach Picking

Wow, it's hot out there!  I loaded up the boys bright and early so we could pick up Great Aunt Carm for a fun adventure.  Our goal was to avoid the heat, but I think my sweaty little boys would beg to differ.

 The boys were excited because the farm was pretty empty.  I guess that's what you get on a Monday morning.  Max took full advantage of the fact and climbed up on the oh so coveted top seat.

Once we were in the orchard we realized that it was empty because everyone picked all the peaches over the weekend.  Luckily Great Aunt Carmelina had the eagle eyes and she was able to spot some yummy ones for us.

All three boys were super into picking the fruit this time around.  Jack got right into the thick of things.  Eventually he tried one and he seemed a little distracted from that point on.

Both of the big boys wanted thier own bucket for their peaches.  Poor Jack was sad not to have his own, but Max was sweet and shared his bucket with Jack.  All in all they had a great time - and we came home with a whole lot of peaches!

Looks like I'll be making a peach crisp with dinner tonight. and tomorrow night, and the night after that. . . 

The Cousins are Here!

The kids just love their cousins!  We have been fortunate enough to be able to spend quite a bit of time together lately.  On Sunday we went to the Botanical Gardens together along with Grandpa Jack and Uncle Tim.  I think everyone had a great time!

 How is it that my boys are looking so old!?  I feel like Max is practically a teenager.  Jack wants to do everything his big brothers do.  Including climbing rope ladders.  The poor guy tries will all his might before getting really upset when he struggles.  Will is so independent.  I often hear him tell me "I don't need any help!"   It's so fun to just watch them grow and change.

The kids had a blast with the boats and the dams.  I think Uncle Tim had a pretty good time with it too.  Max loved this last time we visited and this time Will was able to get the hang of using the water to get the boats downstream. Jack just wanted to throw the boats in the water.

 Jack's love of the boats meant that we were constantly fishing them out of the water just so he could throw them back in again.   By this time in our day the kids were hot!  We have had a really mild summer, but when the heat hits it really hits!  These flushed little cheeks were ready to head to the splash pad!

There are no pictures of the big kids at the splash pad because they just wouldn't stand still long enough.  They had a blast running through the sprinklers.  This pedestal was a huge hit.  If you jump on it water shoots out.  The big kids loved it!  Jack was ridiculously proud when he was able to climb up there and stand all by himself.

On our way out the cousins tried this boat on for size before we headed to the car.  They all had a great time and it was made all the better because they were together.  I have a vivid memory of my grandma taking me and my cousins to the garden when we were little.  We fought like cats and dogs before she finally just brought us back home.  Glad my boys got along a bit better with their cousins!

Shaw Nature Preserve

Two new outings in one week!  We are on a roll!  This morning we met friends at the Shaw Nature Reserve.

 There were lots of beautiful wildflowers and tons of paths for hiking.  We stuck mostly to the Children's Nature Classroom.  This area was all geared towards kids and gave them lots of opportunity to climb and explore.  It was right up the boys' alley.  They had a great time!

 This climbing tree was a huge hit.  Max and Will immediatly climbed right up to the top.  Jack wanted so badly to keep up with his brothers!  He climbed with all his might and probably would have made it to the top if I wasn't so worried about him falling.

We took a short walk along one of the paths around a lake.  The highlight for Max and Will was a special bridge for them to climb across.  It was made to look like a tree that had fallen tree.  It made Nonna a nervous wreck.  I have to admit I'm really, really glad no one fell in the water. 

So two new outings this week and both were a success!  We will take it!

History Clubhouse

We have been on the lookout for some new family activities and here is one of them.  Nonna joined us and we headed to the History Museum for the very first time.

 They just opened a brand new kdis area last week so we headed straight for the history clubhouse.  There were lots of things for the kids to explore.  Will loved playing with the horn on the steam ship.  There was also a trolly that showed what our city used to look like many years ago.  Max's favorite part was the fishing pond.

 After the clubhouse we went to story time.  I have to say that story teller could have used one less book and a whole lot more spunk.  The kids loved the craft at the end - they each made binoculars that you can see in the picture above.  Jack in particular loves his new 'eyes' and hasn't let them go since.

I'll count this outing as a win!

The Great Bug Hunt

One of the contractors Brian works with sends out a weekly note about different things going on around town.  This week he noticed The Bug Hunt at the Butterfly House.  We decided it sounded pretty fun so along with Nonna we headed over to the park to check it out.

The kids got to use nets to try to collect different bugs.  There were jars to put them into and a few entomologists to help us learn about what we caught.  

 Jack was pretty excited about the ants he found crawling around in the dirt.  Will looked with all his might, but wasn't able to catch any bugs.  Max was a bit terrified because there were bees.  Ever since the awful yellow jacket incident of 2012 he has been really scared of anything that flies that might possibly sting him.

 This wonderful entomologist really seemed to help Max get over his fear just a bit.  He explained that bees are really just pollinators and they want nothing to do with us.  He explained that yellow jackets are hunters and that is why they are so different.  Today we saw a couple bees near flowers and I was able to remind Max that since they were near flowers they were simply pollinators, not hunters, and he seemed to be okay with that.

 After the bug hunt we explored the garden.  I love this picture!  Three of my four crazy boys!

Outside there were several crafts and activities for the kids to try out.  They made little bees and used cinnamon and powered sugar to show how the bees use their 'fuzzy butts' to transfer pollen from one plant to another.  The big boys favorite game was this one where they stomped on the board to make the bugs fly and tried to catch them in their nets.  They weren't too successful but they loved it.

 Then we walked through the butterfly house.  This guy was in heaven!  He couldn't believe his eyes.  He would put his hands on his cheeks and yell 'butterfly, where are you?"  Then he would chase what ever ones he saw.

Watching my boys enjoy nature and discover new things is just so much fun!  Another fun family day in the books.  Tomorrow we are going to the History Museum for another new activity.  Can't wait!

Lego Camp

 This week Max attended a Lego camp.  He has been pretty excited about it.  I think a big part of the appeal was that a couple of his buddies from school were going to be there too. 

Each day the boys worked together to build something for their city.  Max said the toughest one was when they had to build a bridge that could hold up a water bottle.  Their bridge didn't make the cut, but they had fun trying. 

He was the most proud of his car.  He told us all about how he put the wheels close together to help it go nice and straight. 

This was our last scheduled camp or event for the summer.  If only the weather would clear up!  I have lots of things we still need to get to on our summer to do list!

16 Minutes

Sixteen glorious minutes.  That's how long these three little cuties played cars together before it all fell apart.

It was so cute.  Jack found the road map in the closet and dragged it into the living room and started yelling about cars.  Will and Max agreed that it sounded like a great idea.

The weather has been so miserable around here that it feels like we have been stuck inside for weeks.  Some days it feels like the only time no one is fighting is when there is an electronic device involved.  I love that they love each other - even if they have a sixteen minute time limit.