Let's Start the School year!!

I love the first day of school!!! I bet it is partly because the house will finally stay clean(er) for a little longer, and the kids are less bored, and routine again comes to the Hynes house, but I think the reason I REALLY like it, is because my kids REALLY love school!! you can tell by the smiles on their little faces, that they are so excited to go. I asked them what they were most excited about, and Lucy was excited to learn, and Elliott was excited for Discovery Dashers, the twice-a-week running club they have at recess. I love how Archie is just squished in between their enthusiasm :)

Still smiling on the bus. Archie was pretty sad that they got to go on the bus and they didn't. Soon it will be your turn little guy!!

I had to make something fun for them when they get home. They also each got a new book on the first day. 

Archie was a little lonely without his amazing brother and sister, so he got a new little Curious George friend to keep him company.

My Dad used to say that, in order to be happy, you have to love to go to work, and love to come home again. I think these two kids have that down!!

One of the things we do to keep some fun times after school, is have the kids do their reading in the morning. I'm a morning person, and so are they, so waking up a little early to get it done is never a problem. Big-brother reading time is a bonus.

Even though Archie is only down to two allergies, milk and eggs, he still struggles sometimes with new foods, and controlling when and how he eats…the kid's got some food issues; he's a post-traumatic finicky-eater. I had to take a picture one Sunday, when he was eating a PB&J just sitting in front of the tv. Most of the time, he eats at the table, but some days, I just want hime to eat. You do what you have to do, right?!?

We were able to sneak in a fun little adventure to the Lucky Peak Reservoir before the autumn weather crept in. One last water-hurrah.

And then the wet autumn weather blew right in. We don't get a true monsoon here (Ah, I miss Arizona!!), but we sure had our share of thunderstorms and rain this fall; Elliott was not happy. This is Archie and I waiting for the bus one day. I was hiding under a tree and he was just hanging out in the torrential downpour.

Elliott tested for his high red belt in taekwondo!!! Only one more belt until blackbelt!!

We all headed to Salk Lake City again for Mike's THIRD MARATHON OF THE SUMMER! Yes, you heard me right, the guy is crazy. It was 60 degrees and rainy, but that didn't stop the kids from enjoying the pool at the Hyatt. A very fancy hotel, but not kid friendly!! It became a running joke; the checklist of anti-Archie friendly amenities, from the sliding glass bathroom door, to the broken playpen, to the window-seat that granted access to the hanging blinds, to the glassware situated on the bottom shelf of the entertainment center. Oh well, the staff was great, and we all survived!!

Mike's parents had some family in town (more on that later), and they made a day trip down to Utah to see Mike's race. So supportive!!

Mike said this was a great race. You can tell by the look on his face…HE'S SMILING!!!

 And so are we. We're so proud of him. Both kids are running twice a week in Dashers at school, and I know it's because of his great example. See, running can be fun!

We didn't get many pictures (huge bummer), but the Croziers drove down from Logan to hang out with us after the race. We went to a giant outdoor store, a park where Karver was stung repeatedly by a wasp (huge bummer too), and then had Buca Di Beppo Italian food at the hotel. It was so fun, we love those guys.

The next day, before heading out of town, we went to a discovery museum for kids and let the kids play before packing up and driving home. It was pretty fun!!

LOOK OUT!! ARCHIE'S BEHIND THE WHEEL!!!

Elliott is doing fall football again this year. His coach is an ex-BSU football player, and Elliott was so excited!!! He has made so many new friends on the team, and it has only fed his obsession with football. They made it to the semi-finals in their tournament too. It was the funnest season of any sport yet!! We can't wait to start basketball soon!

Summer 2013 Wrap-up

After our amazing vacation to California, there wasn't much left of Summer Break, but we made the most of it. 

We always have so much fun when cousin Lilly comes over for a slumber party and this time was no different.  What started out as a trip to a neighborhood pool turned into quite the party as National Night Out got underway. The kids had pizza, swam, played in the dunk tank, and explored the fire truck. Nice.

I couldn't resist a picture of cousin snuggle-time.

Mike was training for another marathon, and this one is all down-hill. So, early Saturday mornings, we would play at Camelsback Park waiting to meet him at the base of the mountain after his 20 mile run down, and then drive him back to the top to pick up his truck. It was so fun to play at a new park, but even more fun to watch Dad accomplish something so amazing, and then be there to support him.

We even fit in a visit to a local reservoir to play in the water.  I love Archie's perfectly round head in this shot!

Archie got a hold of Elliott's "Steve" head from the video game, Minecraft. Elliott made it at a birthday party. Fun. 

We stayed up late one night and drove out to the boondocks to see a meteor shower. I loved this night. On the drive there and back, Mike and I told stories from our childhoods and the kids just ate them up. When I was little, my parents took me out to see Haley's Comet, and I never really saw it, so we made sure the kids each saw at least one meteor, then we headed back. It was a special little adventure.

When Archie gets truly upset, he covers his face with his hands and cries....or in this case, a book.

Then, it was off to the State Fair!!

This summer, I tried something new: a Bored Jar. Every day, the kids could pick an popsicle stick from the jar that had some activity on it. Some were FUN, and some were...less fun. Here's what we did:

Make your own story book.

Make Shaving Cream dough.

Sticky-tape spider web toss.

Baking soda vinegar exploding bags. #1

#2

Good ole hide and seek.

Making rain.

Gummy Bear absorption experiment.

Colorful pickled eggs.

Paper plate, balloon tennis

Homemade lava lamps

Gumdrop, toothpick architecture #1

 #2

 #3

Sidewalk chalk ice cubes

 Candy color experiments with Abby #1

#2

Melted Jolly Rancher suckers

Homemade bouncy balls

Popsicle stick architecture

Paper mache' with Lauren

Cloud watching windows

Foam noodle car races

M&M roll with Lorea and Abby

Sidewalk Chalk fun

 Blanket Fort

 Marshmallow Catapult with Cooper

Duct tape creations

It was such a fun summer, we're definitely doing it again next year!!