Rock Star

I really enjoy my time with Burke in the mornings just after the brothers go to school and Blake is down for a nap.  Besides getting to play lots of board games I get to hear about the world from Burke's point of view.  This time I learned just how AwEsOmE rock stars are...especially their hair. 

 

He spent quite a bit of time trying to style his hair just like one.  I think he did a pretty good job but...I personally...

...am partial to the missionary hair style.  Love this handsome beau.

Jog-a-thon

Charlie is walking/running laps at the school jog-a-thon.  He spent a lot of effort getting ready for this activity.  For days leading up to the event Charlie spent a fair amount of time trying to get "exercise" in preparation for his run.  He emptied our baseball bucket and put bricks inside of it and repeatedly lifted it over his head.  This only after confirming with me that that activity would qualify as exercise.  He came in from being outside a few times complaining that Burke wasn't  exercising with him.  Charlie doesn't like to do a mediocre job.  It's all the way.

cRaZy hair day

Enough said...

 

One Decade down

At ten years old Isaac is good at sleeping and when he sleeps...he sleeps hard.  This photo is proof.  I should mention that Travis had a church meeting so we woke Isaac up just after 6am for his breakfast in bed.  What a way to start off a birthday.

FINALLY!!  Isaac got a bike for his birthday.  This came as a huge relief to him.  He has been reminding us since June that Theron's bike is bigger and better than his.  He claims his friends like to point it out and it's just "WRONG".

Isaac keeps reminding us that the number of candles that you miss on your first blow if the number of kids you will have later.  I thought I would give him a real challenge by spreading his candles out as far as possible.  He was a good sport and I will be getting at least six grandkids someday!  Isaac got to have his friend Brandon and his family over for dinner on his birthday.  He thought that having a birthday on a Sunday was a bit of a downer.  Having a friend over to share the grub lessened the pain.

At ten Isaac has a sharp brain, great whit, and is endearingly disciplined.  He comes up with cracks that make us laugh,  He still likes to call things he thinks are not cool "hippie" and rename things by combining descriptive words together.  My personal favorite might always be "Chinja" (Charlie dressed as a ninja).  I love this boy!  Happy Birthday Isaac! 

Country Mercantile

Burke got to go on a field trip with his preschool class to the Country Mercantile.  He enjoyed the hay ride, picking out the perfect pumpkin, the hay maze, and fighting with his sister.

Burke ran through the hay maze in a frenzy.

With eight kids (at least) who go to church with us and several others who live close by in this photo of Burke's preschool class I have a feeling this will be one of those photos to look back on a remember how long these friends have known each other.

Blake's Birthday

What's a birthday?  Isn't it time for bed?
 
It was hard work but Blakelyn finally got this ribbon off of the present.  She pulled each strand out...one...by...one.

 

There is no way to type the cute sounds we heard coming from this principessa when she opened her dolly.  It was love at first sight.  I vote on the side of 'Nature'.  There was no prior nurturing going on.  She just loves her baby.

 

This photo was too cute to pass up but it doesn't show the way she really ate her cake, one finger swipe of icing at a time, for a very LOOONG time.  We thought she would never get into it.  But then she did and I happened to catch that split second and then it passed and she was back to swiping one bite at a time. 

Birthday Boy Burke

True to tradition Burke started out his birthday with breakfast in bed.

 We went to lunch at Masala.  It's a new Indian Restaurant in our town.  That made Burke's year!  He got a bike for his birthday so he spent a lot of the day on his new wheels with the brothers all riding around him.  He took an extra long time thinking about his wish before finally blowing out the candles.  He missed one and Isaac informed him that that's how many kids he's going to have.  I wonder...do you add up each missed candle every time you blow out the candles because I'm not sure I'm up for that many kiddos.

I have been having extra fun with this sweet four year old ever since school started.  Charlie is in kindergarten now so I am at home with Burke and Blake.  Blake still takes the awesome 9am nap so when the brothers scoot off to school it gets pretty quite around here.  I look forward to Burke's quiet voice asking me each and EVERY morning, "Mom, would you play a bowad game with me?"  That's board game, in case you were wondering.  I think we have cycled through nearly all of the games in our closets.  Even the ones that are not made for boys his age.  As long as we don't play Candy Land too frequently I will keep loving every minute of game time with sweet Burke.  Happy Birthday to the boy!