Containing Tor

Ty came down in the morning to watch Tor while Bridget and I went to some garage sales.  There were only two locally and they didn't have toys but Bridget found a car and doll in a free box so she was happy.  Ty was busy making this enclosure to entertain Tor.

Jillian came home from Rielee's all excited since she got to stay up until 10 the night before and they had many fun adventures.  By then Ty had finished his play area and left so Jillian and Bridget fixed up a little home there.  Ty made two tunnels into it but when he left he blocked both entrances so the were trapped inside which they thought was cool but I did make a little door on the side.

I enjoy following Tor around to see the many predicaments he gets into and how he gets out of them.  Like when his ball rolled under the 4-Runner and he crawled all the way under and back out clinging to his basketball.  I'm constantly getting him off tables where he will stand up and smile at you.  He is a fun loving kid.

Lots of Playmates

 Rielee, her friend Nettie, Ava, and Harper came to play.  At first all of them rode scooters and the jeep.  Soon Rielee had a game going with the dog pen.  All of them were puppies and Rielee was the dog catcher and was getting them all rounded up and in the pen.

 Next they moved to the play fort and the older ones had fun on the zip lines and the little ones rode on the rope swings.  Soon they moved to the hammock and some went to the sand box.  They had some thrill rides on the hammock.

Tor was so excited when Ava and Harper went in the sand box with him even though they weren't really playing with him.  He was smiling and enjoying the company.  Later they all went to Rielee's pool which was pretty cold so I found them in their play area.  Some tired kids came home.

Little Entrepreneurs

Jillian had been wanting to run a lemonade stand all summer, and since summer is almost over, this seemed like the day to do it. Plus, she and Bridget's desire to buy new Lego sets has reached all-time highs, so they're looking for any way to make some money.

We didn't have any lemonade, so it turned into the "Iced Tea and Juice Stand." The girls made the sign, Mommy made the iced tea and brought out the juice, ice and cups, and Daddy set up the table and chairs. Tor did his best to run wild and grab the cups, and then demand a drink of juice. Bridget was in charge of putting ice in the cups, and Jillian was in charge of pouring the drinks. The first customers were neighbors Jack and David, and Auntie Greta stopped by during lunch.

Kids Days II & III

 The second day was just as beautiful as the first.  No, it's not wash off sand time, but who knows why Bridget is sitting in the bucket.

 Day 2:  This time they got washed off in the bucket without their swimsuits, which holds a lot of sand.  The three good helpers, Auna, Brock, and Kyle hold them to dry off.

When there is any down time there is always a very competitive game of UNO.  See how Bridget is really into the game.  Somehow Rick always manages to win, with the girls card hands on both sides of him, amid howls of protest from everyone else.

 Day 3, a little cooler:  The pit is huge and the girls discover that they can slide down the walls of the pit and then climb out on holes Daddy cut into the sand.  They had a great time doing that.  When Tor was on top he would like to do it to but someone always came to his rescue before he got to try it.  The last thing for the day was to sadly fill the pit back up which is easier than digging it.

The tired kids with one last picture before heading home, after a stop at Funland and then to Starbucks for the adults.

Kids Days at the Beach

 It was the annual 3 days at the beach and the weather was beautiful.  Here Tor and Jillian were playing in a warm tide pool and Tor had just taken a face plant.  He didn't let it bother him at all and loved splashing around.

 Jillian is always creating things and this is her beach creation.  She had me helping her look for interesting driftwood and other beach things to add to it.

 The boys started this tradition last year of digging a huge hole in the dry sand.  Eventually it got deeper than Ty is tall.  Here Bridget and Sophie are bystander helpers.  Later Daddy made a entrance to the deep pit so the little ones could go down in it.

After walking back from the beach and getting ice cream cones as you can see on Tor's face, it's time for the porch picture.  Cale hasn't arrived yet.  Next after the picture the little ones are put in the warm tub of water to wash off all the sand and want to stay for a long time.  The big kids just get a cold hose.

Hood Canal

All of us piled into the Expedition, picked up cousin Adam, and headed up to the Hood Canal condo on Monday. We met up with Auntie Sheryl and cousins Andy and Karlie in the afternoon and immediately headed for the water. The tide was a little high, but there was a little bit of beach for Tor to roam on. The rest of the kids didn't mind, though, preferring to swim and float out by the pilings. The water temperature was very comfortable. After a couple hours, we headed in for a hot dog, corn-on-the-cob, and watermelon lunch (skipping the naps for Tor and Bridget). Afterwards, we went back to the water that was farther out and the kids put in another hour or so of swimming, before packing back up and heading for home. The kids slept most of the way home, but were already asking when they'd get to go back.

Girls and Tor get Dirty

 When Rielee came to play, they all played in the sandbox for quite awhile much to the delight of Tor.  The girls stayed pretty clean but when Tor was done he needed a change from top to bottom-a sandy mess.

 Rielee got to stay for pizza night and they all enjoyed mini-pizzas and chocolate milk.

After dinner Rielee and Jillian went back to the sand box and water and made the biggest mess yet.  And they say girls don't like to get dirty.  I'm not sure what they were making but there was muddy sand all over. Maybe they saw how much fun Tor had making a mess.  After that Jillian needed a complete change and Rielee got washed off with the sprinkling can.  But Bridget was content to play with Legos instead.

Swim Lessons

The girls are wrapping up their second session of swim lessons this summer. Jillian started off in Level 2, which means no floaties and lots of swimming all the way across the pool. She has improved with the paddle board, keeping her head down, and also in diving by putting her head into the water. Plus, she loves jumping off the diving board, even doing cannonballs. Bridget is continuing in Level 1 with her floaties. She has gotten very comfortable in the water, and we usually find her relaxing and drifting around in the pool while all the other kids are swimming around her. She has really improved on jumping into the water with just a little bit of help, not minding too much if her face gets wet.

Cute Kids

The girls wanted a picture of their My Little Ponies dressed up in their little cars.

And I had to take a picture of Tor as he is so cute and ready to pose for a picture.  Lately he has been carrying around this paddle hoping someone will throw a ball so he can hit it.  He had a couple of balls that came with it but I'm sure they are lost under the deck.

Hot Day

It was supposed to be 100 F today, so we decided to get out of town to somewhere cooler. Vista Park on the Columbia River turned out to be just right in the mid-80's with strong winds. Even the water was warm. We settled down on the biggest stretch of beach we could find, but within an hour the tide had come up and chased us out. In the meantime, the girls had a fun time jumping the good-sized waves, jumping the sand cliffs and finding all kinds of washed-up things. Tor was content to sit in small pools of water and splash and dig. After that, we spent a few minutes at the playground which the girls had been begging to go to. We finished with some popsicles from the country store.

Next, we took off for the Puget Island Ferry, and were lucky enough to be the last car on. The kids were excited to get out and walk around (the ferry is small, holding only 12 cars), so they got to see everything in less than a minute. On the Oregon side, we stopped by Bundy's in Clatskanie for dinner at their picnic tables, and the kids wanted to lay down while they ate, they were so tired. It ended up being a nice, relaxing trip for everyone.

Sprinkle Park

Whenever we drive by the water park in Kelso (which is often), Jillian always asks when we are going to go to it. Well, it was a pretty hot day yesterday, so Mommy suggested we go there. Jillian was so excited that all she did was run as fast as she could through the water for the first 10 minutes. Bridget was a little hesitant, not really wanting to get too wet. Tor was the most cautious at first, preferring to walk around and watch ... but by the end, he was going right in and even trying to take drinks from the little squirters.

The Apartment

 There is a small storage room under the stairs that the girls call their apartment.  I cleaned it out for them awhile back and they decorated it and made a bed.  Note the treats for the dogs.  So yesterday they were playing there and Jillian told Bridget it was time for her nap so she shut the door and sat with me on the sofa downstairs.  Pretty soon she went to check on Bridget and she was sound asleep.  We opened the door and Bridget had a good nap.

Jillian is always coming up with different creations.  This is her nature container, as she called it, made with lots of tape and greenery.  She proudly took it home.

YUM!

Tor took this paper bowl and put it on the patio table and sat down.  He said "Eat." so I got him a handful of caramel crisps.  Obviously he was afraid I might take them away as he stuffed his mouth as fast as he could and kept up till they were all gone.  They are very good!

Sports Camp

Last week, Jillian and Bridget attended a week-long sports camp put on by the City of Longview. Bridget's session was 1-hour long, while Jillian's session was 1 and 1/2 hours long, and it was pretty sunny and hot all week, so they were both pretty tired after playing ... especially since while they were waiting for the other, they spent all their time on the playground equipment right next to the field.

The sports they played included basketball on Monday, soccer on Tuesday, flag football on Wednesday, tennis on Thursday, and a sports carnival (including tee ball and golf) on Friday. Bridget's favorite sport was soccer, and she did a very good job of controlling the ball and listening to instructions. Jillian's favorite was tennis, so Mommy will be happy to have a playing partner someday.

Sweethearts

The girls made cards and chocolate chip cookies for Papa since he is recovering from back surgery.  Papa loves chocolate chip cookies and cards from 2 sweet girls.  They were a little shy around Papa since they were told not to jump on him so they were a little afraid to give him a big hug.

The other day I walked out to the back deck to see something that kids do that makes you shake your head.  Jillian had put the chair on the highest step of the deck and had grabbed a branch and was going to swing like Tarzan.  After I got done telling her that branch wasn't the best she was cautious and gently tried dropping from the branch which was OK but not much fun, so she quit.  

 Then Bridget wanted my attention to show me how well she could jump and wanted a picture so I'm always happy to oblige.