Games and Snakes

Every summer I make my kids to "school work" out of workbooks. Usually just a few math pages, or something to keep them from loosing everything they learned that year. Along with it we always do a craft or two each week just to do something fun... Today I thought we would make these cup and ball games. My kids weren't thrilled at first till I finished one and showed them how to play it! They all got excited and made theirs. (I actually made Hayden's) Ethan became quite the expert very quickly. I think he caught it close to 100 times in a row. Brock and Amelia never really played the game they just kept decorating them with stickers, colors, and pipe cleaners.... my little crafters. Hayden had a lot of fun playing with hers. She couldn't actually do it but thought it was fun to count a long with Ethan and pretend to do it. I wish I had got the video going earlier because it was so cute how she was copying him.

This looks like Hayden was catching it but she actually had put the ball in the cup and was probably starting to dump it out.

Just a little later in the day this was what Ethan was doing.

He is sooooo proud of him self he caught this snake all by himself with out dad's help. He has tried before but usually got just shy enough they would get away. For some reason they seem to be in our yard more this year then ever before. We typically see a few each year but this year so far hardly a day passes that I don't hear the boys yelling about a snake. Maybe it is because they are out looking for them more... Not sure which. But I am not a fan of snakes so he has to stay outside with it and he can't keep it! YUCK!!!

This afternoon the kids discovered that their is a birds nest in our sandbox and there are baby birds in the nest! I told them to stay out of their for the babies protection.

I also made cookies this afternoon because I was feeding the missionaries and I like to give them dessert when they eat with us. Only I was sending them with food this afternoon because Larry and I are going to the temple tonight and won't be home for dinner time... Anyway when my kids came in I offered them a fresh cookie out of the oven and Ethan asked me, "what are these to celebrate for?" (Like I only make cookies to celebrate things, where has this kid been I make cookies just because I want chocolate!) Anyway I told them I was giving some to the missionaries and Brock quickly said "they are to celebrate the baby birds!" Funny kids. I will attempt to take pictures of the birds with out disturbing them much we will see!