June 2015

If summer followed the folklore "In like a lion, out like a lamb", I would say we could look forward to a relaxing few weeks.  June was full.  And fun.  And full.  Something tells me August is going to more of the same...

Tag doing his version of the family trick.  He has yet to stand up and balance on Brand's hands and the kids are starting to worry he may never learn.  I'm thinking he might be our smartest kid!

The library summer reading program had a Superhero theme.  Every time the kids dressed up for the story hour, their name was entered in the prize drawing.  We cleaned out the winnings -  3 out of 5 names drawn were Madsens!

 The boys did 3 weeks of swimming lessons in June.  Another successful year!

Dash at the pool.

Dash doing the backstroke.  His teacher told me he was one of the best swimmers in his class.

Dash jumping off the starting block.

Colt at the pool.

Colt back floating.  

 

More back floating.

Colt swimming.  Colt learned a lot this year.  We went back to the pool for Dash's birthday and Colt took a swim test to have clearance in different parts of the pool and he passed!

Sport waving from the side with his swim class.  Sport skipped a class level this year and so he was with a slightly older group of kids.  I think Sport did more swimming than any kid in class because he could never touch the bottom.  Any game they played or activity they did he swam while other kids walked along the bottom.

Sport jumping in the pool.

Sport back floating.

After lessons, the boys threw their towels and suits on the trampoline to dry.  One day Sport curled up in them and took a nap in the sunshine.  Swimming is exhausting!

While the boys swam, Sis and Tag and I spent our mornings at the nearby park.

A Fathers Day picture for Daddy!

Sport is a lover of all things nature.  He is always finding pretty flowers, rocks and sticks - and ugly bugs, spiders and reptiles.  At the new house he has found several frogs and a snake.  Here he is with his froggy friend.

Tag at 4 Months

Tag-a-long is an adored member of our family.  No one can remember what life was like before him and we don't care about it anyway.  That said, I can't believe he fast he is growing!

The center of attention.
This is how we eat all our meals.  Tag sits right in the middle of the table like a living center piece.  

Four month stats:

Height 23.5 inches (6th percentile)

Weight 12 lbs 3 oz (5th percentile 

Head 16.25 inches (24th percentile)

Love you, little peanut!!

Summer Employment

Summer is a time of relaxation, fun and WORK!

This year we decided to hire the boys to mow the grass at a dollar a week.  Brandan and I also volunteered them to cut the neighbors yard.  Then we felt bad so we pay them a dollar to mow her yard as well.  For those of you ready to quote child/labor laws, keep in mind that before my wage was raised to a quarter, I drove tractor for my dad for a pussy willow.

May 2015
Brandan instructs the boys in the finer arts of lawn mowing.

While the boys get lawn mowing lessons, Sissy plays with Jaron, the neighbor, on the trampoline.

May 2015
Tag is too cute for manual labor.

Earlier in the Spring, we planted seeds in a makeshift seed bed.  At the end of May we moved all the plants to the garden at the new house.  Brandan constructed a homemade green house out of plastic and trampoline frames.  Most of the plants made it into the green house, but some unlucky ones had to brave the elements.   After a month, the difference was incredible.

This little guy grew about 1/2 an inch in a month.

These guys fared much better!

Besides all the yard work, our other major source of work is obviously home building.  And for a nominal fee, or root beer, the kids will help out with that as well.

Pouring the footings.

A different angle.

Brandan also works for root beer.

The kids observing the progress.

Sissy stuck her hands in a puddle of spilled cement.

Colt helped smooth the concrete and his hands took a beating for his effort.

Sport finds his own odd jobs around the house.  One day I looked out the kitchen window to behold Sport standing on an outdoor table trimming branches off the tree with a handsaw.  At first I tried to pretend I hadn't noticed, then I recollected my duties as a mother and went out to take his picture.  Shortly after I snapped the shot below, Sport sprinted through the living room to the bathroom with a bloody finger.  He called out as he ran by - "Now I know why I'm not suppose to with the saw".  My plan all along...

Little lumberjack.

Along with yard work, house building, odd jobs and a chore chart, all the older kids take turns helping with baby Tag-a-long.  He is everyone's favorite job.

June 2015
Dash has been a big help with all his younger siblings this summer, but especially good with Tag.

Ode to the Park

Not a half mile from our house is the Mountain View City Park.  We've done it all at the park.  We've played soccer, baseball and football, eaten picnics, thrown sand in our hair, fallen off the monkey bars, vandalized the trees and flowerbeds in search of crab-apples and lady bugs, played pioneers, caught crawdads, searched for treasure, lost shoes and baseball mitts, rode bikes around the trails, made new friends, fought with old friends over the swings, flipped out of the swings, stomped in puddles, thrown rocks at cars and napped at the park.  Anyway, the kids have done all of those things.  I've done some and observed it all while parked at the park.  I've whiled away many an afternoon with good friends solving all the worlds problems while our kids played at the park.  I'll miss "doing the park" when we move.  Of course, I can still drive in and meet up with the gang, but it won't be the same as walking across the cross walk together and complaining loudly about the out-of-town drivers (I'm looking at you, Utah) who don't slow down enough while 3 mothers herd 13 children across the street.  I'll miss you when I'm gone, but in the meantime, Park, this one's for you.

Tag enjoying some spring sunshine at the park.

Sport and Elli and Harper Linford found a mud puddle at the park.

Mud Creatures

Almost unrecognizable.  And I was washing dirt out of his hair and ears for a solid week.

    

In the Beginning...

We finally finalized on our land in April and our first order of business was to dig a makeshift fire pit and roast some hot dogs.  Since we weren't quite ready to start building we decided to put our anxious energy into planting a garden.

We sprouted several seeds in egg cartons before moving plants outside.  If you look closely you'll see Sport's pet worms "fertilizing" the seeds.

When the weather started to warm up, aka, it stopped snowing, we, aka Brandan, tilled up a section of pasture to turn into garden.

The garden spot and our lot completely unmolested, as of yet.

Next on the list was the percolation test so we could get a septic system designed so that we could apply for our building permit.  If I've learned anything about building a home its that everything chases its tail.

We borrowed a small backhoe from the Micheli ranch and Brandan and the older boys dug our test holes. Sis cried in the van because the backhoe bounced around a bit.  Sort of a lot.  Brand is a little out of practice.

The kids loved the dirt pile the holes created.  We were pretty proud of our pile until Jared showed up and turned our mountain into a mole hill.

Tiny dirt pile.

He has arrived! And he let the boys help.  That's Dash in there at the controls.

Sport digging the foundation.

Sport, Dash and Jared.

Colt "helping" with the digging.

Now that's a dirt pile! Sport and Colt standing on the peak.

Sis scaled the sides of the hill and nearly rolled into the bottom of the hole a couple of times.

 We are grateful for all Jared's help and can't wait to really get rolling on the house!

It's The Final Countdown

The boys, Brandan included, had a great year, but everyone (and I mean everyone - I could not pack one more lunch!) was excited for school to end.

At the end of April, the elementary hosted an art auction.  The boys both submitted their art and then we went down and bought it.  I think the school has really caught on to something...

Dash at his last pack meeting.  He finished the Wolf requirements and will start scouts again in the fall as a bear cub.

The boys on the last day of school.

Sibling Similarities

In May Colt was asked to give the talk in Primary.  He decided to tell about a time Sissy was sick and needed to use the nebulizer and he prayed that she would feel better and he wouldn't be so worried for her.  The morning of his talk I snapped a picture of Colt and Sis that he could use as a visual aid.  Holy Smokes.  I knew they looked a like, but really....

Colt and Sis - May 2015