Donut Man Picnic

Who doesn't love a picnic - especially one with donuts!

I was reading a blog about a family tradition to get donuts late at night when the shoppe first opened and I realized that my 3 year old son has never had a real donut.  He has had the powdery hostess cake donuts, but he has never had the pleasure of going to a donut shoppe and picking out his very own donut amongst the many choices.  And I couldn't let another moment go by once I came to this realization.

So, to Francisco's Bakery we went!

The excitement was almost overwhelming.

The anticipation of the sugary confection caused a dance party to happen right there on the sidewalk.

Then, to the park we went to have our picnic!

The excitement was almost too much as the bag was opened on the bench!

And here it is....Donut Man!  The pick of the donut litter.

So excited about this little guy.  Little does Donut Man realize he is about to lose an arm. And an eye....well both eyes.  After all they are made of sugary frosting.

After that, it was time to put that sugar to work and PLAY HARD! 

And that is exactly what we did.

Every day should start with a donut picnic.  Or at least spending time with the ones you love!

Celbrating God's Creation

We love camping.  There is something cathartic about getting back to nature, the simple life, where schedule, time, chores are not the focus.  Just enjoying the day together as a family exploring and relaxing is priority.  No cell phones, no emails, no texts, no facebook or twitter - just us together.  Its purely magic.

One of the greatest joys in camping is hiking to get to the water.

Once you are at the water, anything can happen.  Wether you are big or small, throwing rocks in a rippling creek is sure to bring smiles.

Especially when there is a big splash!

And climbing over the log bridge to make their own "beaver dam".  Yes, boys of all ages love the rivers in the woods.

And climbing up on a large stump and showing off your super powers.  There is nothing like a good imagination in the heart of the forest.

And there is nothing like the long river that sings is song loudly as it crashes over rocks to clear your head.  The sound replaces all the tension and sounds that the city and daily life has put in there.  Nothing but peace, joy and appreciation for all of God's magnificant creation.

Praise the Lord!

Praise the Lord from the heavens; praise him in the heights!

Praise him, all his angels; praise him, all his host!

Praise him, sun and moon; praise him, all you shining stars!

Praise him, you highest heavens, and you waters above the heavens!

Let them praise the name of the Lord, for he commanded and they were created;

He established them forever and ever;he fixed their bounds, which cannot be passed.

Praise the Lord from the earth, you sea monsters and all deeps, ire and hail, snow and frost, stormy wind fulfilling his command!

Mountains and hills, fruit trees and all cedars!

Wild animals and all cattle, creeping things and flying birds!

Kings of the earth and all peoples, princes and all rulers of the earth!

Young men and women alike, old and young together!

Let them praise the name of the Lord, for his name alone is exalted; his glory is above earth and heaven.

He has raised up a horn for his people, praise for all this faithful, for the people of Israel who are close to him.

Praise the Lord!

Psalm 148

Happy Birthday to a Best Buddy

Laiken - The Birthday Boy!

Birthdays are always fun.  They are "really, really fun" as Jarrett would say when its the birthday for your best buddy.  Jarrett's buddy, Laiken turned 4 and had the most wonderful birthday party at the park.  

There was lots of swimming in the kiddie pool with friends.   

Even Laiken's little sister got in on the fun. 

His mommy, Jennifer made an amazing Superhero cake with all of his favorite characters.  All the boys were so excited to shout out who they liked the best.  There were PB&J sandwiches for the kids, turkey croscents for the parents,  cupcakes, presents, and more fun than can be imagined.

Jennifer is an amazing mommy and friend.  I am truely enjoying getting to know this great family more and more! 

Playing on the vintage elephant slide that the city has recently restored was very fun.  There is something so nostalgic about sliding on a metal slide as your legs are burning that every kid should be able to enjoy.

 There was also the rides on the sturgeon.  This thing is huge and Jarrett swears its a shark, but any fish of that size is a shark to a 3 year old.

All in all, it was a great party.   

Thanks Laiken for turning 4!

Independence Day 2011

APPRECIATING HISTORY AND FAMILY

This year I wanted Jarrett to learn about Independence Day - not just the date, 4th of July, but the meaning behind it.  So we had a history lesson and I taught him how our founding fathers had to fight for our freedom.  Explaining freedom to a 3 year old is not easy - but he now knows that we can pray and worship and live the life we want because someone gave up something for us.  Just like Christ, our freedom is the best blessing we can have.  

Like every history lesson, crafts make them fun.  Especially when candy is involved.  So we made paper rockets filled with candy and tissue fire blasters that we could give as gifts to our friends and family to celebrate our freedom.  And of course, we displayed our rockets with all the pomp and circumstance we could drum up in our underwear.  Uncle Sam was made with a cotton beard and glitter stars to hang from the window.  All in all, it was a good decoration to remind us of our freedom.

And what celebration isn't complete without family BBQs and fireworks.  We started the day at the river (after a long, long trip to get there because we were too "smart" to download directions for the park) with some great friends, Matt and Stacy and their parents.  And of course Zachy the dog (very big dog) that Jarrett "still members that doggie".  It was the perfect day enjoying good friends and food.  I think I must have been in a food coma as the camera didn't come out once for that part of the day.  I mean, have you eaten Joanne's chocolate chip cookies?  You would be in a food coma also.  

Thompson Cousins 2011

Then, off to BBQ #2 with cousins, aunts, uncles and grandparents.  Again, more food than should be consumed even on a holiday.  Activities included swimming, fun on the playground, but the event that stole the show was the fireworks.   

Pop-its, sparklers, piccolo petes, hens-n-chicks, tanks, fountains.  You name it, we lit it.  The "men" were like boys at Christmas at the fireworks stand deciding exactly what we needed for a perfect show.  And they had to lay out everything in a good order, organizing the show.  The kids of course didn't care about order and just wanted to pick out what was next. 

But the one who ended up ruling the show was Aunt Rochelle. She took control of the "fire" and lit almost all of the fireworks. Simply brave and amazing!  I admire that woman with no fear of explosives :)

All in all it was a great day.  And I love my little Firecracker boy!  He wasn't born on the fourth of July, but he has the appreciation of our freedom just the same!