Itchy Face

Poor Little Guy ended up with poison ivy on his face and neck.  It's not anywhere else on his body.  It's a bit bizarre, but we think he got it while mowing the lawn.  He most likely scratched his face while sleeping or before realizing what it was and it spread along the scratch marks.  

The next day his face was swollen and it itched like crazy.

It's finally calming down and starting to feel better.  We're still completely not sure how he ended up with it, because we've double checked the lawn for rogue ivy plants, but we're grateful he's ok. 

Doubling Up

Every morning before school there's a rush to claim the music room.  They all want to get their practicing done first.  With four kiddos and multiple instruments the music room was constantly in use and someone was always upset they had to wait.  We finally made the decision to buy a Clavinova.  The touch on it is really nice, and I love that you can control the volume.  We set it up in the basement, so now 2 kids can practice at once. 

Of course, now they all want to play on the new piano, but I'm sure the newness factor will wear off soon.  In the meantime, the little boys love all the prerecorded music on it, and they have it playing the whole time they're playing downstairs.  

Church Activities

 Little Man is so lucky to have such a great group of boys in his Deacon's Quorum.  They have such a variety of interests and personalities, but they get along really well.  One week one of the boys taught them all about rocks.  Little Man came home with all kinds of new facts about different kinds of rocks, and Andrew did such a good job of making it interesting for the boys.

This week another boy wanted to try fishing, so they headed to a fishing pond.  Little Man has decided fishing is not his sport of choice.  The only thing he caught was the branch of the tree behind him, so that pretty much solidified that maybe fishing isn't for him.  He had a good time with the boys though.

BB is loving being in Activity Days.  He made a bird feeder and he's been checking it every day to see if it needs more seeds.

Swim Lessons

 We've started up swim lessons again this Summer.  We loved Miss Sara coming to our neighborhood pool so much last Summer that we're doing it again this year.  We're a little busier this Summer, so it's only 2 or 3 times a week, but the kids always look forward to it. 

Packed Day

 We attended 2 baptisms and 2 recitals today.  Double the blessings and double the music!  The first baptism was very special.  Austin asked Joel to baptize him.  It was such a lovely baptism!  Austin's testimony was so moving.  

BB's friend, Kiran, also got baptized.  They're on the same soccer team and are in the Gifted program together at school.  

A bunch of my students performed in the first recital and then all of the Thompson kiddos performed in the final recital.  Little Guy played piano, BB sang, Little Lady played piano and sang, and Little Man played piano and guitar. 

Little Lady has a new favorite piano piece - "Fountain in the Rain" is so lovely.  Little Man kept his love for Beethoven alive and well with "Fur Elise."  I think the celebratory ice cream afterward is still their favorite part.

Out and About

We're trying to get the kiddos ready for our visit to Yellowstone later in the Summer.  A lot of walking will be involved, so we've started daily walks as a family.  Today we went with some friends to Wilderness Valley.  It's a fun path along the Blue River that's situated in the middle of a neighborhood close by.  The flowering lily pads were gorgeous.  Pictures do not do it justice.  

Watching frogs skip along the lily pads was pretty cool. 

Afterward, we sat in the shade while the kiddos played on a nearby school playground.  It was a lovely morning. 

Swinging Into Summer

We're trying to get into a bit of a new summer routine around here, but it's nice to have extra time to enjoy together.  We went with friends to the temple to do baptisms with Little Man this morning, and then headed to a park with different friends to enjoy a picnic lunch.  

(I told him if he got stuck he was on his own to get out.  He couldn't pass up the challenge).

Ferris Wheel Adventures

BB got a couple of gift cards to Scheels.  If you're not familiar with the store it is a huge outdoor sporting goods store.  It's 2 stories with a ferris wheel in the middle, a cafe, and random activities like mini bowling, and duck hunting.  The kiddos had never been inside before, so we all went together as an exploration adventure.  There are also a ton of taxidermy there as well of a lot of really interesting animals.  The highlight of the store was going on the ferris wheel.  The youngest two had never been on one and the older two were too young to remember.  

3 out of 4 loved it.  (I rode with Little Guy)  Little Ladie's fear of heights was not helped by it stopping to let someone out while she was dangling at the top.  The boys all want to come back, and Little Lady has emphatically declared it was a one and done experience!