Fire Pit

 We finally found a place in our tiny back yard to squeeze in the fire pit.  Yesterday was the first time we used it since moving into this house, two and half years ago.  I love the smell and sounds of the fire.  Here are the boys just being silly.

Iris Parade 2013

 We went to the Iris parade again this year.  The kids love the candy most, but there are lots of horses, tracters, floats and bands.  We had perfect weather for it this year.

Fire Truck Ice Cream Party

 Sydney won an ice cream party with the fire station back at the beginning of the year when her name was drawn at the jog-a-thon assembly.  We waited to have the party now so we could enjoy nicer weather. 

The fire truck came to the school, and only Sydney's class got to come outside and get the tour.  Tyson and Carson got to come too of course.

 Each kid got to try on the oxygen tanks.

 Going inside the truck.

 The tire is taller than Carson!

All the school kids knew that Sydney had won the party, and that she choose to share it with her class at school, so they always made sure Sydney was first in line and that she got the extra attention.  I think Sydney felt very special.

 Everyone got ice cream, and there was enough for Sydney's brothers as well.

 Every kid also got to shoot the fire hose.

  That is Sydney's teacher in the back ground, who we think has a striking resemblance to Grandma Smith.

  Tyson and Carson got extra time with the hose becasue all the other kids had left by this time.

The best part was as the end as we started to walk home from the school.  The fire chief, who is our neighbor, was driving the truck and he asked us if we wanted a ride home!  So the boys and I jumped in the truck.  We got our seatbelts on and drove the neighbor hood!  Then we got dropped off at our front door.

Girls Night Out

 The boys left for the Father Son campout last night, so Sydney and I decided to have a ladie's night!  First I picked her up early from school, then we went to the salon to pick out a feather for Sydney's hair, and we each got a haircut.

 After the haircuts, we picked up a little icecream and then headed to the library,  which Sydney LOVES to visit, and rarely gets to because I always take the boys during the day when she's in school.

 Then onto our friends house for fancy dress up dinner (all their husbands and sons were gone too).

Followed by decorating your own cake for desert.

 Then home to play one of our favorite games, Hotels.  Sydney got to stay up really late, 10pm!

Writer's Festival

 Each school in the district selects one student per grade to represent their school for execellent writing.  Sydney was selected for her grade!  She wrote a story about a pencil eraser who gets back at the naughty boys who chew on them.  Her story was on display here.

 She received a certificate,

 and an autographed book by a local children's author.

Family Fun Night Winner

Our school holds a Family Fun Night fund raiser with lot of games for the kids.  One game Sydney participated in was a guess the number game. I helped Sydney fill out a couple of guesses for each cup of candy.  A few days later they announced the winners, and Sydney was one of them!  Now she has a cup with 296 pieces of candy in it.  And somehow, she doesn's seem to think that it's enough candy to share with her brothers (I'm pretty sure it was my guess that won, but I haven't told her that,  she guessed somewhere in the 800's).

Playing Catcher

 Sydney and Tyson both had their turn at playing catcher recently.  Neither of them really liked it though.