Halloween?

Nope, just another day in the Schenk house. The other day Brooklyn and Morgan had leotards on and we're "doing gymnastics". Of course Hudson had to join in. I had to assure Opa and Oma that Ethan wore one at that age too and so far he seems unscathed:)

Birthday Parties

As seems to be the tradition for birthdays around here, Ethan got to celebrate his 6th birthday several times during his birthday week. Here are a few pictures of how he celebrated.

Ethan's best buddy Trey was unable to make it to his birthday party so Ethan had his first sleepover. They watched a movie and slept on the floor in Ethan and Morgan's room. They chatted late into the night and were still ready to go at 6:30 the next morning.

Happy Birthday Ethan!! Ethan had a couple presents waiting for him on his birthday morning from mom and dad and his sisters and brother.

This was Ethan's birthday cake. It's a pool Lego cake. He found it online and insisted that this was what he wanted, lucky for me it was the easiest cake he looked at.

He wanted a pool cake because his birthday party this year was a pool party. It was by far the easiest party yet. Aside from a few snacks, cake and opening presents the boys swam the whole 2 hours. It was easy and lots of fun. I think I see a lot more swimming parties in our future!

The boys and Mo.

Ethan was spoiled with a lot of Lego sets for his birthday this year. Which is perfect since that is his passion right now.

The Sunday after his birthday we had a little family party at my parents. Here is what a typical summer dinner looks like for us right now. Lots of kids and lots of fun!

And one more Lego set.

We were also able to celebrate all the kids birthdays with Kevin's parents this past weekend. Pictures of that to follow. I think Ethan had a great time celebrating SIX. I know we did.

Our big 6 year old!

Happy Birthday to our oldest little guy. I can't believe that you are SIX Ethan! That means you have to start using both hands to tell someone your age. That seems like a big deal to mommy! You have had a great year being five. We still have our rough moments of you challenging daddy and mommy, but especially the last month or so it feels like you are finally starting to get a grasp on your self-control. It is something we pray a lot about for you. You are our ever inquisitive, ever learning little sponge. Not much gets past you!

Hudson is beginning to play with you. He loves to follow you around and repeat things you say and do. That's one reason we remind you to make good choices, because you have a little brother looking up to you. You are pretty patient for the most part with Hudson and Brooklyn. Their crying and screaming still makes you come undone pretty quickly.

You are a Lego building machine! You got this dump truck from Auntie and Uncle and had it built the next morning by 7:30. All 200+ pieces! You love to build! In fact the best way to keep you busy is to have projects, workbooks or Lego's.

The same week you turned 6 you lost your first tooth! You finally let daddy pull it out before dinner one night. You were pretty excited! I think you and Morgan are pretty convinced that the tooth fairy is real. In fact you both said you heard her wings the night you left your tooth under the pillow. You scored big time with this first tooth, even the Canadian tooth fairy sent you money!

 

You continue to be our cautious adventurer Ethan. You love to try new things, but you ask a million questions along the way. You adore your daddy and this year have taken to dressing like him whenever possible. You are happiest when spending one-on-one time with daddy.

Here is a Lego creation you built for a magazine contest. We hope you win!

You and your sister Mo have a pretty special relationship. This summer has been great for you two. You guys have started playing together really well. It works best when Morgan imagines a game or situation and then takes you along for the ride. You two have spent a lot of time on the play structure together and you love to tell stories to each other when you go to bed. Don't get me wrong, you still have plenty of sibling rivalry, but it feels like we are in a pretty good place right now.

You LOVED kindergarten this year. You learned so much and grew so much in your scholastic ability and your overall confidence. You still have an overall concern for others and you get pretty antsy when people might get hurt or aren't doing what they are supposed to. It is fun to watch God mold you into the boy he wants you to be. Your daddy and I pray that you continue to learn more about Him and that you strive to show love to everyone you come into contact with. I can't wait to see what year SIX brings. Love you big guy!

Summer fun!

A few pictures of what we've been up to.

Our kids have established a nightly tradition of enjoying an otter pop after dinner. You never know when it will squirt in your eyes!

There have been a handful of times that I've had all four kids coloring or working at the table for approximately a half hour. It is a nice preview of what may be to come!

Ethan got to enjoy a golf camp last week at my parent's country club. He loved it and even participated in a best ball tournament. He was on a team with three other boys ages 13, 12 and 11. From the sounds of it they were super nice boys and they won the tournament!

This past weekend I was able to go and visit my dear friend Mary in Montana. Kevin was a saint and tackled the weekend with all four kids so I could head up there and enjoy some sweet girl time. We chatted for three days straight, it was perfect:)

I got to see Mary's home and her parent's house on nearby lake.

I also got to love on her sweet 2 month old baby girl. So fun to cuddle a baby and give her back to her mama:) Her boys were so fun to see as well and quite intrigued with mommy's friend.

While I was away Kevin was a rock star dad. He took all four kids to a nearby park on the river.

He let them play in the water and get muddy and dirty. Fortunately, I've trained Ethan right and when they got back to the van for lunch he made sure daddy took out the hand sanitizer and wipes to get everyone cleaned up:)

Sisters!

Saturday morning my mom took the girls so Kevin headed to Bass Pro Shop with the boys. They loved climbing on the boats and four-wheelers.

Thanks Kevin and Dad and Mom for taking such great care of the kiddos so I could enjoy a great weekend away.

Ballet Camp

Our little Morgan has been our princess-loving, dancer, dress-up girl from early on. She has been wanting to take ballet class for quite sometime. I was able to find a ballet camp at a local dance studio. So for 4 Tuesdays in July she gets to learn some ballet. She loves it and I think she does pretty good. Each time they learn about a ballet and she always tells us all about it. She shows us her new moves each week too. We'll see if this is something she pursues more in the future

Bay Area Discovery Museum

Last year for Ethan and Morgan's birthdays my sister and brother-in-law gave them money to go to the Children's Discovery Museum in Sausalito. We were finally able to set up a date to go. Along with the admission to the museum came some free babysitting for Hudson and Brooklyn so that we could give the older two some attention.We didn't realize it, but we chose one of the hottest days of this summer so far to head out of town. We enjoyed beautiful 75 degree weather in Sausalito while everyone back home baked in the 105 degree temps.

One room had everything you would find at the harbor. The kids enjoyed cranking up the basket filled with crabs and throwing their fishing line over the edge.

Outside they had about 2 1/2 miles of outdoor play structures and activities. The kids loved playing on everything from a replica of the Golden Gate Bridge to a cool hide-and-seek hut constructed out of branches.

Here they are in a nest, I think Ethan is pretending to be a bird?? This is perfect for Morgan since she is obsessed with nests and birds this summer. She makes a "nest" in her bed every night and we still have to make her dream of a bird bath in our backyard come true.

Morgan in a hollowed out Redwood log. I think Ethan's favorite part was the outside play area and Morgan loved the craft room. She could have stayed there hours.

When we drove over the Golden Gate Bridge it was completely clouded over, but as the morning wore on we were able to see more of the bridge peeking out over the clouds. The museum is right at the base of the bridge. It was such a beautiful morning and a great location. We then began the task of taking a brother/sister picture with 2 very hungry kiddos (and 2 fairly hungry parents). Here are a few of the outtakes for your viewing pleasure:)

Above is the best we got...

A little more cooperation with mommy and daddy.

We then drove into Sausalito and had a great lunch at one of the local places.

We had a great morning away and a fun time making memories with the kiddos. Thanks Auntie Kara and Uncle Eric!

Backyard camping

Our reality this summer is that camping would be less than enjoyable with all four kiddos. So we decided to do an evening of "camping" in our backyard.

We started off with some yummy watermelon (which we have been thoroughly enjoying all summer, especially since it is delivered right to our doorstep!), bbq burgers, fresh green beans and smores.

Kevin set the tent up and we let the kids run wild in there for an hour or so. Then Kevin, Ethan and Morgan spent the night in the tent.

Mommy in her own bed, no dirt, and breakfast in the house in the morning made for a pretty spectacular camping trip this year. We did miss the wilderness and hiking though, so hopefully we'll make it out there next summer.