Flubber

7/12/11

Parker had a special pet one day over the summer.  He named it Flubber.  It all started when he showed me a science experiment:  partially filling a latex balloon with water & trying to light it on fire.  He was so excited to show me that it didn't burn.  Afterward, he filled a balloon almost all the way up with water & took it outside to play.  

Flubber was born.  

He loved jumping on the trampoline with it, walking around with it, & rollling it on the counter in the house 

(to my loud replies of "take it outside!").  

Later in the afternoon he took Flubber outside.  

Flubber was a bit slippery & in no time, no more.  

He went SPLASH on the garage floor.  

 
But his legacy lived on!

7/12/11

The Beginning...

Happy Father's Day, Dad.  6/19/11

...of Summertime is a time of renewal & hope.  We look with optimism to the possibilities the next few months hold:  more family together time, more control over our own schedules, more time to learn new things, to reinforce taking turns making dinner & enforcing dish night, more time for scouting activities & projects, more time for afternoon adventures & daydreaming...

Finishing up the school year with a National Physical Fitness award, 5/26/11

Finishing up the school year with a Presidential Physical Fitness award, 5/26/11

Making Dad crepes for Father's Day , 6/19/11

You did a great job...this was a first for all of us & they were delicious!

Andrew & Emily were a playful summer treat at our house,  8/31/11

Work hard...Play hard...Sleep, 7/30/11

Faces of Summer

Hooray for Summer!  7/29/11

Now that school is in full swing, our days are filled with getting up before the sun to shower, making lunch at the same time as breakfast, piano practicing, homework, initialing daily planners, an effort at more regular family dinners, watching the evening clock for bedtime & squeezing in some much needed play time with friends.  

This being the case, now is a great time for a look back at summertime fun, 

through the kids' faces.

Cutting an onion for Bobcat Casserole, 6/14/11

One day I walked into the Living Room to find this...

I tickled.  7/30/11  Thanks for the great laugh today Parker!

Water faces are our favorite around here!  6/21/11

Like I said, The Best!  6/21/11

6/21/11

Reunion Memories

Parker & Tate, 7/23/11

Warming up by the fire

After breakfast on Saturday morning we began the process of packing up & heading out.  We had a great time together.  Everyone helped out with the work & we collected more memories.  We look forward to more family reunions, Fredrickson - style.  

Leave me to my meal!

After leaving Wallowa Lake State Park we stopped at the memorial to Chief Joseph.  Paul remembered doing a report on him many years ago in school.  It was interesting to see that many treasures had been left for the Chief on this memorial, things like feathers & bright colorful rocks.  Are these treasures a cache or maybe a show of remembering the sacrifice of someone who came before?

7/23/11

  
After this brief stop we continued on our way west to La Grande & south toward home.  

For the first several miles the kids reminisced about their experiences over the past few days.  Soon the voices quieted.

A funny thing to remember about the drive into the hotel in Nampa was the fuel story.  We had considered stopping for fuel in La Grande but after calculating the miles to Ontario & the great fuel economy the truck gets we decided not to.  Over the next several hours as we slept, played games & gazed out the window, Paul occasionally checked the computerized fuel monitor (you know, the one that tells you the number of "miles to empty").
So far so good. 
Coming into Baker we decided we'd still have enough to get us to Ontario so we kept on the road.  
Soon the hills began.  
And the miles to empty began dropping by 10 - 30 or 40 at a time.  
Our hearts started beating faster.
We silently prayed.
I silently prepared contingencies for being stuck on the side of the road or walking to the nearest town site of human existence together.  
Still the hills rolled on.
And the "miles to empty" dropped even faster.
The phrase "sweating bullets" comes to mind.
 Over the next crest we could see Ontario in the distance.
Out came the GPS: "fuel stations"
Which one will be cheaper?
What, really?  
Won't matter if we can't get there.
As we take the exit to the fuel station, our dear, sweet Parker looks at the computerized monitor and very sincerely states, "There's only 6 miles to empty, does that concern anyone?"

Overcome with relief I couldn't contain myself...

I laughed a good deep & cleansing laugh.

Ahhhhhhhhhh. 
So with 6 miles to empty, we pulled into the fuel station.
The nozzle went into the tank & the truck drank.
And drank.
And drank.
And drank.

We spent that night in Nampa.  The kids of course loved playing in the pool.  I took a great nap in the lounge chair.  We had Panda Express for dinner & watched the Discovery Channel.  We had two separate hotel rooms & the boys were living up this experience.  Kyralyn stayed close to Mom & Dad.  Sunday morning we had breakfast at the hotel & drove home.  We love family vacations!
(P.S.  We didn't have to fuel up again)

Reunion, Day 3

Friday morning we tye-dyed t-shirts (thanks Josh & Anjannette).  Afterward, Parker, Lincoln & McKay spent a few minutes "chip-munking" with graham crackers, peanut butter & fishing line on a pole.  After a little while a chipmunk came looking for a snack.  Once Lincoln began to reel in their catch the scared critter dropped the cracker & made its escape.   

Sometime late in the morning we headed on over to the lake to play on the boats that Nana & Papa rented for us.  We had a paddleboat, a kayak & two rowboats.  Its so nice to be out on the lake!  Paul & Dallin enjoyed their kayak ride, right up to the polar bear roll on their way back to the dock.  

After their turn, Parker & I teamed up for a ride.  These were new experiences for us all, but I must say that Parker & I did a much better job at staying in sync.  Although he didn't seem too happy about hearing "left, right, left, right, left, right...." 

The rowboats were a hit with both the kids & adults and the paddle-boat let the kids go where they wanted around the water.  Some of the kids spent much of their ride debating whether or not to jump off the craft & into the water.  When our 1-hour rental (on the dot!!) was over, Dallin & Hannah did just that.  They jumped out of the paddleboat at the dock & swam to the ladder while the rest of us observed the frogs & tadpoles in the rocks.

A Bald Eagle & her baby had made this area their home.

A Spencer family favorite at all most occassions

 After lunch Papa, Lincoln, Michelle, Tate, Robert, Monica, McKay & Parker went on the tram ride.  According to this site, the tram is "the steepest, and one of the most thrilling, aerial rides in America. Four-person cable cars go from a base elevation of 4,450 feet to the top of Mt. Howard at 8,150 feet above sea level in fifteen minutes--a distance of nearly four miles."  I will just have to take their word for it (& the word of 8 7 trusted family members).
 

(Photo thanks to a google search)

While they were experiencing a thrilling ride & the beauties of God's creations, the rest of us were experiencing the tastiness of a Huckleberry milkshake thanks to Nana.  

The rest of Day 3 was spent playing around the campsite...

Papa, Lincoln, Parker, McKay, Keelan, Landon, Tate

  ...Biking, cooking, playing in the lake,
and  
being together.

Kyralyn & Ellianna

Hannah & Dallin

 

Thanks to Monica's family for sharing their bikes

We love your angel kisses Dallin (freckles)

 

A Great Find

The kids and I spent several hours a few weeks ago together.  Shopping.  

What?  What was that?  Shopping?  

Yes I do SHOP sometimes!  

The cart was overloaded with clothes and the fashion show in the dressing room went on for 30 minutes.  The dressing room attendant was incredibly patient & helpful.  Dallin likes the Adidas brand & the athletic look, Parker favors a combo of the Puma athletic brand & a more urban look & Kyralyn loves to look like a girl with style.  

Is she off to another day at Kindergarten or a meeting with the executives?

Some day.

9/1/11

Let Them Come

8/30/11

Today my daughter began Kindergarten.  Last week when the boys started school I got a little bit choked up (very unusual for me).  I suppose the choking came from the realization that all of my children are now school-age.  The next morning I thought I was done with the emotion of this new step of life.  After all, this is a new beginning.  But with every new beginning, there is a farewell first.  And today, watching Kyralyn go into her classroom as Paul & I stood outside with all of the other parents (most wrestling other children in strollers & arms), I had to swallow hard several times to keep the tears from falling.  

Later, at home, I let them come.

As the tears fell, I experienced an interesting contradiction.  My heart was sad, but my brain couldn't compute the sadness...the kids are happy so why am I crying about the kids?  A short time later the happy took over.  

Happy First Day of Kindergarten, 4th grade & 6th grade!

8/23/11