Click here to see an Animoto video of our family pictures from this year.
Family Pictures 2011
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Summer Fun List!!
Summer Fun List Summary:
- Total Items on List: 36
- Total Completed:30
- Total Amount of Money Spent: $135
- Total Amount of Fun: MORE THAN CAN BE MEASURED!!
1. Make Smores
2. Breakfast at Okoboji Bagel Company
3. Aquatic Center (Yes! but no picture)
4. Drive-In Movie (Yes! but no picture)
5. Arnolds Park
6. Flashlight Fun Night
7. Pool in the Backyard
8. Nutty Bar
9. Trip to Sugar Shack
10. Ride a Waverunner (Yes! but no picture)
11. Camp in Backyard
12. Go to the beach (Yes! but no picture)
13. Watch the Fireworks
14. Eat breakfast on our deck (Yes! but no picture)
15. Find at least 10 caches (next year!)
16. Picnic and Park
17. Treasure Village Play
18. Art Class
19. Summer Reading Program (Yes! but no picture)
20. Family Bike Ride (next year!)
21. Catch a Firefly
22. Cloud Watch
23. Run through a Sprinkler
24. Catch a Fish
25. Tea Party
26. Pick and Eat Vegetables out of Grandpa and Grandma’s Garden
27. Go Miniature Golfing (next year!)
28. Nature Center
29. Lakeside Lab (next year!)
30. Make Homemade Ice Cream (next year!)
31. Eat a Popsicle
32. Go to a Concert in the Park (Yes, the Nadas! but no picture)
33. Ride in a Paddle Boat (Yes! but no picture)
34. Make a Sandcastle (next year!)
35. Cousins Week
36. Visit the Abbie Gardener Cabin
A Preview…
Of our summer fun!!
“If You Could See What I See”
9 years ago today I married my best friend. On the day of our wedding I remember so much so clearly, but the one thing that I remember most is standing in front of our family and friends while my dear friend (Melanie Johnson) sang the song, “If You Could See What I See”. While she sang it so very beautifully, I can remember looking into Brian’s eyes and the love that we felt for each other was so strong that I could hardly contain myself. As we sang the words softly to each other I can remember thinking that I wanted to belt them out to him at the top of my lungs for the whole world to hear!! Looking back…I wish I would have done just that. Who cares if my voice isn’t the best, right? : )
If you could see what I see…you would see…
*A man that loves his wife and children as much as his heart will allow
*A man who enjoys making his wife laugh
*A man who is creative, insightful, and extremely innovative in all areas of his life
*A man who always has brilliant ideas (click below for his latest idea: the #DadLife blog that he started with other amazing fathers)
http://thedadlifeblog.blogspot.com/
*A man who loves God and desires to follow His will for our life as a couple
*A man who I can’t wait to grow old with
*A man who I have loved since I was just 15 years old!
*A man who is, simply put…one of the neatest people that God decided to make
I LOVE YOU BRIAN JAMES DOWNING!
“If You Could See What I See”
All of my life
I have dreamed
that somehow love would find me
now i can’t believe you’re standing here
If beauty is all
in the eye
of the beholder then i
wish you could see
the love for you that lives in me
(Chorus)
And you would know you have my heart
If you could see, what i see
that a treasure’s what you are
if you could see, what i see
Created to be
the only one for me
If you could see, what i see
I know there are days
when you feel
so much less than ideal
wondering what i see in you
It’s all of the light
and the grace
your belief in me drives me to say
that i promise you
a faithful love, forever true
(Chorus)
if you could see
then you’d understand
why i fall down to my knees
and i pray my love
will be worthy of
the one who gave his life
so our love could be
if you could see
what i see(x2)
You’re created to be
The perfect one for me
If you could see
What i see
if beauty is all
in the eye
of the beholder then i
am beholding…
true beauty
Clipboard Learning
School is over and summer has started. We have made our “Downing Family Summer Fun To-Do List” which includes many things such as going to the beach, drive-in movie, a night of camping (in the backyard), breakfast at the Okoboji Bagel Co, Treasure Village, Caching, Flashlight Night, and more. We have already done several of the things on our list. Summer is a magical time for our family!
With so many “fun” things to do, it’s easy for learning to take a back seat! Because of this, I started to do something with my girls this past week. I bought a clipboard for each of them and wrote their name on it so that they each have their own (they think it’s neat to have their own and I think it’s neat because then they don’t fight). I then print off age appropriate material for each and put them on their clipboard. You wouldn’t think that having the sheets on a clipboard would be a big deal, but oh do they love it! The first time that I did it with them they begged for more. They can’t wait to see what is on each sheet. I be sure to put a fun coloring page at the end each time and they also get a sticker for each page once they are finished. They just love that!
Here are some websites that I have found the free printable worksheets from:
http://www.preschoolpalace.org/ABCs.html
http://www.superteacherworksheets.com/1st-comprehension.html
http://www.coloring-pages-kids.com/
So, if you find that your kids are getting bored this summer and you need to promote learning so that when the fall rolls around they aren’t saying…learning, what is that? Buy some clipboards and let the fun begin!
Summer Kick-Off
We decided to kick off our summer with a family trip to Minneapolis. Not exactly Disney World, but we still had a blast! We made it a one day trip since the thought of spending a night in a hotel with 4 small children didn’t sound too appealing…let alone having to pay for it! Brian put it well when he said, “Why would I pay to not be able to sleep when we can not sleep for free at home!” So very true at this stage. : )
We had a wonderful trip up there with a nice relaxing stop at a rest area on the way. I know that we typically would never have stopped at a rest area before when traveling but having 4 kids sure does force you to slow down and take your time in life, which is a wonderful life lesson.
Our first stop when we got there was Como Zoo. This is a free will donation zoo and it was absolutely wonderful for our size of kids. We had packed a picnic lunch so we ate that before going in. We even met one of Brian’s friends and his 5 year old son there, which was great! After Como Zoo we headed to the Minnesota Children’s Museum. The girls just love exploring the museum!
We ate some supper in town and made it home a little after 10. We had 4 very happy and tired children! : )
There Goes Another Year…
It’s hard to believe, another school year done. Both Grace and Lydia had a wonderful year…Grace in kindergarten and Lydia at a preschool in town. It’s fun to see how far both have come this past year. We are so thankful to God that he provided friends for both of our girls and also amazing teachers who cared for them and challenged their minds. I always take a picture of the kids on their first day of school and then again on their last day. It’s fun to see how they have changed!
Grace 1st Day of Kindergarten:
Grace Last Day of Kindergarten:
Lydia 1st Day of Preschool:
Lydia Last Day of Preschool:
Toy Library
If you are a parent, chances are you have been frustrated to the point of wanting to pull your hair out with toys…and the mess that they create. Yes, toys are good to some degree. They give us parents free time while the children are playing with them and they bring great joy on Christmas morning. However, they also bring with them a great mess. We have a large family room in our basement and this is where we house most of the kids’ toys. At any given point, if you walk down into our basement, you are most likely to find toys strewn all over the floor, couch, heck…maybe even hanging from the ceiling! We feel blessed to have this play space and it was our desire to have it be a “fun zone” for the kids. However, this eventually leads to frustration. I am guessing you have all experienced the following: you ask the kids to pick it up and there is grumbling…understandably so because you have let the mess get too large. It’s overwhelming even for an adult to clean up. It seems an impossible task to a child. Also, you get the commonly used line, “But I didn’t get that out”. ARGH!
The other day while taking a look at some of my favorite blogs, I found something called a “Toy Library” on one of them. We have tried multiple times to organize toys…it never works. Well folks, we think that we may have found a way to decrease the whining and mess significantly!!! After finding this system, my husband and I took an entire day to toss, organize, and put into totes the kids’ toys. We then made the toy check-out board afterwards. So far, this has been heaven sent. No more fighting (that’s impossible…less fighting) and no more huge overwhelming messes!!!
The Toys:
Below are some pictures of the toys and how they are organized. Each tote/toy can be “checked out”. The rules are that you can only check one thing out at a time and if you are the person that checked it out, you MUST clean the contents up after done playing with it. This is where you say…yes, but what if one child gets it out and then another child plays with the toy also. Won’t that lead to confusion over who picks the toy up? The answer is NO, which is great!! Whoever checked the toy out has to clean it up even if someone else played with it. FANTASTIC!
The Check-Out Board:
The board took awhile to make but it is worth it. We printed two copies of the pictures off and one went on the tote and the other on the board. We then made a picture of each child so that they can move their picture to the toy that they have checked out. We used some Velcro to stick them on to the board and we also contact papered the board so that it will stay in good shape. Just the other day Grace had a tote of toys out and then it was time to clean it up. I went to help her pick it up and the sentence that came out of her mouth must be recorded for all to hear…she said, “Mom, you don’t have to help me pick it up. I checked the toys out, so it’s my job to put them back.” Ummm…BEAUTIFUL! : )
Happy Mother’s Day!
I received my Mother’s Day gift a day early from my husband. Wow is all that I can say. This sure made me cry as I was able to look back at each life that we have brought into this world together. I feel so lucky to be on this journey with my soul mate. We are blessed beyond measure! Happy Mother’s Day to all moms! : )
Hudson Lucas Downing
We made it…we are officially “The Downing 6”. Hudson Lucas Downing entered the world on April 14th, 2011 at 5:36pm. He weighed 9lbs 12oz and was almost 22 inches in length. He took his time getting here but when he decided to come, he decided to do so quickly! My water broke at 3:30 in the afternoon and at 5:36 he made his appearance!
Never have we felt as blessed as we do now. It’s funny but it already feels as though he has always been here…that he has always been a part of our family. The girls love him SO much. He gets lots of kisses and hugs. : )
Welcome to our family and to the world Hudson Lucas! We love you!!
The Little Things 