Hercules, Harvest and Heaving

It sure is nice having superheroes around when I need to get stuff done.  The other day I needed to take cushions into the house when Batman showed up to haul one for me!  Thanks Superman!

  And Captain America is always there when Jensley needs help with her apple.  Thanks, Cap'n!

 Speaking of apples, Jens is loving her first harvest with teeth.  The first galas are coming off the trees and she is trying to sink her teeth into all of them before they go to the shed.

 "Mmm...unprocessed apple sauce"

  I think she started posing for the pictures.  I want to believe that she is too young, but it sure looks like she is posing.

 She also liked to look off in the distance which was also cute.

  In less fortunate news, Ryker had a couple of sick days along with Jens and Rocko.  It's hard to see the little ones not feeling well, but it is nice to have the energy level in the house knocked down a notch or two...

  Or three, since Ryker says so.  He's smart like that, and thankfully feeling better.

Summer Stuff

We had a rare morning where the kids all kind of slept in and then all woke up happy.  Then they climbed in bed and pretended that it was a jump house.

 It didn't take long for Rock to find my Surface and ask if he could watch cartoons.  Remember when you had to get up early on Saturday to watch cartoons?  Yeah, this generation will have no idea what it's like to have to wait for cartoons.

 Jens was slowly waking up while cuddling with Mommy when the boys ambushed her.  

 At least she thinks her brothers are funny (both looking and smell).

 I love seeing the faces that lil' Gyker makes.  Sometimes he seems like a grumpy old man.

 

 Sometimes he seems like a creepy guy in a bath robe or something.

 And sometimes he seems like a little boy that is done having pictures taken.

 Rissa is here for Joel's farewell talk and we all took the boys swimming at Doug and Jama's.  Rock was excited to show off his swimming talents.

 Ryker was not thrilled about the sunscreen application process that his mommy used.

 We went in to Chelan for dinner and then the kids got to enjoy Froyo.  Jens definitely likes her ice cream.

 Iron Man loves ice cream, too.

 The perfect summer day ended with a perfect dusk sky.  It is hard to believe that summer is almost over, but it has been fun while it's lasted.

Alpenhorn Fun

On the southshore of Lake Chelan there is a little burger shop called the Alpenhorn.  It had been over ten years since I last ate there and DeA wanted out of the house, so we took a little road trip.  It seemed pretty much exactly as I remembered it except the girls were prettier this time.

 Ryker loved the chocolate milk and the veggie burger.  Yes, the veggie burger.

 Rock dressed up as Green Arrow or Bat Arrow or something.  It's hard to keep track of who he is each day.

 When you order a kid's meal you get a free round of golf.  The kids loved that part of the trip.

 Jens liked yelling "GET IN THE HOLE!" whenever the boys took a shot.

 She also chugged a can of apple juice.

 The boys made some good shots and cheated on some other shots...just like real golfers. 

 "GET IN THE HOLE!"  It's annoying on TV when the guy does it, but for some reason it was cuter when I imagined Jens saying it.

  Golf-Bat-Arrow?  I don't know. 

 When we got back to the house we cleaned for a few minutes.  Jens thought that dressing up as Woody would help boost morale while keeping her from having to do much work.

 Ever since Mama Rae ordered Halloween costumes we have constantly heard "Are they here yet?  Are they here yet?" and finally they arrived.  Ryker is certainly the cutest Capt. America I've ever seen.

 Also, fighting crime as Capt. America is hard work. 

Rock was pretty awesome as the Dark Knight.  

Jens felt a little left out that her costume wasn't ready yet, so she just stared daggers at the boys hoping they'd feel guilty.  

 Eventually her costume showed up at the house.  I think she is the scariest lil' monster ever.

The Day DeA Has Been Waiting For...

Ever since Ryker's manhood showed up on the ultra sound DeA and I have been anxiously awaiting the day that we can run through a full practice with the boys.  It's a pretty special day.

 We told them to look tough and mean, but that doesn't look mean to me.

 Another pic where they were supposed to look mean.  Ryker looks more like he's trying to poo on his opponent.

 Jens was pretty harsh in her criticism of practice telling them "you stink!".

 Getting water was a bit of a hassle.  Ryker didn't like the water being squirted into his mouth but the bottle didn't fit through the facemask.

 Yeah, it was pretty fun to watch.

 Ryker liked posing as an old school QB.

The fumble drill went pretty well:

The pursuit drill wasn't quite as successful:

For the condition at the end of practice they boys wanted to do some work on the street.  But Jens wasn't going to let us leave without her.

They took turns pulling and trying to go as fast as they could.  Bigger!  Faster!  Stronger!

They wore out pretty fast and it was already in the 90s so I didn't crack the whip too hard.

For some reason Rock thinks this is how every practice should end.  I have a feeling Uncle Nick taught him this drill.