Good-Bye Neighbors/ Babysitting Balloon Fight!

I have had this post in draft state for a little while. Haven't had the time to sit and work on it but wanted to get it out there!

Our neighbors of 5 years have moved away and I have to admit, I miss them. They were really good neighbors, you know, the "borrow flour and sugar" kind. I remember times when Christina would call me because she was at the store and remembered something we had talked about and asked if she could pick it up while she was there! She was fun and nice and it felt good knowing she was next door.

The kids also got along most of the time too! :)

They are now in Washington, starting a new chapter in their lives and I hope everything goes really well for them!


Hailey and Christina - Hailey loves Christina. . .

Hayden, Landon, Hayden and Tyler!

I always thought it was remarkable that our neighbors had a son who was named Hayden also and that they had the same birthday!

On to the next group of pictures! These were taken on a Monday night during one of my Monday Night Church baby sittings! It was a hot day out and after a small bible lesson I thought it would be a blast to have a balloon fight, a little trampoline action and some ice cold sno cones!

The kids agreed!

Hailey and Emmett - getting ready!

Let the games begin!

We can't think for the life of us WHY Tyler chose to wear gloves . . . he doesn't really like to get wet. . . still, strange!

I think we ran out of balloons!

War isn't pretty! (well, the colors are nice!)

Now time for the ol' sprinkler under the tramp time.

Hailey and Ingrid trying to fill up more balloons.

Jayden eating his home made sno cone and freezing to death! His teeth were practically chattering but as a true trooper he kept right on eating!

My boys are really into Calvin and Hobbes and Garfield right now. Must be a boy thing! Well, I have to admit I really like Calvin and Hobbes also.

The kids really had a lot of fun. We will have to do this again sometime this summer!

Juris

This is on a sad note. There is a gentleman who is a member of the congregation in Tacoma who has been battling cancer. Recently he was given 2 weeks to 6 months to live.
His name is Juris and I have known him for almost 18 years. He was always one of the first people to come up and say Hi when we were having a multi-congregational meeting. I always remembered him because he had a slightly different accent, a hearing aid and I thought his name was so unique. But he always took the time to shake your hand and ask how you were. He is very quiet and very kind.


At one of the Church babysittings I spoke with another babysitter and came up with this idea of making Juris a "paper quilt" with pictures the kids would make. We wanted them to draw things that were bright and cheery so he could hang it on his wall for the days where he was too tired to get out of bed.
The kids really made some great pictures and I hope that it brings him a lot of joy.

Watching Shilo :)

Since I don't have any babies any more I actually find it "fun" to watch babies now. Especially if it is for short periods of time where they are mostly happy, have already been fed and changed and are in the mood to play!

We had the opportunity to watch our friends little girl Shiloh, who is about 7 months old. She enjoyed herself I think. She was surrounded by people who wanted to play with her.

She really had a good time - don't let this picture fool you . . .

The boys love babies! Hailey didn't get to see too much of her because she went somewhere with Kurt but she gave Shiloh a big hug before she went.

We had a lot of fun and I was glad to see her go (tee hee) . . . babies wear you out!

Gingerbreadmania!

This is a little late in "posting" but things have been busy! About a month ago for a Church babysitting we had a lesson in being different and the differences in people and thought it would be fun for the kids to create their own different people.
Instead of the "paper route" of creation - we chose every kids favorite - FOOD!

I think the kids had a blast! It was fun and tasty!

Things started out fairly simple early on with the decorations but as you will see in the following pictures that they became more elaborate.

Ingrid with Tyler in the background.

Jayden

I think the person who made this wasn't caring so much for style as to maybe getting as many M & M's that they could eat!!!

Here we go . . .

Alayna

Tyler made these. It's supposed to be me and Kurt!

Alayna made this and took the time to take M & M's and crush them into teeny, tiny pieces to make her dress . . . yes, it was messy. But it's art - it's supposed to be messy, right?

That was a lot of fun. We will have to do that again. Oh, just a word of wisdom. When you make the recipe and double it and think it doesn't look like you have enough dough, don't despair. I was so worried that we didn't have enough dough and by the time I was done rolling, cutting and baking we had cookies coming out of our ears (not really). There was A LOT. You know it's at that point where you are offering them to ANYONE who will take them! I could have put them in a box next to the box that says . . . "Free Zucchini" that you find out on the sidewalks in the summer.