every summer we participate in the johnson county reading program. the kids love keeping track of which books they read and getting a book to keep at the end of the summer. their favorites now seem to be anything that makes them giggle, sports books, animal/nature books and space books. here are a few favorites from this summer:
henry builds a cabin, henry hikes to fitchburg and henry climbs a mountain by d.b. johnson.
books inspired by the life of henry david thoreau, i love reading these as much as they enjoy hearing them!
the incredible book eating boy and the great paper caper by oliver jeffers.
there's a zoo in room 22 by judy sierra.
funny poems about classroom pets
joseph had a little overcoat by simms taback.
a story of making something from nothing.
the song of francis by tomie de paola.
giving thanks for life and love.
a giraffe and a half, the giving tree, the missing piece, a light in the attic by shel silverstein.
classic silly stories, poems and sweet stories.
dinosaur bob and his adventures with the family lazardo by william joyce.
the berenstain bears on the moon by stan and jan berenstain.
henry likes to read these short chapter books to lucy and charlie.
my favorites this summer are memoirs.
trail of crumbs by kim sunee.
an amazing life searching for love and home through food and travel.
see you in a hundred years by logan ward.
a couple and their young son literally live life as close to a 1900 american farm as possible. no electricity, no plumbing, car or telephone while they raise and grow all of their food. not only do they survive they come out with new knowledge about their strengths and what is important to them.
expecting adam by martha beck.
another book about an unconventional way of discovering what's important in life and listening to God and angels.
dress your family in corduroy and denim by david sedaris.
a comical look at life and family. makes me realize my own family may not be that crazy after all!
we started out this year's 4th of july celebration at village fest with neighbors spencer, owen and joe. 
then out to lake winnebago (gigi's house) for some swimming, boat rides, good food and fireworks on the water!
grandma nadine-87 and grandpa bill-88
henry age 6
charlie age 4
anita b. gorman discovery center
butterfly garden
foxglove at kauffman gardens
lamb's ear
allium
garden roses
several area historical sites, museums and gardens have an interactive passport to kc . the kids get a passport book and get stamps at each of the places they visit and if we visit 15 spots they will get a prize packet. the anita b. gordman center is one of the centers that participate and the kids were excited to get their first stamp! 
every summer we participate in the johnson county reading program. the kids love keeping track of which books they read and getting a book to keep at the end of the summer. their favorites now seem to be anything that makes them giggle, sports books, animal/nature books and space books. here are a few favorites from this summer:
baseball has now taken over our life! charlie started t-ball this year and his team is just so cute! the first two games were rained out and practices were chaotic but when it came time for his first game-it was great! the kids ran the bases and all chased after the ball when they were in the outfield. so much fun to watch!
we started a little spring/lent family project to remind us of all we have to be grateful for. this idea inspired me. i trace the shapes (bird, butterfly or flower) onto colorful paper, the kids cut out and write what they are grateful for on them. then we hang them on this great branch that i found in our yard and placed above the kitchen window. 
monday i took the boys to st. mary's food kitchen where our church volunteers once a month. they did a great job passing out silverware and trays and greeting people. we saw a lot of people come thru and a lot of kids. we talk about people in need and ways we can help at home but i think actually seeing how many people need food and participating in that service makes it real. and when we say our prayers at night and they say they are grateful for their lives, i think they get it a little more.
the boys and i went with some friends to play bingo last night and we had a winner! henry won $16.50! fun stuff- and the plans that were made with the money-legos, baseball stuff, save some, rice bowl...it was a late night and you can see here that charlie got a little bored and decided to stamp himself. 
the first saturday of each month home depot and lowes offer kids craft workshops where they can build a project for free. each kit comes with instructions and hammers are provided along with an apron to keep and pins for each project completed. this month was a race car ramp complete with two little wooden cars. the boys were thrilled and proud of their work. 
we were lucky this year to be able to escape from kansas city for the warm beaches of playa del carmen in mexico. we were celebrating our 10 year anniversay with friends, unfortunately one couple did not get to go because they were lacking a passport. don't know how we missed that fact since we planned this trip about 8 months ago! despite feeling horrible about that and missing them we had a great time: yummy food, cold beverages, lots of laughs, sunny days and relaxing on the beaches listening to the ocean.
our local library hosts several fun activities for the kids each season. this weekend we went to read to a dog. they loved snuggling up with max, zoe and maddie to read to them. click on this link if you are from the kc area for listings of activities at a library close to you: www.jocolibrary.org
