Family Camping 2013

We had a great time on our annual family camping trip this summer! The cousin's really look forward to spending this time together and it's becoming more fun the older they get :) The rainy weather didn't stop the kids from finding fun things to do, we tried to make the best of the weather & luckily, there was a break in the rain & we made it to the beach a few times.

Every year we try & take a group photo. I love this tradition & it's fun to look back & see who was there & see the family 'growing' with new babies each year.

Kian and Noah worked together for more than an hour trying to dig up this mound of grass.

My bug lovin' boy. He found this snail & held it for the longest time.

Papa brought his canoe & the kids took turns going for canoe rides.

Grayson loved the water! I was happy to see him enjoying splashing with his big brothers & then he'd come up and cuddle on the beach blanket for a while. 

Looking forward to next years trip! fingers crossed for sunnier weather next year.

Owen's 6th Birthday Party

This year we planned a 'Mad Science' themed birthday party for Owen! It took lot's of planning and organizing to pull this party off, but it was a HUGE success! The hours of pinterest and shopping to get all of the supplies paid off, and seriously the party couldn't have gone any better :) We asked my sister - in-law Meggie to help run the experiments (she's had lot's of experience with camp science activities) and being a teacher we knew she'd be the best person to have help!

I was nervous about having the party at home & keeping the kids engaged in the activities but it turns out I worried about that for nothing. The kids were soooo excited about each activity & were very involved. They didn't appear bored by anything and were genuinely excited to participate!

We planned the party for a friday evening with hopes that most of his school buddies could attend. Luckily, all of his friends from school could come and we also invited our little daycare friends. In total, there were 10 kiddies including Grayson and another toddler. A couple of friends offered to stay and help out & their help was much appreciated! we definitely needed the five adults to help clean up mess in between experiments and gather the kids etc. 

The key to having this party run smoothly was being organized. We had everything pre-measured and set up by experiment so that we could keep everything moving. Thanks goodness or it would've been chaos.

I used the frames of cheap sunglasses from party packagers and made simple 'lab coats' by cutting mens undershirts in half :) they looked so adorable.

The first experiment was making tie-dye headbands. The kids used sharpies to colour on fabric and then using droppers, dropped rubbing alcohol over the patterns. They turned out great & everyone was able to take home their creation.

We stopped after our first experiment for dinner. Hotdogs, chip & juice boxes - simple & kid friendly.

 Next we got out the messy experiments :) The kids made slime & we packaged some up for them to take home. They had great fun playing in the slime.

Next we made magic mud. It was the messiest experiment and some kids got messier than others :) I was happy I let parents know not to send their kids in their best clothes.

Next we stopped for birthday cake!

Cake video!

The kids blew up balloons without using their mouths :) they loved this experiment and it was the easiest of all! we had pre measured the vinegar in the bottles and baking soda in the balloons - all they had to do was tip the balloon contents into the bottle -easy!

Owen's balloon popped off the bottle & the experiment didn't work so well for him :( I could tell he was disappointed, but he didn't let it bother him. Meggie helped him to do the experiment again after everyone left - he was very happy about that.

Balloon blow-up video

Volcanos! another favourite for sure :) we tinted the baking soda with powdered fruit punch so that it would be red. 

Volcano Videos

Last but not least was out mentos/coke explosions! we had a Steve Spangler Geyser Tube and it worked so well! I was surprised by how high the coke actually went - some went as high as the top of the house! The kids LOVED this! luckily, they each had their own bottle of coke and some mentos for a total of 8 explosions! We were very happy that the thunderstorm stopped long enough that we could get them outside for this experiment.

Geyser videos! The first video is hilarious because we didn't know that one of the mentos was stuck in the top of the tube - blocking the hole. The coke flew out the side holes covering the kids in coke! it was so funny & they were laughing and squealing with delight lol. The next day my neighbours were asking about the party lol. I was sure their giggles could be heard around the block.

Opening gifts! my little guy was very appreciative of his gifts and made sure to thank everyone :)

Thanks to everyone that helped make Owen's 6th Birthday so wonderful! we had the best time :)

23 Months Old

I love how the above photo captures just how carefree Grayson is. He has such an easy going personality & really is sooo much fun lately. Most of the time he's very happy and as long as he's involved in the same activities as his brothers, he's having a good time :) 

Lately it seems that he acts older with every passing week. He's talking almost non stop, singing, dancing, acting goofy and always trying to get his brother's to laugh :) he really enjoys being one of the crowd and I've noticed that with his increased confidence and ability to do more of the things the boys are doing, we are starting to treat him as 'one of the boys' as well. It's kind of been nice being able to let him explore more without the fear of him getting hurt we definitely know he can hold his own with his brothers. I just love how much adoration he has for them and they have in return, they really have a special bond.

Happy 23 Months Grayson!