Sometimes these four are just really sweet together.
Aug 6th, 2018 by ECM
Sunday Night Dance Party
Aug 5th, 2018 by ECM
Abby came up after dinner tonight, and the girls blasted the Roar of Love soundtrack and danced like crazies.
Pepperdine Family Night
Aug 4th, 2018 by ECM
Every summer, the Pepperdine HR department puts on a family movie night with free dinner, treats, and popcorn and a big outdoor movie screen before school starts back up. Tonight we headed down for the Chickfila, kettle corn, unlimited ice cream bars, and glow stick goodie bags but left when the movie started (Moana is pretty mediocre, and the girls all cried from terror when we watched it as a family). We missed cow appreciation day this summer while we were in Montana, but we got a picture with the cow tonight! (And it turns out that unlimited sugar and junk food and running wild on the rec field with friends for two hours–>total meltdown in the bathtub at home)
Scenes from Matthew and Nicole’s Wedding
Aug 2nd, 2018 by ECM
So the real reason we spent the weekend in Colorado was celebrating the kids gaining a new aunt! One who sews, is into classical-Charlotte Mason-type education, loves board games, Little House, and Newsies, and walked down the aisle to the theme from Anne of Green Gables. To say we’re smitten is an understatement. The manor house where the wedding took place was dreamy, as you can tell from the library. Janie and Nicole’s niece Norah were equally shy but did a very purposeful job scattering their petals (and loosened up on the dance floor). Dad Muller says he now has a complete set of daughters-in-law: blonde, brunette, and redhead!
A Trip to Denver
Aug 1st, 2018 by ECM
We just spent a long weekend in Denver for Matthew and Nicole’s wedding! Amidst family activities, we did a little sightseeing, too…
At the History Colorado museum!
We got a preview of the Westward expansion we’ll be studying in history this year.
The Lego-rado room was a big hit.
Life size Emmetts are always fun.
The baseball special exhibit was more interesting to the boys in our group…
But the kids all enjoyed creating their own baseball card.
The nicknames were half the fun.
So Bug was a bit small for the whole thing…
In the Colorado 100 exhibit, we walked through Colorado history via 100 items from the past. These uniforms were developed in Colorado and used in the Italian campaigns during WWII.
And this is the actual spacesuit that Jack Swigert was wearing on Apollo 13 when he said, “Okay, Houston, we’ve had a problem here.” Tommy and I were geeking out big-time.
The kids love any type of old timey play store, and this was part of a Colorado farming exhibit.
Then on Saturday the girls and I dropped by the Colorado Nature and Science museum while the boys were at their rock climbing bachelor party. After seeing seals in person this spring in NorCal, it was fun to identify the different types in the North America galleries.
What can I say? We can’t resist space-related exhibits.
This is a life-size model of Spirit and Opportunity. We took it to show Tommy and gloat a little.
Bug on a bug.
The Girl’s 9 Year, 7 Year, and 5 Year Stats
Jul 24th, 2018 by ECM
We finally got the girls in for their annual well-child check-ups. The stats are not going to be ideal for comparison since I used to be better about getting them in right close to their birthdays, but if I don’t record them here, I won’t ever remember at all. Dr. Vallance was happy to NOT find anything requiring surgery for any of our kiddos this year! Susie’s eardrum is still bonded to her bone, so all looks good there. There is a little concern that Susie’s height keeps dropping off (if she just stayed consistently petite, we wouldn’t be worried, but she keeps dropping down percentiles for height, which means there might be something more than Italian genes at play), so we’re going to come in for a six-month height check to make sure she’s growing enough. Even though she’s only sixth percentile for weight, she has been down there for a while, so it seems that “that’s just how God wants her to be!” as Dr. Vallance says, and we don’t need to worry about protein shakes or anything. Our pediatrician hits the perfect balance of caution (exhibited by the cholesteotoma discovery of last year) and reassurance (we don’t throw antibiotics at things or go to specialists unless there’s a true concern, and I never leave visits worried). I am feeling more peace and confidence about the little girls’ nutrition, almost as if God was preparing me for a foster child with more extensive food issues. But more on that another day…
Elizabeth at 9 years:
Weight: 68 lbs (59%) (Tommy was 67 lbs)
Height: 52.75 inches (51%) (Tommy was 53.25 in)
Susanna at 7 years:
Weight: 41 lbs (6%) (Elizabeth was 56 lbs, Tommy was 57 lbs)
Height: 45.75 inches (12%) (48.5 in, Tommy was 49 1/8 in)
Janie at 5 years:
Weight: 35 lbs (10%) (Susanna was 35 lbs, Elizabeth was 43.6 lbs, Tommy was 47.8 lbs)
Height: 42.5 in (34%) (Susanna was 41.75 in, Elizabeth was 43.5 in, Tommy was 44.5 in)
Missoula Marathon 5K and Kids Fun Run!
Jul 21st, 2018 by ECM
Anna had the great idea to have a bunch of us sign up for races in Missoula during the reunion. She, Bethany and Keith, Carver and I did the 5K, and the 7-11 year olds did the Kid’s 1.2 Mile. We all finished in respectable times! I hate running, but I actually had a lot of fun running a race with friends! Bethany and I are even up for doing another one together, which I never thought I would do.
More Montana Pictures
Jul 20th, 2018 by ECM
I realized a day into our drive out to Montana that I had forgotten my real camera here on my desk. So frustrating. But I tried to take a lot of pictures on my phone, especially of the kids playing together!
Montana Reunion: So Many Games
Jul 19th, 2018 by ECM
We might like our games just a little. Popular choices this summer: Secret Hitler, Exploding Kittens, Dixit, Terraforming Mars, Polite Society, Family Business.
Montana Reunion: On the Water
Jul 18th, 2018 by ECM
The Talcotts have a motor boat, kayaks, tubes, paddleboard, water skis, and a sailboat. We were just in and out of the water all week! The neighbors had the kids all come over and decorate trophies for a big race they’re having next week, so we even got arts and crafts.
