Water Fun at Grandma & Grandpa Fife's

Our first Saturday at Grandma's house was a work day...well at least for Luke, Miriam, Grandma and me. Morgan and Grandpa went to test drive cars in Seattle while we stayed behind to do a few chores. Actually it was fun. It felt great to be outdoors and working with our hands. Luke was trying to earn money so that he could go to Target and buy a toy. (He is so addicted to Target. I think he was just amazed at all the toys and stuff there was to buy. He's not used to seeing those kind of stores here in Dominica.) Anyway, Luke helped Grandma cut back the wisteria on her back deck, clean the fire pit, and move some rocks. Luke was a great helper! Morgan came home just in time to help Luke scoop the poop off the lawn. Finally we were ready to play! Since it was a warm day, we decided to take advantage of the beautiful backyard at Grandma's house. Morgan and Grandpa set up the slip 'n slide and started warming up the spa. Everyone had a great time playing in the water and sun.

Luke couldn't get enough of running through the sprinklers!

I love it when Miriam squishes up her nose!
Miriam liked floating in the spa more than the slip 'n slide because it was warmer water. In the spa she slid off the floatie once and went under the water. However she was quite the trooper and had to get right back on the floatie. No fear in that girl!

Here is a short clip of Morgan and Luke going down the slide. Just listen to the fun that Luke was having!

To make things a little faster, they decided to pour dish soap on the slide. Notice how much further they go at the end of the slide!

Morgan is the Best Daddy Ever!

So why is it that the moment the kids can see Morgan standing at the door, they go nuts? They run to the door, scream and practically tackle him as he comes through the door. As soon as he can empty his hands, they are both reaching up to be held or swung around. My kids (and I am sure, yours too) just love their Daddy.

Morgan has been involved with finals these last two weeks and hasn't been at home as often. The kids just eat him up every second that he is with him. The best part is that Morgan just loves it too. Even though he has been so swamped with studying, he still makes the kids feel so loved when he is with them. It just makes me love him all the more. I am so glad that my children have Morgan as a Dad and that I get to have him for a husband. Just take a look at the kids loving their Daddy....

Super tall Miriam! Notice how tan her legs are compared to Morgan...as you can see, he doesn't get the luxury of going to the pool everyday like us. Poor Morgan.

The three goof balls playing together before dinner.
Morgan swinging Luke around.

One of the kids favorite games with Morgan is to play chase. He picks up Miriam and chases Luke around. Sorry that I am technologically incompetent...I couldn't figure out how to rotate the video...but you get the idea if you turn your head to the side and watch.

Pool Fun

We have been having so much fun going to the pool lately. Luke's friend gave him a floatie that he absolutely loves! He enjoys jumping into the pool now and paddling all around. It's great to watch him more independent in the water and having a blast. Miriam also likes to float in her floatie and we race against Luke. However, after our trip to the pool today, we are all a little sunburned. I think we will stay out of the sun until Grandma's house on August 21st. Can't wait to see all our WA friends and family!

A very happy Luke!

This is Miriam's little friend Kairi. We go to the pool often with her and her mom Diana. It's been so great to have them live close to us and have playdates.
The two little girls...
What would the pool be without a snack? Luke taking a break to re-fuel for his next pool adventures!

New Heights for Miriam

Look where I found Miriam on Saturday morning...

Miriam has gotten bored of walking, running and chasing Luke. Now she must climb! Her favorite place to climb is onto the kitchen table. Saturday morning I was making beds and tidying up the apartment when I heard Miriam fussing in the kitchen. I found her on top of the table, dancing around and wanting me to come and watch. Lesson learned...no more chairs left around the table unless we are sitting in them.

Flips

Our Super Luke learns a new move...the flip!

Watch this short clip of Luke performing his flips for you. I love Luke's smiles and laughs. He is such a joy in our home.

Crafty Saturday

Today we spent the majority of the day doing craft and art projects. Take a look at the little artists at work...

Exploring water colors

"Please don't interrupt my creativity."
"Ooooo...I get to make a mess and it's OK."
Luke and Miriam created this heart collage. Luke cut the little pieces of construction paper while Miriam helped glue them on the heart. Luke is getting better at using scissors and Miriam likes using the glue stick...well, until her fingers get too sticky.

Basket Ceremony

Today we went to Luke's Basket Ceremony. It was a ceremony for all the departing kids and those that would be moving up to the Pre-K program in September. They sang songs, recited poems and captivated our hearts with their performances.

Luke singing his heart out!

At the end of the ceremony, the teachers shared what they enjoyed about each child. The teachers said that they liked how Luke was quiet and how he enjoys playing by himself. I guess he is an easy kid to watch while at school.

Luke singing the song "Children and Flowers"

Lyrics: Children and flowers, I picture them the same. They bring out the sunshine, they chase away the rain. But if I should have my way, I would change the world today. I would gather all the children and to them I would say: Don't pick the flowers children, just let them grow. Don't pick the flowers children, cause if you do, you will waste your life away.

So can someone please explain the meaning of this song to us? When Luke was singing it to us at home we doubted his correctness of the lyrics. However when we checked with the teacher at school, he was right. Why will picking the flowers waste your life away? HELP! :)

Luke singing the Good-bye Song

Luke will start the Pre-K program on September 8th. He will go to school from 8:00 a.m. -noon, have lunch with us till 1:00 p.m. and then go back until 3:00 p.m. It will be a long day for him but I think that he will enjoy being with the other children and being indoors in the air conditioning for most of the day. The school and staff are wonderful here. They seem to really enjoy the children and have great activities planned for them. We'll keep you posted on how it all goes!