Girl on the Run

Ok, this will be an actual real-time post before I get back into "catch-up from summer" blogging mode.  Seriously, I will stop eating my bon bons, lying on the couch and doing nothing so I can get back to writing stories...

Today, Beans ran her first "official" 5K run with Girls on the Run.  The day started out with a nice protein-filled breakfast and lots of race flare for Beans and her fan club.

Daddy and Beans headed off to the race, while I got the rest of the crew ready.  Maybe there was a little bit more yelling and frustration then happiness and cheer as I got the other 4 kids out the door.  Seems like a fun family event doesn't really get started until their is some dysfunction, tears, and sore vocal chords.  One of these days - right?  But they pretended to be happy and smile for one pic before we left....it looks convincing right?

I think the fan club and I walked a 5K to get to the race, barely making it there in time for the start....so typical.  This is what we got to see at the start:

But don't worry sports fans and rubber bands!  We had a live, one-the-scene reporter there to grab the crucial moments of this girl's run:

And in the middle of the race:

We were all anxiously waiting for her at the finish line, even though some of us wanted to run down by the stream and throw things in it.  Said person required threat of bodily harm if they did not stand still at the finish line and cheer happily for their big sister:

I think he finally got the message.  We at least got to see her cross the finish line and that really cute, live, on-the-scene reporter also shot the winning moment:)

you can barely see the reporter filming the rockstar as she runs, she has pink leggings on.....

And her adoring fan club was there in the end to celebrate her great accomplishment with her....

The on-the-scene reporter with his little clone:

Our walk back to the car was oddly peaceful...maybe that had something to do with the little clone going with the Big Daddy, maybe.

It was a great day, despite the frustrations, and Beans was happy and tired at the end.  She wanted nothing more than to go home, snuggle up under her covers, and finish her Nancy Drew book. Well-earned I would say!

Butterflies A'Plenty

Each year we love going to the Olbrich Garden's Bloomin' Butterfly Event.   They fill their conservatory with butterflies.  The outdoor gardens are also full of butterflies.  We prepare about a week early for this by getting all the butterfly books possible from the library.  We printed out butterfly lifecycle worksheets and books and became butterfly aficionados before the event.  The day of, everyone decked themselves out in butterfly gear - butterfly T-shirt for me, dresses for the girls, and Smoosh picked out a bright colored shirt so "butterflies would think I'm really good food."  Otter followed suit with a not-so-loud red T-shirt.

We read more butterfly books and listened to a butterfly book on CD on the way there.

Once at the gardens, we met up with our friends and had a great picnic to make sure we had plenty of energy to do all that lookin'!

Yeah...butterflies!  They have quite the collection of specimens donated from a local butterfly enthusiast!

Beans is explaining her journaling to Jo Anna.

Staring closeup at butterflies.

...investamigating...

She's trying to lure butterflies onto her fingers.

Discussing very important matters.

And, as with all of our adventures, we came home tired (not so cranky this time!) and had nice long naps...at least the littler kiddos and I!!

Chillin'

And a Happy Friday to all:)

Getting Buggy with It

Smoosh has been very into the bugs lately.  He collected several mosquito larva and we watched as they molted, formed into pupae, and then hatched into mosquitoes.  I was a bit at a loss as to what to do with the adult mosquitoes as they were, after all, mosquitoes.  Anyways, his interested was peaked and we decided to get lots of books on insects and then found this great website:  Home Science Tools.  Like a kiddo on Christmas morning, I eagerly browsed through pages of petri dishes, forceps, beakers, and other cool stuff before I settled on some basic science goodies for the kids.  Smoosh counted down the days until we got an exciting package in the mail:

Smoosh wasted no time at all in collecting specimens to study:

He even set up a bug museum next to Beanie's lemonade stand to display his collection to any neighbor interested in the local bug fauna.

The sign says "Free Bug Museum;" we suggested he might want to offer it free as a community service.

I mean, really, who doesn't want to stare at a fat grub in a petri dish?  Since our science tools have come, he has been spending so much time outside collecting insects.  It has been pretty neat to see the diversity he has found in the pool, garden, and all about the house.  I'm not quite as excited about the jars of Japanese beetles, mosquito larva, and the terrarium with the slug in it hanging around my kitchen, but at least he has not found any snakes to bring home. 

Super Fun Fridays

Ok, I'm totally stealing that phrase from my neighbors.  Use a good phrase when you hear one right?  So, our day started out with some boy goofiness and girls getting primped with "pretty hair" while watching some Shaun the Sheep (best show on Netflix pretty much ever). 

 Then it was off to the library to collect prizes for the summer reading program and pick up lots of books on butterflies for our Super Fun Friday that is coming up next week....

Yeah prizes!  Everyone earned their free Dane County Fair pass!

Enjoying some reading time while waiting for the other librophiles.

Checking out books togethers...

She's turned into a full stink and will now swipe books off the shelves a we go down the aisles.  I couldn't get too upset thought when I saw what book she swiped this time.

Since everyone had fair passes and it was raining, I thought it would be pretty clever to head to the fair.  With it raining, no one could ride the rides or be asking to do them....right?  Well, yeah, right if the weather stayed the same.  Within 10 minutes of getting to the fair, it was all sunshine and heat.  We still didn't do any rides; I was granted some mercy as I begged to be free of them with 6 kids and the second mortgage I would have to take on the house just for them all to ride.  Needless to say, we found plenty of other fun things to do.

At the start of the fair.

Fair Food!!!

I think sitting on the cow was the highlight of the fair for some....

We seriously need a farm....seriously....

...like all of us want a farm...even that goat wants us to have a farm...

See Daddy?!?!?  We could have pet goats in our backyard!

Digging through the compost to find some worms....maybe she actually read something from that book she swiped earlier.

Making crowns....

...showing off crowns.

...sharing buttons.

Making buttons...

YEAH!! Baby yellow ducklings!  It was hard to get Smoosh to put his back and not sneak it into his pocket to bring home. Alright, alright, maybe he got the idea from me trying to sneak baby chicks into my pockets....

He broke away from the crowd of kids because he saw Squeaks in her stroller wanting to pet the snake.  Really cool guy with a great big heart and great big snake.  Awesome.

Cooling off in the sprinkler tent as we finished off the day.

And the end of the fair.

I was fairly tired by the end of this particular Super Fun Friday.  Perhaps a few of us were even cranky....maybe, just maybe...

RaSpBeRriEs!!!!

Even though our cherry harvest was a tad bit disappointing, I knew that we still had our good ol' raspberry patch.  OOOoooohhhh I love raspberry season!!!  The kids have the routine down pretty well; smother oneself in mosquito repellant, find large bowls, pick and eat away!!  Then comes the time for some jammin'.

Lots of Raspberries....check.

Sterilized jars.....check.

Employing child labor to make the jam.....check.

Jars full of delicious raspberry jamness.....double and triple checked

!

 The best part is that this is just the first pick of the season.  We still have another week or so to go of harvesting.  We will be throwing these guys in our pancakes, muffins, and all sorts of other goodies until that very last raspberry is picked and enjoyed.