Birthdays and Taking the Plunge

We gathered at my parents' home today to celebrate Father's Day, Papa's birthday, and Uncle Rob's birthday.

Uncle Rob was in a pretty bad accident a few months ago, and we're glad he's out of the hospital and back partying with us again. :)

It was a lovely day to dine outside . . .

. . . splash in the pool (with Turbo the Bitey Bird) . . .

. . . play in the yard . . .

 . . . and face age-appropriate challenges like jumping off the waterfall (she did it!) . . .

. . . and carefully walking down some steps (with Kitty along, for moral support).

Kids In (and Out of) the Pool

The kids continue to love beating the heat in our pool.

Ever wondered how many Hendricksons can you fit on one pool step?

All of the kids get into the pool at the beginning, but the amount of time they stay there directly corresponds to their age.  After splashing on the top step for a few minutes, Todd usually decides that it's more fun to climb on one of the chairs, or walk around on the deck.

Anna plays on the pool steps awhile until she gets too chilly, then she asks me to wrap her up in a cozy towel, and sits in a chair watching the big kids.

A little while later, Daniel usually gets cold, too, and snuggles in a towel on the deck.  Joy, who seems to have no insulation on her body at all, keeps playing in the cool water until I tell everyone it's time to go inside.

Father's Day Gifts for Our Favorite Jedi

We showered Daddy with presents for Father's Day today.  Joy led us in making some coupons earlier in the week (Anna promised to share her cookies with him, for example), and Daniel gave Daddy a few dollars from his bank (which Phillip says he'll use for Daddy dates to our favorite donut shop).

Mama gave Daddy red lightsaber chopsticks 'cuz we're geeky and the kids think his deep voice sounds like Darth Vader's.

The chopsticks even light up.  Cool.

May the Force be with you, Daddy!  We love you!

And don't forget to unwrap the Starburst before you eat it.

Race You to the Fig Tree!

The kids and I took off for the library today.

And I mean really took off, in some cases.  Joy and Daniel went tearing down the sidewalks on their scooters, then waited at the corners for the rest of us to catch up so they could take off again. 

At the library we checked out a few books then played on the giant Moreton Bay Fig tree outside.  Joy played for a little while . . .

. . . then settled down on a bench to read her library book until it was time to leave.  She is her mother's daughter.

Time to head home for lunch!

Scooting Sibs

Joy's new scooter arrived today . . .

. . . and she took it on its maiden voyage this afternoon.

I think we'll be scooting around town a lot this summer, but today we just rolled (or toddled) up and down the block . . .

. . . and our neighbors' seriously long driveway.  Daniel and Anna raced each other to the end and back several times, and though Daniel always got far ahead of Anna on the way down . . .

. . . he often let her catch up and just barely pass him on the way back up.  I thought that was really sweet of him.

Chilling in the Pool

We're a week into summer vacation, and my kids discovered the pool today.

OK, the pool has actually been in our courtyard for the whole decade we've lived in this building, but this afternoon the kids realized it would be handy for alleviating boredom and helping them cool off in this hot summer weather.

At first, Todd was content to watch from a chair . . .

. . . but pretty soon he decided he wanted to be part of the action.  Here he is doing synchronized splashing with Big Brother.

Making a Hendrickson train.

And yes, I gave Anna a haircut a few days ago.  I meant to just trim her long hair a little, but I somehow ended up trimming twice the amount I intended to.  Her new do looks cute, but I think I liked her long hairstyle a little better. 

Cousin Eric's 40th

My cousin Eric was in town this week . . .

. . . and our extended family gathered today for a BBQ to celebrate his 40th birthday.

Dessert was a Mother Lode cake from Claim Jumper.  It was delicious.  And enormous.

Most of the photos I took were candid and pretty random.  I post them partly because I think Cousin Rachel will enjoy them from afar . . .

. . . and partly because it makes me happy to get together with my family, and I want to remember this event (even though I had to leave in the middle of it to buy Todd some food at the grocery store because he was hungry, tired, and not at ALL interested in eating a burger).

Planes for Sale

Joy recently launched a new money-making venture selling . . .

. . . paper airplanes.  When she told me her plan, I was doubtful that anyone would pay good money for a paper airplane they could easily fold themselves, but I did my best to support her.  I gave her some paper, she looked up a paper airplane tutorial online and folded a few planes, then I hauled the card table and a chair out to the corner and she made a sign telling people what she was selling.

I'll be danged if she didn't make a couple dollars the first day, and about twenty dollars since then.  She charges fifty cents per plane, and then upsells people by offering flight instructions for an extra quarter, and decorating their plane for an additional quarter.  Most people buy the whole package.  Sometimes Daniel sits at the table keeping Joy company, and she gives him a dollar of her earnings that day.  I don't know where this girl got her business skills, 'cuz it sure wasn't from her parents.  Maybe from her Papa?

Fun and Games at the Park

A friend of ours organized a fun barbecue at the park this weekend.

Here he is explaining a chalk drawing contest to the kids.

Anna enjoyed playing with Sadie, her best friend from preschool.

Todd and Daniel went for a walk on the wall (somehow, being atop a wall made walking more fun).

Awww . . . cute smile, T-Dot.

Our friend also planned a game where we threw a Frisbee at some dollar store prizes, and whoever landed closest to each prize won it.

I scored a watercolor paint set.

If you're confused about what that thing is that Phillip won, allow me to clarify . . .

It was a jump rope, and Anna thinks it's pretty cool.