Tim the Welder

Timothy is aquiring a new skill...welding! Ya, I think it's a little crazy too. But I also love that my little boy is so willing and so excited to try something new. I don't think I would have had the courage to do that at his age! A big thank you to Uncle Jacob for taking the time and having the patience to teach Tim such a manly skill!

Too good not to post...

I'm going to keep this forever! I have to remember how important my job is. Being a mother is the absolutely most difficult, frustrating, exasperating job, but, every once in a while, your child reminds you just why it is you wanted the job in the first place. 

A visit from Uncle Ben

 One of the best parts of the summer was a visit from Uncle Ben! We love Ben so much!!!

 Ben loves a good burger, so we took him to In-n-Out for one of the best burgers around.

 Gilroy Gardens was a blast! Ben loved the Quicksilver Express, a fun rollercoaster. Lizzy couldn't go, so Ben went with his nephews on this one. So much fun!

 Uncle Ben loves a good movie, complete with popcorn and skittles! We saw the Zookeeper together and I loved listening to Ben and his niece and nephews laugh and laugh!

For family home evening we joined our cousins, the Mallette's, for a night at the bowling alley. Ben is a great bowler! Everyone had a fabulous time!

The best part of our time with Ben was the Raine Family Reunion! Ben loves spending time with his family and catching up with cousins he doesn't get to see often. Here is Ben relaxing with the fam at the beach.

 And Jeffrey brought his slack line for everyone to try.

We had such a great time with you Uncle Ben...come again soon!

Tim had a birthday, shout HOORAY!

My Timothy turned 8! It is fitting that he was born just 53 minutes before the 4th of July, because he is my little firecracker! Tim adds the spice to our family. He loves to dance and do all kinds of crazy tricks. He just started cub scouts and had a fantastic time at Cub Camp. It even inspired this "bull's eye" cake! He is quite the little artist and enjoys drawing people...well...super people and scary monsters with large weapons and big muscles. He loves quesadillas but hates pizza. He will still cuddle and kiss his mommy, and his mommy absolutely loves him for everything he is! Happy birthday Mr. T!

June, briefly.

Summer. Not one post. Just no time! So here are a few things you may have missed...Brennen's piano recital, art camp for Gabe, Tim shooting at Cub Camp, Lizzy picking Olallieberries, and a family trip to Yosemite. Whew!
























Getting ready for summer!

It's the home stretch...only 9 school days left 'till summer. I approach this time with equal parts of dread and anticipation. Don't get me wrong, I love summer! Well, in theory anyway. The reality of it is having 4 kids at home with 4 ideas of what to do makes for at least 3 unhappy kids and 1 very frustrated mommy! My solution? Lists, schedules, and rules. Yep. I'm that mom. So summertime will include (even if it kills me!) scripture time, jobs, and *gasp* LEARNING! And we can have some fun along the way too. So I made a list of some family activities and had the kids rank the activities. Here are the results:


Brennen
1 Giant's Game
2 Jelly Belly Factory
3 Free concert series
4 Yosemite
5 Dennis the Menace Park
6 Berry Picking
7 Beach
8 Mall
9 Monterey Bay Aquarium
10 Golden Gate Park
11 CRC-basketball
12 CRC-swim
13 CRC-workout
14 Wii Game
15 Drive-in movie
16 Pinnacles-hiking
17 Harvey Bear-hiking
18 Aquatic Center
19 Neighborhood pool
20 Campout in the backyard
21 Park
22 Picnic
23 Try a new recipe
24 Gilroy Gardens
25 Science Experiments
26 Library
27 Board Game
28 Art Project
29 Storytime @the Library

Gabe
1 Jelly Belly Factory
2 Yosemite
3 Campout in the backyard
4 Mall
5 Harvey Bear-hiking
6 Pinnacles-hiking
7 Drive-in movie
8 Dennis the Menace Park
9 Monterey Bay Aquarium
10 Golden Gate Park
11 Berry Picking
12 Aquatic Center
13 Library
14 Storytime @the Library
15 Try a new recipe
16 Beach
17 Park
18 Picnic
19 Giant's Game
21 Art Project
22 Board Game
23 Science Experiments
23 Wii Game
24 Neighborhood pool
25 CRC-basketball
26 CRC-swim
27 CRC-workout
28 Gilroy Gardens
29 Free concert series

Tim
1 Yosemite
2 Giant's Game
3 Drive-in movie
4 Campout in the backyard
5 Monterey Bay Aquarium
6 Free concert series
7 Wii Game
8 Jelly Belly Factory

Lizzy's #1 was Gilroy Gardens with Berry Picking a close 2nd.

Can we do it? Well, anything's possible, right?!

Spring Break - Highlights

If a picture is worth a thousand words, no one's going to read this...seriously.
Ok, ok, I got a little bit picture happy. So sue me.

Spring break in San Diego with lots of family, lots of walking, and lots of FUN!

Tim and his daddy get ready for the flight simulator at the Air & Space Museum

Flight suit dress up time!


Yep...that's an elephant's behind. Don't know what got into me...

Tim & Lizzy atop a prehistoric lion.

Cousins!

(Is there anything better?)

Autumn was all for packing this little guy in her suitcase!

And we actually got a shot of just the two of us, thanks to our Gabe!

How surprised was I that THIS was the only thing Gabe wanted? Not very.

And the best part of our trip? Having our big crazy family all together! (And when I say crazy, I mean the extended part of our family...'cuz we're totally normal! ;o) )

The thrill of the hunt!

Shiny plastic eggs filled with candy scattered all over the yard means lots of FUN for everyone! Brennen and Gabe opted out of the hunt this year and graduated instead to the egg hiding crew. Lizzy was on her fourth (yes, I said fourth) hunt of the week. And Tim, being the oldest, was pulling in quite the candy load!

And as for Easter pictures with all my kids, this one was the best of the lot!

(see previous post for more interesting shots)

Lizzy and Tim with cousins, Hayden, Carter and Miles showing off their spoils.

Easter picture fail...

If anyone has any tips on getting four children all looking and smiling at the same time, I'd really like to know.

So we start out with 3 out of 4...
Then add the 4th, but he's in trouble at the moment for something I can't remember, so he's a sullen kind of 4th.

And then the light is too much for B.

So we try again...

and again...

Until I just give up.

The Easter Bunny was thrilled to find those purple ties though!

Wacky Thursday!

I know what you're thinking...wacky Thursday? Well, at Lizzy's preschool there just so happened to be a "Wacky Wednesday", but since she only goes on Tuesday and Thursday her class got to dress as silly as they wanted on Thursday instead. Lizzy picked her outfit all by herself and even wore it to bed the night before. And she wouldn't let me touch her hair, not even to run a brush through it. Oh, and don't forget about the boots! Now that's WaCkY!

Gabe and the Arrow of Light

Well, it seems as if the Piper family has been in cub scouts FOREVER...maybe because we have! But tonight was a special night in cub scouts, Gabe was awarded the Arrow of Light award. This is the highest award in Cub Scouts and is the only award he can take with him to Boy Scouts and into adulthood. We are so proud of Gabe and the many accomplishments he has earned in scouting. And I know he is already having a fabulous time in Boy Scouts and planning to go on and earn his Eagle!

Soccer!

I love the idea of my children having after-school activities, but usually, when it comes down to it, getting them all where they need to go at the time they need to be there is just a tad overwhelming for me. But even so, I decided to let Gabe and Tim join a soccer league. And I have been very happy so far. They both have just one practice during the week, and a game each on Saturday. There is a park for Lizzy to play at (always a huge bonus!) and they always play at the same field. I have had so much fun watching them play and develop their skills. And after practice, I have really loved how tired they are...Tim goes right to sleep! Gabe as goalie.

Gabe's team: The Red Bulls

Timothy's team: The Cobras

How many Pipers fit in a queen size bed?

The Answer: One! Jeffrey and the two older boys were out camping with the scouts this weekend, so I, being the kind mother I am, invited my sweet 7 year old Timothy to stay in my bed for one night. Only he didn't leave any room for me!

Lizzy-isms

This girl is absolutely delightful...most of the time anyway. I just love the things she says, and the words she uses. So here are a few of my current favs!

"Mom, are you going to school or not? I don't care...I'm a genius!"

"Cupfolder" = cupholder

"Ring around the rosies, hopsa copsa rosie, ash-lez, ash-lez, we all fall down!"

"Jew-li-er" = jewelry

Reading time with Tim

To say that Tim is thrilled to spend what used to be 20 minutes, but has now been upped to 30 minutes, reading out loud every day after school, would be stretching the truth a bit. Ok, it's an outright lie! So when he accidently skips a day and ends up with double the reading to do before he can go play, it can be a bit of a struggle. Lucky for us we have a full library of Diary of a Wimpy Kid and Garfield comics to make the reading a little more fun. Today Garfield was the choice. Tim even exclaimed, "I could read Garfield for TWO hours!" Did he? Nope. But it was interesting to watch my young man as he made himself comfy during his hour of booktime.