School and Baths

I just started giving the girls baths together last week. It speeds up the whole bathing process! The only downfall, at this time, is they splash together. When it was just one at a time they would splash a little and then get bored with it. Now it is pretty continuous. When one starts the other joins in! By the time we are done, I think I am just as wet if not more than them! I am attempting to add a video of some of their splashing at the end of this post, we'll see if it works. Two weeks ago was the start of school for the kids. Here are David and Dayna on their first day of school. Sorry its such a dark pic, had to take it in the shade because while standing in the sun, David was uncooperative!

Dylan is ready for his first day of 2nd grade! He is excited he has Mrs Vander Molen, who was also his Uncle Jason's teacher at Ontario Christian and his Aunt Laura's teacher here at Ripon Christian. He is also feeling pretty lucky because he doesn't have to ride the bus for awhile in the mornings. Grandma K is subbing for a teacher in the HS for awhile and has generously offerred to take Dylan to school in the mornings! I am thrilled, because it means I don't have to worry whether Dave is going to make it into the house on time to bring him to the bus stop or not and I don't have to load 4 other kids into the car at 715 to bring him to the stop myself! Thanks Mom again!!! He really enjoys his alone time with Grandma!

Knights Ferry

The other day we spent the afternoon in Knights Ferry. A nice close get-away! The kids enjoyed seeing the covered bridge, old buildings (dylan was proud he could read all the naratives), hiking the trails and playing in the very cold river. It was a lot of fun to get out and do something that all of us could be a part of. Dave and I had carriers on in order to carry the girls. They were super good and enjoyed being outside and watching their brothers and sister run and splash around. The kids outside one side of the bridge. Walking through the bridge. It had a few spots that it didn't have wood on the side, kind of like windows, so you could see the view and/or the river below.

The kids peering through the boards to see the river below us. Dave said wouldn't it be fun if there was an earthquake right now. Dylan and David were excited with that thought. They wanted to surf on the boards while fell into the river.
A semi-group picture at one of the stops during our hike. At one point we heard a rattlesnake and that put a look of terror on Dayna's face for the rest of the hike!! We ended up telling her it was just the wind through the weeds :)

The kids stopped splashing and skipping rocks long enough for me to snap a pic of them in the water under the bridge.