Complete

Having completed the chronicling of life before Isaiah Timothy, we will now resume posting from the time directly after his homecoming.

It's no surprise.  It's a tradition.  Shortly after we arrive at home with a new baby, we take all the books off and load all the kids up.

 

Our bookshelf is now complete.

 

One for every shelf.  

And in good time, too.  Xandra's almost outgrown her shelf.

Dad Day Adventures

After church on Father's Day, we sent Tikvah and Joey home to nap with Grandma.  Then we headed with Xandra, Theia and Aliyah to a museum in Fargo called Bonanzaville.  

 

 It's full of buildings to explore from pioneer days, like the first sod house in North Dakota (above), general stores, banks and churches from bygone days.

 

There are also old cars, tractors, Indian and military artifacts.

 

Uncle Ryan, Laura, his dad, Eldon and their two oldest girls, Cora and Evie, came and checked out the artifacts, too.

 

There was a mean game of checkers between Laura and Tim, in which neither of them knew the rules, but it didn't matter because you always let your dad win on Father's Day.

 

The kids and I grew bored of the checkers game and went to explore on our own.  We found the bank and the church and

 

then we found grandpa with the phones.

 

It was fun, but good and tiring.  At the end of the day, I wanted to get one last family photo.  When the girls heard this, they all ran, but we caught Theia and took this lovely photo

 

by the loom.

 

Then we wrangled up the other two girls

 

and snapped two equally good Father's Day photos of the whole crew.

 

Back RaceTrack

For Father's Day the kids and I worked together to create a homemade gift for Joe.

 

I traced a roadway and town on the back of a white t-shirt

 and the kids colored in all the buildings and roads.

 

The plan, then, was for him to nap on the floor and for them to use the track to drive cars on his back.  Babysitting and napping at their best.

We made one for Gramps, too.

 

It was complete with a dirt road on the bottom near the house.  The girls cleverly wanted it to mimic the road near Gramps' house.  After we gave Gramps his shirt, we woke daddy with breakfast.

 

He got oj and Honey Nut Cheerios.

 

 and a shirt, much like Gramps', that he decided to use as a napkin.

 

I haven't chronicled him and the kids playing with the shirt, yet, but they enjoy having him make up stories as they drive their car all about the town doing whatever the story dictates.

Sunshine & Rainbows Part V: Unforgettable Moments

For the third straight year, Uncle Joe hosted a series of foot races among the kids.

 

I captured the beginning and the middle, but have no idea what happened at the end. Someone won, and someone else probably fell, and someone else probably got hurt, and there were probably no less than two children crying.  That's how these things usually end.

 

After the big foot race, we enjoyed another tradition: a campfire and s'mores.

Xandra & Uncle Josh

Kiyah

Theia, Xandra, Uncle Josh, Laney, Aunt Beth, Evie, Liam

Left to Right:  Cora (in back), Uncle Andy, Aliyah, Joe, Theia, Xandra, Evie, Liam, Auntie Beth (in back)

 

After the s'mores, the adults also played some silly game involving famous people, but I can't remember anything about it now, except that Andy coordinated it and I'm pretty sure I lost.  

It's a good thing I'm tasked with chronicling our families big moments since I've been gifted with such an amazing memory and attention to detail.  

Sunshine & Rainbows Part IV: Tricks on Bikes

This poster appeared on the door of the Pull house the Wednesday before the reunion.  You'll notice after it was posted that they had a last minute edit moving the performance day from Thursday to Monday.

 

The kids practiced and bossed each other around about the big day all weekend.

 

They also hired a clown to be the MC of Tricks on Bikes.

 

They didn't have any money to pay him, so they had to just take what they could get for free.

 

Once he gathered everyone's attention,

 

the show began.

 

It consisted mostly of kids riding their bikes in circles.  Then the big kid joined in with his big bike.

 

Tikvah was waving back at the performers.

 

Uncle Ryan even took a turn.

 

Then Xandra and Gramps performed synchronized biking,

 

 and were followed up by a bike caravan.

The grand finale involved Uncle Ryan and Gramps in one (almost) death defying stunt.

 

Thankfully, they defied death.  Then the adults all went back to eating and the kids all went back to bossing.

Sunshine and Rainbows, Part III: Productivity

While SOME of the adults lounged about,

 

the rest of us (actually just Grandma) kept the kids busy

 

painting.

 

They painted cars

 

and birdhouses.

 

She's a very brave woman.

 

 And productive too.  

Unlike others who will go unmentioned, but not unpictured (see above).

Sunshine & Rainbows, Part 2: Snuggles, Beatings & Eatings

More highlights from the family reunion included walks with Autie Laura (and anyone else they could convince) to the bridge, (There is a bridge at the end of my in-laws driveway and the kids love to go down there and throw rocks off of it.)

 

snuggles with Auntie Beth (or any available lap),

 

swinging in the swing with Gramps pushing,

 

and knocking Gramps over, too,

 

playing hide and seek at the window with Liam,

 

and holding baby Edmund (or any baby she can get her hands on).

 

There was also an incident of good-natured head butting involving Joey and Gramps.  Gramps didn't make out too well.

 

When we weren't abusing gramps, there was also eating.  Lots and lots of eating.