Game-a-thon

It's no secret that our family loves games. In fact, the Schleichers, Walquists, and Vaudts all grew up playing games from a young age and still enjoy game-playing at every family event. So, when Jason and I suggested that we implement a regular family gathering exclusively for playing games, everyone readily agreed. You might even say that they were all game. (ha ha!)

Jason and I hosted the first event at our home. The first thing we did was have dessert and then vote on our event name. Game Fest and Contest-a-palooza were close in the running, but Game-a-thon came out on top. Then, Jason insisted that we have an opening ceremonies. Our boys started the "torch" passing...

and the torch was then passed to every family member around the room.

Even the littlest Game-a-thon participants handed off the torch.

A few more hand-offs...

...and then, thanks to Ian, the torch was "lit!"

Our first series of games were designed just for the kids. You'll notice that Ian and Ryan excitedly wore their new ninja costumes for the first-ever Game-a-thon event. The first contest was a sort of relay. Two at a time, the boys scooped a cupful of water from this bowl...

and then dumped it into the blue bowl at the opposite end of the lawn.

Obviously, speed was important, but the boys soon learned that the faster they ran, the more likely they were to spill. Needless to say, all 4 boys were fairly soaked by the end of this little game! :)

The next game was similar-- a cooperative game transferring ice from one bowl to another using only plastic spoons.

The boys each had their own strategy for balancing the ice-filled spoons.

We had to hurry before the ice all melted in the Texas heat!

 After that, we did a brief game of hide-and-seek around the yard with tennis balls.

Then the boys had to toss wiffle balls into these tennis-ball targets.

After a few tosses by hand, the boys could use other objects to guide the wiffle balls into the correct place.

The last game we played was Shark Attack tag. The adults took turns being the shark...

...as they tried to tag the "fish" running back and forth across the yard.

Eventually, the kids took turns being the shark,

and then it turned into just a full-out game of tag. The boys LOVED this!

We cooled off with some homemade Jell-O popsicles. Yum!

Once all the kids (or at least the older ones) had gone to bed, we adults played a few games of our own. We each selected a game, assigned it a number, and then rolled a die to determine which ones to play first. Stone Age was the first game-of-choice. LOVE this game!

We ended our night with Guesstures (a perfect game for a laugh!) but didn't get a picture of that one. We love living close to family and having the opportunity to plan get-togethers like this one. Our hope is that the Game-a-thon event continues for years to come!

J&C Activities

The month of July fell into more of a routine for us. We weren't quite as consumed with the settling-in aspects of moving, so it was fun to be able to focus on doing activities with Jaden and Cody.

Family Time

We continued weekly Sunday gatherings with family. Quite a few of those get-togethers involved time in the pool before dinner.

Ryan, Cody, Ian, Jaden

Matt and Kim's neighborhood pool has a small toddler pool-- perfect for all our little ones!

Of course, the big pool is a hit, too. Jaden and Cody are LOVING time in the water this summer!

Spending time with family is always a highlight of our week! Jaden and Cody ask nearly every day for "Ian and Ryan to come over and play" or to go to Ian and Ryan's house. Getting extra attention from aunts and uncles is always fun too!

Baking

Cody and Jaden thoroughly enjoy spending time in the kitchen. Honestly, their help really is helpful (or at least it always has the potential to be) these days, so it's a wonderful stage! Their very favorite thing to do is to help make brownies or cookies. One day, I had Jaden and Cody help me make butter cookies-- a new recipe for them. They are captivated with the mixer.

Usually, after the dough has been made, the boys lose interest in the cookie-making process. I figured the cookie press would hold their attention a while longer...

And it did!

The boys helped until the last bit of dough was gone! They were always curious to see what new cookie shapes they could make.

And they were very focused (at least at first!) with the task of adding sprinkles.

But eating the warm cookies is always the best part! :)

Going to the Movies

After we moved, Kim told us about weekly kids' matinee movies that are offered in our area either for $1 or completely free. I doubted that Cody or Jaden would be interested enough to sit through an entire movie, so these cheap prices sounded like the perfect way to try out the theater! We selected Paddington (one of the free movies). Neither boy was willing to pose for a picture in the lobby, so this was the best shot I got.

Aunt Kim and Aunt Chelsea, along with their boys, joined us for the show.

The first-time movie-goers!

We had to arrive fairly early to get decent seats. Then, we sat through quite a few previews, so the boys were a bit restless before the movie even began. We made it through nearly 45 minutes of Paddington before both boys started asking to go home. This was actually quite a bit longer than I thought we'd make it! Despite our early departure, Jaden and Cody really did seem to enjoy the experience (as evidenced by their excitement and request to go again every time we pass by this theater). 

Washing the Car

What first started out as using "water squirters" to help Mommy wash the van...

quickly, and not surprisingly, turned into a twin water battle! The boys absolutely love these water guns that they received from Jon and Chelsea for their birthday. It's so funny to hear their giggles as they pelt each other with water. :)

Baptismal Celebration

On July 15th, we recognized Jaden and Cody's baptismal birthday. We started by showing them pictures of their baptism and talking about the events of that day. Jon and Chelsea actually put together a scrapbook of baptism pictures for our boys, so we enjoy using this book each year.

Then, we lit their baptismal candles and sang "I Was Baptized, Happy Day."

Remembering that we are part of God's family calls for a celebratory treat... brownies! :)

We ended our celebration by reading letters that we write to the boys each year-- letting them know how important they are to us, highlighting the aspects of faith that we love seeing in their lives, and giving them words of encouragement as they continue to grow as God's children. Some of our family members have contributed to this "faith book" as well. My goal is to add entries from key people who have an impact on the boys' faith development (pastors, youth leaders, teachers, etc.) throughout their lives. Finally, Daddy sang the song that he had written for the boys' baptism 3 years ago.

Experimenting with Science

One day, I brought out supplies to do a classic sink/float activity with the boys. They were VERY enthusiastic about this!

Before dropping the various items into the bowl, we'd try to predict the outcome. Jaden was a little better at this. Cody couldn't hold back his excitement and usually just tossed the item right into the water.

Of course, we had to repeat the experiment several different times.

These brief videos help you get a better idea of the boys' excitement. :)