Scientists in the House!

Science Fair is not optional at our house- not when Jason Payne is your father.  Fortunately they (all of them) love it.  The kids love spending time with Dad and working on a project together.  

This was the first year that Allie had to do it for a grade.  She wondered if there was a correlation between the weight of a chamisa gall and the mortality rate of the larva inside.  It was really fun that not many people (teachers/judges especially) even knew that there was a baby fly inside.

Luke's project was actually a scientific demonstration (4th and 5th grade have to do experiment vs. a scientific demonstration).  He made a crystal radio- A RADIO- out of an oatmeal container!  He could pick up two or three radio stations with it.  I was really excited and proud of him.  Did the judges get it?  I don't know if he spoke loud enough for them to understand.

 Wesley's experiment was "Which Rocket will go the highest?"  I think you can learn A LOT about my husband by looking at the Science Fair projects of his children.  Anyway Wesley shot off 3 rockets and thought the black one would go the highest.  It was the white one in the end.

 Cool flames!  Notice anything ironic in the background?  How funny and (initially) coincidental.

Wyatt's experiment?  How cute can a baby be when he climbs in a basket?  Results: Soooo CUTE!!!  Very scientific and conclusive.

It has certainly been a busy several weeks culminating with this past Friday when Jason and I both got to be judges down at the school.  That was so fun to talk with the kids about their projects!  We did not judge our own children though- in case you were wondering.  Fun but I am glad it is over now!

My exhausted scientists.

Out hiking with Wes

It is early Saturday morning and Wes and I are above our house in Love Cave canyon hiking to the big white rock.  We stopped to eat a snack.  The other kids stayed home- Luke's foot hurt and it was too early for Allie...

Outfoxing the fox

On our way home from science fair tonight we saw this big guy on the wall of this home two doors down from ours.  The man in the house eventually came to the window, probably after wondering why there was a van idling with a pile of kids outside.  We all stayed and watched this fox eat something out of the bowl on the wall for quite awhile.

This fox is an old friend after all.  Remember the photo we took of him last year in our back yard by our poor chickens?

All of the sudden we noticed a cat beneath the retaining wall by the sidewalk.  We were all excited about nature's lessons unfolding before our eyes.  The cat eventually jumped up on the wall and we thought he was a goner.  But no, that was his food bowl I suppose and he wound up chasing the fox off!

Evening ritual

You'll never want to brush your teeth at our house again...

Wesley's birthday date

Wesley chose Golden Corral for his birthday date- yuck but good?

Somehow we convinced him he wanted to watch the Secret Life of Walter Mitty.  We all thought it was great!

Welcome to Double Digits!

Allie turned 10.  That is still unbelievable.  I became a mother ten years ago.  Wow- it feels like... a hundred?  Two hundred years?  Oh wait, did I type that out loud?  

We have loved her for 10 years and even longer.  Allie requested a piano cake.  Pretty easy  to do- whew- and  I was so excited about how perfect Kit Kats would be for the black keys.  I really like Kit Kats too.  Jason was nice enough to get a shot of the cake by itself (I was kind of sad there wasn't a good shot of Wesley's cake before it caught fire.  Just fun to have a record of the cakes in all their homeliness).

 Take a deep breath, there are a lot of candles this time!

Allie is growing up.  She complains about having to share a room with her three year old sister.  AND all the chores and extra responsibilities she has and how unfair it is.  The boys always complain about how Allie always gets to stay over at friends longer, eat dinner with them, go to Activity Days and stay up late and how unfair it is!  I just have to laugh at the irony of it all.  I remember the exact same complaints growing up.  It seems you can't have your piano cake and eat it too.

Happy 6th Birthday to Wesley

We now begin the even years.  Now instead of telling people my children's ages are 9,7,5,3,1 I will have to stop and think about it, about how old each of them are.  At least until October when they will be 10,8,6,4,2.

This was one excited boy!  He woke us up early and asked why the birthday decorations weren't up yet.

 Wesley requested a tank for his Special Shapes cake.  That was my attempt at camouflage with frosting.  I realized it was missing a third camoflaging color.

 The silly shot (raisin faces).

The tank cake.  This is a shot of the cake after cannon gun caught on fire.

Wesley loves his snake hat!  When he put it on Luke says "You look like a worker!"  And Wesley said, running down the hall to look in the mirror "I am co-worker!  I work at the bank!  His pet spider named Bad Boy that Uncle Carter and Aunt Jen gave him was a huge hit!  He had to build it himself (with Dad and Allie).  He got a homemade Star Wars pillow case from "Aunt" Emily which he loves.  All in all it was a great day.