Pranksters in Training

A good Mom teaches her children to flawlessly execute kick ass pranks.  First, you must be totally prepared.  We spent the morning sticking peeps on skewers so they were ready to go in the ground.

Next, find an accomplice.  We suggested Dave and Seth call Randy up for a lunch date on a random Sunday....oh nothing, we just know you haven't seen him in a while...and oh, yeah, can you call us when you get to the restaurant and before you leave to head back.....heehee.

Third, and this one only applies to Kya:  Try to stay awake on the ride from our house to the prank destination.  She slept the whole time Ryker and I put the peeps out.

Fourth, and this ones for me, make a great sign, but don't tell your 3 year old what it says or he'll be repeating it all week.  Talking about a peep show at school is a little inappropriate.

Fifth and we broke this rule:  never return to the scene of the crime 

Randy is in for it for years to come.  He lives close to our house and it always a good sport.  I'm sure these to will come up with some pranks of their own in the years to come.  Writing this reminded me of another time when Ryker was 2 when we left him a little surprise just to make him wonder who did it.  I pulled this picture off his Facebook page.

Big Rigs

Paccar had it's annual open house and of course, we were there!  We pass this place twice a day on our commute and it is set way back in the trees, real "secret squirrel" if you will.  The kids see new brightly colored semi trucks going in and out of there all the time and always ask what that place is and if we can go in.  I told them they were only open to the public once a year and Ryker likened it to Willy Wonka's Chocolate Factory.  Exactly, but not quite as cool....no Wonkavator, no geese laying golden eggs, no bubble potion that makes you float to the ceiling, and they won't have any candy.  I didn't want him to get his hopes up too high.

Ryker's favorites:  The ladder truck raising the American Flag to the top of the ladder, the "snow room" where the test the trucks in below 0 weather, the "truck shakers" and "door slammers", the big hill on the testing track, and the go cart type cars on display from some kids groups.  Most of the rooms you couldn't take pictures in because they are doing some "top secret" testing, so you'll have to take Ryker's word for it.  It's a cool place.

Random April Pics

Everyone needs a good cheerleader while on the potty?!

Kya got these shoes in her hand me down box.  The straps don't even buckle but she really wanted to wear them.  I couldn't stop laughing.  Even looking at these pictures with her chubby little feet crammed in those shoes cracks me up.

I took a picture of Ryker's chubby little feet too, then he want his hands taken too.

Wow, all kinds of good stuff in this hand me down box.

Ryker and I couldn't wait for a sunny day for a water balloon fight so we put on our raincoats and got after it.

Seth and Ryker rigged up a rabbit trap.  Ryker ate his dinner in this chair so he could watch his trap and be close to the string if one hopped in.  I'm sure they'll be going after that carrot bait any minute now, buddy.

This little grin knows he'll never catch one, but she's egging him on so he sits there all day while she has all the toys to herself.

Still nothing.  The tote was down the next day and when we went out to set it back up a snake crawled out.  Ryker thought he caught the snake and that's why it fell down.  I didn't have the heart to tell him that most likely the tote fell down and the snake was using it for a nice house. 

Monkey See, Monkey Do, Kid's Will Eat the Same as You

Don't tell your Dad that I let you eat bananas in his truck.  He doesn't like his vehicle to be quite the sty that mine is.

No one will ever accuse these two of being picky eaters.  Every time we give them something new, I am amazed by them.  With our CSA in full swing now, Kya is getting her first taste of a lot of things.  She, like her big bro, shovels the currants (sour and bitter) into her mouth straight from the bush, begs for crab being cracked on the beach, sucks down clams (I'm no fan of clams, but pretend I like them because I don't want to ruin their good eating habits by being picky) like they're going out of style, snarfs down kale and spinach like she's Popeye, and ate her first fava beans today.  I had to serve Ryker kale at least 5 times before he started eating it.  I think Kya has the advantage of watching him eat it so she doesn't have time to make up her own mind about it.  She just dives in so she can be like her big bro.  They are always up to try anything.  As the manners book says, "funny, or runny, or something new, try at least a bite or two."  Most of the time they end up liking it.  I'm still amazed about Kya's hatred for chocolate, but if it sticks, it will be for the best.  I wish I gagged from the taste of chocolate.  Here's Ryker, excited for the first peel and eat shrimp of the season.

Kya tried them for the first time and also loved them.  Ryker showed her how to peel them, helped her pinch the head off, and explained that the brown stuff was guts and poop, but that it was okay to eat it.  Hmmmm....you might want to question that advice when you're older Kya.  You don't want to get tricked into eating a handful of chum eggs squeezed straight from the salmon.  You never know with those boys.