Linky Loves His Ant and Aunt

I should write a book

How to entertain your kids on the cheap:

#1 PetSmart. It's like the zoo--but free. And like having a pet--with none of the responsibility.

#2 Green Gorilla Carwash. You get a clean car and they are entertained for 7 minutes while you go through the wash and 10 minutes while the kids vacuum out the inside. Plus the anticipation build up every time you drive passed is awesome.

#3 Take your ring in for a cleaning and inspection at S.E. Needham's. Free if you bought your ring from them and the chocolate fountain and bottles of water are also free. Watching the boys sit on the step eating their cookies while we wait, priceless.

Lemonade Stand

The boys welcomed summer with their very own lemonade stand.

Not to be biased, but it was the cutest little lemonade stand I saw all day.

Chod proclaimed himself an experienced lemonade stand patron and shared with us what he thinks makes for the best and most likely to thrive stands.

#1 Good tasting lemonade

#2 Ice (preferably from Sonic)

#3 The lemonade must be poured onto the ice. No one wants to drink lemonade from a pitcher that is warm from sitting in the sun. And no one wants watered down warm lemonade that once had ice in it.

#3 Bendy Straws

And all these years I thought it was cute stands and cute kids that got people to stop. We pulled out the bendy straws and made a run to Sonic for ice and we were in business. Please notice the bowl of ice on the bottom shelf.

Things started off really slow--just neighbor kids hovering and Bentley and Lincoln drinking the profits. But then our first customer!

Yes, that is a very pink-haired man on a Harley.

The first sale got Bentley really excited and he starting calling out, "Lemonade! Ice Cold Lemonade! If you have money you can buy some! If you don't have money you should ask your parents for some!"

Thanks to an after hour drop-in by Ty and Tameka the total earnings for the day came to $7.

Keeping the Road Safe

In the car today, Bentley asked "Dad have they taken your driver's license away yet?

Chod responded, "No."

I chimed in with a "Not yet."

Bentley, "Oh are they gonna come and take it away?"

Chod, "Whhhhat?! Am I that bad of a driver that they need to take it away?"

Bentley, "No, but Mom told me that when people are 100 they take their driver's license away and they can't drive anymore."

Me, "It's true, I told him when people get really old they aren't safe to drive and they take their license away."

Don't know if Chod would rather be considered 100 or a bad driver.

Climbing the Wall

Is my hair turning grey? Cause it should be.

Today, I met friends on campus to take pictures of their family on the A. On our way down the hill to our car, Lincoln was suddenly missing. Not understanding how 5 seconds ago he was behind me on the sidewalk, and now missing, I went to investigate.

What I found was him 3/4 of the way up this wall. With me standing under him just in case (that's a concrete sidewalk at the base) and Chod retrieved him at the top.

It isn't the first time he's fallen behind and I've found him climbing. Last week he scaled the chain link fence at the zoo. His little flip flops are his preferred climbing footwear.

We've agreed that Lincoln can climb but he must ask permission first and have a spotter, just in case.

But I really don't like it.

How's the Think?

When Bentley is confused he says his "think is spinning."

When Bentley doesn't know the answer he says his "think is lost."

When Bentley doesn't want to cooperate he says his "think is stuck."

We've been hearing a lot about that think of his, with no idea where it came from. It sounds Seuss-ish to me. Maybe Cat In The Hat as something to do with it?

Rhinestones and Squeaks

 While Linky loved having Millie in our house, I think he's really missing her (future) squeaker shoes.

Complete with patent leather and pretty rhinestones.

 And I'm glad she took them with her.

Don't tell me what to do

Chod has a problem with authority and all around hates being told what to do. Hates it.

So the fact that as soon as he enters the car our 2 year old in the backseat starts yelling, "DAD, PUT YOUR SEATBELT ON! RIGHT. NOW." with his finger pointing, really bothers him.

Lincoln has gotten so quick at giving out the order that sometimes Chod hasn't even shut his door before Lincoln starts yelling. Most of the time Chod is obedient and buckles up. And other times he drives a good distance with Lincoln yelling, just to prove that he doesn't take orders from a 2 year old.

Card Carrier

For some reason I thought you had to be 6 to get a library card, so when I found out you only have to be 5 we headed in to get Bentley a card of his own.

He had to sign the form.

He loves his card so much and carried it around with him all afternoon/night yesterday and picked it up again this morning. It is exciting to have a library card of your own!

How cute is his little signature on the back of his card!

Airplane Museum

We spent Memorial Day at the Hill Aerospace Museum, along with all the other people escaping the rain.

We invited the Keck's to come with us, and the kids had more fun running amok than looking at airplanes.

Future Nerd

Yesterday, Bentley used his cheese and crackers to construct a satellite. Not the kind on your house, but the kind in space.

And he is sure somewhere hidden in Chod's Make Magazines are the instructions of how to build your own iPad. So he spends lots of time looking through them in hopes of learning how he can build his own.

Oh, how he makes his dad's heart happy.