Library, Strider, Fireworks and other happenings around the Bartholomew home

The summer schedule for the library is a bit more active than regular story time.  This day it was a move and dance theme.  At first the kids were really excited about it.

Do I see a future ballerina?

Then out of no where this little boy decides he is too shy to participate anymore.

  

While this pretty little thing was going crazy being strapped to the stroller.  She wanted to get down and dance with all the other kids.

I let her out reluctantly knowing I would just end up chasing her.  She didn't run, she danced just like the big kids!  I was so proud.  This is a dance move if you couldn't tell

My timid boy.  I really think he didn't like preforming infront of all those moms.  I even offered to get up and dance with him, but to no avail.

When she noticed that Jack wasn't dancing she got all shy too!  Not typical of her bubbly personality.  I supposed it was just an off day.

Thanks to our neighbor we have new toys at our house.  They have a little boy only a few months older than jack who cruises down the hill on his balance bike.  I mentioned to Ryan how cool these balance bikes were, and he went ahead and bought two!  He said it was his fathers day gift to himself.  If it teaches the kids to balance without him running behind hold the back of the seat then it is totally worth it.

Look! He almost looks as happy as the kid on the box.

These bikes are really actually super cool.  They don't have any pedals so the kids just use their feet to walk/run with the bike.  Jack loves his way more than his actual bike.  It is easier to for him to control and teaches him to balance at the same time.

This one loved watching all the action too.

He wanted to go down a hill (a very small hill).  I told him he needed to put on his helmet first.  I guess next time I might need to be a bit more specific.  Like, put on your helmet CORRECTLY.

This lovely picture almost made it to the top of our header.  It is pretty Bartholomawesome.  We were making a lovely tacky fathers day teeshirt for Ryan when this disaster happened.  Olivia made a bigger mess.  I didn't get a picture of her though.  I was too worried about paint getting on my camera/shirt/shoes/hair/sidewalk.

Who doesn't love a picture of a cute baby with big blue eyes and a ginormous snot!

This is how I found Kaitlynn early one morning.  She had already gotten dressed and was busy playing with daddy's ipad and it was barely even seven.  Funny girl.

With the steering wheel lowered and the seat all the way down even Olivia can get in on the strider action.

Okay maybe we need to just work on regular balance before we stick her on the bike.

I don't think she agrees.

Riverside is known for fireworks.  Fireworks are illegal in Kansas but not Missouri.  Since Riverside is the first town across the border it is the first place to get your fireworks!

The city has a firework celebration a couple of weeks before the fourth to try and educate and encourage proper firework use.  It's a lot of fun with a live band, food, blowup slides and a firework show at the end.  Kaitlynn and our neighbor Wesley watching the show together.  Ahhhh, young love.

After the firework show we danced in the street and through poppers on the ground.  

It takes some fine motor skill to pick out the poppers from the sawdust.

But totally worth it.

Examining what exactly happens to the popper after its been popped.  I didn't get the kids home until eleven! Their feet were so black and gross for running around that I still had to give them a bath before I could put them to bed.  I really did consider not doing it but  the next day was Sunday and being late is not an option since Ryan has had to play the organ for the last month.  Nine o'clock church can be a killer especially when it takes twenty minutes to get there!  We had fun though and survived.

Happy Fathers Day.  There is the shirt that caused all the mess!  We gave Ryan a bed fan.  Weird I know.  Our bedroom get ridiculously hot in the afternoon/evening so it is almost impossible to get comfortable at night.  Quite a few of our neighbors had already invested in them and swore by it them.  

We can't really say if we like it yet or not because the one we got was defected.  It just automatically turned itself up to high and then won't turn off unless you unplug it.  A new one is coming.  My favorite part about it though, is that it is advertised for menopausal women with night sweats!  Thats right I got my hubby a menopausal gift for Fathers Day!