This year John has decided that he wants to backpack.  I'm for it but want to start small.  First off, we have no gear.  Ok, we do - 1 backpacking sleeping bag, 2 backpacking sleeping mats, 1 backpack camp stove, lots of water bottles, 1 waterfilter.  That isn't quite enough of the gear that we would need for 2 adults and 3 kiddos so a compromise - boatcamping.  We have this old boat.  I figure that we can boat into campsites and then go hiking during the day to return to our campsite for the night.  With the boat we can carry more gear and more importantly lots of food but not like car camping.  We can keep the gear paired to the minimum because we have a small boat and five of us.  In order to get ready for this summer adventure we have to get into hiking shape.  Originally we were going to walk the North Lake Whatcom Trail but the boys wanted something more challenging with hills.  We weren't sure if our backs were into a steep hike (I injured mine and John was rear ended) so Frangrance Lake offered the best for all of us, some hills, some flats, not too far.  There are three approaches to the Lake and we took the middle one from Cleator Road.  Immediately upon arriving Job found this stick (actually it was more like a young tree) and decided that it was his stick for the hike.  Lona took off with Skagit in the lead running up the hills with Isaac and John following.  I think that Job and I walked for 1/2 hour before catching up to them and that was only because Isaac needed jellybeans for his low sugar.  Then we came to the waterfall and Skagit was all over it.  I am surprised at how much he loves the water.  It seems like some dogs love to fetch or are into agility training or running but not our dog.  He's not that athletic but when it comes to swimming he just can't get enough and if you throw a stick into the water he's in heaven.  We never made it to Frangrance Lake but not because we couldn't but because some unexpected events caused us to need to turn around and go home.  It may not have been what we were planning but it was perfect anyway.

John veut de faire du camping cette ete.  Il veut marcher a la place.  Nous n'avons pas les chose pour faire ca. Alors je pense que nous pouvons prendre notre bateau avec tous les equipement et puis pendent le jour nous pouvons faire un promenade dans le bois et retourne pour le nuit.  Samedi, nous avons decide de faire un excursion a pied pour practiquer. Les garcons voulus des montee mais parce que j'ai un peu mal au dos et John aussi nous pensons que l'excursion a Lac du parfum est parfait.  Il y a un du montee et c'est pas tres loin.  Au debut Job trouve un grand baton qu'il insiste de portez 3 kilometre au lac.  Lona a couri avec le chien puis John et Isaac.  Job et moi sont derrier tous.  Je n'aime pas le baton dans ma visage.  Apres un demi heure Job et moi voyons Isaac, John et Lona.  Nous restons pres d'un chute d'eau.  Skagit, notre chien, aime l'eau.  Il n'aime pas de courir, ou cherche un balle, ou saute mais il adore l'eau.  Nous n'arrivons pas au lac mais c'est d'accorde parce que nous sommes content.

I've been  participating in this photography group and this week is light.  I saw this incredible photo of a girl in a long grassy field and the light was hitting her from behind and it made her glow!  I loved it and thought maybe I could somehow reproduce it.  There is a field near our house and the soccer field that has long grass.  I begged the boys to come with me.  "Do I have to go? Can we have extra computer time?  Why do we have to go?"  I was not into bribing the boys, it was come with me or else deal tonight but I promised twenty minutes.  Once we arrived they started playing, letting me take pictures, calling the dog to come find them, trying to sneak up on each other, trying to sneak up on me, just having a grand old time.  After an hour I called it a night.  "Do we have to go home, can't we stay?  This is so much fun, can you come back to get us? "  Once home I couldn't talk John into leaving the house so I promised we'd return another day with black painted faces and pants.  Looks like we might have a water fight soon in this field.  These two boys love each other and it shows in their relationship to each other. 

Je voudrais pratiquer mon photographie avec lumiere naturellement.  Alors je dit au garcons c'est temps d'aller de prendre des photos.  Ils ont dit a moi qu'ils ont besoin plus de temps de jouer l'ordinateur.  Ils voulent rester a la maison.  Je juste dit aller et nous allons. Je pense qu'on depense vingt minutes, c'est tout.  Quand nous avons arrive, Isaac et Job commencent  de jouer.  Skagit, notre chiens leurs chasse et trouve les garcon quand ils ont cache dans l'herbe grande.  Apres une heure, je leur dit que c'est temps d'aller mais maintenant il voulent rester la.  Je ne peut pas gange.  John ne veut pas aller ce soir alors je promis au retourne demain avec des pistoles d'eau.

Last night at dinner it was just four of us, Isaac having gone to Youth Group.  We were sitting around talking and laughing when I noticed Job sculpting his mash potatos.  I turn to John and reminding of the movie where the guy sculpts his mash potatoes into a model of Devil's Tower.  I've actually been there.  Wierd. Anyhow Job starts in with his peas as well.  He finally turns his plate around towards us and this is what we are graced with.

Hier soir a dinner, c'est juste nous quatre, Isaac a chez ami et apres a l'eglise.  Nous parlions et riions quand je vois Job jouer avec ses puree. Je dit a John que je me souviens d'une filme quand un homme fait un model de Tour de Diable (en Wyoming) avec ses puree.  Job commence faire quelque chose avec ses petite pois et finalement tourne son assiete vers nous. Ca c'est qu'est ce qu'on a vu.

We had a piano recital last night.  I was so proud of the kids.  They worked long and hard on their piano songs and their projects.  Over the course of the year the kids were assigned a big project about Beethoven.  Piano lessons morphed into music appreciation class as well.  All of Mandy's students studied Beethoven.  Isaac made a movie with Lego figures and set it to Anger Over a Lost Penny, that he played and recorded to the computer.  He built the set and took lots of photos.  It turned out great.  Job wrote a story from a piano's point of view.  He did a rough draft, then typed it onto the computer.  He printed it out, cut out the sentences a put them in a different order.  Then he edited it some more and printed out a final copy.  Then he glued that into a journal.  He stainted some paper and printed the title on it for the front cover and the title page.  He added a resource page, a quotes page and a dedication page.  He colored pictures and added that to his book.  Coloring is not his thing but he did great.  Job also wrote a song called Fur Skagit (we can't find it anywhere).  Lona was in her element.  She receives a little scrapbook kit every month and so she used it to make a tiny ABC book about Beethoven.  We used my silhouette to cut out ABCs.  She made an ABC list of things that have to do with Beethoven. Then we typed them on the computer and printed it out.  She cut them apart and designed the pages.  She also added photos and an about the author page.  And finally she bound the book.
For the music, Lona played Ripples, and In May.  Job played Wun Long Pan and Classical Dance (which he performed blindfolded and then with hands crossed.  He also performed Turkish March as a duet with Isaac.  Isaac played Carol of the Bells, The Pink Panther Theme song, and Anger Over a Lost Penny. 
I took all the photos the day before at the rehearsal so that I could enjoy the performance.

L'autre jour, notre enfants ont un considerant de piano.  Ils ont etudie Beethoven cette annee.  Chaque etudiant ont besoin faire un projet au sujet de Beethoven.  Isaac fais un film qui s'appelle " Facher avec un centiem perdu" avec des piece du Legos.  Il joue le chanson pour le film qui a le meme nom que Beethoven ecrire. 
C'est geniale.  Job ecrit une histoire au pointe du vue d'un piano du Beethoven.  C'est vraiment bien fait.  Lona a fait un livre d'alphabet des faits sur Beethoven.  Nous avons ecoute au etudiants jouent le piano et apres nous avons allee d'une autre chambre pour regarder tous les projets.  Je suis en fier de Isaac, Job et Lona. Je pris des photos des enfants jouer le piano le jour avant parce que je voudrais ecoute pendant l'execution et apres je prendre des photos aux projets.