Why, Steven? Why?

 Oh Steven! Why must you be prone to accidents? While jumping of his scooter, the handle bars smacked Steven's mouth resulting in swollen, cut lips and a chipped permanent tooth. Looks like we'll be taking a trip to the dentist's office tomorrow.

Fifteen Minutes = One and a Half Hours?

Nothing warms the heart like the sight of our children vacillating around the house completing their chores. Seeing them assuming a sense of responsibility makes us proud parents. Plus, work is getting done and our property is being cared for. Everyone is so happy!

I paint a pretty picture, right? Unfortunately though this isn't utopia. Chores are dreaded-by parents and kids alike. I never see hands shoot up in excitement when I ask, "Who wants to take out the trash?"

Many months ago, our family came up with the 15 minute clean up game (and I use the word "game" very loosely). Each day, I set the timer while all of us pick up and clean around the house for 15 minutes. This actually  amounts to 1 1/2 hours worth of work (6 family members x 15 minutes). It's amazing what can be accomplished in such a short of time.

We don't pay our children to do their chores. David and I feel that being paid for chores robs them of the dignity of holding up their fair share of the family workload. However, we do have some odd jobs for the kids to earn a little extra money, such as washing the car.

When they are little (like Dave-o's age), they enjoy doing things with us. Dave-o just naturally likes to copy us. Too bad my kids don't do that when they're 10 and 12 and 14 and 16!

Prepare to Stop...

for a while at Grandma and Grandpa's house for some fun.

Dave-o was very excited to see an abandoned tree service truck parked on the driveway. It was the perfect place to drive his tractor on. Spending time with his grandparents is one of Dave-o's favorite things to do.

Dad Zinn had invited us over to look at his new RC toy that is equipped with a camera. The controller has a video display for which to see where you are going without taking a step. He was nice to let the kids play with his other RC truck. They ran it till the batteries were dead.

(Steven pulling Kirsten and Dave-o...Steven and James)

(James...Dave-o)
Playing in and with a wagon seems to be enjoyed by all ages.

School Portraits

(Kirsten, James, Dave-o, Justin, and Steven)

 We survived the first week of school! Here are the kids' portraits for 2011-2012:

(Kirsten-5th grade...Steven-7th grade)

 Dave-o

 (Justin-11th grade...James 9th grade)

Dave-o recently discovered that when he's thirsty while playing outside, he can use the garden hose that is now attached to our sprinkler to fill up.

Kirsten, being the fun big-sister that she is, taught Dave-o how to take this skill to the next level.

Dave-o's a quick learner.

Tractor

There has been a shift in toy preferences for Dave-o. As everyone knows, round spheres have been his closest friends. However, lately Dave-o spends most of his free time (which is all day long) playing with anything that has wheels on it: airplanes, cars, trucks, trains, and his new favorite...TRACTORS.

Dave-o is enamored with his new Bobcat toy that Grandma picked up for him in Montana. He's found a little spot of dirt in the front of our house perfect for moving and picking up with his tractor. Sometimes Dave-o brings out his cars and shovels dirt on top of them while making tractor sounds. It's so fun to watch.

Lego Guns

Over the weekend, James and Steven spent much of their time creating Lego guns that actually shoot rubberbands. James also made one that uses a rubberband as a sling to shoot small objects (Lego pieces). I'm thinking they are missing shooting Grandpa Zinn's guns at the ranch.

Heaven on Earth

Shortly following our Sunday meetings, Steven and I shared a few minutes of alone time. During this moment, he shared with me something that happened in his Sunday School class.

His teacher asked the class, "Have you ever experienced a moment when you thought, 'This must be what Heaven feels like.'"

Steven answered that the Zinn Ranch feels like Heaven. Being with family, doing fun things like shooting guns, and enjoying a peaceful place must be like Heaven.

I would have to agree with Steven...minus the guns.

The Wharf

(Steven and Dave-o inside the train engine)

I love family outings. The more the merrier! Today we took a trip to Monterey where we spent the afternoon with Michael, Owen, and Emily, and Mom and Dad Zinn along Old Fisherman's Wharf.

While waiting for Mom and Dad Zinn, the rest of us played at Denise the Menace Park.

(Steven and Dave-o...Justin)

We were happy to find that the "roller slide" is now fixed. Dave-o enjoyed it while sitting on someone's lap, but despised it going solo.

(Emily and Kirsten...Dave-o exploring a tunnel)

Dave-o and Owen soon discovered a very tall, bumpy green slide that they went down time and again until we had to leave. Owen's technique going down was so adorable! He laid flat on his back the entire ride down with his body bouncing up and down. 

 After a little confusion of which wharf to meet Mom and Dad Zinn at, we finally connected and went in search of the best clam chowder (except for myself who dislikes the taste of clams).

While in Montana, Mom Zinn would greet Dave-o with, "Hi honey!" Ever since this little bit of brainwashing, Dave-o now yells out, "Hi honey" to his grandparents. It's adorable.

In the end, it wasn't the best sample of clam chowder that determined the restaurant of choice, rather instead it was our growling tummies. Isabella's served some delicious food. Our waiter with a Tennessee accent made the experience even more memorable.

(Michael Zinn and Michael Zinn....Michael and Dad Zinn)

When our waiter returned to our table with David's credit card he handed us a different card and told us to look at it and pass it around. The card ended up being his driver's license with proof that he bore the name "Michael Lee Zinn". We were all amazed at the same surname. What are the odds of running into another Zinn, especially an African American Zinn. Michael was just as surprised to meet White Zinns. Now we have a new cousin to add to our family.

(Steven...Owen...Emily)

(Kirsten...Justin...James)

Next, we took the kids to the "parrot man" for some pictures. They all loved it, except for Dave-o.

Before heading home, Grandma and Grandpa treated the kids to a bag of candy. Oh, were they in heaven!

Dave-o walked away eating most of my cotton candy. He just couldn't get enough of it.

On our way back to the car, we stopped to look at the famous "Back to the Future" car that was on display outside a museum.