Summer Bits

 A couple little moments wrapping up June....

**Our CSA did it's annual summer bean planting and farm tour, so we joined up again.  The fuzzy little birds are always something the kids look forward to.  Miss Cyndy let Evan and Chloe hold them since she trusts them so much.

Her horse team was in the barn on this super hot muggy day.  All the kids are in awe of how completely enormous a Belgian is.  This is Jerry and Jane:

**Chloe spends lots of time in the clover patches in the backyard selecting the perfect long-stemmed flowers to make chains with.  She ties the stems in small knots to connect them.

**While devouring a bagful of grapes on a hot afternoon, the kids wanted lots of pictures of themselves with their mouths packed full of grapes.  These were the best ones:

On my birthday a few folks blessed me with flowers to decorate my deck, the yard, and windowsills.  Now I have  hanging baskets, sunflowers, a date palm tree (that grows dates!) and so many pretty blooms I am smiling wherever I look. 

Now if the heat index would just drop a bit below 90 we could be out there again enjoying them.....


(Also, I added a picture to the "Rings" post that I had forgotten to upload, and the video is up on "The Best Kind of Park.")

Rings!

A new addition to the playground tree -- rings!!!

These should beef up the kids' upper bodies even more than rope swinging and the monkey bar (aka my nice swing that's been hijacked).  Evan wants to learn to do the Iron Cross, so we'll see how much stronger he gets.

Chloe really loves the new rings too and did lots of tricks herself; too bad I was putting together a snack while she showed off so no photos.  She did all the same things Evan did but couldn't do as many repetitions with her little 7-year-old arms.  Even still, she keeps up!

This perfect tree in our backyard is the main reason we bought this house and we are thankful every single summer for it's impact on our lives.  I know our kids will think of the space under this tree throughout their adult lives as the place they spent their childhood.

Strawberries

We got our first basket of local strawberries in our CSA box last week and devoured it all that same day.  Even though they weren't as sweet as they've been before, they are always a treat we look forward to every June.

Last summer we planted a set of strawberry seedlings, that Chloe received from Gramma, in our flower box and this summer they are blooming nicely.  Chloe is hoping for at least 30 berries.  She hasn't decided if she will share them yet, but one thing she is certain of, the first one to ripen bright red is hers.  She claimed it the day she saw the little white flowers starting.

This Girl

She outsmarts me at chess way too frequently for my liking.  She writes and illustrates her own comics.  She nurtures animals and plants with a sweetness unmatched by most.  She plays hard and rough and wild and dirty.  She loves her brother fiercely.  She picks out her own clothes and outfits with pride.  She draws, paints, colors, cuts, and sews like a champ.  She memorizes stacks of books even though she doesn't read fluently yet.  She wrestles and climbs and pounces and runs on all fours (like a cheetah).  She uses words like: appropriately, distinctive, partially, marvel, adorned.  She knows the names of the characters, weapons, and starships from Star Wars though she's never seen the movies.  She loves horses with a love that is unexplainable.  She wraps her dainty arms so tightly around your neck you think you might squeeze right into her and become one person.  She gives kisses that flow from her like a fountain of love.  She has extreme feelings and can hurt your feelings with her harshness if you take it personally.  She is sincere in her apologies and quick with her forgiveness.  She is un-duplicatable -- this girl.

The Best Kind of Park

To us,the best kind of park is really just woods and trails and water.  Todd and I love observing the kids in nature's playground.  (Don't get me wrong, we love a plastic playground now and then, but this is so much better.)  There is so much to climb on, swing from, balance on, hide under, bounce on, jump over, test your limits on. .... Plus, it's beautiful!

We walked past a fairly deep valley with a trail going down and back up the other side and it lured the kids right in.  This is where we spent about an hour over the weekend.

The kids named it Red Dirt Gulch.  Don't you love that?

There are always huge trees that fall across the dozens of gorges in this park; they are monstrous trees that make you wonder what it sounded like when they came crashing down like that.  Trees that big beg to be walked on.  Todd always helps the kids go across and climb up the root ladder on the other side.  Chloe, who is usually a bit hesitant, was super brave and made it across this time! 

She was so nervous and almost turned back but she did it!!

That's Todd way out there on the log.

There are so many pretty things in the woods.  I only took a few pictures of them but I'm glad I did.

Even on a hot day it's cool out here under the canopy of trees, and the time we spend here is the best kind of time.  Slow-moving, natural, and connected.  We each find our place here and our way of interacting with our surroundings.  We leave invigorated and refreshed, and not every 'park' leaves you feeling that way.  We are humbled, in awe, and in love with the beauty of nature.

Father's Day Ice Cream

Yesterday was the perfect day for a Jeep ride and some ice cream (for Father's Day).  Todd enjoyed his usual Reese's cup squallie and the kids got mint chocolate chip cones.  I took pictures and watched this funny group devour their treats.

Not a single drip from either kid!  They're so grown-up now. 

It's quite a family ritual for Todd to finish his food and then pretend to attack the kids and take bites of their food.  They guard themselves cautiously when he's on the move:

This one bites back.

The kids look forward to Father's Day every year.... and now you know why.

Extra Large and Just Plain Hilarious

We went to a Jeep show in town and saw a giant with tires-taller-than-my-10-year-old.  On the way to home we stopped at the library and parked by a Smart Car with a car-body-the-size-of-a-kids-bed.  Maybe our kids are the only ones who laugh at these mini cars, but it's hard to take these cars seriously when you know that a Jeep could park up on it.

A Creek Outing

 A morning spent at the creek is a rush of amazing emotions.  My life is so linked to this place, this ever-changing scenery that is such a part of who I am.  I have walked this stretch of rocks and water since I was 10 years old, a place of family as well as a place of quiet.

This day, it was a place of family as Bryce and I (and our kids) met up to hang out at our creek.  Her two little bundles of energy keep her moving and mine keep me wondering where in the world they could have wandered off to.

Ajay and Zakary observe and protect God's creatures :-)

We had a wonderful visit and a little picnic.  We enjoyed lots of laughs and smiles and only a few tears.  We walked around a lot but also found a few times to sit together.

Cousins pitching rocks in the water.... a bonding experience.

A few tears and a precious pouty face.

As it always seems to happen, the kids found a special little creature to anchor them to this day.  So many of our days are remembered this way ....  remember that day under the tree we when the mantis crawled on your shoes ... remember when the katydid landed in your hair .... remember the day Ruby brought a cicada to the door and it was still buzzing all over when she dropped it ....  Well, this time it was a newly hatched dragonfly.

Evan's treasure this time wasn't an insect but rather this "giant dagger rock" which we brought home in the trunk of the car.  When I asked Evan why we needed to bring this thing home he said, "To add to the rock pile."  Naturally.

The graffiti-covered bridge is NOT a part of my memories, in fact it's rather disturbing.  But this photo is about that rock!

I know my kids (and Bryce's too) will have emotions and memories attached to this beautiful stretch of nature and will someday call it their own, just like I do.