Preschool Soccer!

Red Lightning!

Gray and White teams plays through Red and Yellow's field. Preschool soccer is quite amusing!

T-Ball!

I Flit, I Float

Lately we've been enjoying the, shall I say, intoxicating aroma, of the lilacs

as well as the many butterflies and hummingbird moths coming to visit.

(monarch)

There are dozens of butterflies flitting and fluttering around this large bush (it's over 10 feet tall) most of the day.

(monarchs)

Sometimes we just stand there, silent and watching. Listening to the hushed sounds of the wings.

(yellow swallowtail)

(hummingbird moth-photo not ours)

Joel tried to get a picture of the hummingbird moths, but as I came back out with a camera they were gone.

The picture above is pretty close to what we saw. They look almost exactly like hummingbirds, except for the antennae and they are not scared easily. Joel was about 4 inches away from a moth as it happily suckled away at the purple flowers.

(mourning cloak)

(red admiral)

(painted lady- these are fiesty bugs! As I watch-these are the ones picking fights with the other butterflies and they don't give up either! I watched one fight last close to a minute as two painted ladies duked it out!)

As I watch all these beautiful butterflies, it's not much different when I watch our kiddos play...

(Joshua, Rachel, Hudson planting "trees")

(Rachel pausing for a photo)

Kids flutter around just like butterflies, though maybe not quite as quietly.

(Hudson in the wood shed)

Though kids and butterflies may fight, kids are by far more fun and helpful.

(Here they are- four kids, three of them helped stack wood. All the wood you see behind them...they did that!)

(Hudson of course, helped too, just in his own way)

(Joshua or monkey?)

(cute kids, dirty pajamas, hard workers!)

(Coach Janice assisting Rachel at the tee. Both Joshua and Rachel are in T-ball this year. At first base is Joshua, Madelynn and Joel.)

(Goofy Madelynn)

(The wagon has been put to good use this year. Mostly as a water holder, bathtub, and "chocolate milk" maker.)

(Madelynn has graduated to a big swing this year)

Happy Spring Everyone! 

Let's Go Ride A Bike!

..And send it soaring!  

Hurrah Joshua!

Summer! (a long post-beware!)

I tried to compile some highlights of the last couple months of summer. We've been busy, enjoying summer and letting the house get dirty.

So...here we go!:

To start I'll begin with Canada Day. Below are a few pictures and a video. Our friends did a great job summarizing the terrific event so I will direct you There.

The Toonie Toss!:

T-ball has wrapped up for the season. All the kids were rewarded medals, you should've seen the boys' and girls' faces! They had looks of surprise and delight. Below is the 'Moose' team, Joshua is on the right. Joshua and his team did really well. It was enjoyable seeing them improve after each week and getting the hang of dropping the bat and running to first base. Or letting the other team get the ball after being hit. So many details I take for granted I see Josh and his teammates learning. Like everyone in the outfield running for the one ball.

During games the girls and Hudson tried to keep cool:

At the end of July I turned 30! Joel took me out (no kids, not even Hudson came along!) on a picnic. We had these giant sandwiches with sprouts, avocado, tomato and Brie, yum! We also had chocolate milk and pistachios. This was my first time ever trying a pistachio. They are tasty! Then we hiked along the shore for awhile, discovering different wild flowers and recognizing familiar ones. On the way home we stopped and picked black-eyed susans. The night of my birthday Joel made a raspberry fluff pie. Thank you Joel for such a special birthday!

On a different note Hudson has started blowing raspberries. He looks so funny! Of course the moment he sees the camera Hudson stops whatever he is doing, but we try anyway. Here, Joel has a success:

And another one!:

This summer we've also enjoyed some Strawberry and Saskatoon (Juneberry/Serviceberry) picking. I love when the freezer starts filling up and all the empty jars slowly become full again.

We've been to the lake (a nice warm one with a small beach) a few times to go swimming. Joshua and Rachel are enjoying learning how to swim as Joel finds opportunity to teach them. Madelynn is getting braver about the sand between her toes and the muddy water each time we go.

I'm not sure how this is happening but we are also making it down to the big lake to throw rocks and wade a little.

For those interested...

The garden is doing well. The pole beans are wanting longer poles, which I stubbornly refuse. I want some blossoms not more leaves!! I don't know anything about pole beans... Bush beans next year for sure. :)

The peas will be harvested any day now. The lettuce is still doing well, we love to eat fresh salads around here! Even Madelynn will eat a leaf or two, provided it has Poppyseed Dressing. Beets, Tomatoes, Carrots, Squash, Broccoli, Potatoes, Onions and Green Onions are all doing well. The Cucumbers and Watermelon seem to be intimidated by the squash and are having a difficult time finding their groove. They are growing, but I think they must be self-conscious or something; very slow.

The strawberry plants are putting out runners everywhere (and they need hoeing. When??) The raspberries are done producing as far as I can tell (Are they everbearing, I don't remember?), Madelynn had the last raspberry. Next year there should be lots more, raspberries are weeds!

I finally got around to making some ice cream. One of our family's favorites: with fresh strawberry sauce. Joel's vote is fresh raspberry sauce, I agree. Strawberries are almost just as good.

So does anyone else get nervous about noises outside? With all the thunderstorms, the girls look around nervously as a truck comes roaring up the street. "Is that thunder?" Rachel asks. "Thunder?" Madelynn pipes in. I think they are starting to understand now... No, it's not thunder, look at the sky... No it's not thunder it's just a door slamming.... No it's not thunder it's just some kids playing.

That's all so far. We hope you are enjoying summer also!!

Bowling, yes, 5 Pin

T-Ball!

Joshua is in T-ball this spring and really enjoys it. Here he is in the outfield:

His first official "hit" at his first official "game":

Joshua is on the "Moose" team. I will post more pics later with his actual uniform on. Go Josh!