Sunday, August 11, 2024

Summer Days and Happy Birthday Grandma Collene!

We hope everyone is enjoying summer!  We had hot days and then a bunch of rain days during the week.  The weekend was gorgeous weather!  Happy Birthday to Grandma Collene!!!

Adam had to document that Amy got in the pool!


On Friday night, Amy and Addie went to our friend Kate's house to "pet the pets"

Addie and Adam trying to do flips over the mat. Now Adam has a sore elbow...and neck...and foot...hahaha.








Amy did not capture any pics of Ayson BUT he was busy helping a neighbor with yard work and he taught himself how to light a fire with flint and steel AND he made a grape vine xylem water filter - Ayson is in a survivalist phase :)


 Thunder sitting in the vegetable basket - one batch of tomatoes have been canned!


Gorgeous flowers from the week!



Two milkweed pods



We have finally been finding monarch caterpillars on our milkweed!!


Unopended sunflower



An ity bity caterpillar


First moonflower of the season bloomed!

Sunday, August 4, 2024

Happy Birthday Amy and a Visit with Grandma Collene and Mike

We had a good week of swimming, warm temps, and enough rain for the gardens.  We hope everyone is enjoying the beginning of August.  We are sending good thoughts to all our family and friends!!!

On Tuesday, Amy and Addie discovered a gorgeous monarch that may have just emerged from it's chrysalis (it's colors were so vibrant - BUT we did not find the chrysalis)!  SO, we had to look for more butterflies and caterpillars :)


We followed this monarch as it flitted from milkweed plant to plant.

Goofball Ayson

Swimming pool fun


The kiddos playing catch with Adam on Wednesday.


Even more pool fun.  Ayson was trying to flip the girls off the mat.

Happy Birthday to Amy!  Amy requested a carrot cake and a family kayak trip to Labrador :)


Grandma Collene and Mike visited on Saturday.  Thanks for the birthday gift, Grandma!!!

Addie eating a green pepper from the garden like an apple.  



The garden tour.

Saturday night, Addie and Kate went monarch egg hunting AND found eggs and caterpillars!!


The pool is so normal now that both sets of kiddos won't swim (too boring) unless the other family kids will swim.



A perfect night for smores!


Monarch egg


Close up of the egg


LOOK at the itty-bitty caterpillar - too cute!!!!


We got up early on Sunday and were on the water at Labrador Pond by 7:30!  What a gorgeous morning for a kayak excursion with the family!

We discovered more areas with pitcher plants!


Water lilies



Addie was looking for turtles while we were kayaking but we did not see any until we were loading the kayaks back on to the truck at 9:30 SO Amy had to get a picture of a turtle for Addie :)


Flowers from the week 
A crazy tall sunflower that seeded itself from last summer.