Replacing The Garden

It's become the neighborhood children's digging box! 

They spend hours digging ditches, mountains, roads, caves, streams, and whatever else comes into their little minds.

Seeing them playing in the dirt, in the sunshine and fresh air is one of my favorite things!

Fred the gerbil usually gets to tag along with the boys. 

They dug out a hole and cave for him to explore, and he goes wild with excitement in it!

Fred knows how to keep the boys entertained!

Yesterday he managed to get through the fence into the neighbors yard...

It was a thrill for them to sneak through the gate and find him before she (our neighbor) noticed!

{Little do they know that I called our kind neighbor and asked her permission.  She watched them carefully sneak in and out.  Made her night!  And they had the adventure of their day.}

I think Cade would take Fred home if he could. 

I've offered, but his mom hasn't consented...yet. :)

 

I'm keeping my fingers crossed for a few more warm days like this before winter hits full swing!

She Has A Green Thumb

Our garden has gotten away from us this year (again).

It's gone wild but has still produced SO much! 

We've had the tastiest tomatoes, bell peppers, cucumbers, carrots, peas, watermelon (Not planned. The kids planted watermelon seeds over the summer), spinach, kale and CORN-thanks to our Princess girl.

Each of the children planted their own row and had to care for the seeds/plants themselves.

They loved it and grew some goodies for our fam! 

Princess was super pleased with her corn.

It was huge and delicious!

 

Princess checked her little garden patch daily, pulled weeds, watered, and fed her plants.

She outdid her momma this year and momma couldn't be more proud :)

We are going to miss this garden of ours!

Aug. 2012

It's That Time Again!

We love to garden with the kids.

It's been a great time to work together, relieve stress, laugh, and get dirty!

This year Sport sifted all our soil with dad.

It was hard work, but totally worth it!

APRIL-

The girls helped collect all the rocks.

I swear the rocks grow as fast as weeds!

We can't seem to be rid of them.

After all that sifting, JP added the saw-dust.

He mixed our soil every evening until dark!

Yup...I love this man.

And he loves playing in the dirt.

Once the soil was ready, I got to play!

I love planting the seeds and plants.

There's just something about helping things grow that makes me happy.

By June we started seeing green.

It was a beautiful sight!

JUNE-

Fun On Grandpa & Grandma's Farm

The country life for us!

The kids were in kid heaven.

I use to love playing at the river...

There's so much to explore!

They begged dad every day to take them on a hike to the river...

These grow beds will be overflowing with fruits and veggies come Spring!

Waiting for Uncle Matt to let off the rocket he got for Christmas...

The husband making movies!

Sport thinks Uncle Matt has the coolest toys!!!

Getting ready to light the fuse...

This poor little kitty got loved to death by the girls during our visit...

They took her everywhere they went. 

Minnie collected all these huge mushrooms from the woods and brought them home to eat!

Taking a time out from all their exploring...

Once again, fighting over who got the kitty. 

We finally had to put a time limit on it before they squeezed the poor thing too hard...

Totally cool chicken feather, Mae Mae!!  

That was such a sweet kitty cat.  She put up with a lot!

Building towers out of Grandpas wood scraps...

Uncle Matt getting ready to load up the fire place for us!

He's awesome like that.

If we couldn't find the kids, we would check this tree.

They were usually in it.

The tree house is another favorite place to play...

I always wanted one as a little girl!

Sport could usually be found in the woods playing with his uncles, building a dam in the creek, 

Or begging for a chance to shoot the Airsoft guns.

Uncle Matt running the girls back up the hill from the chicken coop (He's so cool)!

They liked to sneak down there and play with the chicks any chance they could...P.J.'s or not.

The boys played a lot of basketball!

(Is it in?  Is it in??)

Trying to guard 7+ ft. bro Ben is a work out!

Everybody stand back!  Ammon's got this...

Check out the size of that snapping turtle! 

Mom worried it was going to take a finger off...

The kids thought he was totally awesome.

A family "pet"...

Nature is the best babysitter.

How I will miss it!

Pumpkin Slime

The kids love the gooeyness between their fingers! 

Dad and mom were a little late on the draw this year... 

Pumpkin carving didn't take place until the night before Halloween! 

But...at least our pumpkins looked gooood for our trick-or-treaters, right? :)

{Dad and Sport cutting away!}

Cleaning out the slime and goop! 

They had way too much fun with that. 

Check out the freshly picked green pumpkins from our garden! 

Hey, they added some color, and the girls didn't know the difference...

Our masterpieces! 

Such works of art, I tell ya...

Showing off their jack-o-lanterns...

Yikes...scary!

I have to be honest...

Pumpkin carving is not my most favorite thing to do.

In fact, I dread the whole process!

I always end up carving most of them, the slime gets everywhere, the cutting kills my hands, it takes for-ev-er, and no-one cares to clean up after the fun except me!

Yes, I'm the pumpkin carving grump.
Every year, I consider cheating and just buying different potato head pumpkin kits (if only they weren't so expensive!)

But, I have to admit that once we are done, and I see the kids glowing faces over their creative work...

I smile and know it was worth every seed on the floor.

Thanks to dad for making the fun happen!

He knows how to get a party started.

These are moments I'll miss :)