swamp day

we've been trying to take advantage of adam's weird schedule and the gorgeous weather and get outside as much as possible lately. we have had picnic lunches nearly every day this week. today we hit one of our favorite local spots after school. it was lovely! every time we hike this trail, the kids are a little stronger and a little less exhausted by the end. this is my favorite part of homeschool...the time and flexibility to explore creation together as a family and to learn all kinds of cool things together.

he loves his net

baby crawdad

kelly, is that aida's shirt?  i found it behind the guest bed.

butternut's frizzy/curly/mullet awesome hair

lunch spot

graham won the footrace:)

almost caught that butterfly

daddy working hard...

...and he caught a baby fish!

anole

such beauty

fields (or swamps) of gold

a little parenting encouragement

we all need it.  go here and listen to Kathy Chapell speak about parenting with Christ in mind.  listen while you cook dinner, fold laundry, or exercise.  it took me about 12 times to finally complete it.  be encouraged!

4 seems big

sweet graham is 4 today. he is growing more strapping by the day...so strong, and boyish, and outdoorsy, and loud. he is also my most affectionate one these days...offering his "i love you"s freely and with a sigh. he loves to help me in the kitchen and he is such a tender big brother. mothering sons brings new challenges and perplexities. being four, graham randomly generates burning questions all. day. long. you know like: "daddy, what did your voice sound like when you were 7?" or "mommy, what would it be like to have 81 children?" the boy loves to be outside catching creatures, to explore, to inquire about why things are the way they are. his favorite verse to recite, while stomping around the living room, is "be strong in the Lord and in the strength of His might..." this is my prayer for him as he grows, that his strength would be Godly while growing in gentleness and humility as well. i'm so thankful.

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with a new interest in fire (surprise, surprise), we decided to invite two of his friends and their families over for a campout party in the backyard. no one really slept in the tent, but a great deal of fun was had!

happy birthday camper with his flashlight camo hat (a gift from adam)

the sleeping bag relay

finding the hidden "wild" animals with flashlights

s'mores...miles is distressed by the marshmallow sticky on his hands...

roasting lessons

i'm so thankful for these birthday boys!

brownie helper

happy birthday butternut

it is boy birthday week around here! sweet miles turned 2 yesterday. our baby is no longer a baby, but a chatty, busy, huggy, silly, sometimes stubborn toddler! he did wake up at midnight last night for a quick cuddle just to remind me that he still needs me. ha! some of his favorite words these days are owie, stop, no, help, cheese (for the camera), gam (graham), and daddy.  he says lots of other things, but those are the most frequent. we are so thankful for this fun-loving little boy. we had a good day yesterday with cupcakes after dinner. thank you Father for the privilege of raising future men!

he LOVES his daddy!  he finally started saying "mommy" in the last month, but he has been saying "daddy" for ages:)

he could not relax until every leaf was off the porch...where did this orderly child come from?

why, yes, he makes this 2 yr old face quite a bit

we hit the park after school with some friends. 

"plane"

marit and graham picked out a few new pieces of machinery for him

one of which i had to cut out of my hair today...

fall farm field trip

so proud of adam for building this the other day (half the time while watching the two boys) and we look forward to fall meals outside!

graham wanted to eat breakfast on the table he "helped" build, but he needed his hat and scarf first

 today we hit up a local dairy/farm for a field trip.  the kids and i get a little cabin-fever if we don't have some fun field trips and outings to mix up our home-school week.  and in the fall, we are all happier outside.

milking demonstration on "donut" the mama cow

miles was getting thirsty watching all that fresh milk

we just finished reading Charlotte's web, so marit named the pink piglet 'wilbur'

this calf was just born this morning

handsomeness