three generation adventure

while sister was at catechism camp last week (I know, I know, how Presbyterian. to her, it was basically the best week of her life to date), the boys and I had a sweet week.  one day, however, was for a daddy adventure... with grandpa and his boat. adam tells me graham was in his element...loving being outside pretty much the entire day. he was focused, observant, careful, and compassionate. he loved identifying birds, watching rabbits, holding fish and turtles, and deciding he would rather release than take them home to clean. adam initially asked his dad if they could take his little boat out on the river for graham, but I know it was good for his soul too.  adam loved fishing as a boy and rarely gets that opportunity these days.  I only wish they had gotten a picture of the three of them together. 

painted slider

graham is quick to say he made the first catch

hawk's nest on the trestle

an adventure with graham is not complete without a little wading with the net

thank you grandpa for these precious memories! graham talks about it multiple times a day.

tractors and sleep

so miles has mastered the tractor... this battery-operated toy that was left to us by our beloved neighbors when they moved. i'm actually quite amazed at his skills. the poor kid has been pretty tired lately though. he has been sharing graham's double bed at night and sometimes he falls out and just sleeps on the floor(this will make traveling easier!). the boys love sleeping together, but seriously, they move all over the place over the course of the night. also, potty-training has caused some sleeplessness...he wakes up early needing to pee and then realizes he is starving. so anyway, today his tiredness caught up with him on the tractor, but the field must be plowed! if you can stand this painfully exhausting video, it is posted below. I hope his ability to work in his sleep will help him get some late-night papers done in college or something.

making a sharp turn, just in his undies

how the night starts

sometimes how it ends

so tired

"our" hawks

our photographer friend dropped by his pictures of "our" hawks the other day. our friend said the light was flat and wasn't pleased with his work, but what a treat to see up close these amazing creatures we watch soar over our yard. graham particularly loves to screech at them and watch their coming and going from the nest in the yard behind ours.

not sure if this is mom or dad, but the mocking bird is dive-bombing with fervor

the chicks are growing up and have been flapping around the nest, testing out their wings

adult and a robin

we are so thankful for this special creation-gift to enjoy even in our small city yard!

water everywhere

the kiddos wrapped up a week of swimming lessons and then began an entire week of monsoon-like rain. I don't know if our yard will ever dry out. our yard was becoming a pond and we had friends over to play. we watched the rain and the kids asked if they could play in it in swimsuits. I initially said no and then thought...who does it hurt for you to play in rain and mud? what's a mama to do when it's been raining for days and they so badly want to be outside? so they had a blast.


making a 'worm house' at 7 am

real-life science: the earthworms come to the surface so they don't drown

"worms!  wiggly!"

5 kiddos in the shower!

youngest in his class and he did great!

sibs cheering miles on in the rain

made  a lot of progress this week!

this girl is a fish

swimming is exhausting.  so is nap-skipping


 

 

unrelated, but miles is obsessed with the vacuum cleaner

thank you mr dragonfly

for all the entertainment. graham is convinced he can "train" them...