this was our first strawberry yield this year... yum! 

J called me into the living room while i was washing dishes to add a finishing touch to his tower.

E... what a little stud :)

a little stud who started doing THIS this week!!!

J helping daddy carry firewood

self portrait

a typical sight...

four teeth...

checking out a moth...

our happy little homestead...

a legacy continued

did you miss us???

it's been pretty rainy out here so here's what we've been up to inside...
legos!!! J is a master castle architect.

Play dates and play doh!!!

trains... OHHH LOOK! J's actually wearing pants!!!!

chasing... (everybody's favorite)

 mowing the lawn with an exmark... (or sitting on E's car seat which you have turned upside down)

riding horses with a "saddle"

helping mom put groceries away...

and of course after all that... naps...

Animals

Just what exactly does a man with a Saturday off work do?  He goes to the zoo with his wife and kids right?  Yes that is exactly what he does.  WOW thats great says you, is there anything that could be better than that?  only if the zoo was full of moving walkways. carrying 2 kids, walking for hours on end in the heat... exhausting but worth every step as evidenced by the images below...

For the 1st hour all J wanted was to see a zebra, which is practically a horse... we could have gotten away with a drive in the countryside.  Also, see how good he is doing at looking at the camera, wrong camera but looking none the less

There's a leopard in there, A leopard is a big cat, probably could have gotten away with a walk around the neighborhood where there are plenty of those ferrel creatures

another big cat but super close and pretty cool

 E had a great time, even seen a crow!

We got to feed this guy a little later which was not as cool as it sounds but to J it was indescribable

 FOR ASLAN

If those pics weren't proof enough that the boys had a great time, these last 2 of the trip home ought to convince you

Thanks for looking
Jordan

the toy barricade

As I work in the kitchen, this is a common scene. I confess there are days when the sight of the clutter is unnerving. Also, moments when tripping over tractors, trains, and animals cause me to utter words my toddler should not hear. But the maker of this mess just wants to be near me. He wants to ask me, tell me and show me things. So today I am thankful for the clutter. I hope that at every age and stage, he'll still want to spend some time near mom.

pictures that were on the camera ...

the man from snowy river... no that's not a measly chopstick, that's a whip!!!

baby J, every once in while he decides to confiscate E's dusty pacifier and relax in the swing... reliving the glory days.

we hosted a dreary day picnic for our friends in the living room...

J was and excellent host.

other dreary weather activities include scooping beans into various containers and sitting on his brother (not pictured)

speaking of brother, there he is! what a happy little wiggler!

and a pretty cute little turtle too!

while i was catching up with Auntie Ashley on the phone there was a pant-less escape... not so unusual as one might think... also pictured, the edge of my NEW herb garden which borders the goat pen.

Happy April Fools Day!!!