the joys of the boy and the girl

 this feels pretty much like a 10 things i ((love)) even though it is now the end of monday but, we spent our weekend doing pretty much everything under the sun with some rain mixed in. this little boy caught a toad. would not even touch him for the first 10 minutes and then would not let him go. he was gentle and the toad survived, thank goodness. i really hope i don't find one in his pocket someday.

 they had a nice playdate. and monday, dad caught 6 or 7 or 8 frogs in the little runoff pond in the pasture. just as my husband ventured out to the middle with his princess bucket the frogs all started singing. i wish i would have had a camera for that look of surprise.

 ava loves to dress in dresses. i do too. she put on a dress that my gramma smocked and sewed for me so long ago. i am grateful to still have these pieces and a girl who freely enjoys them.

 i am also grateful to have a boy who loves pink and john deere green. grampa is working on introducing other tractors as well.

 i am grateful that i get to give my kids small joys.

 and for a boy that totally loves tootsie rolls. can you tell not many made it home and really even in to the bag for that matter.

the weekend ended nice and cool and spent with friends for a 5th birthday. i am wiped-out as are the 2 munchkins.

we ((heart)) the farm

no doubt about it. i am a country girl turned city girl turned country girl again. it is hard to take the love of the land and animals and open spaces from a girl. there is just something about being able to walk out your door and spend time just taking it all in versus being bombarded by happenings all around. don't get me wrong....sometimes there is definitely too much going on here but, it is easier to turn off the distractions and take a breather once things settle down.

i love that my kids get to experience a little of this. no more cows to milk...which i am still sad about...about lots of animals to care for.

 even daddy gets a little taste now and then. and a whiff of that fresh air.

 saturday we went to the dairy breakfast.

 ice cold milk.

and pancakes! yum. somehow they taste better here than at home. how??

 this was the picture from our breakfast table.

of course, a wanted a horse tattoo. her biggest requests are for a horse and phone for her 5th birthday. ummm.

 the rooster made sure we knew the sun was up as does the one in our barn. that animal loves to chase me and my dad finally got me to chase him back and, well...i am not quite as afraid anymore!

grampa's little man.

here's a link to last year's breakfast. dairy breakfast 2010

it is nice to have grand adventures in our own yard. what do you like to do with your kids around your home?

junebug loves

my loves, summer has officially started. the sun is so intense and the water still so cool. we have already indulged in our fair share of popsicles and the ultimate squirters have arrived.

 you really don't want to mess with this dude.

 or this chick.

 i say just keep the popsicles coming. why mess with any of those smiles. and, hey, 2 out of 4 are looking. not bad.

i have also already done my fair share of setting up and blowing up toys. i may just have to complain when i catch my breath. the trampoline is up and the pool is up. how children can stand freezing water is beyond me and when we as adults start the whine of 'no it's too cold' is something to wonder about as well.

 i'll dip my toes in this any day though.

 so relaxing and the kids are actually working together. could it be that their backs are to one another??? nahhhh. i prefer the teamwork scenario.

we've even caught a few waves. phew. my heart is overwhelmed with everything beautiful and everything wonderful that my kids and i get to experience.

have a bubbletastic weekend!