Farm Visit

Our home school group visited a farm that belongs to one of the families in our group. They have a horse, cows, rabbits, chickens, and goats. It was a wonderful visit and we had such a great time. We even got to make our own butter.



My two cute farmers.



A rare picture of me with Sugar. A friend took my camera and kindly told me to be in a picture for a change.



This was a mom moment for me. I had to constrain myself from grabbing baby wipes before I grabbed my camera. The older kids made butter then left it on the rock wall. Sugar came along and decided that she needed a sample. Can you say butterball, literally?!



Oh yes, they had that bird too.



There's Shakespeare looking in at the goats.



This goat was a day old.

We had a "big time" as they say around here!

HOT!!!

The other day it hit 100 degrees--100! That's a lot around here. You Texas and OK friends and family may be yawning, but all I can say is, just add humidity and 100 degrees is a different beast. At least in the southwest you can count on a breeze.

So, what do you do on an oppressively hot day? Water, of course. Actually, these pictures were taken on a day that was more 80-something. The driveway wasn't broiling, just a bit sizzily (pretend it's a real word), but I thought that I would mention the HOT day because I was feeling chatty and the universal language of chatty has a couple of staples--weather is one of them, so I went there.

While I was spray painting the front porch wicker furniture, the younger boys were having a grand time in the sprinkler. Every once in a while they would break from jumping on the sopping wet trampoline or sliding on the slippery grass to toast themselves on the driveway. If you've never done this, it's a must. Of course you have done this. I don't know a child in America that hasn't. If you have girls, they make water angels (like snow angels). But if you have boys, well--butt prints. That's what they delight in--butt prints. They also just like to lay there and get warm.












My wonderful "helper"! They used the empty spray cans to help me paint.

Disney for the Thousandth Time

We went to Disney the week leading up to Easter. Here are some shots from our trip. I'm not even going to put captions. I will say, though, that the vacation was lovely. We went with friends and split a 7 bedroom house with a pool. The accommodations were wonderful. Spent 5 days in the parks and saw Jon's parents for a few days.

Granite in the Kitchen

The day after mom and dad left, we ripped out our counters. The granite guys came the next morning to make a template. So, for an entire week (while they fabricated) we went without counter tops or a kitchen sink. We ran the dishwasher sparingly and drained it into a 5 gal. bucket and had to empty it between rinse cycles. We used plenty of paper plates and plastic forks and ordered take out more than twice.

Then came the granite. They stayed all afternoon and made the entire house stink with that stuff that they use to fill the seams. It looked gorgeous, but still no sink--well, no plumbing under it. The next day I undertook my first real plumbing job. Surprisingly, it wasn't difficult. I had to glue one joint, but other than that, it was just slip nuts and washers and a little bit of cutting PVC. Then came the test--water! NO LEAKS!!! I did a happy dance.





Now I can enjoy the new counter tops. Ahhhh. That's been on the home improvement list for a long time. Can you see me kicking up my feet and sipping homemade lemonade? Yeah, neither can I. Now I'm on to the school room.

Mom and Dad's Visit and a Bike Ride

I am way behind in posting about our lives. Mom and dad came about two weeks ago and helped us tackle projects around the house. We played and worked and had a wonderful time.









My dad has taught all my kids how to ride a bike. Sinatra was no exception. He was so ready that dad never even had to run behind. He just started him and watched. By the end of the day the kid was even turning and starting by himself from the curb.









Mom snuggled with Sugar between coats of paint.

Easter

After church on Easter, we usually sneak out the back door of the church and take some "hey-we're-all-dressed-nice-at-the-same-time" shots. This year was no exception. Went for polos and shorts for the boys instead of coats and ties. It was a beautiful day! Hope you enjoy the pictures.

Homeschool Group Finished for the Year

Sinatra Turns 5

Sinatra turned five on April 6th. He kept asking me how many fingers he was away from his birthday. We have been counting down from about 25 days and using all our fingers and toes to make the number of days left. Finally, we got down to one hand and he didn't need help from there. It was so fun to count down with him.



His own Nerf gun!



Cash in a card!

This birthday was the first time that it has been a really big deal to him. We had to have friends, a car cake, a remote control monster truck and a fishing pole. Between our friends and us we fulfilled every wish.



His cars cake.


On top of all the rest, we visited the local zoo at the natural science center just to see the tigers. Shakespeare had a Lego robotics class there that day, so it was one stop for two kids. Top that off with a happy meal at McDonald's (Sinatra's favorite) and you have a superb birthday.



Notice the tiger in the background.



And here he is smiling at the meerkats.

Happy birthday, little man!