Barn Time

We loved showing our friends and family around our neck of the woods. We spent a lot of time at the barn, feeding up, watching one of the j boys work his cow, and just being outdoors. Above, Kylie and Lucia snuggle up on the EZGo, below, Avery Mae feeds Aubie.
The children loved getting their own bucket and toting the feed to the goats and feeding them (aka throwing corn at them).
The sheep got in on the meals too.
Below, Jenny and Kira say hi to Onsie. We had wonderful weather for being outside, a little brisk, but sunny.

We love visitors

For a week we had a house even more full of laughter and love and fun. My sister and niece came to visit from California and brought my sister's best friend and her two girls. Jenny's Kylie had just turned five and Kira was born a week before our three. My niece, Avery, was born seven weeks before our three. So we had five toddlers and a five-year-old together for almost a week.

We were surprised how well everyone got along. Everyone had a good time playing together. We had lots of fun going to the barn and running around outside. The weather was perfect. We hope you will enjoy our photos of our time together.

Bogged Down

Sometimes I feel guilty that my children don't experience more. They've never heard live music; they've never seen a Van Gogh or a Monet. They haven't seen mountains or giraffes or race cars. Then something completely fun and amazing and unique to our lives will happen to remind me that it is all okay, that my children are getting all the experiences they need.

The most recent thing that happened was that we went with PaPap in his Ranger to feed the sheep and on the way back to the house the Ranger got stuck in the mud, or as we say in our neck of the woods "bogged down." Pop had to go get the tractor and pull the Ranger out of the mud. I even got to sit inthe Ranger and give it gas and steer it as he pulled it with the tractor. I made snacks and brought the children's camp chairs so they could watch the actions from a safe distance. "The Ranger got stuck in the mud" was all Elliott said for 48 hours. Now his chicken nuggets frequently get bogged down in ketchup. He has become a master at getting food and toys unstuck.

Enjoy where you are. That is what we will continue to do. I think this is an important life lesson.

Wild Injins

I always joke with H that she is the "fun mom" and i am the "mean mom." It is sort of a joke. She thinks of all the fun stuff to do--like paint the children 30 minutes before bedtime. They had a blast and loved being wild indians.

C is for Cookie

There is an easy peanut butter cookie recipe out in the sphere. All three of our three love to cook and bake. Today I gave them each a third of the warm cookies and let them put their chocolate chips on them.



Mix 1 egg, 1 cup of peanut butter, and 1 cup of sugar with an electric mixer. Roll into 1 inch balls and place on cookie sheet. Cook for 10 minutes at 250 degrees.

Going to Work

Lucia had a busy busy day today. She was going to work.

Nannie Bell's Yard

Since the first of the year I've been taking the children to Nannie's house about once a week. We usually go after I pick them up from school. They run around her yard and we all get to visit with her. She has the prettiest year I've ever seen. Her Live Oaks are the most beautiful tress. The children love looking at all the statues, flowers, and birds.

The Rest

Here are the rest of the pictures from our time on the Gulf for Mardi Gras. We went to the zoo--again. Our little Gulf Coast zoo is so enjoyable. It is the perfect size and has a great layout.
We also went to the library to read and play. The children really enjoyed this time with Grandpa and NanaLin. They played with stickers and toys and even read a few books.



Elliott put his stickers all over his face and then decided the stuffed bear might like them all over his face better.


Our little Gulf town also has a great park. The children loved running around and sliding and swinging. We will definitely go to the park each time we head south.

Mardi Tuesday

On the actual day of Mardi Gras we went to two parades. The main parade put on by the town and a boat parade put on by a local restaurant. The boat parade was lacking but the town parade was very good. The children loved it.
Above is a picture of Lucia with her hands out, as if to say "Throw me some goods, would you?"
H's mom, Nana, took the three to the parade with me. So, it was two adults and three 2.5 year olds. I will admit, as soon as we got to our place on the street a wave of panic hit me. Traffic, hoards of people, hurled loot, and my three precious children. "What are we going to do?" kept running through my head. I knew the three would want to pick up beads and treasures and look at the floats. I pure panicked at the thought of keeping everyone safe and happy. Just about everyone around us though help Nana and I with LEM. People picked up beads. People kept them out of the street. People let them play with their puppies. It was a good little exercise for me in controlling my worry. A little worry is healthy, but only a little.