A Camping We Will Go!

I think in my last blog post I said something like..."Tomorrow, I'll share the first part of our camping trip."

I should have added, "Lord a-willin' and the creek don't rise."
I should know better than to put a deadline on my blogging. It just doesn't work out for me.

That was two...or maybe three... weeks ago.

Since then, we've celebrated Joshua's 4th birthday.

I'm getting behind!

But, as promised, here is the first part of our camping trip...

The little boys do pretty well on car trips now.
I've never been very good about packing wonderful travel packs to keep the kids occupied. Usually we just throw a few things in a bag and go.

Here are a couple of those things...a noisy steering wheel activity board and an equally noisy walky talky...PSSHHHHT! That's the noise it makes. PSSHHHHT!
I am also not very good, I guess, at packing appropriate toys. :)



Noisy toys were traded in for fun food.
When looking for fun food, Pringles is one of the best.

Duck bills!





About four hours later, we arrived at the campground.
Paul unrolled the awning, and look what he found! A little green tree frog...from our house.
Four hours misplaced.
He was in a state of shock. He just sat on the picnic table for a very long time before suddenly disappearing.
I hope he enjoys the Jellystone Park as much as Joshua did. :)



Finally unpacked and set up, we were all able to relax a little bit.



Tomorrow we would be off to Papa B and Grandma Gilda's house!

Where To Begin...

We've had a couple of pretty busy weeks around here...followed by a week of doing "a whole lot of nuthin'."

I want to be able to share what we've done, so I think I'll go at it little-by-little...with bite-sized chunks.

Joshua took his first-ever swim lessons this summer. He started off by telling me that he was "angry" about swim lessons. He really didn't think he wanted to take them.

With several pep-talks from Carrie and William and matching swim trunks, flip-flops and shirt, he changed his mind.



In fact, he went with only slight hesitation on the first day. That was huge, I thought. No tears or clinging!




I absolutely love the last day of swimming lessons. It's a kind of show-and-tell day for the kids. Family is able to go back to the pool with them and watch, while their instructor leads them in the skills that they have learned.

Paul took a vacation day and we were joined by his mom and dad...Grandma and Grandpa.
And Matthew...



And a proud sister...



and brother!


Here's Josh showing us how he enters the pool safely.



And the safe exit.



Josh had some pretty "sweet skills," as he called them, including a back float and front float.





After swim lessons, Grandma and Grandpa treated Josh to McDonalds.



And here's Matty, showing off his new skill...dunking french fries in ketchup.
I don't think I've shared his first "dunking" pictures. I'll have to remember to share those later.
He has found that he likes dunking just about any food in any kind of dunking sauce you give him.
And believe me, he is much more of a "dunker" than a "dipper!" Don't let that sweet little pinky finger fool you!



Look!
Play stuff!



Grandma watched Josh play on the play equipment.



Some time spent running around and burning some extra energy was a good thing, because we were about to go home and finish loading the camper so that we could go out on our first camping trip of the season! We camped close to where my dad lives, so that meant several hours on the road.

Tomorrow, I'll share the first part of our camping trip!

Soundless Saturday..."Croquet Ends With a Meltdown"

Free of Noise Friday..."Lovin' Those Lips...and Teeth!"

Tongue-Tied Thursday..."Shelve 'Em"

Wordless Wednesday..."Why We Homeschool"

Tight-Lipped Tuesday..."The Master of Disguise"

Mute Monday..."Ice Cube Antics"

Silent Sunday..."Day of Rest"

The Bunny Whisperer

We have an on-site Bunny Whisperer.
Her name is Carrie.
Here's how she realized her talent as Bunny Whisperer.

What a beautiful day to mow the yard in our part of the country. The temperature was an unseasonal 72 degrees with low humidity. I have always loved mowing the yard...I tell Paul that he has his Harley time and I have my Deere time.

In fact, someday I may get a tattoo proclaiming my love for my Deere.

O.K., so maybe that's just some big talk.

Anyway, I was thoroughly enjoying my mowing time yesterday when all of a sudden there was a flash of brown in front of my mower.

The Bunny!
I forgot about the bunny!

Thankfully he made it past the mower and under the blue spruce tree in the front yard. I continued to carefully mow past the tree...and there he was again!

This time, he stopped in the middle of the front yard, distracted by all the yummy clover. I stopped the mower and got within about 18 inches of the bunny. I crouched down and started talking to it. He had no intention of leaving that yummy clover he was nibbling on.

I called for Carrie several times. She and Josh came outside. I told Carrie that if I had a pair of gloves, I might try to pick him up. She found some of my gardening gloves and put them on (because picking up the bunny was really just some more big talk on my part).

Her first try was unsuccessful.
Oh, she succeeded in picking him up, but he jumped out of her hands and into that delicious ground cover in front of the house.

I climbed back on the mower and left her squatting down beside the ground cover, waiting patiently for him to let down his guard.

It didn't take long.
The next time I circled around, she had him.
Patience is a virtue...and, as Carrie found out, is rewarded!

Look at those long eyelashes!



Carrie is obviously in love...



We tried some carrots and lettuce, but he was a little too nervous to try any of it.





As much as we'd like to adopt Skippy (naming privileges went to Carrie), we decided that it would be best to "catch and release."



Lessons learned from this experience...
1. Drive slowly and pay attention while mowing the yard.
2. Be patient.
3. Clover in the yard is a good thing...no need for all those expensive lawn treatments.

And here's one that Paul shared with me that I've never heard.

4. Baby bunnies can be scared to death (#34).

Wow, Paul, I'd never heard that.

5. Paul never ceases to amaze me.