Sunday, August 25, 2019

Celene's Butterfly



Celene has made it her summer project to collect many caterpillars and try to keep them alive and happy through their life cycle, with the goal of successfully hatching a butterfly from a chrysalis.

she's repurposed this old aquarium to use as a caterpillar nursery

another jar holds smaller caterpillars until they are ready to move into the larger aquarium

she was so excited when some chrysalis began to form

such delight when a butterfly finally hatched successfully! After many failures this was such joy.



Elkhart Lake and Ice Cream



We gathered some friends to enjoy a morning at the lake,
and finish it up with a treat at the ice cream shop.
These summer days are becoming less and less for this year!





Shawn's Work Family Picnic


They always put on a nice family fun time for the kids.
We do appreciate it.







Eli and Theo got to take turns driving a robot!


Tae Kwon Do Testing for Eli and Hannah


Eli tested for yellow finally!!!
He was SO PUMPED.


noodle sparring with a black belt

thrill

determination

rejoice!

And Hannah tested for BROWN!!!
Already?!?!!!!!!!




she worked so hard for this!

she had to fight with a black belt teacher to get her brown belt - I think she giggled more than anything ;)

success! 

Lately


These deliciously cool days for August have us all enjoying the outside all the more!
And those little autumn peeks already starting to show...those long rolling fluffy white clouds with gray undersides, a sprinkling of yellow crispy leaves just starting to fall, the grass getting dry and crinkly, the garden overflowing to where we can't find the original paths...
seems too soon and yet so close...
Autumn marches closer, my dears.

kitten love

enjoying friends visiting from Alberta!

Celene's bunnies

Hannah's first garden flower bouquet finally! Such a late year, but such is the same for all the garden produce.

Celene's hamster enjoying an onion on the kitchen table

The little kids got themselves some new wheels!
A little of dad's homemade skills and expertise = a lot of smiles!

Celene's adores the little green tree frogs with their soft, sticky feet

Miles warily excited that his summer project is finally running...yes, a mini bike!
A very old item, found deep in the recesses of my dad's old barn, restored, repainted, and sporting a 30+ year old motor...
It's been nearly 3 months in the works and he can't wait to finish it.
baling our own hay for the first time! it went well and we're excited to be able to produce and store our own hay for our own animals for the winter.

the kids working to pick up hay bales and store them in the barn
one of those recent sunset stunners
the girls shocked me with one of their recent stunts...a gang plank in the barn :O

Monday, August 5, 2019

Bay Beach with Grandma



feeding the gulls at lunch

go-carts!


bumper cars





on the train




picnic supper back in Plymouth