Here Comes Summer!!!

Summer is heeeeeere!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  Yes!  We are excited! Below are some reasons why.

 Kittens!  Grandpa L. and Grandma L. have some, and we happened upon them over the weekend.  The girls and I have gone over every day to try to catch a couple in an effort to tame them.  It was going really well until today when we discovered the wild mama cat has moved them.  Bummer!  Well, we will not give up.  We will switch our efforts from taming to locating.  We love kittens!

 Reading!  We love reading.  Well, Ainsley seems to love decorating with books, judging by the photo, but she'll also enjoy reading some of these.  Books are great!

We love the berries of summer!  Too bad they cost about a zillion dollars at the store right now.  I did find some blackberries on sale and Bennett was mega impressed with this mega berry.  She had to take a picture of it because it was just. so. big.

And finally, fishing!!!  We fished with Grandpa C., Grandma D., Aunt K. and Cousin S. for the first time of the season.  Grandma tried taking a fish off the hook for the first time in her life, and she chose to do it with her sweatshirt sleeve.  Man, am I glad I got a short video of this event because it has generated a LOT of laughter over here.  So, so funny!  Oh Grandma, you are a gem.  Thanks for the entertainment.  We will ALWAYS be taking you fishing with us!

When In Doubt, Google It!

A school visit from a Blank Park Zoo employee, a tale from Mom about a giant bug on a past family vacation and last night's Junebug attack has prompted Ainsley's interest in big beetles.  I walked into the kitchen this morning to find her sitting at the computer, attempting to Google by herself for the first time.  Below you will see her search term for "Google the biggest beetle."  We made some spelling corrections and hit enter, revealing some nasty, HUGE beetles.  It was so cute to see her trying to Google.  I mean, it is THE best way to aquire information, right?

And in other news, Bennett waltzed into the kitchen looking like a male cubical worker, wearing a man's button-up shirt and swooping, feathery news anchor hair.  Dad gave her this shirt and she wears it around the house ALL the time, although this is the first time I've seen it fully buttoned.  Maybe she thought the business casual would improve her Super Mario skills this morning, but judging by the expression on her face, things were not going well.

A Few Randoms

We had a lovely Mother's Day weekend.  Lot's of fun and quite busy, but few pictures to show for it.  I'll just give you a few randoms from the past week...

Ainsley is her father's daughter.  She is a people person who is all about friends and giving.  She would have a friend over every day if possible and she would give them a present every time she saw them if she could.  Nothing is too small to be a treasured gift.  Not even twisty ties.  Here is a note and some "rings" she made for a friend.  "I hope you have a great time with the rings" is the translation.  Lovely!

Oh dear.  We have a new driver in the family.  Grandpa C. has been teaching Bennett how to operate the Gator.  Over the weekend he let her drive solo for a few minutes.  Cousin S. was her passenger, and while he looks completely upset he was actually having a super time.  He just makes a really painful face when you ask him to say "cheese" for the camera.  Stay off the roads, folks, or I guess the yard in this case.

And speaking of "her father's daughter," here is a Post-it I stumbled across this morning while cleaning up the kitchen.  I believe this is a word bank that Dad created to help him write a poem of sorts in his grandma's Mother's Day card.  It may be the first time in history that the words "crunch" and "punch" and "munch" have been used to express appreciation to someone on Mother's Day.  But just as twisty ties are useful to Ainsley, no word is off limits when it comes to telling your grandma they are special, at least not for Dad. 

The Power of a Fence...I Mean a Mother???

So, from my last post you will recall we are taking down our fence.  No biggie, right?  Well, apparently it's a pretty big deal to someone.  Check out the Mother's Day gift I received from Bennett below.

Bennett brought this lovely Mother's Day writing piece home from school.  If you click on the photo you can enlarge and read the sweet things she wrote about the impact I've had on her life as her mother.  The usual is listed...and the unusual, namely the importance of taking down the fence.  She mentions that crazy fence business more than once.  "My favorite thing to do with you is take down the fence..."  "Thanks for teaching me how to screw the bolts off the fence."  "One of my favorite memories with you is fixing the fence and carrying the parts to the shed."  Really?  Are you kidding me?  I mean, we did have some family fun tearing down the fence, but I had no idea it was such an amazing experience.  Never underestimate the influence you or your fence have on your children.  It's the little things, you know!

Whose Kids Are These? Oh, Wait...They're OURS!

 Bennett and Ainsley are a joy these days.  I love the young kid years.  Here are a couple of examples...

They are becoming increasingly helpful!  We decided it's time to take down the hideous fence around our yard.  Both girls had a blast helping us with the bolts last night.  They cannot wait to continue work on this task!

Ah. Making memories.

And this is rare but it's becoming more frequent.  The incidents of affectionate embrace are on the rise.  I took this photo this morning before school.  So lovely!  Now mind you, we are soon to embark on summer vacation and the first few weeks can be rough.  Too much togetherness, you know?  I'm thinking about blowing this photo up to poster size as a reminder to these two that indeed, they DO love each other, come June.  We shall see.  Anyway, Bennett and Ainsley are a complete joy 98% of the time.  What a blessing!  For those of you who are living the baby/toddler days, hang in there.  Your glory days are coming! 

Getting Excited!!!

 Nice weather means the fire bowl is out again!   We decided to roast some Peeps last week.  Two observations were made...1 - Toasted Peeps are way hotter to the touch than regular toasted marshmallows.  2 - Toasted Peeps are quite delicious!  You should give it a try some time.  The spring weather, fire bowling and Peep roasting is getting us pretty pumped for some camping!   We've got some of that scheduled for early June.  In the meantime, we'll just Peep roast away!