Parenting Practices: Summer Wrap Up

This has one of the greatest summers I can remember.  The weather was divine and the garden was lush.  Summer is a funny thing.  In my opinion it should be laid back, but if it is too laid back everyone goes crazy.  Whether we admit it or not, we all like some structure.  Anyway this summer was the prefect balance of boredom that leads to creativity and activity to pull us away from the house for a change of pace.  The kids had a lot of fun but were also ready to go back to school when the time came.  Here is the summer wrap up in photo form.

I was in the house when I heard someone calling for help.  I ignored it at first because the kids often play games where they are calling for help.  But the calling continued so I went to investigate and found this...

The boys were playing in the old rabbit hutch when the latch fell down locking them in.  I will shamefacedly admit that I left them in there while I said goodbye to someone and grabbed my camera mostly because I needed some time to stop laughing so that I could hold the camera still.

Blueberries from our own bushes.

These are the most aggravating pictures.   5:30 a.m. the puppies go crazy and I look out to see a moose go past their pen.  I watch it cross the road and Aaron says, "Why don't you go get your camera?"  Oh right that big expensive camera I got so I could take pictures of amazing things!!

I grabbed my camera and went outside where the moose very kindly ran in circles rather than running away.  I kept taking pictures, but my camera requires knowledge that I am trying to gain, but I can't take good pictures fast.  I need time to process and figure out the right settings etc...So even though there was a moose less than 30 feet away from me and it lingered for a couple of minutes, all I have is a bunch of blurry grainy photos.

Ben chilling out at Gram and Papa/Poppa Gramps

We had lots of opportunities for cousin play

Jacob has an inchworm and it looks like he is about to eat it, but trust me he didn't.

And of course blueberry picking at Brown's Beautiful Blueberries.  We didn't pick as much as last year.  Only 55 lbs compared to 100 lbs.

Hot after a day of play in the sun

And crafting with family

Aaron got so much work done on the addition and winterized the living room.  When Aaron pulled the old siding and styrofoam off the living room he discovered that snakes have been using the old siding like a ladder and living in the walls.  He found about 50 snake skins and eight live snakes.

Here is the addition.  Aaron has done more work on it.  I will have to take pictures to update it.

Interior

Special thanks to Becky and Jason for their help and their inspiration on how to do this entry way so that it would hide how crooked the original house is.

Noah learned to love garden produce and you can see in the background the half painted floor (it is now done) and the terrarium with live plants and 4 hermit crabs.  I'll do a post on that later.

Bounty

And what would summer be without some frog catching!

Onward and upward!