Weird Bread

I made bread on the same day we went over to a friends house so I had to leave the bread in the fridge for awhile so it wouldn't rise too fast. The saran wrap stuck to the dough in just a couple of places on the dough and created a moist spot. In these moist spots the bread grew these weird bubbles while it was baking. I like it so much I may try to recreate it!

Friend Play

We went over to a friends house to play and the girls got dressed up in full regalia. The were doused in body glitter. I think Sophie still has some in her hair and this was about 2 weeks ago!

Meanwhile the boys were outside catching frogs in the pond. Of course Ben slipped on a rock and fell right in.


Success!!!

RODENT ALERT!!!
This next picture is from a different day, but it kind of fits the theme. The kids like to bring us all the dead rodents that the cats leave around. Ben does it the most, but notice he is conscientious enough to carry the vole with a leaf for cleanliness sake. Ahhhh boys...

Also of note...the other day the cat brought a live vole into the yard. Ben pinned the vole to the ground with a rock on its tail where they boys proceeded to play with the vole. I of course was oblivious to this inside the house. Jacob came running in crying with blood running down his arm saying over and over that a baby mouse bit him. I cleaned and disinfected his finger and went outside to discover the scene described above. So far Jacob has not mutated into a vole, so I think there are no lasting effects.

Rodent Alert

This is Dimple. He is a baby meadow jumping mouse that our cat caught but did not kill. In the process his paw was injured. We took him in to help him heal, but in the process decided to keep him as a pet. He was so tiny, mild mannered and sweet.





After his paw healed though I felt bad because he is a jumping mouse and you can't really jump in a pickle jar. Since his paw was all better we decided to let him go. It was a little sad because he was so sweet, but he literally bounded away like a kangaroo! Seeing him jump away like that helped us all know he was better off in the wild.

July Nature Shots

Here is a run down of nature shots from the month of July. Some I will caption, others are just things that caught my eye.


These next few photos are of clouds are from a storm that came in so fast a furious. There were actually tornado warnings in parts of the state so when the storm blew in I got a little nervous.


These first two photos were of cloud fingers that looked like they were reaching down to pluck you up. They were better in person.

These clouds made a horizontal tunnel in the sky and they happened to form just as the sun was setting so they were glowing in a creepy way.

This SPECTACULAR thunderhead was on the southern horizon. The other clouds were on the western horizon. When the two met, the storm got scary looking. In the end it was a great, long lasting, but relatively harmless storm.

Look at the cool curlique in the flower!


This moth was so huge you could see the light reflected in his/her eye.


This moth was a brilliant orange. It comes across as peachy, but it was more of a salmon color.

Videos From Boston

This one is for my boys who love trains and vehicles in general. The best souvenir that we brought back...our used train tickets.

I love birds and really enjoyed watching them play while the world rushed past them.

Anniversary

July 6th Aaron and I celebrated our 8th wedding anniversary. Since I am not pregnant or nursing a baby, and all three of our kids are potty trained I thought we needed to get away for a couple of days (you never know when the planets will align like that again!!!!)

Thursday July 9th we left our kids with Aaron's sister Leah (THANK YOU SOOOO MUCH!) and went to Portsmouth, New Hampshire to the ocean. The weather was perfect! Unfortunately we didn't want to bring the camera down to the beach so there are no photos :(

From there we drove to Massachusetts and stayed in a hotel (oh the luxury!) The next day we took the train into Boston and walked the Freedom Trail. Again the weather was perfect.

The only trouble we had was that Aaron really wanted to go on the U.S.S. Constitution but they were refurbishing it and while you could go on it, the deck was tarped over and the rigging was not up.

On top of that there was a fesitval, Sail Boston, that brought SO many people to the harbor. One ranger said they had not had that kind of attendance in 10 years.

Anyway because of the crowds there were long lines and limited access. Basically, we will be heading back to Boston sometime soon so that we can go again.

Also there were several people we could have visited with, but because we were celebrating our anniversary we chose to be anti-social. So if we were in your neck of the woods and didn't stop by...sorry, but we will catch you next time!

I met this HANDSOME fellow waiting for the train, and...

...we hooked up!


On the train we struck the classic "Abby and Brad" pose


Some views of Faneuil Hall that I enjoyed

I love the combination of curves and lines

This is actually from the old North Church, but it kind of fits with the line up here.

I caught this cute guy checking me out from across the way

So I returned the favor

In front of the U.S.S. Constitution.

The Bunker Hill Monument 294 stairs ALL THE WAY UP. I seriously thought I was going to die. Of course my nerves were not put to rest by the emergency defibrillator next to the bathroom. My heart and legs didn't give out, but I did almost fall down some stairs on the way down because going down the circular stairs make me dizzy and nauseous.

I think considering how hot and sweaty I was and how fast my heart was pounding...this is a pretty good photo!


All that hard work was TOTALLY worth the view.

Further proof we made it to the top.

Looking up at the level above us.

All in all it was a wonderful trip where I fell deeply and madly in love with Aaron all over again. By the end of the two days families with small children made me tear up. It is true absence makes the heart grow fonder.

I am surprised how much caring for children changes the way I interact with Aaron and he I. It was really nice to be totally dedicated to each other again, if only for two days. I love where I am at in life, but I will totally enjoy retirement.

We will be doing this again. The question is when...

Just a Memory

We went to the waterfront for the 4th of July. Usually I take pictures of the fireworks, but we have so many now that it felt redundant. It was great show despite sitting in the rain to watch it.

Also the kids (ok fine, me too) each had to go to the bathroom a couple of times, never at the same time despite our efforts to coordinate potty trips. They never have enough port-o-lets so there was a long wait each time. Needless to say I spent a lot of time in line waiting for the bathroom, including in the middle of the fireworks.

While we waiting for the show they had a stunt airplane that was really fun to watch. It was incredible to watch the plane dive and swirl like it was about to crash only to have it swoop back up into the air.

I am putting this on here more for my kiddos and other kiddos like them, than for entertainment value.

The Faces of Ben

We found Ben being a little naughty, but mostly cute as he imitated Daddy in the laptop, complete with glasses. Touching the laptop is a no-no, but the glasses are a major no-no. I wonder if the fact that we took time to photograph this makes us bad disciplinarians?

And Ben fashioned a hat out of an empty pea bag. Children should never put a plastic bags over their heads, but I think this time it was ok.

Garden Stuff

Last year I planted my bleeding heart too late and I thought they hadn't made it. Then this spring they pulled through only to be eaten several times.

I successfully created a shield to deter potential eat-age only to remove it and have the plant eaten again. Back went the shield. When the plant was quite large I removed the shield a final time.

Here, finally it has blossomed.

Here is a view of the garden. I tried to label it, but I guess that is not where my talents are

In the front from left to right we have: Turnip, beets, carrots, garlic, and several types of onions. Cross the path and we have basil, brussel sprouts and strawberries, but only about three plants survived.

Then moving to the middle portion, again from left to right: greens bed with several types of lettuce and spinach, cucumbers are in front of the bean poles and potatoes are behind the bean poles, and the far right is all corn with a border of peas in a L shape

Teeter Totter

Here are the three of my lovely children, obviously having fun on the teeter totter.

And here is the fun in action. Keep in mind that no children were harmed in the making of this video, though it may appear that way a couple of times.

The Faces of Sophie

Now that summer is here I can finally get more pictures of Sophie since she isn't in school.

One of the things I admire about Sophie is that she can play hard...

And she can play pretty...

Dress Up

Awhile ago I put a post up about dress up/imaginative play in which I questioned when Sophie would stop playing like a kid. We aren't there yet, but I think we may be approaching it. Here is the dress up Sophie chose...

One of her regular dresses with several different bags.

Then there was Ben...

Sporting a chicken hat and a suitcase.

Finally comes Jacob who DEFINITELY had some help from his big sister...

I hate to say it, but he makes a lovely princess!