5/25/13

Chex Mix - Rabbit

Sweet Walter. Such a lover, maker, giver. No need to forage for food, little bunnies. Walter's got a treat for you.
Chex Mix - Rabbit from Stephanie Billmeyer on Vimeo.

5/23/13

The summer list

You know, some days I feel ahead of the game. It doesn't happen often, but every once in a while I get things done with time to spare. So I'm feeling pretty good about getting our summer list compiled, designed, and printed a couple of weeks before school is out for the summer. (It's not hung yet, but hey! I've got two weeks to do that part!)
The summer list
Have you seen these summer lists? They are all over Pinterest, of course. But I think the first time I saw the idea was on whatever. The whole blog is colorful and fun and you should check it out. And the summer list - brilliant! We had so much fun just thinking up all the cool things we can do all summer. The list answers all the "What should we do today?" questions and it gives us all sorts of things to plan and look forward to. We can't wait to start checking things off our list!
The summer list

5/20/13

Shave and a haircut

It was the mud that did it.
I've complained for years about the amount of dog hair in the house. And, this year especially, about the number of ticks that Molly brings into the house. But we've dealt with those things, because they weren't really hurting anyone. But the mud! Oh goodness, the mud. The mud that was so tangled in her fur that it required two rounds of shampoo, brushing, and practically power washing it out of her. It was the mud that made us shave her.
Molly's Haircut
Remember her long blonde locks? No more! She's clean shaven for the summer. She feels baby soft and looks like she's lost about 30 pounds. She's not saying much, but she seems happy with her new 'do. 
Molly's Haircut
Walter thinks she looks a little silly, but she's still good competition in a foot race.
Molly's Haircut
Molly's Haircut
Molly's Haircut
You're still a beauty, Molly. A cooler, cleaner beauty.
Molly's Haircut

5/19/13

A typical weeknight

I know, I know. It's Sunday. Not a weeknight at all. But these photos are from, oh, let's say last Tuesday. A typical spring weeknight with a little this and little that...
There's always time spent playing outside. Usually sports, but sometimes the treehouse is the favorite place to be. Running is the preferred method of getting anywhere.
Sometimes Daddy needs a push
Catch me if you can
There's usually project or two – Walter is always willing to help us out. Whether we're cleaning something or fixing something. He's a helper.
Sweeping the porch
And there's usually a little surprise from nature. Sometimes it's a tick (or 5) found creeping on one of us. Sometimes it's watching the chickens catch (and devour!) a mouse. And sometimes it's not so gruesome, like this robin's nest on the back patio. It's at just the right height for us to be able to keep an eye on things. There's been a fourth egg laid since this photo was taken. We hope the robins can keep it safe from predators so we can watch those babies hatch.  
Robin nest
One more photo that seems not so typical. Can you believe how big this kid looks?? 
Sliding

5/7/13

He lost a tooth!

What the...? How did...? When did my baby get so big?
We were sitting at dinner when Walter announced that he was going to start feeling his teeth every day to see if they might be loose. And then, "Actually, this one IS loose." By the time dinner was over he was holding his tooth in his hand. I have to say I was totally unprepared for this little milestone. There may have been the tiniest of tears in my eyes. He's losing his baby teeth. He's just getting so big!
The tooth is stored safely on the kitchen counter for the time being. He's not giving up this treasure to the Tooth Fairy just yet.
He lost a tooth!
He lost a tooth!
And he insisted on one with a better view:
He lost a tooth!
By the feel of things, tooth number two is not far behind. The Tooth Fairy had better start saving her pennies.

5/6/13

From the weekend

The camera was filling up with photos so I figured I better put some up here. Our weekend was spent mostly outdoors – soccer practice, farmer's market, garden planting, and just hanging out in the yard. I think it's so peaceful to just sit outside and watch all of our creatures. The chickens are back to being free-range during the day. So far, so good.
Chirpy
Feeding chickens
The bees are out and about, collecting pollen from anything they can find. Mostly dandelions at the moment. It's so fun to find a bee in the yard and know that it's our bee. 
Honeybee
Molly is enjoying the new smells of spring. She's rolling in all kinds of gross stuff and bringing all kinds of dirt and bugs (ticks!) into the house. But we still love her. 
Molly
Walter can't get enough of the outdoors. Chasing chickens, popping bubbles, playing baseball, riding bikes, hitting golf balls. There's just so much to do out there!
Bubble chaser
Bubble chaser
Fluffy
The garden was planted on Sunday. I'm hoping the weather stays nice and things actually grow. I feel like I may have jumped the gun a bit this year.
Asparagus
In other project news: the scrap map is done! Not just done, but framed and hung in my sewing room. 
Scrap map
Scrap map
Hooray for fun and productive weekends!