ELC: Environmental Learning Center

Today the boys and I packed a picnic, slapped on some sunscreen, drenched ourselves in insect repellent, and headed off to the ELC for a "hike".  

Before hitting the trails, we stopped and looked at all of the birds in the raptor center.  This bald eagle was the boys' favorite.

Then our leader chose which path to follow.

We crossed the wiggly, wobbly bridge

and followed the path

to the river.

After looking around,

the boys found rocks to throw into the river.  

This was the highlight of the trip.

The uncomfortable heat and the abundant, relentless mosquitoes cut our trip short.  Ben was not a happy camper when we had to leave.

We'll be back soon.

When Mom is Away...the Boys will Get Messy!

Arriving home yesterday, I couldn't quite make out what the boys were doing...or what they were wearing.  What a fun mess Justin let them make while helping him paint a large box (that the boys also helped Justin make).

The box will store and help transport Justin's paintings for his upcoming art shows.

On the Farm Again

Our trip to Idaho was filled with....

a little outdoor time 

walks

wide open spaces

tractors to play with

rocks to dig and dirt to play in

a walk down the road to see...

the neighbor's collection of animals (notice the llama?)

lots of walking (yes, that is a hatchet or small forest ax)

sleepy piggy back rides

picking "sunflowers"

lots of good times spent at the kitchen counter

computer time

(doing it all on his own)

learning time

making bean bags and playing catch

dress up time

and more stylish dress up time

peaceful time

(Break) Dance Party

Benjamin is 2!

He woke up to a room full of balloons.

Followed by a birthday hug from his loving brother and a special treat.

We spent time together as a family all morning, doing our best to make Ben feel special.  Then we prepared for Ben's birthday party and welcomed all of our family for the party.

Ben played really hard all day long and wore himself out.  It was nice to see Ben soak up all of the attention given to him and know that he felt special.  

We love this boy!

Fixing It

Paul's love for "fixing it" has not died down.  He loves to fix, build, create, etc.  This past Saturday (ha- this draft was started in Nov.!), Justin took Paul to Home Depot and aided Paul in making a spice rack.  Paul was able to use a real hammer and hammered in all 8 nails himself (it took what seemed like 100 hits per nail).  He was quite proud to show off his spice rack to me when he returned home.


And look how happy Paul was to be able to be able to bring Ben along with him this month!