Sweet Frog

We finally made it to sweet frog to celebrate the kids' last day of school.

We Paved Paradise and Put Up A Parking Lot

Yep, we really did it!  We observed that DeGarmo's got their driveway paved and thought it looked nice, so we called the same company and it worked out for them to start Friday.  They almost finished today, they were lacking enough asphalt to completely finish the bottom of the driveway.  They will finish it and do the sealing on Monday.  It's been a little crazy trying to get us all parked in the field (and Dave and Amanda too).  Good thing Shawn just modified that pasture to take down the red barn so that we could park there.

I can't wait for the kids to be able to ride their bikes, roller skate, use sidewalk chalk, etc.

At first Cana was very unhappy about the paving because she had to be tied out.  But, she finally made her peace.

Paul's First Run

Paul has been able to walk most of the way on our walks, so I told him he graduated to running with me.  Friday morning while Joy was at school we had our first run.  Like all the kids at the Turkey Trott, he ran really fast for a little while, then walked for a long while, then repeated the process over and over.  It went just fine and we enjoyed ourselves.  He was really excited about the app on my phone and wanted to run fast so the little line would grow longer on the map.  And he also loved when it talked to us and told us our speed and distance.

He gave me a thumbs up when it was all done.

Flower Girl

Joy wanted me to take a picture of her in this flower outfit.

Goodbye Sammie

We were so so sad to have to say goodbye to Sammie last week.  After fighting Lyme Disease with so much medicine and so many doctors appointments for so many months, we just couldn't help her any more.  She lost 18 lbs in 8 days.  She was in such terrible shape, looking at her was heart breaking.   We had to have her put to sleep.  I am so very glad that she enjoyed her brief time as a farm dog and my running partner.

Paul's Kindergarten Graduation

With Jacob, who is Paul's good friend and who LOVES Joy and talks with her on the phone.

 Daddy entertaining Joy while we wait

They all read their books that they had written themselves.  It was really, really good.  Paul's was awesome!!

We are so proud of our graduate!!!

Pre-Graduation Dinner

I let Paul pick whatever he wanted for dinner before graduation.  He picked bacon, mashed potatoes and corn on the cob.

Joy's Sleeping Fort

Something flapped around for a few days then died in the walls in Paul's room.  Then it smelled SUPER terrible for several days.  The kids were sleeping in our room.  Joy liked to build herself a pillow fort to sleep in each night.  We'd put her to sleep in a normal manner then come up to find her in a fort.

Paul's New Sports Equipment

 I took Paul to Dicks and got him running shoes so he could could come running with me.

We also got a bat and glove.  Paul and Shawn have been having fun playing a lot.

Riding Bikes

On Memorial Day, we took the kids down to the Fire Station to ride their bikes.  We tried Paul without his training wheels but he wasn't yet ready.

We let Paul sit in the middle on the way home and I turned around to find them holding hands.  How cute!

"United States of America Dress"

Since we didn't go anywhere on Memorial Day, I had Joy wear her "United States of America" dress to school today.

Battleship at Breakfast

Paul was teaching Joy to play Battleship at breakfast this morning.  Usually these things end in a fighting disaster, but they did well this morning.

Joy and some Corn

Joy enjoying some corn at our grilling feast earlier in the weekend.

Our Memorial Day Camp Out

We decided to have our first camp out in our back yard.  We did it Sunday night because Fri and Sat night were very cold.  The kids were over the top excited.  We had to wait on Sunday for Daddy to mow the spot for the tent.  The kids were anxiously watching out the window for him to be done.  We set it up about 1:30 in the afternoon, and they were ready to get in in their sleeping bags!

 Daddy bringing up some cardboard boxes to get the fire started.

 They had fun roasting hot dogs and eating hot dogs and french fries for dinner.

 And smores for dessert!!

 Paul loves to stir the fire.

 And they both had fun singing with Daddy.  Then Paul told a spooky story and Shawn scared him and he screamed and we all laughed.

It was a job to get them settled down to sleep, but we all slept in the tent all night!  It was a really fun time.  (Although I don't need to sleep on the ground again any time soon.)

Two Nights of Frost

We had two nights of frost over the weekend.  It took HOURS to get all the blankets, get stuff covered and find enough heavy stuff to weight them down.  I lost one tomato plant which broke off and several tomatoes and peppers got grey on top.  We'll see if they survive.  The basil got black on top but I think it will survive.  This was such a job.

Joy's Dinosaur in and Egg

Joy was very proud of the dinosaur in an egg that she made at school.

The Newest Calf

The  newest calf, Jasper's baby.  She was born in the field and escaped, Dave and Amanda caught her near where Shawn parks his truck.

Play Date with Esther

Last week, while her family was celebrating her dad's graduation from basic training, Esther came for a play date.

Ring from Grandma

Hmm, it's been a long time since a ring on my finger has been photographed...15 years to be exact.  But I wanted to take a picture so 15 years from now I can remember why I have this one in my jewelry box.  Mom gave it to me for Mother's Day, it was hers from Grandma Hamilton.  Thanks, Mom, I'll try to take good care of it!

My 37th Birthday Dinner/Belated Mother's Day Celebration

 Patty cake with Grandpa

 Baseball

 Riding bikes on the sidewalk and newly paved driveway

 Arianna colors the sidewalk while Joy colors her hands.

 Playing on the swings

 Arianna put a caterpillar on Grandpa's leg and thought it was the most hilarious thing.

Checking out a mysterious seed thing they found.

Popsicles after playing outside for the warm afternoon