Friday, September 19, 2014

Lately...

    I have found that getting school started really makes time pass.  I suddenly realized that I haven't posted anything on here in awhile.  It's not that we have been bored... :)   We definitely have been getting in the school routine.  But we have had other fun along the way!
 
   Here is a picture of Joe explaining his school work to Jake! (And Jake is taking the time to ask questions about it.)

 Last Saturday we decided to enjoy the beautiful afternoon by taking the four wheeler to the woods behind Mama and Papa's.  We did some fishing and a little hunting and some riding!  It was a relaxing afternoon that we all enjoyed!

 Joe found a turtle which he named "Hawkins the Turtle".

 Fishing

The boys and I also did some climbing up and down the ravines...which Joe especially enjoyed!




Sunday, August 10, 2014

Secret hideout

 We were chasing a hen out of the barn the other day and discovered something!

 One of our hens has found a way in the (usually) closed barn...and has been laying eggs in a nice quiet spot of hay...for 3 weeks!!!!
 Joe counted 23 eggs stashed in the hay!

Grandpa's lake

 Grandpa, we have found your ideal lake!  :) 
  We went to a friends' lakehouse on Saturday.  And the boys experienced all kinds of fun!  But the best part was how CLEAN and CLEAR the lake itself was.  You might be able to study the pictures below enough to recognize that one can see down into the clear water pretty far!

Jake was anxious about swimming b/c of what he couldn't see.  But we quickly explained that this water was as clear as bathwater...just dark because of its depth.  Fortunately, it didn't take long to convince him to jump in and enjoy it!
Our friends took the boys out a couple times in the boat to go tubing...in the float you can't fall out of! :)  They loved it!!!!!

Getting ready...
 


 And they are going!  Joe is giving a thumbs up...b/c he is having fun OR b/c he wants to go faster!!!





You can watch them here...




Then, a neighbor had some toys he shared...and the boys thoroughly enjoyed these!




Needless to say, the boys enjoyed the day...and wish they could go back today! :)

pigs, tractors, bmx, and a rodeo

 This is Joe pictured next to a small, fake pig.  However, we did stare for awhile at the massive 1000 lb pigs. 

Of course, we had to visit and test all the tractors...and note the pricing!
 We enjoyed some BMX tricks...of which, I (mom) frequently whispered to Joe, "Don't try that...ever!"  Here's a video of some of the tricks we watched.


And we finished the evening with some time at the rodeo. Quite an experience to take in...for many reasons! One highlight...the monkey cowboy on the dog's back (its "horse") as it tried to corral some goats! Humorous and amazing all in one...!


Monday, July 28, 2014

A Few Views from our Trip

We traveled through 9 states...
Indiana
Illinois
Missouri
Kansas
Colorado
Wyoming
South Dakota
Minnesota
Iowa
Illinois
Indiana
and
saw some beautiful views.
Variations of the color green...
Land flatter than Kansas (in WY and SD)
Land with NO trees (WY and SD)
Drastic changes in landforms...around each corner
Animals...Plants...and more...

Here are a few of the nearly 300 pictures...
 

These pictures were taken on my last run in Boulder on Tues morning at Wonderland Lake area.

Obviously, Mount Rushmore





 In Wyoming...








At Badlands National Park...

















The sunset at Badlands NP...









Buffalo in Custer State Park...






 Pronghorn and a Prairie Dog...


Needles Highway (in the Custer/Black Hills area)...