Frog and Toad Come for a Visit

We had an unexpected visit from a couple of my favorite literary characters the other day: Frog and Toad!

David has learned all of their favorite hang-outs in our yard, 

so I'm sure they and their relatives will be making many "visits" while we are here.

Love, Us.

A Beautiful Evening in the Yard

We were enjoying a beautiful evening in the (mostly private, Deo Gratias!) back yard last week. 

Romeo was doing his current usual... enjoying the fresh air on ALL of his skin.

Patrick was doing his usual... chasing Romeo all over the yard as Romeo giggled at his silliness.

It was a beautiful evening, in many ways!

Love, Us.

Oir Little Green Friend: Mr. Leafhopper

We have been enjoying many of our Gerbera daisies on our dining room table recently. 

The breakfast table became the science lab last week when the kiddos found a little guy hanging out on a stem.

With a moment of research, we were able to "label" him as a Green Leafhopper!

The kids immediately got out their science notebooks and documented their discovery.

He stayed with us for almost a week, and then he left the flowers, so we gently let him get outside to find more food.

Here is the little guy. 

Sorry the picture isn't clearer. Reviewing my camera settings again is on my to-do list.

If you look closely, you can see the little guy on the stem right above the top of the vase in the foreground.

T's Entry:

D's Entry - T helped him spell, but didn't help him keep things in lines or proper order. 

Awesome handwriting, though!

Love, Us.

The Playground's Invisible Fence

Last Sunday we checked out a really fun playground at a nearby elementary school. 

The big kids had a blast running around, and Romie hung out on the ground in the shade by us. 

At first I thought I'd have to keep bringing him back to the shade to keep him from becoming a lobster. 

However, we soon found out that there was a very effective invisible fence right inside the "sun line". 

Romie would crawl towards the light, but about six inches from the "danger zone" 

he would put his hand on the spot where the sun was a few minutes ago... yikes! 

That was enough to have him turn back and enjoy the shade. 

It was great!

Love, Us.

Bare-Butt-Brother Time

Romeo has had some extreme discomfort "down there" recently. 

So, we got out the pack-n-play for him to hang out in "au naturel" without the possibility of too much of a mess. 

Patrick appreciated the ability to have a private space in which to play cars with his favorite person.

Love, Us.

Fun in the Sun and the Shade

Installing a fence has really increased the amount of fun the kiddos have had in the backyard this summer. 

Having a ginger, however, has made me more aware of the need for shade during play time.

So... we created our own version of a tent with some cord between the fences and some thrift shop sheets.

It worked out well... until the ball lost it's "flavor" and he crawled towards the excitement on the other side of the yard.

Love, Us.

Our Harvest

Good news: I had no hope of getting any edible produce from our "garden", and I was wrong!

Bad news: We harvested exactly two green beans. No joke. Two.

As a comparison, here is a small portion of my sisters Ruth's harvest this year:

And here is my entire harvest:

Yeah. I have no words.

They were yummy, though. My portion...the little nibble...was quite delectable.

Love, Us.