I neglected all 3 of you who visit my blog due to the fact someone.... of small stature... ate (?) the end of the camera cord to plug into my computer. (Yum?) Aragorn bought me this lovely little device called a card reader (I think) for all of $4 including shipping. Now all I need to do is (not lose this) and plug it in my computer and voila I can instantly get pictures off my camera again. I had 145 pictures but I will just share a mere 95 :)First hot day of spring
Time to pull out the sprinkler.
Gardens are starting to get some daffy-down-dillies.
Don't ask my why Pippin had to wear a swimsuit with a floatation device!
Bilbo was not as enthusiastic with the cold sprinkler water and to think he is a winter baby who loves the sub-zero.....Pheasants
Our wee little pheasants.
Local State Park
This is such a beautiful "rock" park but with such and ugly name but we'll just keep it as a local park.
Frodo
Frodo down by the lake. Too cool of a day to swim.
Eleanor and Rosie.
Sam contemplating what it'll be like to be all grown up and 13. 
Bilbo contemplating how to get up. Life's rough being so short! 
I think I can, I think I can, I think I can..... I can't. 
Merry and Pippin my little wee gardeners. In the background you can sort of see a project going on. The building, which you can see mere corner of, was orginally 2 summers ago being worked on as a summer kitchen. We didn't finish that nor turn it into a maple syrup factory so we have moved it to being shed for gardent things and a little greenhouse... if... we complete this project. 
Digging up and working in the composted manure. 
The children enjoyed picking yellow rocket out of the fields, we all thing weeds make lovely bouquets. 
Rosie smoothing out one of the boxes. 
Galadriel made this wreath for our May Crowning coming up later in this blogging.... 
We had an absolutely beautiful day go to on a Rosary Hike at Indian Lake. 
Little Buddies 
Is this not just the funniest pictures? If you knew sweet little L in the background you'd laugh particularly at the look on her face! 
Bilbo got a ride on this fine lad's back! THANK YOU!! 
We said the Rosary on the way up to the top to see the chapel.
Pippin enjoyed the walk.
Before we ladies with littles-in-tow even started up the hill to the chapel, some of the children (namely mine!) ran up and back down. Merry and Pippin had to tell me about the adventure. Merry said there was a little house at the top, a little house with a cross on top. The Pipping told me there was a dog house up there. I explained to him that it was a little church to which he chanted "It's a dog church! It's a dog church!" as we tried to pray the rosary.
It's a tiny chapel with a little high altar. 
Here's our homeschooling group together at the top. 
Pippin waiting for this mother who was with the slow group!
Our wee little pheasants. Local State Park
This is such a beautiful "rock" park but with such and ugly name but we'll just keep it as a local park.
Frodo
Frodo down by the lake. Too cool of a day to swim.
Eleanor and Rosie.
Sam contemplating what it'll be like to be all grown up and 13.
Bilbo contemplating how to get up. Life's rough being so short!
I think I can, I think I can, I think I can..... I can't.Square Foot Gardening
Merry and Pippin my little wee gardeners. In the background you can sort of see a project going on. The building, which you can see mere corner of, was orginally 2 summers ago being worked on as a summer kitchen. We didn't finish that nor turn it into a maple syrup factory so we have moved it to being shed for gardent things and a little greenhouse... if... we complete this project.
Digging up and working in the composted manure.
The children enjoyed picking yellow rocket out of the fields, we all thing weeds make lovely bouquets.
Rosie smoothing out one of the boxes.
Galadriel made this wreath for our May Crowning coming up later in this blogging....Field Trip to Indian Lake
We had an absolutely beautiful day go to on a Rosary Hike at Indian Lake.
Little Buddies
Is this not just the funniest pictures? If you knew sweet little L in the background you'd laugh particularly at the look on her face!
Bilbo got a ride on this fine lad's back! THANK YOU!!
We said the Rosary on the way up to the top to see the chapel.
Pippin enjoyed the walk. 
Before we ladies with littles-in-tow even started up the hill to the chapel, some of the children (namely mine!) ran up and back down. Merry and Pippin had to tell me about the adventure. Merry said there was a little house at the top, a little house with a cross on top. The Pipping told me there was a dog house up there. I explained to him that it was a little church to which he chanted "It's a dog church! It's a dog church!" as we tried to pray the rosary.
It's a tiny chapel with a little high altar.
Here's our homeschooling group together at the top.
Pippin waiting for this mother who was with the slow group!Mother's Day
Merry very pleased with getting ready for Mass.... here let me help you... just a little. 
Dapper Dan.... err... Bilbo.... I never had al Dapper Dan Doll but I did have Dressy Bessie. I still miss that doll! (ugly as she was!) 
Pippin crowned Mary our Queen and our Mother. 
Mother's Day Roses from the Pro-Life sale at our church.
Merry very pleased with getting ready for Mass.... here let me help you... just a little.
Dapper Dan.... err... Bilbo.... I never had al Dapper Dan Doll but I did have Dressy Bessie. I still miss that doll! (ugly as she was!)
Pippin crowned Mary our Queen and our Mother.
Mother's Day Roses from the Pro-Life sale at our church.Pony Pen
Aragorn and Sam working on the new extended pony pen. 
HAPPY BIRTHDAY SAM!
Sam loves Rock Climbing... on foot... not on ropes. But we thought we'd go to this little park that has a lovely trail up through the bluffs. So we took the day to go on a little hike. First we rode the Ferry over. 
We arrived at the park where the trail was to find it barricaded so we went over to another part of the park to play on the play structure.... Bilbo wasn't quite sure about this swirling slide. 
Get me outa here.... please! 
Eleanor. 
Sam however informed us that now that he was 13 he was too big for childish things. I told him I was very glad to hear we wouldn't have to deal with any more childish behaviour either :) 
So as not to disappoint Sam we drove around to find a nice trail to hike on. This park has fabulous rocks to climb but if I couldn't bring a stroller I wasn't going to go on that trail. This one was lovely... just perfect....
Yes! They are all ours.... and we still like them too. 
The best part about this trail was that the children could go off on occasional climbs up the rocks. I'd give them time to climb for a while and whistle them all back. The only reason they won't turn into Pavlov's Dogs is that I don't give them food every time I whistle. I do think Captain von Trapp had something with his varying whistles..... 
Sam could go up fastest and farthest.
Frodo. 
It really was a lovely trail and just right for a large family as there were trails for the older ones that were more challenging (meaning climbing rocks) and yet I could bring the stroller to contain Bilbo who has not figured out he is 1 not 13. 
Pippin 
Can you find some of the children? 
13 years old and still enjoyable. I've been sitting waiting for all the warnings of "You just wait", I've been warned enough about teens but so far so good.... :) 
Heh-heh I like Merry helping! 
We went to visit one of our homeschooling group families and their house is open enough for the children to do all sorts of outdoor-things inside. Here is Merry riding a bike inside! 
We marveled that this family found so many morel mushrooms as we had not found that many (yet). 
The trampoline was a terrific hit!! 
Bilbo driving a car ..... inside. 
The food line. 
Eleanor-the-dainty riding a motorcycle inside the house.... 
Cars and Roller Blading. 
Now this is a great teeter totter! I want one!! 
Bilbo got a chance to ride the see saw. (Is there a difference between a teeter totter and a see saw? 
Bilbo wasn't sure if he should laugh or cry on the trampoline. 
Morel Mushrooms are absolutely delicious and we found a great batch... we.... as in Sam and Frodo. 
The trillium are out! 
We got most of our square foot gardens in on May 8th and then added in some later things like extra radishes and more lettuce later to stagger the growing season and make it last longer. We began work on our Assisi garden but it is still a slow project so all the flowers were dying so I let Merry have them to plant in the corners of our sq. ft. boxes. 
This was where Bilbo "helped". He found pulling the flowers off the top grand fun. 
I set Merry to work weeding a square where we would plant some more radishes... or something...
Bilbo admiring his flower picking.
We spent a day working on our Assisi Garden which houses our St. Francis statue and soon St. Claire statue. The rocks we are using around the edge were ones the children picked out of the lower field. 
We put in a little plastic pond.... we'll see how that goes.... 
Lots of grass which has been the reason for the slowness of this garden. It's thick and firmly rooted. 
No we are not Amish Frodo's belt broke so he put on his Sunday suspenders :)
Pippin helping to build the outside edge.
Aragorn and Sam working on the new extended pony pen.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY SAM!
Sam loves Rock Climbing... on foot... not on ropes. But we thought we'd go to this little park that has a lovely trail up through the bluffs. So we took the day to go on a little hike. First we rode the Ferry over.
We arrived at the park where the trail was to find it barricaded so we went over to another part of the park to play on the play structure.... Bilbo wasn't quite sure about this swirling slide.
Get me outa here.... please!
Eleanor.
Sam however informed us that now that he was 13 he was too big for childish things. I told him I was very glad to hear we wouldn't have to deal with any more childish behaviour either :) 
So as not to disappoint Sam we drove around to find a nice trail to hike on. This park has fabulous rocks to climb but if I couldn't bring a stroller I wasn't going to go on that trail. This one was lovely... just perfect....
Yes! They are all ours.... and we still like them too.
The best part about this trail was that the children could go off on occasional climbs up the rocks. I'd give them time to climb for a while and whistle them all back. The only reason they won't turn into Pavlov's Dogs is that I don't give them food every time I whistle. I do think Captain von Trapp had something with his varying whistles.....
Sam could go up fastest and farthest.
Frodo.
It really was a lovely trail and just right for a large family as there were trails for the older ones that were more challenging (meaning climbing rocks) and yet I could bring the stroller to contain Bilbo who has not figured out he is 1 not 13.
Pippin
Can you find some of the children?
13 years old and still enjoyable. I've been sitting waiting for all the warnings of "You just wait", I've been warned enough about teens but so far so good.... :)
Heh-heh I like Merry helping!Visiting
We went to visit one of our homeschooling group families and their house is open enough for the children to do all sorts of outdoor-things inside. Here is Merry riding a bike inside!
We marveled that this family found so many morel mushrooms as we had not found that many (yet).
The trampoline was a terrific hit!!
Bilbo driving a car ..... inside.
The food line.
Eleanor-the-dainty riding a motorcycle inside the house.... 
Cars and Roller Blading.
Now this is a great teeter totter! I want one!!
Bilbo got a chance to ride the see saw. (Is there a difference between a teeter totter and a see saw?
Bilbo wasn't sure if he should laugh or cry on the trampoline.Morels!
Morel Mushrooms are absolutely delicious and we found a great batch... we.... as in Sam and Frodo.Trillium
The trillium are out!More Gardening
We got most of our square foot gardens in on May 8th and then added in some later things like extra radishes and more lettuce later to stagger the growing season and make it last longer. We began work on our Assisi garden but it is still a slow project so all the flowers were dying so I let Merry have them to plant in the corners of our sq. ft. boxes.
This was where Bilbo "helped". He found pulling the flowers off the top grand fun.
I set Merry to work weeding a square where we would plant some more radishes... or something...
Bilbo admiring his flower picking.
We spent a day working on our Assisi Garden which houses our St. Francis statue and soon St. Claire statue. The rocks we are using around the edge were ones the children picked out of the lower field.
We put in a little plastic pond.... we'll see how that goes....
Lots of grass which has been the reason for the slowness of this garden. It's thick and firmly rooted. 
No we are not Amish Frodo's belt broke so he put on his Sunday suspenders :)
Pippin helping to build the outside edge.Hummingbirds
This is my friend the hummingbird. He sits on a branch on a little cottonwood sapling right outside the living room window. I don't think he can be more than 2 inches long, he's so cute! 
Time for some pony rides. You rarely see Gemma the big pony with out the goat toting along behind her. 
Everyone got a ride on the ponies. 
Galadriel is the pony maiden. They always come to her. 
Pippin riding on Ol' Dan 
Bilbo getting his turn. 
More Morels! Sam counted well over 300 mushrooms that he got this year! A large family makes good use of 300 morels. YUM! 
Sam with the biggest 2 mushrooms! 
Frodo found this little baby bird in the play woods. Anyone know what kind of bird? After showing us he brought it back to the woods and it ended up flying off with his parents. Apparently his first flight wasn't a great success.
This is my friend the hummingbird. He sits on a branch on a little cottonwood sapling right outside the living room window. I don't think he can be more than 2 inches long, he's so cute!
Time for some pony rides. You rarely see Gemma the big pony with out the goat toting along behind her.
Everyone got a ride on the ponies.
Galadriel is the pony maiden. They always come to her.
Pippin riding on Ol' Dan
Bilbo getting his turn.
More Morels! Sam counted well over 300 mushrooms that he got this year! A large family makes good use of 300 morels. YUM!
Sam with the biggest 2 mushrooms!
Frodo found this little baby bird in the play woods. Anyone know what kind of bird? After showing us he brought it back to the woods and it ended up flying off with his parents. Apparently his first flight wasn't a great success.
I visit, and I enjoyed all the pictures. I admire you; you have a beautiful family.
ReplyDeleteBeautiful pictures, Julie!
ReplyDeleteWhew. I was starting to go into deprivation mode!
ReplyDeleteWow sounds like you had a very nice Spring! I love reading your blog. I seem to have a lot more time on my hands to make comments on blogs so I am going to do that more often:) The bird looks like a chickadee to me. I could be wrong, but they are one of my favorite birds. I also wanted to tell you about a place in Plain called Saint Anne's Shrine. They have a really neat stations of the cross that lead you up to a beautiful chapel and grotto on the hill. It was too steep and cold that day for me, but John and my Dad were just raving about it. It reminded me of your Rosary walk pictured.
ReplyDelete