Baby Bunnies!!!

We now have SEVEN baby bunnies hopping around the backyard (apparently an old Golden Retriever and two kids aren't a threat). Right before vacation, we saw a Mama Bunny making a nest under the swing set. When we came home and peeked in the nest, there was a bundle of squeaking warm fuzzies. It was hard to tell what they were. And then today, right after dinner, something happened to catch my eye out the backdoor. There they were. Jumping all around, but still very near the nest. I just hope that the SEVEN soon-to-be adult bunnies find another yard to live in.

Food for Hibernation

Well, the small chest freezer is starting to fill up. Since I'm raising two fruit bats, I decided that I would pick and freeze any and every available fruit and veggie, while it's in season. During the winter, I can easily spend $60 a week on produce alone. But....the kids are healthy eaters, so I should just stop my bitching, right? It's crazy. My eye starts twitching every time the weather turns cold and I need to food shop.

So, every week, I load the kids into the car and we drive on out to the orchard. I always have these romantic visions of happy, frolicking children, who are polite, cheerful, agreeable, and pleasant the entire time. Apparently, my dream veered off into a cannabis patch because that's never happened. I always time it wrong. So, my fault entirely. It's either too hot, too close to dinner, too close to nap, too buggy, too the wrong shoes, and on and on.
but....isn't it nice to have a strawberry/rhubarb pie in January? I made 3 this summer, and Blake ate one - the whole thing - while watching a movie in bed one night. Of course, his stomach was a mess for a few days, but that didn't stop him from reminding me to bring home the leftover pie from book club a week later.

I loaded up cookie sheets with strawberries for freezing. It was Nina's job to put the frozen berries into ziplock bags a couple of days later. Cha-ching - saving myself $15, I said. Feeling all cocky, I forgot to calculate the cost of picking berries, gas to get there, 2 whoopie pies at the farm stand.....ummmm....but they taste so much better than the store bought ones.

Aren't these just the prettiest things? Asher started hyperventilating when he saw them. He plunked in blueberry-eating body down as close as he could get and just started shoveling them in. They should have weighed him before we started because that boy can pack them away. Nina was also grazing the entire time, but she was more selective. All she wanted was an ice cream cone and a bottle of water. The entire time. I think I heard this request 548 times in the half hour that we were there. I finally caved - mainly to get her to shut up. It was really hot, though.

I finally had to put Asher in his stroller because Nina and I would fill up the container, move on to the next bush, only to turn around and find the berries all gone. Asher would be looking innocent, and signing "more", while pointing at the empty container. (All in all, I think it's a good idea to teach young toddlers sign language because it cuts down on their frustration until they can full articulate their needs....however, it's pretty much the same as asking for water and ice cream 548 times).

So far, this is what I've got in that bad boy downstairs:

a ba-zillion packs of strawberries

rhubarb

blueberrries (although, I need more of these)

asparagus

sweet cherries

Body Zone Ice Show

Nina just finished a week of ice skating camp at the Body Zone. She started to cry this morning because she thought it was for the whole summer, not just a week. It's good to know that she loves it so much. There were about 30 kids. Nina and her friend, Katie, were two of the youngest, but since they've both been skating for 2 years, they were the most experienced. They have all sorts of fancy tricks, and they look even more impressive next to a bunch of 11 year olds that can't stand in skates. This boosts Nina's ego incredibly and makes her both cocky and hard to live with for the remainder of the day....that is until she gets together with the 7 year olds, and they blow her away.
Goofing around.

A pretty good spiral. She spent many, many weeks flat on her face before she was able to balance enough to glide across the ice.

Going into her waltz jump. I've been reading my digital camera handbook. I need to practice shooting in the arena more because the light bouncing off the ice and glass enclosures makes the pictures not as clear. Asher...well, he would have none of that. I had to hold him in one arm, and manipulate the camera with the other. I'll take what I can and practice another time.

The Big Boy Haircut

It had to be done. The poor boy had a mullet, and it wasn't cool. I kept waiting for it to curl, like Nina's did, but it really didn't. Nina and I took him to Kids Cuts. He sat in the truck seat, all by himself and got his first haircut - all while holding the cell phone he found in the play area. He already looks so much bigger.

Who knew she was that funny

"Ummm...Nina....what are you doing"

"Well, Mommy....I'm puttin' the Pea in Po-ta-to." said with a head bob and a giggle.

Art on the Avenue

Well, it's over. My first show is done, and boy-oh-boy was it a success. I was honestly quite surprised. The day was beautiful, I sold a ton, and I passed out even more business cards. Here I am with a little pineapple hat.

Here's the tent - in the blazing sun. I got a nice tan.

Some dresses and baby blocks. Blake (aka - Mr. Free Labor) is in the background.

A satisfied customer. Little Eli Esterbrook in his brand new pineapple hat. You know, that hat was such a bitch to make that I swore I wouldn't make another one....but, it is awfully cute, so now I'm rethinking the idea.

My boy

A few recent pictures of the trouble-maker.

Clam hair from Blake's clam basket dinner. Mmmmm......right before the basket got thrown - he's warming up his arm.
Boy on a beach. I like the shadow of Blake taking the picture. Evening.
Typical Asher. Having a fit. It was time to leave the beach. He does this limp-baby thing where he lifts his arms up and it's almost impossible to hang on to him. It makes Daddy cry too.