Enjoying Some Beautiful Weather with my Favorite Boys

last Saturday we were originally going to go to a tractor/train show at Domino's Farms, but it looked like it got rained out. So, the Botanical Gardens was close by and we decided to go there instead. The children's garden is usually crawling with a million kids, but today we had it to ourselves. I guess everyone was eagerly awaiting the football game to begin (even though it wasn't starting for another three hours).


Playing well together for a moment


Alex decided to bring all the blocks over to the table and later built a fort on top of the table. Here he is laying in the floor. This boy loves to build and construct anything out of any material!














This is the cutest pose. Just want to kiss those cheeks and make him laugh!

One last bath in the sink

Our bathtub would not close and then would not drain. It needed some repairs so Luke took a bath in the sink (he screams in the shower and hates splashing). He looked pretty funny since he barely fits now, but it got the job done.

Petting Farm

We went to the petting farm today. The boys had a chance to see a lot of animals up very close.


They followed this cow around the pen along the fence as she ate grass. Luke thought he would pick the grass and try to feed her. I guess he didn't realize he was the size of her head.


There were a few pigs actually walking around. Usually they are just laying around. There were also a lot of very small piglets to see.


We watched the turkeys for awhile. I think the birds are always the most interesting since they move around so much.


8 day old chicks


Luke kept yelling "Baa" at this sheep. I'm not sure if it was a coincidence or he actually knew that is what they said. He does love his farm book so perhaps he did know.

Raspberry Picking

We went raspberry picking on Friday with Grandma Porter, Veronica and Dominic. It was a beautiful day for it. We were a little slow on the picking and after an hour only picked $2.73 worth of berries, just enough to eat with dinner that night. It was the first day they began selling doughnuts since it was the first day of the apple picking season. We ended up with more doughnuts than raspberries.


Alex showing Luke what he found, one of the few red berries he picked. His basket disappeared before we left. I was surprised he didn't notice. He was pretty proud of his basket of berries. He kept running up to me and showing me what he found.






We saw some massive birds in the raspberry bushes. Alex thought he would run after them and "scare" them, but stopped in tracks when I pointed out their massive beaks, smart boy.


There is Veronica and Dominic out there. I took one of all of us, but Veronica threatens to kill me when I post bad pictures of her.

Great Weather + Playground

We had great weather this weekend. Breezy enough to blow away all the mosquitoes. So we took advantage of it and spent most to the afternoon/evening outside. We went to the local playground and then stopped to pick up sundaes on the way home. A great summer afternoon!

The Bow

Last week Alex proved to his teacher that he was ready to start playing with the bow. He has been taking lessons for three months now and we have been working very hard to get to this point. I have definitely taken for granted all it takes to play an instrument. We practiced putting his feet between rest and play position using his foot chart you see below, holding the bow correctly, holding the violin correctly (still not correct in the photo, his thumb should be on the back), getting the violin correctly under his neck in the correct position, holding the violin with your neck muscles, etc.)

Yes, there is a seal on his bow. We named him "Brownie". He has been a motivation in our exercises. We give "Brownie a ride" instead of calling it boring things. Now Brownie serves as a marker of where the bow needs to hit the strings and how far to drag it back and forth.

Alex really likes playing the violin. He is generally excited to practice and will typically practice for up to thirty minutes even though his teacher says that ten minutes is enough. Some days he doesn't want to practice and that's okay too. We keep it fun and guided by him. Part of our practice time we spend singing songs and clapping out the beat (which I'm horrible at, I have no sense of rhythm).

More Backyard Wildlife

This buck decided to eat lunch right outside our sliding door today. I thought it was pretty funny how well he stood there while I snapped a picture. I think he enjoyed it.

Lake Huron Trip

Last week we spent four days on Lake Huron. Charlie's friend very graciously allowed us to stay at his lake house. We had a wonderful time. Four days was the perfect amount of time for the boys. By the last day I think they were looking for their own beds and a little less excitement.



The first night arrived around five o'clock since we traveled during nap time. They slept like champs in the car and were full of energy for a night outside. We unpacked, set up our sleeping arrangements, made dinner (luckily I thought ahead and brought the things to make dinner and breakfast, so we could go to the store then next day and not have to worry about tracking down food right away). We ate dinner on the deck, enjoying the perfect weather and then finally went down to the beach to check it out for the first time. Luke loves rocks. He was in heaven. He became frustrated at time because he just couldn't fit all his treasures in his hands. Then I showed him the benefits of collecting treasures in a bucket.



Alex quickly found that he enjoyed running up and down the beach. That will wear you out!



The next day Grandpa Phibbs came up to spend time with us. He stayed at his friends, brother's house that was across the street from where we stayed. I big entertainment for the day was digging up large rocks. Here is Alex's favorite rocks from the days dig.










Building and knocking down castles was also pretty entertaining.





Luke having fun playing on the bed. Just like at home.



The next morning we went to the park in the morning because it was pretty cool for the beach, where the kids can't seem to stay dry.







This is my favorite series of pictures. Look at Luke's face here. I think he is about to do something mischievous.



How about throwing the rock in his hand...



Not sure why boys think this is so funny. What a great reaction from his brother and probably his parents too.







Alex's crazy face. So excited to be able to throw rocks over the railing and run to get more.



We went back down to the beach that evening after we went to dinner with Grandpa Phibbs before he left to go home.



Luke loved running on the beach like his brother.



Love this one to. So annoyed the wave snuck up on him.









Only get a picture like this every once in awhile. Love this one too.



I thought this spider was very cool too. He matches his surroundings so well.



Nothing like a family picture with the camera propped up on the diaper bag. Somehow they always turn out so well. I think it the blinking light that captures the kids attention (maybe the husbands too).



The next day Grandpa and Grandma Ericson came up to spend the day with us. It was a gorgeous day. Perfect temperature, beautiful sunny day. Dad and Alex playing in the sandbar. Alex loved getting hit by the waves.