Spring in the Backyard
The warm weather is upon us, the grass is filling in, the plants are filling out, and that means we are enjoying evenings on the porch. For Lorelai that means playing on the swings and showing off all of her "moves."
Spring
Spring
Spring is slowly attempting to make it's way into Oklahoma and the warm sun is a welcome change. We finally had a small bit of winter weather which we were sorely lacking so far, and with that under our belt I'm looking forward to seeing some green around. The trees are budding, my hydrangea is beginning to leaf and I'm excited to attempt more with my macro lens (although the Oklahoma wind is really not cooperating on the macro front). Allergies are starting up, but we're wearing short sleeves more, playing outside after school, and the other day we bought some ice cream. YAY! Can't wait to change these clocks and enjoy the sunshine.
Front Yard Football
After School
Life feels so busy these days as we rush from school to activity, trying to squeeze in homework before the kids head off to bed...I really cherish the quiet evenings we have when the kids get to let their imaginations run wild outside after a long day of learning or those quiet moments at bedtime when Gabriel snuggles with Rocky while I read him a story.
Mitch Park Fishing
Mitch Park Fishing
Today we had a little family outing to the local park for some fishing. The kids got fishing poles a couple of weeks ago, but due to LOTS of rain we hadn't been able to use them. Well, aside from in the hot tub. It was very hot this morning, but the kids had been so eager to go...Gabriel even had the date circled on his calendar and had been praying for the rain to stop. We had a wonderful time...the kids each caught fish, Gabriel took a spill into the pond and came out giggling, and just to make sure everything was as theme-y as possible there were goldfish snacks.
Hot Tub Fishing
Hot Tub Fishing
What do you do when you get new fishing rods? Head to the hot tub of course!
Oklahoma History Center
Each week of summer the kids and I are trying to do something we haven't done before. This week we visited the Oklahoma History Center. It was a fascinating museum housing exhibits from when Native Americans were the soul peoples living in Oklahoma all of the way up through modern times. Most of the areas had something interactive for the kids to do. Pretending to be on an old airplane in flight, ordering food from an old Sonic drive-in, working for an oil company, walking through a house from the times of the Dust Bowl, cooking on a chuck wagon on the trail, looking through a periscope to see enemy military and talking on a WWII walkie, watching an old "Duck and Cover" video for children about atomic bombs, and even writing messages for a new century box to be opened in 100 years. Lorelai's message was very straight forward, "Hi I am Lorelai and I am in Kindergarten." Gabriel basically said the same thing, but added the very positive "I think you're cool." And he also mentioned that he enjoys Pokemon. It was four hours of learning and interacting and they are eager to go back again sometime. We didn't even touch the outside portion...at 102 degrees we decided that could wait for a cooler day.
Rabbits, Rabbits...Chasing Rabbits!
Summer seems like a never ending mission to save the rabbits, who are very excited about our "new" landscaping and continue to attempt to take up residence despite the recent excitement we had when Gilbert caught yet another one. The kids are the official bunny chasers...the first wave of rabbit murder prevention if you will. Of course the dogs eagerly await their turn to get out there as they whine, drool, and paw at the windows.
Express Clydesdales
The kids and I took a little trip out to the Express Clydesdales barn in Yukon, OK this morning for the first time. They have a beautiful facility about a 30 minute drive from NW Edmond that is free to the public. There is an Amish barn with gorgeous wood and lanterns and of course the amazing champion Clydesdales. All in all we spent about 45 minutes walking around the barns and pastures petting the horses, barn cat, and barn dog. Definitely a fun little morning trip for a pleasant summer morning.
Stomach Bug
Summer has not been super kind to us this year since our return from vacation. I ended up with a cold that after two weeks turned into a sinus infection, and then as soon as I felt like I was recovering I caught a stomach bug. I am finally feeling on the upside of everything only to wake up to poor Gabriel having caught the stomach bug as well. It would be really nice if the rest of the family could avoid it and we could actually get on with having some more fun this summer.
