in celebration

Eric had a birthday this month as well. We had a little fun playing mini-golf. This was Harkin's first time and he thought that picking up everyone's golf balls was the most fun. His big brothers didn't always agree.  But we made it through and then stop at this famous burger barn place for lunch. There were about 25 different burgers to choose from. Pretty crazy concoctions and they were quite tasty.

We came home to relax and have a quiet family dinner. Happy Birthday my love. Here's to a year of new and exciting times.

solstice s'mores

 

We celebrated the summer solstice lat weekend with a game of soccer, the first bonfire and of course the first s'mores of the season. They were tasty and made the night that much sweeter.  Our weekends are pretty mellow and ordinary but it's these little moments of good family time that I hope my boys will cherish as they grow older.

eleven

My sweet William has turned into a young man. We had a nice day playing disc golf and then creating his cake and celebrating at home.

sunday smiles

father's day

The boys woke early to surprise Daddy with a decorated house of their very own signs. Then we were off to a nice brunch, where we tried so desperately to get a group picture. As you can see the tiny one was not interested at all. He just wanted to run around like a crazy man(he had just had his first taste of cheese cake) Once home the rest of the day was devoted to beer brewing and reading. A pretty relaxing day with one special Dad.

a first masterpiece

We set up the finger paints and had a go. Harkin was a bit unsure at first but when he saw his big brothers painting he followed suit. He had lots of fun. The boys made signs for their dad while Harkin created a wonderful painting. 

Years ago William used to not like to finger paint, he didn't like the paint on his fingers, but now that is all changed. It was fun to watch the older boys get into as much as a 15 month old.

We have had these same finger paints forever. They were a bit thin. My goal this summer is to use what we have and to create on a more regular basis. Like everyday would be nice. Early in the morning when everyone is fresh really is the best time- but it is also the best time for so many other things, so we will try to fit it in when we can.

dairy parade

Two weekends ago the big dairy festival was going on in the next town over. Landon and Eric were out of town for the day so William, Harkin and I went to enjoy the sights. Harkin was very much into watching everything. By the time the parade was over he was waving to all the participants. It was a nice way to spend a Saturday morning.

shelburne museum

We went to the home school day here at Shelburne museum. They had different workshops throughout the day. Some of the things we learned about were contra dancing, the food chain, bartering goods, a printing press, pulleys, and were even judges sending criminals to jail.

The museum is made up of old buildings that were meant for destruction but instead were saved and all moved to these beautiful grounds. After all the workshops we just went for a walk to check out all the other buildings. They each had a theme, such as circus, blacksmith, art galleries, a lighthouse, a gun collection, vintage toys, etc. The shuttle tour guide(because you know we had to try it our) summed it up pretty nicely. It is a collection of collections. We thought of how much our Grammy would enjoy it- a visit during the summer is needed though since it is only open May- October(hint, hint).

We ended the day with several rides on the carousel. The big boys were so excited for Harkin to go on it. It was a long day but full of fun and excitement.