blackberries

A friend of ours has crazy amounts of blackberry bushes on her property. They are in big clumps so you have to fight your way into the middle and against some thorns but then you discover the berries. The boys ate what we picked that day, the crop was not overly abundant, but we had fun.

boys at play

The lure of trucks and water for young boys. It was a glorious Sunday afternoon and these two spent over an hour busy with their work of play. Harkin was just delighted with all of the trucks while Landon was experimenting with our recycle and water. How such simple things can make for some beautiful moments. Mama just watched, listened and took all these memories in.

season's beginning

Landon had his first games this past weekend. It was full of action and excitement. he loves playing so and is always so excited to go to practice and games.

So we are headed into a another soccer season. Landon's last about 6 weeks with practices twice a week and games on Saturday. 

William will play with the school again and right now he has 18 games on the schedule. It is going to be a very busy time, driving from place to place every afternoon, and then this Mama will breathe a sigh of relief.
I love watching them play and it is so good for them. I just don't love the late nights and driving to all the different towns.

passing time at the water

William was attending a photography seminar about an hour away from us. So the younger boys and I found a small beach to hang out and pass the time. It was just us, so it was nice and quiet and I could just relax and watch the boys. They played by themselves for a bit and then ventured together out into the water. Landon had a very good eye on his little brother. He loves to be in charge of him. They are very sweet with one another. The day passed quickly and before we knew it we had to leave and go get William.

Holding onto summer just a little bit longer.

golf finale

The boys had golf instruction all summer long. Last week was the last day. It was made special because they could take their family out onto the golf course with them while they played a few holes. It was fun to watch the boys and Harkin thought it was great to sit in the cart and drive it with Mama. Afterwards there was a BBQ and the boys received goodie bags full of fun stuff.

It really is such a great program that this golf course runs. The boys look forward to it every week.

Now they are ready to take on Daddy they say.

sunday smiles

missing curls

Harkin looks a little different. Not a crazy hair mess covering his eyes. I had been saying that I didn't want to get his haircut just yet but maybe trim the front a tiny bit. My dear husband decided to do it one evening after his bath. Without Mama nearby. I was a bit downcast but it is much better for Harkin. It really was only one little curl, that Eric left on the sink for me to find. Which of course is preserved in  an envelope for years to come. The boys think I am a little nuts, but that is just because they are not a mama. Sigh.

an afternoon outside

It was a glorious day. Not too hot, no bugs and a delightful breeze. The boys set up a little camp and we brought out our drawing supplies. We all had such a lovely time. William said how much he missed us all drawing together. It used to be the way we ended our day, right before afternoon cleanup and dinner. We obviously need to get back to a regular drawing time.

Which is one of my big goals for the fall. Having a regular rhythm. I know how much it helps everyone. It has just been hard when I don't get enough sleep the night before and we just need a mellow day. But that is improving each day. Harkin is sleeping much better these days, so maybe we'll get a few months of full nights sleep before things change again.

And now to find some new drawing materials!

the many faces of Harkin

This little man has so many wonderful  expressions. One of our favorite has been the dirty eyeball, as we like to call it. The first and second pictures. Its a game now. We do it, then he does and then he wants us to do it back to him.
Then of course there is that crazy smile/laugh face.
And a sour cherry face.
He is such a funny kid and I am so glad I was able to catch some of these faces on camera.

tub time

Just a few pictures of our cutie.

a winning robot and luck of the draw

William's Walter one the library contest. He was so excited. He received a huge candy bar, a book bag, and a handmade bookmark. Then while we were at the library's celebration they had door prizes and he won again!!! Another bag and a water bottle full of bubble gum. He was pretty thrilled with how the day turned out. He has been a great brother and is sharing his candy and gum with Landon and also gave him the second bag he won. You just never know how a day will turn out.

sand and water

Earlier this week we headed to the lake for a day of fun. All the boys had  a great time splashing and romping around in the water together. Then there was lots of time concentrating on a huge castle. Harkin would fill buckets for the boys while they made the creation. Then he would just wander away and check out spots among the sand.

It really was one of the more perfect days.