doings at home

Our days at home can be so good.

I had wanted to have our very own garden this year but we just do not have a space that gets very much sun, so I started to look for CSA's. To our luck we found one that was our neighbor. So the boys take the wagon across the street and fill up on our fresh veggies. I made mint iced  tea all week long with the fresh mint. I think it is our new favorite summer drink.

There has been fort building and research on the computer on how to make star wars origami figures. Sparked by a book series that he is reading.

Many days I fret that we don't do enough- more book learning I think- but when I truly relax I can see all the learning in just living this wonderful life of ours. And we all have a bit more fun together. Which is what I really want, for us to be a close family that enjoys being together.

fun with shaving cream

We have been hosting an activity/play day here with a group of our close friends. This week we were making marbleized paintings with shaving cream. Harkin really wanted to get in on the action, so we set him up on his own little table. Oh, the fun he had. He was just so excited. It was so great to watch him. I just love days like this.

first bike ride (memorial day)

So we were all excited about going for the first bike ride of the season. It took us Eric a little bit to get everyone's bike in order. I haven't ridden mine in almost 2 years. We were finally ready........

 

 OK so maybe not everyone was happy about it. Once we actually started riding he stopped crying and was very happy. He even fell asleep for a little while. Really.

We are hoping for more family bike rides as the summer goes on. There are several bike trails around that we would like to explore.

sunday smiles

I have been finding Harkin in this chair so often as he sits and reads to himself. It is so wonderful to see him loving books. He wants to be just like everyone else in the house. He was pointing and moving his lips as he looked through the books. Just amazing.

rock of ages

 

 

Last week on a cold and dreary day we headed out for a field trip. We went about an hour and a half away to first see a Laura Ingalls Wilder show and then off to a quarry. This was pretty cool and peaked the boys' interest. They learned all about the granite that is in Vermont. We watched a movie and learned about the monuments that use this granite all around the world. Pretty neat.

Behind the visitor center they had an outdoor bowling lane made from the granite. It was a prototype that never really took off.  The bowling balls were a light foam- that would be why my little man could pick one up.

We met up with a friend whom we don't see too often and had a really nice day, besides the cold temps.

We took the long way home and traveled through the mountains and stopped at Ben and Jerry's for a sweet treat. A great way to end the day.

canning syrup

So our maple syrup venture this year only gave us about two small mason jars full, but some friends of ours are real sugarers.

She so kindly put aside 5 gallons for us and then came over to our house and showed me how to can it all. It was pretty neat and rather quick to do. We are pretty set for the next year(I hope). If we do run out there are plenty of locals around here that sell it, so we'll make do.

hot days

The sun has been a welcoming sight this week along with some nice warm temps. The boys have figured out a way to keep themselves cool.