The creek

There was a very nice shallow creek running by the Purple Park. Buttercups and tiny daisy-like wildflowers grew all over the sides.

Playing in the dirt

The slide was pretty hot, so the boys crawled under it and played in the dirt and wood chips

The Purple Park

After the party festivities P2 and the kids and I walked over to the Purple Park for some swinging and sliding.

Books from the Blair cousins

The RC

All the boys loved the RC. The shovel went up and down. The Blair boys kind of took it over.

Pull toy dog...

This is the toy I gave him, I think he liked it.

The Birthday Cake

Tractors! Not candy.

Jeffrey was not so interested in the candy, but he loved the John Deere!

The candy!

Jeff held the pinata and the kids tried pulling various ribbons until finally the candy spilled! The kids all scrambled for it.... except for little Jeffrey.

The pinata

What could be more pleasing to a boy than a John Deer tractor? This pinata had many ribbons hanging from the underside of the tractor. One of the ribbons opened a trap door to let the candy out. Much safer than whacking it with a baseball bat - and the pinata is reusable!

Grampa with Jeffrey

Grampa and David

As soon as we got there David ran to his Grampa for a hug.

Happy Birthday Jeffrey!

Today I was invited to help celebrate Jeffrey's birthday. What fun! It was a perfect day for a picnic/ birthday. We gathered at the park for delicious food, including birthday cake, but there were several other desserts as well. Jeff and Sharon grilled hamburgers and hotdogs - it was a real feast!

Cute kid story

This is my favorite kid story of the week.
It seems that 2-year -old DG picked up some used Q-tips. His mother took them away from him, but to placate him she gave him 2 new Q-tips. DG proceeded to clean his ears. He looked at the Q-tip and exclaimed, " I got peanut butter in my ear!"

Fix-it guys at work

P2 assisting P3 to install a bracket for the shelf.

The fix-it guys

The fix-it guys arrived this evening with tools in hand to put up 2 shelves in the bathroom.

Joyce with jean purse

Joyce sewed this jean purse for a friend who is having a birthday soon. She also painted it and added glitter. What girl does not like a little bling?
Joyce was so helpful today. She surprised me by making my bed while I was in the shower and washed dishes later in the day. She also found time to dig in the garden and jump rope.

J below the blossoming orchard

Joyce stayed overnight, so we got some good "girl time" in. We were invited out to breakfast in the morning and then we got busy on our day. Joyce painted a blossom tree to add to the orchard her brothers started earlier in the week.

Annabelle

Today I had Annabelle and Joyce. Annabelle was in a very good humor. She laughed and giggled and kicked as J played with her. A few minutes before her mother came she teared up, but as soon as she was in her mother's arms she grinned again.

Climbing trees

The maple tree

We found a baby maple tree under the rhododendron. He dug it up to plant at home.

Painting

Waking up in the morning, we had breakfast, did some school, and then went out to the picnic table for a painting lesson. I think they did a good job!

Hot cocoa

The final snack of the evening was hot cocoa and then off to bed.

Yuck

The boys came back for their sleepover. They found some Christmas tree brownies in the cupboard which were as hard as rocks. They were sure that a few seconds in the microwave would fix them, but.....

J with strawberry

We had a great supper of pot pie and salad with strawberries dipped in Cool Whip for dessert.

J's projects

The boys left for their baths and J began working on her projects - Cutting and sewing and then painting and stamping.

Cars!

These boys love cars! they brought some of their collection along. Not everything on this table is a car. They know the make and year of everything. Click on the pic to enlarge and see how many you recognize. Personally, I am doing well to recognize what is not a car.

playing in the dirt

This has been a busy and lovely week. The weather has been perfect for being outside and taking pictures. The boys were here on Tuesday while Amy took J and A with her to pt. When they came for the boys they wanted to stay overnight and J wanted to stay for a little longer to make cards. She never did get to the cards, but she did get started on some very nice gifts for special people! The 2 Boys had to go home and get baths. They were pretty dirty after playing in the dirt.

Star flowers...

There are not many flowers right now in the yard. Mum used to always point these out to me. They are so pretty!

Surprise!

I was out in the yard talking to Charlie when I saw deep purple along the property line and surrounded by weeds. I had to investigate... What a surprise to find 2 iris blooms! Charlie said that he had no idea how they came to be there.

Charlie & toys...

Someone gave Charlie 2 big bags of toys. The bag he has his hands on is full of train stuff. I know some boys who are going to love this!

Hello there...

A beautiful day...

It is a beautiful day! I stopped to see Charlie for a little bit and had fun watching the baby chicks too. They are almost all feathered now, so I suppose they are more like teenagers than babies. One hopped up on the fence to say, "Hello!"

The Burger Family

The time went by so quickly and the Burgers had to get on the road to get back to their home in Massachusetts. They are a great family! I am so impressed with the loving Godly spirit that is evident in all of them.

Louise

After the formalities we gathered with friends for a picnic lunch. It was a pretty perfect day - cool enough, but the sun was very warm. The food was wonderful. We all had a great time eating, talking, catching up and meeting new friends.

Commencement Address

The address was given by Deputy Attorney General Paul J. McNulty. The SS was busy securing the area and all the buildings. You might need a magnifying glass to see him in this picture. He is at the bottom of the flag pole and behind the red podium.

Pomp and Circumstance at GCC

Today I had the joy of attending Charles Burger's graduation from Grove City College. Little brother, Timothy is trying to spot Charles among the 548 graduates.

Under the forsythia...

Doesn't it look cozy in there? This seems to be a favorite hangout for Charlie's chickens. It is a pretty good hiding place when those nasty hawks are circling! When the forsythia is in full leaf the chickens seem to disappear into it. However, when Charlie opens his front door they all come running!

Ringneck

What a beautiful bird! He came strutting across the yard and was nice enough to pose for me!

The Lord's rock garden...

Spring flowers seem to be on the wane. Most are finished, but as I wandered around the edge of the woods behind the chicken coop I found this lovely spot - a garden, but not planted by man. I love the violets and velvet moss. The rock is a nice place to sit and rest.

Coloring eggs

Monday morning the kids were here with me. We colored eggs out on the picnic table. They also seemed to color themselves. DC had green hands. He didn't seem to mind the color, but he did not like getting them wet. Daniel had green feet. These kids really love crafts and put themselves into projects!

Going fishing???

A toad

Daniel found a toad at Whites and later P3 found another one at his Grandma's house.

Joyce

Joyce helped DC out by holding the dandelions for him. What a nice big sister!

David picking dandelions...

David plopped down under the tree and began picking dandelions. As he picked he sang a little song - the words were,"Mum, Mum, Mum, Mum...." He was gathering a bouquet of beautiful giant sized dandelions for his mother. So sweet!

The Apple Orchard

The kids went running down to the apple orchard! The 3 big kids climbed the trees and swung from the branches. David could not reach high enough to grab a branch...

Boys in the dirt

DC & DG found a wonderful little dirt spot by the garage.

J & DC feed chicks

There was lots to explore at Whites, but the kids kept coming back to the baby chicks. They are such fun to watch!

Cute baby chicks...