summertime in the city

Our 2 little characters have been busy, busy, full of bug bites and scraped knees, sweat and dirt. We've had a nice stretch of gorgeous weather, and have been eating out of the garden, splashing in pools of all shapes and sizes, and generally enjoying all summer has to offer. I think I will always remember this summer as the summer the boys discovered that being a twin is really pretty awesome. They are best buddies, almost always together, and they'd be the first to tell you they like it that way. Their parents don't mind it either, because they play together for long stretches, amusing us with their games.


(Mama's t-shirts to bed is a big treat)


N is a diligent bean-snapper.



I won't say the name of O's game here, but you can probably guess.



Raspberries are plentiful this year after an inch of chicken compost last spring.








The white chicken above turned out to be a rooster. When we brought him back to trade him for hen, the guy working at the feed store called to his co-worker to come help us by yelling, "Steve! Gussie's a Gus!"


Hanging out with the church kids - we've been seeing a lot of them outside of church this summer.


The Farmer's Market playground (and the "twin slide"),






There are some very interesting cars at the Farmer's Market. There are a group of people who hang out there every Saturday morning and, umm, do things to their cars. Sometimes N or O will pick up a random object in the house and ask if we can glue it to our car.



The music is also always a hit.


As is a picnic with Auntie J*en and Zo*e.


And wasn't it nice of these men to come and bring all their equipment and chop down a tree for our amusement? (Actually it was due to Dutch Elm disease, which is taking down all the gorgeous elm trees one by one). The tree had been marked with a orange "N", and when N asked what it meant, I told him I didn't know. He thought about it for a bit, and then said, "N, for no more tree."




This beautiful garden belongs to Grandma Ka*thy. She's gone for her and Grandpa's annual trip to the Oregon Coast, so we've been watering (and playing) there.




This is her new boulevard garden. Who needs all that grass when you can have flowers?







Every year, grandma laments that while she's thrilled to be going to Oregon, she always misses seeing her Stargazer lilies in bloom. Well, grandma, here's what you're missing:


We miss both sets of grandparents!