camping

Jo*el and I took the boys camping nearby this past weekend. The boys were a lot more help than in years past.



Daddy made pancakes and served as marshmallow-blower-outer.







We also visited an exhibit farm. It was very well done, with lots of very hands-on examples of sustainable agriculture. The guides were all very sweet and articulate kids. We enjoyed it SO much more than the "farm" at the MN Z*oo.


The boys were pretty interested in getting to feel what the inside of a milking machine feels like on your finger. Ol*iver later called it a "nippler" - always with the made up words, that boy.









We also got an up-close view of some swallows whose parents were NOT happy with us.



The boys also picked strawberries and peas, and saw a chicken tractor (movable chicken coop), but the hay bale was probably their favorite thing of all.





Watermelon!





Grandma and grandpa, as well as as relatives Chris and Katherine from California came up for the evening on Saturday. We had a delicious meal, and a very nice time visiting.



The boys were completely wiped out by this point, but still enjoyed the marshmallows and good company.



The next morning was Father's Day, and the boys gave daddy some cards they'd made at camp.



They've actually been kind of sick with colds, and were pretty miserable that morning. N had a fever here. It's interesting that while he usually runs to me for hugs and kisses when he has an "owie" and is more likely to miss me, he only ever lets J walk around holding him like this. N tends to get kind of overwrought and then starts acting out, but J can usually just walk around holding him and he calms down. He will not let me do that at all.



This boy, on the other hand, would sleep next to me, come to work with me, and pretty much hang out with me 24/7 if permitted. Every morning, he follows me around saying, "Mama, I don''t want you to go to work!" When I get home, he gets a huge grin and usually comes running for a cuddle.



Today was SO hot - well into the 90's and humid to boot. J got the air conditioners in, but the boys thought that a sprinkler was an even better way to cool off.