summer begins

Another year with my sweet second graders has come and gone.  I'm all checked out of my room and ready to relax.  My {little} cousin is all graduated (so proud of you, Karly!)  A house full of family and celebrations over the weekend is slowly moving into our summer routine.  

 

 Sometimes the best place to play is the biggest dirt pile you can find. 

We're busy cleaning and organizing the house.  We're packing for a weekend away with my mom and sister in Steamboat, which Mason keeps referring to as Hotboat. We're hoping the wind will die down so we can finish planting our garden.  All signed up for the summer reading program.  More than enough sewing projects keeping me busy late into the night.  So many summer plans....let the fun begin!

planting potatoes

The weather was so nice this weekend (except for some wind).  We finally got our potatoes in the ground.  We planted three long rows along the back of the garden and did four boxes along the west side.  We've had pretty good luck with the deer leaving the plants alone, so they are outside of our fence once again.  

 

 Mason was a big help.  He actually planted about 90% of the potatoes.  Ryan was digging the trenches, I was cutting our seedlings and Mason put them in. 

 Emma kept herself occupied by bringing one tiny weed or piece of grass at a time to "my baby chicks."  That's how she always refers to them.  Even though they aren't really babies anymore.  They're past the akward teenager stage and have moved out of the garage into their own coop.  Emma and Mason both love to check on them and make sure they are doing well.  In fact, every day when we get home they go play with them before coming inside. 

We also discovered that our rhubarb is starting to grow and several lilac bushes that we planted last fall are starting to sprout.  So ready for summer and long days spent outside!

meet Indie

Somehow the last month just sort of went by in a blink and here we are in the middle of May.  I've been missing documenting the little day to day happenings here on the blog, but my days have been filled with lots of things besides the computer (unless you count the many pages I've been typing and scanning to finish up my National Boards). 

 

 

Plus...we've added a little puppy into the craziness.  Here's Indie.  She's such a sweet dog and we've been having so much fun (mostly) playing with her, training her, and waiting for her to start sleeping through the night.   

 

 The kids love her, especially Mason.  Emma has finally stopped screaming every time she so much as enters the room.  Indie follows Mason everywhere.  It's pretty cute actually. 

Daisy's loving having some company.  She even makes her way into the kennel some nights and sleeps with Indie. 

Only one more week of school!  We are so excited for summer.  Hopefully it will be easier to keep up around here too.