4 Years Old!

After listening to Marianna talk about her birthday for the past month, it was almost anti-climactic to actually celebrate it.  Well, maybe not for her...

Grandma's tent was a big hit!

(Has that "I Dream of Jeannie" feel)

 



Always the happy girl...

 



especially when opening gifts.

 



Big sisters helping celebrate!

 



Love how her feet dangle under the table.

 



A picture of the Clares.

(Yes, there were two at this party.)

 



Marianna, Jillian and a very cool blanket.

 

More than one little person liked that blanket.

Too cute!

When mowing the lawn takes the entire family...

after rain, rain and more rain...

it's time to shag everyone outside to whip the lawn into shape

 

 

or at least check out what's

growing in the garden boxes

 



 

pretty

 



 

Nonnie in her "Sunday Best" shoes

(which she insists on wearing every.day.except.Sunday, of course)

 



 

a rather serious Francis

 

Matthew gets the hard part

 



 

the "Man of the House" and the weed whacker

Joe's on the big rig in the background

 



 

hey, who's the oversized kid on the undersized bike

 



 

planted all kinds of raspberries and strawberries...

my mowing crowd says it's just more work

 



 

taking the long view

 



The Laundry "Solution"

With 3 "grown" men living back here at the ranch

and all three of them working 40+ hours per week (sometimes 60+)

we have an official laundry problem. 

 After much wailing and gnashing of teeth

(mostly from the Momma around here),

 we are ready to unveil our "solution"...

 

"WHAT?", you say. "Looks like a major, catastrophic closet explosion!"

 And you may just be right.  

Previously, this Momma would have agreed with you. 

But she has seen the light and she refuses to let the laundry steal her joy. 

 So here is the system in all of its glory...

dirties on the floor...

cleans on the table. 

 Yep, it's so simple and yet magnificent

one can hardly take it in, all at once.

This Momma gets a little weepy eyed just thinking about it...

or maybe it's just that overpowering smell that gets her all misty.

Baking for a crowd...

 

or just my very. large. Fam.

(It will all be gone by tomorrow.  So sad!)

Summer Fun in May

Can't beat eating ice cream on the deck!

 



 

Or hanging on the swingset.

 



 

Listening to Adventures in Odyssey over and over and over.

 



 

Totally broke the "no swimming until June 1st" rule that has

existed for the past 15 years.

 



 

And they don't even look too terribly cold!

 



 

It's the sprinkler for the little people.

 



 

Although, it looks like he's crying...it was actually a

great, big laugh.  He LOVED the water!

 

 

Soaked and happy.

Must be summer...

 

the porta-toilette has arrived.

 

(Or as Gabers said last year,"My potty is here!"

and he's always the first to try it out, too.)

These are just pictures of things we discovered outside our door this Spring...

Clare gets the credit for the flower pictures, Therese is the morel monger and I was the lucky robin's nest inspector!