Gone Fishin'

In the kids' opinion, no trip to Mississippi is complete without a stop by a local fishing hole.

 

 

Doug's dad has a generous friend who allows us use of his pond.

 

 

 

 

And with the way the fish bite, they don't see many fishermen.

 

 

Jonathan hooked this whopper right away. 

 

 

(Ok, it was really just a trick of the camera angle).

 

 

Unfortunately, the kids believe that all fish are eagerly waiting to be hooked and have been sadly disappointed by having to wait for a bite at other fishing spots.

 

 

 

Josie caught several though as far as I know, she didn't lick any this year.

 

 

 

And old soul Matthew insisted on baiting his own line and unhooking his fish.

 

 

 

 

 Jonathan convinced Grandpa to cook a few of the fish for dinner.

 

 

 

Once the miniscule bones were picked out, everyone got a taste of the goods.

March Madness

This whole blog began with some boys and a ditch and a dam.  The days keep on ticking past but we keep coming back to the familiar and fun.

 

 

Days and days of rain finally ended leaving our ditches rushing with water:

the perfect playground for little ones.

 

 

 

Katherine was not to be left out and waded in barefoot

before I finally located a pair of boots a couple of sizes too big. 

 

 

With a little bit a direction, Matthew and Stephen constructed a working dam.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Jonathan and Katherine experimented with a pulley system.

 

 

 

And Andrew supervised the lot.

 

 

Ah, yes.

 

 

The long winter is past and spring is upon us:

fresh air, sunshine and lots of outdoor playtime.

Pine Wood Derby 2015

It's Derby time again!

 

 

The boys have been busy thinking about their cars (although it seems like they waited until the last minute to get actually make them).  But they were ready for impound and are now ready to race.

 

 

Matthew and his den-mate Maxwell were first up.

 

 

 

Stephen flashed his driver's license and headed to the starting line.

 

Stephen's car is the gold one on the left.

 

Finally, Andrew was up for his third and last Derby.

 

 

As they speeded to the finish line, they were close.

 

 

 

Andrew came in second by a very, very, very close margin!

 

 

 

I'm so proud of these boys

 

 

 

 

 

and dads

 

 

 

 that keep this pack going.

Horsin' Around

In addition to our beloved duck-less duck pond and creek, there is a neighbor who has horses and a fun little playhouse just right for little bodies.

 

 

 

 

We always forget to bring carrots, but these horses are always hungry for grass.

 

 

 

 

 

 

And when the kids have picked all the green grass in sight, it's time to play.

 

 

 

 

So much fun so close to home!