Eastern Meadowlark

Well that's the winner. Here is an adult Eastern Meadowlark. I have NEVER seen one around before this year and two little babies right in the front yard. I had noticed them a couple weeks ago as the girls and I watched one literally playing with a tall weed in the yard. It was flopping around like a puppy dog no lie! I will keep my eye out for them.

THANKS AUNT JOANN!!

A baby flicker?

Look what's rolling in!!
Hey Grandpa - What do you think this is? I know the picture is pretty blurry I took it through the window so I wouldn't spook the pair. They had a very brightly colored yellow belly and big black bib like a northern flicker but no red patch on their head at all. I know that they are babies and their coloring is going to change but even pictures of yellow shafted flickers don't have that bright yellow belly and eye stripe. We do have a pair of flickers that have a nest in a dead tree out back. They were about the size of a grown robin.

Jo's soccer

Josie participated in soccer this summer. Here she is receiving her medal from a "professional soccer man" (I asked who he was and that was her answer. I guess he plays for SU)
The big team and coach. Sit still rugrats!
Now anyone who knows Josie knows that she can be REALLY hesitant to try new things. When she gets into it she finds that usually she is really good at what she tries. It is getting her over that initial speed bump and then its smooth sailing.

The team wasn't scheduled to have games but at the last practice the coach said another team from the area wanted to play them so she got a taste of outside competition. Brad and I couldn't believe our eyes.

For example this little sweet thing would get the ball and just go down and score. She had her teams 2 goals. The cute thing was is that along with the ability to score she was also a team player. She would get it right in front of the net and look for someone to pass it to.

At one point her coach came out and praised her unselfish behavior but told her to JUST SHOOT THE BALL! if she is right there.

Even the parents on the sidelines were yelling "Go Josie Go Josie" and then Brad and I would hear "Wow she is a team player" or "Boy is she going to be a good soccer player".

Ok enough bragging. Oh just one more thing - she gets all of her athletic ability from her mother!

In the goal waiting for some action.

Josie took some pictures of Georgia's recent games but unfortunately of the 100 she took I couldn't find one to use. They either didn't even have Georgia in it or they were too far away or blurry to bother :) Now Georgia's team is an entirely different story!!! They need something in a bad way.

margie rolled over

Four month old Margie rolled over this weekend. She wasn't quite sure what to do once she did make it to her belly, the floor was cold...
...but she was sure proud of herself. Look at her smile!

Getting a little worried. Don't worry Margie Sue we'll get you back under your toys.

This is a soccer game that broke out at mom's during a camp fire night. Georgia is into games now and Josie had one this past weekend. I'll post about that tomorrow.

Emeline LOVES s'mores. (who doesn't right?) It is a real treat to go to grandma G's for a camp fire. They think it is such fun.

We had the opportunity to look at some pictures from Mom and Rick's (and the boys) trip to Gloucester MA. Wow it looked fun. I wish I could get some pictures up here but you can visit 7-Seas Whale Watch where you can view a video. According to mom what they saw was even better than the video they have on the site. Ben also went fishing with Yankee Fleet and I can tell it thrilled him. I guess aside from traffic problems and human GPS problems they had a great time.

A trip back to the olden days

We spent Saturday at Farmer Boy Days at a local museum. The first thing we saw was this little team of oxen learning to pull a wagon. They were adorable and VERY well behaved for being so young.
Then we hitched a ride on a wagon that was a couple hundred years old.

This pair of lovely Percheron's pulled it for us.

Here are the girls entering the one room school house.

Here is the teacher giving them instructions on writing their alphabet. Josie has asked about making a quill and we just haven't gotten to it yet. I was very happy she was able to try it with some blueberry ink the teacher made.

Mistress Emeline also got to write on a slate.

They used some old fashioned playthings like this pair of stilts. There was also a hoop and stick that the teacher said boys used to get themselves to school on time.

We listened to some talk about amazing milk and took part in making butter.

Georgia even milked a goat!! Josie wouldn't try though. Emeline wanted to but mom said no!! Thank you Mrs. Loula for allowing all those kids to yank on you all day long.

There was an area where the kids could pet this teensy weeny goat kid, chickens and a really woolly sheep.

There was a quilting booth and the kids sewed some squares. They couldn't believe their sewing skills. (They have done much of this before!!)

This was really neat. Here is Georgia doing the wash...

...and Josie running the wringer. They want these "toys" to play with at home.

Georgia ground some grain to make homemade bread.

They even kneaded the dough.

Then came some fun music. We played the spoons to some foot stomping music.

Josie kept the beat on a washboard with thimbles. She found a hidden talent.

Then we traveled to Oregon with this team of oxen. Our wagon wasn't covered but what a way for the kids to get a taste of what we learned about all year.

There was even a wind mill and all the kids pumped some water.

Of course after you pump it someone has to carry it. That yoke is apparently over 300 years old!

Whew what a day. That wasn't even all of it but you get a glimpse of just how enriching it was!!

summer faith adventure song

Here is the song we learned yesterday during our summer faith adventure. The lyrics are taken from their Day 3 printables.

Day 3 Song Lyrics: “Body and Blood, Soul and Divinity”

Body and Blood, Soul and Divinity,
My Lord and God, Jesus is here.
Body and Blood, Soul and Divinity,
Jesus, my Lord, I know You’re here.

Jesus, I come to visit You in Your home.
I bend my right knee and bow to Your throne.
Quietly I kneel, I whisper, “I love You so.”
My eyes cannot see, but my heart truly knows.

stained glass window cookies

Yesterdays snack for the Summer Faith Adventure was stained glass window cookies. We learned that stained glass windows were used to help spread the good news of the gospels. In areas where people couldn't read or spoke different languages, priests and bishops used stained glass windows in place of books in order to tell stories.

Pope's Miter

We started our summer faith adventure yesterday and learned all about the Kingdom of David. We also learned that the Pope holds the keys to the kingdom right now and so we made a replica of the Pope's miter. This is our Pope Benedict the XVI.
We still have to decorate ours. This is a very plain miter.

These are some things we learned today (Monday).

The Israelites asked the Prophet Samuel to pray to God for a king.

God said Saul should be made the first King.

Saul disobeyed God so there was need for a new King.

Samuel was told to go to Bethlehem to find a man named Jesse.

Jesse had 8 sons.

God said David, the youngest was the one to be King.

David wasn't King right away. God helped him get ready just like he (and the holy spirit) helps each one of us become what we are supposed to be.

The Kingdom of David was eventually overthrown and many years later God told the angel Gabriel to tell Mary that Jesus would bring back the Kingdom of David.

A celebration of Summer

We had a super weekend. Friday we went to some fireworks. Beforehand we walked the river and saw the beginnings of the sunset.

We waited and waited for the fireworks to begin.

Little Margie passed the time by playing with a glow stick that her big sisters kept forcing into her hands only to find it poking her in the eye shortly thereafter. They paid no mind to that though and just kept giving it to her??.

Josie enjoying the view.

Emeline waiting patiently.

Georgia and Josie put on some shows with their glow sticks.

Now why am I the only one that looks excited? That is how it usually is. I love fireworks and parades and picnics and all those types of things.

Speaking of parades. We "Celebrated Summer" yesterday. Josie came prepared for the drums with her ear muffs again!

I thought of Brendan when this big ladder truck went by.

Check this antique ladder truck out!

Margie Sue didn't miss a beat. Her head followed everything by.

Here is an antique ambulance if you haven't gathered that by the picture. REALLY cool.

Two of my favorite things to listen to, steel drums and bagpipes. Enjoy! What a nice parade. Happy Summer!!