New Addition Coming Soon!

We are getting a new addition to our family at the end of July -- a Newfoundland puppy!

The litter is currently 4 weeks old, and we'll be picking out OUR puppy in 2 weeks. Here are some photos of what they look like NOW...(I cannot take the credit for the photos, they were sent to me by the breeder). The female we will be getting should be about 100-120 pounds when fully grown, and will basically look like a black St. Bernard. I guess we just have to hope our neighbors don't confuse it with a black bear!

Dragons and more...

Knights and dragons have been VERY popular around our house lately. Here is one of Aidan's latest dragon creations. Note the unicorn standing next to the tree!

Thinking about fairy tales, I took this picture in a yard near my house. I could never paint it, because people would look at it and say, "It's too pretty. It looks fake." I was struck by the pink above and the blue below.

One of our butterflies hatched. We released it the next day because Colin couldn't keep himself from holding it, and we were afraid it would die. Sadly, the other chrysalis did not survive.
Sadie the spy dog...the most patient dog in the world!

Odds and Ends

What do you do with an area of your yard you HATE to mow? The grass in this area is so thick and weedy that it's nearly impossible to mow. I don't like the idea of using weed killer (we're all on wells out here), so I decided to try my hand at a children's garden. Colin really wanted a "maze" going through it. I'm planting a bit at a time, as time allows. We have big plans, though, including a sunflower house, gourds, and flowers that attract butterflies and hummingbirds. I'm not much of a gardener, so it's a real experiment for us. We may discover that we are just planting deer food, but I don't hate the idea of seeing the deer more often!

Here is the beginning of it:

Here's Colin at the playground where our homeschool group meets:

One of the salamanders we caught recently (all have been released):

A single tulip that makes it's appearance every spring since we moved in. The people we bought the house from say they never saw it, and never planted it. I guess it just likes us!

Daffodils in the sun:

Geodes!

Grandma Margie brought the boys some geodes to investigate. For those of you who do not know, geodes are very drab, plain looking rocks on the outside, but are all crystallized inside, and make for quite a surprise when a child cracks one open the first time.

Safety glasses on? Okay, let's begin!

We ultimately needed a bigger hammer, but here are the results!

When the geodes were done, Colin discovered a wooly bear caterpillar roaming in our yard. Colin LOVES caterpillars!

Life in Bloom

We've had some fabulous weather the last few days, and everything is really starting to come to life around here. We have spent very little time indoors, but here are some of the signs of life we're finding outside.

(Colin thought all the purple flowers growing in Calista's yard were SO beautiful!)

Caterpillars, Lost Teeth, and Art Fairs

Here are our newest "pets" that we got as part of our current science project. They are busy forming chrysalides, and will grow into painted lady butterflies! All that brown stuff in the bottom of the containers is some sort of special caterpillar food. As soon as each has formed its chrysalis, it will be moved into our butterfly house.

Chrysalis developing:

Also, Aidan lost another tooth! I didn't even know this one was loose until minutes before it fell out! His top two teeth have been loose for a couple months, but this one wanted to come out first, I guess!

I FINALLY received my letter from our local art fair, and these are the three paintings that got juried into the exhibition this year. All are pastel.