chase the chickies

Evan wakes up at the crack of dawn. Every once in awhile I take him outside to walk around (and let the rest of the house sleep), see the chickens, and lately pick some berries for an early morning snack. For some reason he went all commando on the chickens today and I had to run grab my camera because it was so funny. I've never seen him saying "hi-ya!" to the chickens before, but it was pretty cute. Now if only I had the energy for karate kicks at 6am! Both videos are very similar, but I thought I'd throw in an extra one for mom, since she said I haven't been updating frequently enough. They aren't in hd so they aren't the best quality, but Zig is out of town and I'm too lazy to change the format this late at night. You get the idea :)

feel the love

Spotty had some trauma recently and has been getting some extra TLC lately. He is the best pet we've ever had (other than Kona) and it was hard to seem him in pain when his little fingernail came off and he gushed blood all over. Poor little bunny, but he is all better now.



And sometimes I wish I had a pouch for Evan. He is never far away. I thought I could read my book and watch him play outside, but look where he planted himself the entire time :) The boy loves his momma.

Balloons

One of the things we love about summer evenings is the hot air balloons that float over the yard at sunset. They are very quiet until they are right upon you and you hear the hot air blowing. Kona gets all excited and kids scream and wave, always getting a response from the people in the basket.






The kids chased one down to see it land in a field by the house.

Poppies

Poppies are remarkable little flowers. They are light and flittery, delicate and cheerful. I know it sounds silly, but they make my heart smile and I feel happy each time they catch my eye. I also feel gratitude to Zig for noticing how much I love them and planting them all over. He doesn't ever mention planting new seeds, but each year new varieties pop up all over the yard, and that's no coincidence.

extreme bathing

Sometimes bath-time is a real drag and none of the kids want to stop what they're doing to take a good soak, but that all changed this week. Rollin re-discovered the fun of shampoo and jets. Quite frankly, I was just happy to see him using soap when I walked in on his oversized bubble bath! Sometimes he gets in such a hurry that he forgets soap and his feet are still black when he gets out of the tub. Little boys...

Rollin was pretty pleased at all the foam he created. 

Fast forward to the following evening and add Nina (partner in crime) to the mix.It's amazing how bold these two can get when they combine forces.


Let's just say I was stunned when I walked into the bathroom to find these two monkeys frolicking amidst the bubbles as they cascaded all over the floor and into the windowsills. They were literally diving into the bubbles as suds would fly into the air. I almost started in on a big lecture about the mess they were making and how they would have to clean it all up, but the look of pure joy on their faces stopped me in my tracks. I decided to let them have their moment.





Soap angels

It sure is fun to be a kid!

July 4th

Pancake breakfasts, bike parades, small town parades, bike rides, bbq's and fireworks are what celebrating the 4th of July is all about. We packed the day full this year and had glorious weather, which is not always the case in this area, but sure makes an already fantastic holiday even better.

Church pancake breakfast and bike parade

 We rode our bikes to the parade in downtown Bothell.

Nina was very worried when she couldn't find much red in her closet so we cut some ribbon for a belt.

After church on July 3rd.

Evan got a shiner at nursery. Poor baby :(

Nina trying to coax Evan to come be in the picture.

Good buddies

 

Gone are the days of a "normal" pose from Rollin. Little goofball.

Happy 4th of July!

berry good

Strawberry country cake, strawberry rhubarb crisp, strawberry pancakes, and this morning, strawberry shortcake. When it's time to harvest, you just have to drop what you're doing and get it done.  All hands on deck!

Several evenings a week we all head to the garden to try and put a dent in the strawberry patch. We have some nesting bowls and the biggest goes to the oldest and then on down from there. Nina filled hers up quick and was off to play.

Rollin took his time and finished about an hour after everyone else. It's hard when you eat so many!

Four of the six...Zig, Ashley, Sela, and Nina.

Zig thinks he picked the biggest strawberry.


strawberry shortcake assembly, kids running the show.


I think he likes it!

When we make strawberry shortcake for breakfast, we make a simple biscuit and then top it with slightly sweetened whipped cream and the sliced berries. It's not too sweet first thing in the morning.

The biscuit recipe is 1 1/2 cup flour, 1/2 tsp salt, 2 teaspoons baking powder, 3 tsp sugar (optional), 6 Tbsp cold butter, and 3/4 cup heavy cream.

Combine the flour, salt, bp, sugar. Cut in the butter with a fork or pastry blender until the butter is the shape of peas. Pour in the cream and mix gently until the dough just comes together. Roll out the dough and use a biscuit cutter to make eight little biscuits or so. Brush the tops with heavy cream and bake for about 15 minutes or so at 400. Slice and put a dollop of whipped cream on each side and berries on top. I do sprinkle a little sugar on the berries, about a teaspoon, just so they will get release their juices. Yum!