A Turtle & Parky’s Farm with Cousins

Back in May we did a lot of “stuff” at home with a  farm theme;

puzzles, coloring, singing, stories

and games of course.

One afternoon as we came home from school I heard something ruffling around in the leaves under the front bushes.  A turtle???  Crazy I know, but there it was.  I’ve lived in this neighborhood for 17 years and NEVER seen a wandering turtle here.

We did a little research and discovered that he was a type of turtle that belongs in the wild.  So we decided to keep him outside in the pet carrier for a few days.  We had fun watching him crawl around in the massive puddle under the swing and we were surprised at how quickly he moved about.  Then we said goodbye to him and let him go.

As the weather grew hot, Scruffles decided that our water pitcher was set out specifically for her.  If we think bathroom water tastes better (my Dad would have to laugh at me here) Scruffles thinks it tastes better from a glass pitcher.

My cats also had to get accustomed to sharing their home with their cousin “Aiden” for a week after Aiden had moved away from Washington State.  He came for a visit with my sister and her two boys. 

We got to spend a whole week with Rachael, Porter and Samuel.  The first day they were here we took the boys to Parky’s Farm (keeping with our farm theme).  It was so funny when they boys woke up that morning to get ready for their visit to the farm Nathan and Porter got dressed and walked around the corner almost right into each other and were shocked to see their mirror image in each other.  Both had on blue pants and an Elmo shirt.  When they got their hats out to put on we discovered they even had nearly the same baseball cap.  The boys were twins for the day!

Pumping water at the windmill is always a favorite activity.

We rolled up sleeves hoping they wouldn’t get too wet.

Taking turns.

Boys had lots of energy and LOVED being together.

A nice shady hike on a trail through the woods.

Samuel was wishing he was just a tad bit taller.

Three cute boys.

One muddy boy!                                              A few little geese with their Mom.

The geese had to watch out for us on the way to the play ground.

Back home it was time to take a “Quick” rest.  Two peas in a pod happy spending the week together.

2013 Flying Pig

Tristan was the only runner from our family this year for the annual Flying Pig 5K downtown.  Lindsay didn’t have time to train so it was the first time she hadn’t run since she began in 2007.  Rick also did not train this spring with all of his extra rehearsals as he prepared for his trip to China at the end of the month. 

Tristan had plenty of cheerleaders, nevertheless.

Here come some of the first runners and Tristan is seen coming from a distance due to his “lucky socks”!

Lucky socks alright!

Tristan ran his 5 K in 23 minutes.  Awesome!

May Day!

Lilacs graced our table in MAY for the first time since I left Rochester. 

They were in full bloom out in the yard, a little later than usual this year in this region.

The grass turned a techni-color green once again and we celebrated May Day with the annual cake.

I’m not sure exactly how this got started but I remember my Grandma Erickson making a May Day cake several times when I was a little girl and it was served out in the backyard.  I don’t think the kind of cake is as important as the fact that it must have a hole in the middle for the violets freshly picked from the yard.  I like to make the buttercream frosting a shade of purple.  My kids remind me every year of this traditional May Day cake they don’t want me to forget.  I may think of my Grandma but my kids think of me making this cake.

Scruffles kept an eye on the fairy garden.  As our tulips bloomed we kept our eyes open for some to share and brighten teachers desks.  Happy May Day!