Croak...

My kids love looking for frogs.  We have all these tiny little cute frogs hopping around that they like to collect and then set free at the end of the day.  Tyler is especially fond of these creatures.  The other night I heard him squealing with excitement as he had found the biggest and most disgusting (my word) frog he has found in a long time.  I am used to the tiny little frogs, not this monster.

He loved him.

I must admit, seeing Tyler so excited got me excited about this little... I mean big guy.

Tyler did return him to where he found him so he could go back to his family after his photo shoot.  I guess I should be happy he likes frogs and not snakes (gasp)!

The boy can cook...

Tyler loves to help me cook and really wants to be able to cook on his own (supervised of course).  He can make scrabbled eggs completely on his own and is now trying to master pancakes.  I bought him a mix that you just have to add a few ingredients to (he even has his own secret ingredient) as it's easier then starting from scratch.  This morning he made strawberry pancakes, and they were yummy!

And for the record, he does own shirts, he just chooses not to wear them very much.

Say hello to my little friend...

A little something sweet (kid style)...

Summer time snacks are always the best snacks.  I love all the fresh fruits, berries, and of course the melons!  We went shopping this morning for fruits and after dinner Tyler knew exactly what he wanted to make for dessert.  He got out the blueberries, raspberries, strawberries, whipped cream, and the cherries.  He was so proud of his creation, and I must admit... it was super tasty.

Juliana went for a snack we've been making for awhile now.  My friend had told me about it and now it's a staple when we want something quick and sweet.  It's just graham crackers and frosting.  So easy the kids can make it themselves and just the right amount of sweet when your sweet tooth is calling.

Not dead yet...

I am the worst when it comes to growing anything or keeping anything alive in the garden or even in a pot.  I bought some flowers a couple of weeks ago and thanks to Mother Nature they are still alive today.  Not sure how long they will last so I snapped a few quick pictures of them last night.

A day in the woods...

So it wasn't a full day in the woods, but Sunday morning we decided to pack up the kids and dogs for a little hike.  This sounds easy, but with a dog that gets overly excited to leave the house it can present a challenge.  We loaded everyone into the SUV and headed to Chatfield Hollow.  It's a pretty state park with several walking trails.

I only took my little point and shoot camera but got a few cute pictures.  I made them all stop for a quick picture on a little bridge in the woods.  I don't know who was more anxious to keep going, the kids or the dogs.

There's a great little brick wall with a pond behind it, the kids all like walking on the wall.  I shall call this picture, "A boy and his dog".

We tried to get the dogs to get closer to the water but they both hate it.  Here is the look Charlotte gave when we tried to nudge her towards the stream.

Finally, we let the kids wade through the streams and skip rocks.

A moment...

A moment in time frozen for ever.  That's what a photograph is, and what I strive to capture when taking pictures, that one moment that will last forever.  I have taken 10's of thousands of pictures, but every once in awhile there is that one that takes my breath away.  A couple of years ago we were visiting Stephen's Grandmother, my children's Great Grandmother and her husband Lenny.  We went to Falmouth beach, it's five minutes from their house on Cape Cod.  The sun was setting and it was what is known as the golden hour for pictures, and I captured this "moment".  A favorite to be cherished forever.

A summer miracle.... well, kind of.

My kids do not nap, they gave it up when they were very young (too young).  They like to be on the move constantly and always doing something or saying something.  Imagine my surprise when I walked into the living room and saw this on my couch:

Yes, that is one of "my" children napping!  I thought it was some sort of summer miracle, then he woke up 5 minutes later.  Guess it wasn't much of a nap, but it was still a shocking site for those 5 minutes!

Summer projects.

I am what some (most) would call a procrastinator.  I put things off until the very last minute and then somehow get them done at the last second.  I wish I wasn't that way, but it's ingrained in me, it just how I operate.  When the kids went back to school last fall I said I wanted to paint the kitchen/living room, the color we had was dark, I don't like dark, and really wanted to lighten it up.  Well my goal was to do it while the kids were in school, but thanks to my great procrastination abilities it never was done.  Now it's summer and I want to brighten up the house, so I find myself doing it while they are home.  It takes much longer as I have to make meals, patch boo boos, and look at Lego creations all while painting, but I am so happy I am FINALLY getting it done.

Here is the beginning of the progress, this is the primer and it's already looking brighter.

I walked by one of the primed walls and this is what I saw (those are not my handprints).

The boy is cool...