Wednesday at the farm

Wednesday started with some excitement--we saw a skunk crossing the road about twenty feet in front of us on our walk!  Unc said that he saw a mama skunk carrying her babies in her mouth, one by one, across his driveway, so this was probably the same one.  Luckily, we escaped odor-free!  Then Unc found us on our walk and showed the boys a turtle that he had found.  Since we were on an animal kick, we went over to a neighboring farm to see the goats and kittens.  Ben loved the goats and the baby calf and would have climbed into their food trough if we would have let him.  Dan wasn't so sure about the goats but he did love the kittens.  Too bad I'm allergic so we'll never have a cat for him to love!

After lunch and naps, the boys needed a cookie to ease them back into the day.  Then we headed outside to the pool for a dip.  Unfortunately, the wind was blowing about 30 miles an hour and Dan is kind of a wimp with weather of any kind, so Ben was on his own in the pool.  When he was tired of swimming, he decided to try his hand at some croquet.  His form needs a little work, but the enthusiasm is definitely there!

We left the farm right after breakfast on Thursday and came back to reality in Wichita.  Now we're in full-on wedding countdown mode.  Only two weeks until the big day for Layne and Alex!

Tuesday at the farm

On Monday, my mom and I made the drive with Dan and Ben down to the farm in Oklahoma.  After grabbing a quick nap in the afternoon, I turned right back around and drove to Oklahoma City with my aunt for the Thunder-Lakers game.  It was Game 5 of their playoff series and Aunt Earlyn just might be the biggest Thunder fan in the whole state.  And now I can honestly say that I am a fan too!  The team was really fun to watch and I'm so glad that I got to go to my first ever NBA playoff game (which OKC won to close out the series!) with a true fan.  We didn't get home until around 1 am so Tuesday morning came very early because sleeping in is not an option with Dan and Ben around....

The first thing they decided to do after breakfast and our morning walk was rearrange the bear collection on the rarely-used second floor.  They decided to make a "fort" out of all the bears, plus their own blankets and bears.  The teddy bears were definitely cute, but I think my boys are cuter!

Later on, they pushed their carts down to Unc's barn.  They both loved climbing all over Little John (small tractor) and Big John (big tractor).  To this city girl, the barn looked to be full of lots of things that could maim or dismember small children, so of course they wanted to play there all the time.  The floor of the barn is just dirt, which made a lovely cloud of dust when the boys ran around and pushed their carts at warp speed.  So we went immediately to the bath after the barn!

After bath and supper, Ben wanted to watch the hummingbirds have their supper.  Then he got a scare when a large non-hummingbird showed up!

The Zoo, etc.

Except for Layne's graduation, I've left my nice camera in its bag and have just been using my cellphone for pictures since we got home.  So that's why the quality is not the best!  (I'll put pics of the graduation up soon.)

On Mother's Day, the boys and I headed to the Sedgwick County Zoo.  Luckily, we got their early before all the moms and dads and kids arrived (and before the weather really heated up) so we were able to see a lot of animals without getting stuck in too many crowds.  Dan and Ben loved the American farm petting zoo, the grizzly bear playing with a ball in the water, and the baby gorilla playing with his dad.

Besides the zoo, we've been walking in the park and playing at the playground a lot.  Sedgwick County Park (right next to the zoo and only about five minutes from my parents' house) has a great 3-mile loop for walking/running/biking and an even better playground for the kids.  So my mom and I can get our exercise on and then Dan and Ben can get all their wiggles out.  Dan especially loves spinning around and around in the self-propelled buckets.

When it's too hot and sunny for the big playground, we head to a smaller one in the shade.  The boys love the seesaw and the tire swing and all the geese that hang out there.

And this is sweaty Freddy after the park:

When we're at home, the boys love to dig in the backyard.  My mom left a spot in her garden that they can take their shovels and dump trucks and backhoes to and not mess anything up.  And now that my parents have a new outdoor couch, I can sit on the porch in the shade and just supervise!

St. Louis Zoo

After our marathon driving day on Monday, it was nice to see friendly faces, warm food, and a basement full of toys at the home of the Missouri Rashmans (Lee, Cassandra, Corinne, and Davis).  The boys slept great and were ready for a fun day at the zoo on Tuesday.

Despite our mid-week visit, the zoo was packed with hundreds of school kids on field trips.  We still managed to take two trips on the carousel, pet the stingrays (and Dan didn't even fall in!), ride the train around the zoo, and see the elephants up close.  The weather was gorgeous and the kids really had a great time.  Thanks, Uncle Lee and Aunt Cass, for a great day!

If only we could see Corinne's face, this picture would be perfect!

As good as it's going to get with these four!