Time for tiger-lilies already?
The month is flying by.
Today was another wonderfully “lazy” summer day. I made french toast for breakfast and Caleb helped me crack the eggs.
After morning chores were done Jacob, Grace, Seth, and I (holding Sarah) went outside to let the chickens out, and to go for a little walk. The children and I talk all the time, and my days are filled with laughter and conversation…unlike last week when everything was so quiet.
It rained during the night and the grass was still wet with the rain, and the dew. When we walk around the ponds, frogs surprise us by jumping off the banks to hide in the water. Last week I saw a snake. The dragonflies are flying everywhere.
We can hear the chickens talking a mile a minute as we approach their coop. We opened the doors and called, “Good morning!” Jacob opened the windows and their little door and out they went, all but the black one who was busy laying her egg.
Grace took some dry bread and scattered it for the hens.
When we got back to the house after our walk, I took a few pictures of Grace and Sarah, in the garden.
The little purple pants that Sarah is wearing used to be Grace’s. How thankful I am that I saved them for 10 years!
The boys found another tiny chicken egg. We collect one now and then and it always makes us laugh. It’s fun to fry them and have a miniature fried egg for a snack.
Later on, I took this picture of Sarah napping, because her arms were so cute.
My kitchen windowsill, with bouquets from Davy, and from Grace.
As Sarah napped, I took a little walk by myself.
I looked at my flower gardens. In the springtime, before I had Sarah, I planted three packages of herb seeds in my flower garden. Later on that same morning, I found the chickens scratching up all the seeds and feasting on them.
That was the end of my gardening for the spring, but this morning I had a couple of pleasant surprises. I found that the chickens didn’t QUITE get all the seeds and I had parsley growing, and cilantro.
(this is the cilantro)
Another surprise. I found a patch of bee balm that I don’t remember planting.
And it’s pink!
As I picked a bunch of ferns to put on the kitchen table, George (the rooster) and a couple of hens followed me.
I went to the coop again, and collected some more eggs.
Ethan made brownies with them today.
We burned them.
The middle was still good, though.
After lunch we read another chapter of Little House in the Big Woods.
Yesterday, I read this: “In winter the cream was not yellow as it was in summer, and butter churned from it was white and not so pretty. Ma liked everything on her table to be pretty, so in the wintertime she colored the butter.”
After I read that sentence, I stopped and asked, “How do you children think Ma colored the butter?”
David piped up immediately and said, “With crayons?”
(She used grated carrot)
When we got to the part about Laura and Mary making their beds like good little girls, I stopped and said cheerfully (and somewhat sarcastically), “You children make YOUR beds every morning, too!”
David piped up immediately and said, “No, we don’t!” (like he didn’t want me to be deceived a moment longer). I laughed until the tears came. I just get surprised sometimes by the things they say.
We’re having a lot of fun reading our book.
After reading and quiet time, I went down to the pond with Grace, Caleb, and Seth so they could go swimming.
While she was swimming, Grace found a turtle that hadn’t been named. The children write the names of the turtles on the bottom of their shells, with a permanent marker. While she was gone to the house to get a marker, I let Seth hold the turtle.
Rich has to work late tonight and so we ate leftovers for dinner. As I worked in the kitchen I had the children all sit at the table, to color.
Ethan and Davy have become very close friends lately and have been doing everything together, including today’s coloring. I noticed Ethan patiently teaching Davy which colors to use, and how to shade. They were so sweet, and worked on the same page together.
So that’s my day so far. The children are all coming inside after swimming again. Sarah is sleeping, and Seth is sitting on my lap in just a diaper, watching me type, and swinging his little leg.
Good to be Home 
A charmed life. What a wonderful summer day! I love reading how you explain it, and how it looks through your eyes.
your day just sounds wonderful, filled with family. 🙂 I love the pic of Grace with Sarah.. looks like Grace’s little baby doll. 🙂 I am happy that you are taking some moments just for you, to go for a walk. You need that and it’s good for you! much love
Sounds like such a lovely, lovely day. So peaceful and filled with such fun and joy. =) I bet Grace is enjoying having a sister!
I love the GREEN in your pictures! Here, the fields have turned their summer brown after wheat harvest and the yards won’t be far behind if it doesn’t rain. Happy summer days.
I was thinking the same thing…what a charmed life. I just posted on my kids getting out of school and how it will be detox at my house for the next two weeks. all the bad words and attitudes that they learned in school now will be dumped into the family. I’m tired just thinking about what the next two weeks hold…..Your blog is like a breath of fresh air. I can’t wait to make some great memories with my kids this summer…when we are done detoxing that is:)P: I PM you a while ago…did you get it?
I like that the children are naming turtles.
Seth’s body language in that picture of the three kids in the pond is priceless. And I absolutely LOVE Caleb in the car going into the pond behind Seth in the next shot!I haven’t read any of the Little House books in ages … those are such sweet stories.Grace and Sarah look so precious together!
You always have such great pictures. Glad to hear of your day. Your posts always bring a smile to my face.
so many beautiful times with the family. your chickens always amuse me. what fun to see what every day will hold …i love that your kids not only love to read but like to be read to..and what a great series of books to read. i believe that my dad and mom took turns reading Laura Ingells Wilder to me as well. what great books.
You have such a happy, wonderful life! Love reading your accounts and enjoying your pictures. Grace is looking different- more grown-up. She is quite a beauty!
You could write your own farm books…..”Big House by the Little Pond” 🙂 Your days sound wonderfully fulfilling and blessed.
Laura brought me a HANDFUL of tiger lillies this morning! they are on my kitchen counter in a MUG…because she picked them so short..But I love them just the way they are!
Your garden looks so beautiful, all green and yellow. I was glad you had some surprise herbs! Are you all able to eat most of your eggs or do you get way too many? So nice your chickens get to range about even if they do get into your seeds.I love to hear all about your summer day…walks, reading, swimming, turtles, drawing…and seeing the sweet companions you have, and they are to one another. Lord bless you all, Jenny
I love seeing your pictures and hearing about your day. I am glad things are going smoothly. Sarah sounds like such a good little, peaceful baby. Yesterday I babysat a newborn for a while. He is 5 weeks old. You forget how little they are!
Oh, how I love ferns ~
what a lovely summer post. neat way to remember the turtles!
love all the pics! Looks like you all have so much fun together! Love those little house books too!
Awww the pictures of the sisters is just precious!!
Sounds like a lovely day! My children are still in school, they finish tomorrow. I hope to have days just like that beginning next week. My oldest graduates 8th grade tonight so many tears will be shed today. Have a blessed day!
How sweet that Grace has her very own doll baby to love on….Wonderful post, as always…
I just love the photos of Sarah with her big sister holding her so tightly. They will become the best of friends, I can see that already, can’t you? Love those turtles you get to see and it is so neat that the kids gave them names so they can be surprised when they find them again. They live in a wonderland out there. A kids dream!!!
LOVE the photo of Seth holding the turtle!! 🙂
Seth is just too cute for words. Beautiful pictures of Grace and Sarah. Such fun, your house seems to be.
love seeing those girls together 🙂 and boys in the pond.
your pictures always remind me of something from Country Living magazine~ love just scrolling through! it really struck me how much Grace is starting to look like you.. i’ve always thought she resembled her daddy more, but see you more now – especially in her eyes. isn’t that cool how kids have both their mommy and daddy in them and you see both sides of that fluctuating from them in various ways and as they grow.sarah is just the cutest. and the turtles.. how fun to name them!!! love that~
we always said those little eggs were the ones the roosters laid!!!
I adore chickens, hens, roosters…but the look of bliss on Grace’s face as she holds her baby sister is priceless!
My garden has suffered this year too, being pregnant, and not having my husband around much to help me with it. 😦 I did get a few things planted, but one of them, my favorite, the German butterball potatoes, did not come up. I think they must have rotted in the ground from so much rain and humidity. 😦 Sad. Oh well, there’s always next year, right? 🙂