It's Summer

Summer has been different this year.  The kids have been able to return to hockey and dance but otherwise they are home. Luckily, we helped Grandpa and Grandma plant a large garden in late April which has given us something fun to check on and help with.

 

 Planting sweet corn.

 Brecken did some work to clean the patio.

 And he got a buzz cut to start summer.

A duck family found its way into our backyard one day.  After getting out of the fence, 2 of the babies fell into the storm sewer.  We couldn't just leave them, so Daddy climbed in to rescue them, and then we reunited them with their mom.

Crew has been helping trim the buses.  He really gets into his work.

 But his favorite thing to do is cut the grass, weed wack and use the blower. That's some heavy duty protective equipment.

 After mowing the grass one day recently, I asked if he wanted to go get something to drink.  He looked at me and said he wanted some coffee, like Grandpa. So we went in and I made him hot chocolate on the 90+ degree day.

 We had to ride out to Grandpa and Grandma's house a few times to take care of their flowers (and eat their popsicles).

The neighbor kids came over to watch a movie.

This is what work looks like right now.  A mask and shield at all times.  On the plus side, it keeps me warmer...

 

 On the negative side, sometimes it's not always comfortable.

Grandma made this amazing reading nook which Chesney loves.

 They've found plenty of caterpillars this year and let many butterflies free.

 

More garden work.  These kiddos have learned some good stuff this summer.

No better way to start the day than using the blower.

We have logged endless hours in the pool. In fact, we are in there most days and on the weekends, most hours of the day.

 

We spent the 4th of July with Allie, Ryan, Uncle Jeremy and Aunt Jessie.

That night we lit some fireworks.

And then we went for a night swim with the kids.  They don't usually stay up this late, so they thought it was pretty cool.

Our tomato plants are hard at work.  Crew loves picking the red "matos".

Summer has been great so far.  We are looking forward to more warm days ahead.