Halloween 2010

Carving pumpkins is part of every Halloween!

Cory the Fish

One night last week, Michael and the boys wanted to watch a movie before it expired on the "on demand" system. Since it was during the day, they politely requested that Maddox and I vacate the premises. So we did... we weren't interested in Iron Man anyway!

Well, on our little outing, we picked up a new member of the family! Meet Cory Evan Force, Maddox's new pet fish... Maddox named him, but he tells us we can call him Cory for short.

Maddox just loves having a pet of his own... he lovingly watches over him.

...and makes sure he always has something to eat. (We've warned him, though, about what too much food can do)

A new pet fish = a very happy boy.

...and if I don't have to clean another litter box, well then, I'm a happy mom.

Michele

Peaches!!

You saw our wonderful raspberries... well, in August, we look forward to a case of scrumptious Colorado peaches!

I can't tell you just how good these beauties are! You'll just have to plan a trip out here in August sometime so you can taste them yourself!

And believe me, we serve 'em up just about every way we can... peach cobbler, peach ice cream, peach jam, peach salsa, peaches in our salad, peaches & cream...

...but perhaps the best way to enjoy them is to just cut one up and pop it in your mouth!

Michele

The Treehouse... Revisited

You've seen pictures of it before, but the treehouse continues to morph into something bigger and better... and finally stained.

And yes, that is another platform you see there in the upper left corner. One that now allows my husband to raise the bar on backyard thrills... but more on that later. Let me show you where Michael's second office is:

Cozy, huh? And if he decides to take a nap, he can just mosey on inside to the loft:

...or the fold up bed:

We also put a cot under that bed so it acts as a bunk bed. Plenty of options for some good ole' backyard fun... which brings me to the next part.

So we've had a little zip line, right? Nothing much... just a wire with a handle that you hold onto and coast on down a few feet. Not too high... if you couldn't hold on, that's okay, you'd only drop a few inches to the ground and land safely on your feet. Easy, peasy. Maddox has already mastered it.

Okay, so now back to that new platform. Well, it's the starting point of a much taller zip line. One that you have to HARNESS into. And guess who Michael always asks to be the guinea pig on such endeavors? Yup. Little ole' me. Cuz, you see, HE'S too heavy and he doesn't feel right sending his kids down first. Gotta make sure it's safe. So Michele, give it a try, will ya?!

Hold it... let's get a closer look:

Well, you still can't see the true emotions... let's get even closer:

There... that's it. The look of pure excitement, huh?! Having a blast, don't you think?! Oh, and I forgot to mention his last words before I let go: "Keep your feet and arms in tight because it gets pretty close to that tree down there." Brilliant.

Well, needless to say, I made it down just fine. But I hate to think what he's gonna build next... I keep telling him I'm not sure how much more those poor trees can handle! (let alone his poor wife!)

Michele

Post script: I feel compelled to mention that I've been down that zip line several times now and it really is fun. Won't you come give it a try?!

Homeschooling is Messy Business

Homeschooling is in full swing around here... and we try to have at least a little bit of fun now and then! Here the boys are working on paper mache globes.

Luke's Farm

A fun little outing for Maddox... and it tickles me to see that his smile (or should I say "smirk") is the same in every photo!