Memorial Day



Have a great Memorial Day weekend!

The Big One

Sorry for the radio silence (again) but it's been a bit....(all together now) crazy around here.  Let's see, we've had bathroom remodel/mold remediation which involved being at Nana's for quite a while; an awesome country wedding for my favorite oldest niece (she's the only one that's the oldest); many attempts at organization; our basic school stuff; AND James received travel orders.  Whaaaat? 

Let's start with that one then we'll get to the fishing.  So yeah, James found out a bit ago that he's going to ITALY!!!  It's a quick job as far as we know so he should be back sometime towards the end of the summer.  And no, the kids and I are not going on this one.  I know, bummer, but we'll go on the next one pretty quickly.  He is all you would guess he is (as we all are) excited, nervous, anxious, etc, but he'll be great!  (Plus he's pretty much counting on gaining a ton of weight.  You see, that's his favorite kind of food....Italian.)  He leaves this Sunday the 27th, which just happens to be our 12th anniversary.  Keep your fingers crossed for him (or pray or send him good juju) as it's hard to head out by yourself to another country and figure it all out.  I'll try to update you on him as I can. 

And now for today...

We went fishing with Nana, Hank, and Johnny.  It was Johnny's first fishing trip and he LOVED it!  We went to a relaxed little spot called Monument Lake.  It's stocked and drive up.    

Fisher got right down to business and cast out sort of before anybody else was ready to catch a fish.  And he caught a fish.  It was a sign of how the day would go.  (or a newly stocked lake - we'll take it either way)

All the kids (and let's face it the adults too) think catching fish is just the coolest.  Johnny was all about it.

Checking it out.  Fisher never seems to lose interest where fishing is concerned but the younger ones...

It started to turn into a bit of a goat rodeo.  So we explored.

We played in the car.

Came back to check on the fish catching.  Yes, that's him catching another one.

We explored some more and talked about what we saw.

We went for walks.

We splashed in puddles.

And checked out shadows.

Oh look Piper caught a fish too!

Fisher showing Johnny just what all this is about.

Then everyone was interested in fishing again.

Pipey caught another one!

This is just so cute!  He really got this whole fishing thing.  He started to mimic the casting motion and then he would just sit with the pole in the water.  Then he'd go over to the fish string and poke a fish that had already been caught.

Now, here's where the "biggest fish ever" started.  Fisher put the bait on the hook, cast out, caught, and reeled that sucker in. 

His arms were getting tired but he kept on going. 

He was so big we had to break out the net.

That is a BIG fish!

All the kids checking it out.  Johnny was not a fan of this one up close.  James kept trying to get him touch it.  Not happening this trip.

Then he tried to get Fisher and Piper to kiss it.  Piper looked like she was thinking about it but decided against it in the end.

They even weighed him.  2 lbs. 6 ozs.  (I just had to ask James how much he weighed and was informed it wasn't actually the largest fish he caught.  Apparently there was a 2 lb 12 oz guy caught while ice fishing.  This one was the first/biggest one where he did all the work though.)  

That there is a proper fish picture held up like a pro.  Yep, we're gonna frame it. 

My kid caught our dinner and it was delicious.  That's my Peek of the Week!!  Jump on over to Happily Home Sewn and check out her peek...

Sunburn, Sprinklers, and Chicken Love

This year has been the mildest, most beautiful April I've experienced since living in Colorado.  We've spent so much time out in the yard cleaning it up, planting seeds, working up our fairy gardens, playing with chickens, loving just being outside.  And yes, getting a little sunburned.
 
Playing in the neighbor's sprinkler...

Love this action shot!

He was ALL about this.

Piper needed some nudging.  Or her daddy to carry her.

The love and fascination with the chickens seems to be neverending.

Fisher and Maybelle

Princess Piper and Mary Pierce

Chicken love.

Featherfoot snuck into the composter.

Then she convinced Mary Pierce to join her.

Dirt, pink cheeks, and fresh eggs.  That's what April was all about around here.

JKFP

Spring Fishing

Here are some sweet shots from a little fishing excursion we took a while back.  (you can tell just how far back by Fisher's hair length.)  It was one of those "throw stuff in the car and hit the road" kinda trips.  Short notice.  Not too far away.  It was wonderful.  The rest of the story pretty much tells itself...



 

Fish on!

JKFP

Bowling with a Unicorn

This was the last time I was out with a unicorn.  We're kinda (really) sad about it.  As the weather has turned warmer this little suit has given way to ballet costumes and short sleeved princess dresses.  I miss the unicorn already.  I DARE you to see a unicorn walk into a bowling alley and not smile.  (There's gotta be a joke in there somewhere.  A unicorn walks into a bowling alley...)

Anyway, a while back we went bowling.  It is one of our favorite (pay for) family activities.  It's just good clean fun.  (well, maybe clean is the wrong word.  I always leaving feeling very germ-y)

Notice the way James is standing in this
picture....

..and the way Fisher stands in this one.

Both kids used the little rail slide for a while. 

Watching brother.

We ate bowling alley snacks. 

And Fisher graduated to bowling without the slide helper.  He still used the bumpers (heck - so did I) but he was solidly rolling the ball on his own. 

That's lined up pretty well!

If you stand just right you can control where
 the ball goes.

Suddenly, the bowling alley turned on their "after 7 super loud music" and awesome happened.  My children started dancing.  Enthusiastically. 

Oh yeah.  Sorry for the bouncy videos.  I could. not. stop. laughing.  Check out Piper's choreography!  Excellent use of a unicorn horn... (it's not often you get to say those words)

It's Friday and I'm "Peeking" with Happily Home Sewn and the Peek of the Week!

JKFP

p.s. Since some of you aren't on facebook and may not follow my crafty blog we've had some exciting news over there. I was interviewed by a AP reporter for a story about Pinterest. It came out Wednesday on abcnew.com! The story also got picked up by (so far) 6 more news outlets with one being the Winnipeg Free Press! It was a pretty cool experience and I'm still riding the wave. My friend Jessa at Happily Home Sewn AND Martha Stewart were in the article as well. Here's the story!