Sunday with the M.'s...

Christian explains...

Nathan seeks to comprehend...

Attentive and non-attentive audience...

Lydia listens...

Ben gets an interesting thought...

Guessing the puzzle...

Micah appreciates...

Stephen looks kissable...

"Not quite"...

Leah contemplates...

Deborah appears out of it...

Andrew thinks...

Stephen doubts...

Andrew likes...

And Stephen wraps it all up with a beautiful countenance!

Stephen was asking me the other day if I knew of any other airplane books that had "swerves" in them. A "swerve", is a picture that shows a tactical maneuver or flight plan for combat. Stephen and I love reading about them together and studying the pictures, but alas, there are very few books with swerves in them, and we have gone through all the ones I know of, --and this I had to explain--ending up with a teary-eyed boy!

The Mories came for a string workshop, and Christian stayed with us for the day!

My young garden : )

One of my birthday roses not yet opened. I so enjoyed anticipating their blooming, and now that they are, it is funny to think of how they were before! And so this quote...

"As though a rose should shut and be a bud again..."

--Keats

Mom's raised beds

pretty and picturesque...

Choosing bikes. An important part of having friends over!

Reading together : )

The guys used neat recycled metal for the "facade"!

The cat...

...in perspective

Ready for installation!

Progress!

The "new" facade.

From the other angle..

Forever tag---a very fun version of freeze tag where everyone is it!

"The sun was down,

And all the west was paved with sullen fire."

--Alexander Smith

Loveliest are thy setting smiles, and fair,

Fairest of all that earth beholds, the hues

That live among the clouds, and flush the air,

Lingering and deepening at the hour of dews.

Then softest gales are breathed, and softest heard

The plaining voice of streams, and pensive note of bird.

--William Cullen Bryant

These next few posts won't be strictly in order of time, so please think of them that way!

Tag!

"Breathes there a man with soul so dead,

Who never to himself hath said,

This is my own, my native land!

Whose heart hath ne'er within him burn'd,

As home his footsteps he hath turn'd,

From wandering on a foreign strand!"

--Walter Scott

Huisache Daisy

Wheat from the last years straw bales!

An opening large enough for a big rig!

Sheet Metal going up!

Deborah and Micah have harvested many radishes from the seeds they planted.

Translucent bean leaf

More structure and shadows!

Fiesta!

    

"The morning dawned bright and clear," as they say...

Meeting new friends!

Esther B...

...decorating!

 

Cheery and festive!

Worried about something?

Setting up chairs for the delicious food...

 

Love the bright colors!

The P. girls and Elisha served food!

Crystal made this and the other half of the world, (!) and the pastor's wife from the G.s' church made the center cake with the verse, "Go ye into all the world and preach the gospel".

Brothers

Mr. G.s' Mother!

Spectators

Duane

Stephen

Mom and Dad share a laugh!

Family pictures before leave-takings...

People have found the shady spot!

Duane again!

Mr. Goodm. very kindly and patiently coached Stephen through a game of Croquet!

Thanks again for the nice game!

Too cute!

And now for the pinatas!

 

Go for it!

McCaitlin got a chance!

this is a contact sport : )

Confetti!

The elf

I think Andrew must have hit it!

Poise

I just like the feel of this photo--so here it is

"Yea, it is up there..."

Stooges!

...And the very last pinata before it was broken.

"Uuhhh, Max?"

Chairs needed again for dinner!

Sweet S. girls!

Dad appreciates something that was said!

Now, if you look closely at this picture, you will notice that my smile is rather emphatic.Well, it appears that the man behind me is blowing at my neck through a straw, does it not? You would smile like that too, wouldn't you, in the same situation?

Volleyball. The all encroaching sport.

 

All into it!

 

And thus ended a very lovely day, which we will all remember for a long time to come!