SIXTEEN

I was warned NOT to blink, but I did and look what happened. 

Happy birthday!

He is such an awesome big brother :)

And still a good sport for his mom 

(who loves to document all of these special moments).

Gift from Nana and Granddad.

Our gift to him was a shopping trip for Miami Heat apparel, rip board (which we actually forgot about until today), and an overnight camping trip (still nailing down the details and awaiting execution).

Portrait of Christ

Notice the name of the author...

Why, yes, that is my husband, my friend, my soulmate!

♥ So proud of him ♥

Got it!!!!

Aidan spotted what he thought was a NEW bird for us right in our very own backyard.

The only problem was that the birds were at the VERY top of a large spruce.

We kept an eye on the male and female pair, snapping pictures just in case they flew away.

They flew away all right only to return and land in the bottom of the tree :)

And they were not timid. 

We managed to sneak our way right under them!

Red Crossbill

My Baby

is not so little anymore. 

Case in Point

If you remember the earlier post where I mentioned that the ground is very moist here, then you know exactly what happened here :)

And it was pretty funny too!

One more thing...

A word to the wise:

After raising the binoculars to your eyes for the umpteenth time, beware when someone passes you a camera with no view finder. 

I sure do love hanging out with my boys!

WINTERGREEN

Now that we know these berries exist and taste "oh so good", we are always sure to snag a few on our jaunts. And while we like them a lot, Asher LOVES them!!!

I am linking an article just in case you are interested in more info :)

Signs of Spring - Part 3

What is spring without a few blossoms?

Signs of Spring - Part 2

"The heavens declare the glory of God;

and the firmament shows His handiwork."

Psalm 19:1

Signs of Spring - Part 1

\

The bud (above)

 opened to reveal this (below).

Such interesting flora. 

Only time will tell what exactly we are photographing.

Meanwhile, we (Aidan, Luke, Asher and I) have enjoyed our lovely jaunts each day after school/Asher's nap to search for new growth; and to apply the "rule of thirds" and "angles" that Aidan and I have been discussing.

I strap on Asher, apply bug spray, and off we go :)

Snakes

So far, we have seen two.

Apparently, there are NO poisonous snakes up here, for which I am very grateful:)

You Can Run,

but you can't hide!

 Got you!!!!

(courtesy of Aidan)

And Mommy caught you too, just as you "called Dada." :)

Picnic at the Beach

As we make our last turn, the boys excitedly exclaim that the beach is EMPTY. It is ALL ours!

We park and jump out of the van... immediately realizing that it is much colder than we had expected. Who cares? We brought plenty of jackets and hats!

Meanwhile, Patrick grabbed the bags, got everything set up, and then passed out the sandwiches once we were situated.

I *think* we managed maybe 1-2 bites each and fled for the van. 

Too windy, too cold!!!!

Who could have predicted that it was almost 10 degrees colder on the other side of the bay - brrrrrrrrr!

The view was still gorgeous from inside!

Daddy even bought candy for desert!

Mmmmmmm, Mars bars,

and red licorice!

We will be back!!!!

What is it?

I know of at least 4 of these buildings near our house. 2 are deer blinds complete with van seats, and the other 2... well, I am not totally sure. 

3rd born,

3rd son,

middle child, 

Aidan, AD, Aidan Paidan,

Angel baby,

whatever you call him,

a sweeter boy you will never find.

He is my precious gift from God!

Hiking Home...

after a fun afternoon, of fishing, birding, rowboating, and fire-building!

The Great Outdoors

A 10 minute hike from the house:

. fishing

. Canoeing/rowboating

. birding

. swimming

. building a campfire using flint and moss

The ground is incredibly damp here, but not marshy. Moss, fungus, lichen of every variety imaginable thrive (edible and inedible).

You think you are stepping on firm ground, only to have your foot continue to sink another 6-12 inches. 

Almost anywhere you look is a likely spot for a fire; and the heat is welcome as the wind off the lake is still quite chilly.