Fun-n-Games

Whittling down a huge to-do list pre-op, Buck has kept the kids (mostly the boys) very busy with home and lawn improvement projects. He even had them taking out weeds across the neighborhood and mowing the lawn for an out-of-town family. In addition to the workings, we've been trying to have some fun, too :) We got a stack of movies from the library, we shared treats at our favorite bakery, we've been bowling, to a museum, to the zoo, and . . . well, you can look at the pictures which are worth 1,000 words (but I could probably write that many if I tried ;)




Buck and the boys had to chase this nefarious intruder off the neighbors' property while they were away ;) It was so intimidated--that it came to OUR house to hide in Chauncey's dog house, lol :) What a turkey!



One of the summer fun list items is an ongoing game tournament. Buck and the kids (and sometimes me) are working through our stacks (mountains) of board games. They are keeping track of who wins what. Brennen was the Connect 4 king, and won the much-sought-after prize of the last Nutella snack! :) These were the snack Graysen wanted to bring to baseball, but our snack night got rained out twice, so we kept the "treat." B's amazing moves scored him the final prize.



Buck took some cool pics of the boys working on their bow and arrow skills against the backyard target. Maybe the next phase of backyard camping--deer for dinner! :)



In the field by the creek by the train track by the church, the kids learned how to play Ultimate Frisbee with their youth group. I explained Frisbee Golf, so they were duly confused when they were told the actual rules. Silly me, I thought these two titles were the same game :)



There is a traveling exploration game at an area museum. You go through the pathways making choices about food, health, morale, and wealth. Depending on your answers, you either survive Jamestown . .  or ya die. And at the end you get a sticker that tells the world what your outcome turned out to be :) We all survived, whew! Good job, homeschool kids ;)

"Now, I know historically that the wealthy men did not work when they came to the new settlement--but if they would have, more people would have survived . . ."







These are some pretty flowers we've discovered around our house. The first pic is of  a Tiger Lily that is growing almost beneath our deck. In five years, we've never noticed it . . . but this year, pretty! The second pic is a bunch of wildflowers Buck and the kids found. The fluffy purple is wild Bergamot--medicinal, according to Native Americans. The spotty flower that twists closed at night is a Blackberry Lily and it is medicinal according to the Chinese. I don't know how it ended up in our prairie land, but it is so pretty and unique!



Our trip to the zoo to see the red pandas :) They are so cute! And such a crazy combination of a fox, bear, racoon, cat . . . God is certainly creative!





I wouldn't normally include a picture of a bat (and you can bet your boogie board I didn't take its picture), but here's the story. We walk into the jungle at approximately 3:58. A posted sign says, "High bat activity at 4 p.m." What does that mean? Just then a MASSIVE winged-creature (picture a flying house cat) comes swooping by with umbrella-like wings. Buck stood stock still and said, "That was a bat." That bat could have carried away our dog. But, okay, no big deal, I will either see or hear that monstrosity coming. But the jungle has caves. Did you know it's not just in the movies that bats like to hang out in caves?



Now, I'm not really "afraid" of bats. Just having lived with them IN MY HOUSE for several years, we did not become the best of friends. I don't want them near me; I don't want them to touch me. Outside, eating bugs, not swooping near me--sure! But we rounded one corner, and it was like a swirling cloud of fruit bats had taken over the path to the exit--hundreds!!! There were two options--turn around and go back the way you came, or run screaming through their midst on a fast track to the exit. I chose option B.

I made it past the swirling masses (Buck stopped to take pics of the *cute* mama and baby), I don't know where the children were--maybe the giant bat picked them up for a ride? I thought I was in the clear, until . . . the tunnel. Pitch black with visible light on the other side--a tube of darkness, the only way out. And guess what I could see, outlined against the light? BATS!!! Flying, swooping, at eye-level, blocking my exit, bats. Brennen caught up to me and said, "You can do it mom!" I ran screaming "I hate the jungle, I hate the jungle!" (and we don't use the "h" word in this house, kids) through the tunnel--with the bats--and straight out of the jungle. Brennen caught up to me and said kind of laughing, kind of hesitant, "One bat flew right over your head when you were running." Yeah, I know. Shudder.

Buck, who probably had the flying rats perching on his shoulders like Snow White, meandered out a few minutes later and said, "Good job, honey. You were very brave!" No, I was very OUT OF THERE! Lol :) Never again at 4 p.m. Never.




Buck likes to take selfies :)

Okay, so this is cool! Back behind our second hill there is this massive stretch of open land. For years, Buck has been trying to figure out who owns the land, because it attaches to our property. Every year, we see a guy on a tractor cutting and collecting the prairie grasses for hay, I suppose. Well, this year, Buck managed to flag him down and ask some questions. It turns out, the property is owned by the city. Buck called the city, and the guy was like, "Yeah, go ahead and let the kids play up there! If anyone bothers you, give them my name." So now the kids have this flat, open field to ride bikes, the motorcycle, play baseball--whatever! I haven't been up yet, but Buck showed me these cool pictures, so I'll have to take the trek soon :)



Apparently it is also a magical place, like Narnia, where boys turn into bike-riding deer and husbands send animated suggestions for lunch :)