Early Summer ~ Picture Style

It has been a terribly long time since I've given my blog any attention. I have had lots of ideas for posts and have written a few in my head over the past months, but somehow getting the words out of my fingers didn't happen. To give a quick update of our summer, I'm posting lots of pictures. :)  This will be a 2-part post, hopefully part 2 won't be too late in coming.

Our summer started off with chickens. :)  We had been talking about getting chickens for years and this summer the price was right and we scrambled to take advantage of the good deal.  It was so much fun to watch the pullets grow and after several weeks begin laying eggs. We free-ranged them and it was fun to see them clucking about the yard scratching for bugs and worms, knowing they were making some really good eggs.

 Both girls LOVED the chickens and Sylvia especially liked trying to pet them.  Sadly, mid-summer the racoons discovered our chickens and in a matter of one night killed 5 of our 11 (I think...). Knowing the racoons would only come back for more, we made arrangements for our remaining chickens to go board with Daniel's parents chickens in their theft-proof chicken house for the time being. I miss the convenience of eggs in my back yard every day, but we still get all the eggs we can eat from our joint chicken venture at my in-laws (who are only a few miles away). We do hope to rebuild and improve our chicken coop so we can bring our chickens home.

Susannah, and now Sylvia, have discovered the fun of "going bye" in this cupboard in my kitchen. 

Susannah loves to paint on her easel. It doesn't happen as often as she would like, but when I can get things arranged for Sylvia to be otherwise occupied (and not tasting Susannah's paint brushes!) she gets to paint. 

Susannah had her first Popsicle (homemade).

My parents gave Susannah and Sylvia a swing-set for Christmas and Susannah has really enjoyed it this summer. Swinging, sliding and "being a monkey" are building her bravery and muscles!

Sylvia's hair was long enough to put into pigtails. :)  She also quickly learned how to open the kitchen door - the only door with a lever-style handle (which I LOVE). She even figured out all on her own when our indoor/outdoor cat wants to go out, and if Sylvia is in the kitchen when the cat wants out, Sylvia opens the door for her. 

Susannah still loves helping me make things in the kitchen. Sylvia likes to see, too, and one day I managed to get a batch of cookies mixed up with both of them "helping". Now that Sylvia is more steady on her feet and we have a second stool (a bucket full of flour), it works better when they both want to watch.

 Susannah spent lots of time being Baby's Mama. She refers to herself in the third person often, calling herself "Baby's Mama" whenever Baby is the one in discussion.

Father's Day.

This was the year of the 17-year cicadas (or locusts). Sylvia had no qualms about picking them up, shells or actual locusts, and examining them closely. I had to make sure she didn't eat them!

Sylvia went through a shoe-loving stage where if there was s shoe in sight, she had to have it on her now matter where it fit or even if it didn't!

We had some picnic lunches...

The corn in the garden did very nicely this year and we enjoyed it very much. It didn't take long for Sylvia to learn how to eat it off the cob.

Watermelon is a favorite of hers. One evening after we were finished with supper, I found her gnawin on a rind she'd pulled off the table!

...To be continued. :)