Some call it "Preschool," other's call it "Pretty School"

Call it what you will, it was Len's first day of it. She seemed to love every second, especially Music and Movement, and made a friend named Nora who took her everywhere and insisted on sitting by her. I'm so proud of her.

The obligatory "standing by the front door" pose.

Jeremy bikes them both to Elliot, then Len on to Dimensions.

She really looks like a little school girl here.

One more hug before going in to class.

Show knows lots of the teachers thanks to Ernie's experience. Mrs. V was helping the first day and set her up to play.

Real school. For real.

Ready to go!

He wanted to take our picture, too.

Snuggle Puppy got to join us for the walk. Ernie had remarked at breakfast that it would be the first day they wouldn't have quiet time together. It's like he was setting me up to cry.

BIG. SCHOOL.

Ern with his teacher, Mrs. Kile.

Ernie asked Len to take care of Snuggle Puppy during the day. She took it very seriously and told SP she was his momma and Judy Bear is his sister and that his daddy would be home after nap.

He made it. And so far he loves it. And it is all too real.

Farm Camp

Mom and Dad had some work to do at the farm house in Iowa, so we decided to do a farm camp trip and sleep there overnight. It was so nice to spend more time there and not have to rush home for bed. Well, the carpet staple-pulling wasn't that great, but the rest of it was.

Picnic on the porch.

Len thought it was fun to walk along a ladder by the schoolhouse.

Child of the corn. It is so easy to loose them in the corn!

Ernie is not afraid of ladders until the last step. And then he is very afraid.

A previous tenant's horse is still waiting to be relocated, and the kids loved having some animals there to visit.

Lots of ghost/dust (you decide!) in the hayloft.

Without a doubt, Ernie's FAVORITE thing about the farm is that there are so many hidden doors with varied ways of opening. It's like heaven for him.

Chester acting like a real farm poodle.

More summer fun

We do lots of fun stuff in the summer (well, at least J and the kids do, sometimes I'm included) so here's just a random sampling of late.

Lennie hugging a stuffed beaver at Spring Creek Prairie.

Hiking on the prairie.

Len meeting Grandma Sue's chickens - who make our delicious eggs.

Jeremy got his crush on with some goats at Dutch Girl Creamery

Len, again, loves chickens.

A brief break from jumping haystacks out at the Mohr farm.

Some baby swallows fell from their next in the barn. Len and Ern carefully gave them some straw for a nest.

Len's new bike! Purple and pink with tassels!

Ernie and Tanis at Pioneer Park.

Playdate ice cream.

Building dams at Pioneer Park Nature Center.

Goonie IRL 2012

This year our friends who were all due in March 2007 met in good old Nebraska for caboose and swimming fun during the day and "caboozing" and "in the caboose" jokes after dark. We took tons of pictures, but our camera was since lost. Here's a nice selection from some of our Goonie friends. One item I sorely miss is having some pictures of "Daddy Monkey," i.e. Dave Bring. Lenora really fell for the big lug this year.

Griffon and Ern are diabolically excited that at least one adult agreed to get water-bombed.

BTW, that was me.

Zeke and Len decided this will be the second photo in their wedding montage, after the naked bath time butts from 2009.

The crew! I swear, the Brings and Harlesses didn't even plan to dress identical, it just turned out that way.