Wait! Wait! It's my birthday, too!

Yesterday was my birthday – it was announced with a thunderstorm in the morning followed by light rain telling me to seize opportunity for growth and renewal. We had had a long day the day before with parenting and work and special programming and a baseball game, so I opted to mostly hang out at home with Mateo. Kevin came home with presents and cake, we ate dinner together and I went to the gym. I got a dremel tool! It was a nice day.

TODAY, though, I dropped Mateo at daycare, ate strawberries by the creek, read a book at the coffee shop, got a massage, came home for a quiet lunch with crosswords, took a nap and went for a swim. Now THAT's what I call a birthday celebration.

So, why the cow? This cow eats in the pasture across the road from our house with some other cows. Every once in a while I catch them in the woods and I love it – it’s like they’re some breed of WILD cows out foraging for food. It hasn’t happened for a while, but it did today. This cow is just heading in…

The Fruits of Summer

Mateo and Mommy went strawberry-picking at a farm just a few miles down the road. This was Mateo’s first time, and Mommy’s, too! The berries were DEEEE-licious and we plan to go back before the season is over… or before another little someone else eats them all up!

Happy Father's Day!

Father’s Day was pretty low-key here. We visited our friend, Brian, who was vending at a winery event, joined by his son, his Mom, and his nephew. Being the vegetarian sort, we weren’t able to sample any of Sir Smoke-a-Lot’s offerings, but were happy to lend moral support. (Is it moral for vegetarians to support the cooking of meat?!) Mateo enjoyed feeding the baby goats and listening to the band with four (yes, FOUR) guitars, while Kevin enjoyed the free wine samples and beer. Afterward we consumed a month’s supply of dairy products at the local pizzeria.

Birthday Bashes

Donovan came up from Arkansas in early June with his daughter, Avery, and his folks, Fred and Val. We celebrated Avery’s 3rd birthday at a beautiful park sandwiched between railroad tracks and the mighty river. The park has a very impressive playground structure – impressive for the big kids, the little kids AND the adults! We were all wiped out at the end of the day, but some met up again the next night to celebrate Corey’s (Tiff’s brother) 35th birthday with a bonfire and fireworks on the farm.

Cousins Reggie, Justice, Mateo and Avery are pictured in the bubble photo. It was a joy to spend some time with our Arkansas relatives, and we hope Derrick and Davis are able to visit soon!

Boundary Waters 2009

A couple of gorgeous photos from Kevin’s most recent trip to the Boundary Waters…