Cowboy Zebra

Yesterday after we dropped Nathan off at the airport, we went to a blueberry farm to pick berries. We had success this time! I got 4 pounds of berries in about an hour and a half which I figured was pretty good with three kids in tow. The boys picked about half a pound each I think, but ate every single one! I hope to pick some more later this week as I like to have lots in the freezer for muffins, smoothies, pancakes and such. Later at home, I noticed Kimber eating a plum off the ground from our plum tree, and then reaching up to pick one off a low branch. I checked on the plums and although smallish and yellow, they felt ripe and so I tried one. So sweet! The boys came over and devoured all the ones they could reach, each eating about 4 plums. I left the higher ones on the tree so we could pick some this week too. However a little while later I found Elliott driving their truck and ramming the tree with it. He'd back up and do it again and again and each time some plums would fall. Ian rescued some of the plums and brought them inside and I told Elliott to stop. I don't know how he figured out how to do that, but he was determined to get those plums! In other news, the chickens are starting to lay eggs! We had an egg in the coop both days over the weekend. A couple weeks ago, I thought that one of the chickens was getting ready to lay (her comb and waddle were getting nice and red and waxy looking). Now there's a couple more starting to look the same way, so hopefully we'll start to get more eggs!
My garden beds are doing quite well now that we are getting some warm weather. We've been eating lettuce from our garden at least 4 times a week for the past couple months and also sharing it with our neighbors. The carrots are ready and the boys have been having fun pulling them up to eat. They are so tender and sweet compared to store bought ones! We had enough beans this week to cook and eat, and the squash is bearing nicely. The tomatoes are still green, but we've got a bunch of them. The spinach that I planted bolted too soon, so all we had was baby spinach. I'll plant some more when it starts to get cool again.

Ian did well going to vbs last week. By Wednesday night, though, he was tired and said he didn't want to go the next day. Nathan was going to work from home that day, so I wasn't going to make Ian go. Thursday morning I asked him a couple times if he wanted to go, and eventually he said yes. We got there an hour late, so I just stayed with him and the leaders let Elliott participate. Thursday night Ian told Elliott, "I've got one more day of VBS, buddy, and then I get to stay home with you everyday, okay?" Friday when I took Ian, the leaders told me that Elliott could stay too. So I stayed that day as well, not knowing how Elliott would behave or stay with the group. When one of the leaders gave him a rainbow bracelet like all the other kids had, he was so excited. You would have thought it was Christmas the way he was laughing and waving his arms in excitement! Saturday morning when I was making breakfast, Ian said, "I'm so glad I don't have to go to VBS today so I can stay home with Elliott." Of course later that day he saw the picture of him and his VBS class on the fridge and he said, "Oh, I want to go back to Bible School!"