Abe Goes Fishing

 Abe was invited to Kai's birthday party which was held at his grandparent's home.

Abe thought the chickens were just wonderful.

 The pond was well stocked and everyone caught a fish!

 Another one!

Pure joy...

 Such great fun...

 Hot dogs for everyone...

Turtle Time...

This is one of my favorite pictures of Abe!

The children will always remember this very special afternoon, I am sure...

Happy Birthday, Kai!

Abe Captures the Castle

 Abe decided today would be a good day to build a castle.

Castle adventures abound!

~Happy Boy~

An Ice Cream Date With Mom

Mother and son fun!

On The Farm

Joe and I spent the weekend in Tennessee surprising my sister with an early 50th Birthday Party.

We are so grateful to Noah, Amy, and Abe for watching the farm!

I think Abe enjoyed himself...

 Abe loved our very warm pool and spent hours in it...which meant Noah and Amy spent hours in it as well!

They are such good sports.

Sandbox time...

Lots of exploring to do!

 There were some inside moments...with Ellie and Gypsy by Abe's side.

And then...

 Back outside to roam the goat field...

Noah's shadow selfie...

 Abe also spent some time playing with his shadow.

A mother and her son and a beautiful sunset!

~Heaven on Earth~

Thank you for taking such good care of our farm and all the animals!

The Blanket Model

Abe decided to cover himself with all of his smaller blankets and surprise his mom.

That he did!

Snow Cones for Everyone

Abe decided to have a Snow Cone Party and invited ALL of his animal friends.

My grandson knows how to entertain himself...and everyone else!

~Love~

Yoga Boy

 Amy and Abe are doing yoga.

Ellie...not so much.

Abe is a natural.

Children are extremely flexible!

~Mommy and Abe Time~

The Most Organized of Children

Abe has been very "orderly" since he was born.

He takes after his Auntie Brooke.

She was exactly the same way...and still is!

Project Time With Daddy

Abe was so excited!  He had two projects to build and then there was that hammer...his first REAL hammer!

Look at that happy face!

The coolest car ever!

A very green birdhouse!

~I love how my son spends so much time BEING with his son~

Our Fourth of July

 Our family had the most wonderful holiday.

Thank you to Noah and Amy for the delicious outdoor feast!

 Abe "helped" Joe cut apart the old sofa so the boys could carry it out of the basement rec room.

 Scott taught Abe the fine art of sparklers.

Amy kept a close eye on her sparkler loving son.

A boy is a boy is a boy...

 Noah, Amy, and Abe headed to the neighborhood party and the Ashland family members traveled to Brooke and Scott's home.

A bit later...

Brooke and Scott served a cake...and ice cream for the pre-fireworks celebration.

Yum!

And then...

We sat in the front yard...which is VERY close to the firework launch area...and enjoyed a spectacular display!

Thank you to our children for making this the best Fourth ever!

Abe's Daily Adventures

Abe spent a happy afternoon at Lakewood Park on the edge of Lake Erie.

It warms my heart to know Abe is being raised near the same lake that brought me so much joy as a child as well as his dad and aunt!

Amy and Abe love their BIG swimming pool.

And then...

Abe's chrysalis are now butterflies and it is time to set them free.

With reverence, Abe said his goodbyes.

Abe very carefully let the Painted Ladies sit on his fingers and slowly brought his hand up and watched his orange and black friends soar to the treetops.

~It was the best of childhood experiences~

Abe's Busy Saturday on the Farm

Our family dog grooming day is always fun because Abe comes to the farm and plays while Ellie is getting groomed.

Our Treasure Hunt has become a bit of a tradition.

 Today's treasures were Octonauts...Abe's latest favorite!

It takes a family to assemble all the parts...

Abe listens carefully as his mom explains everything to him.

 Abe is in Octonaut Heaven!

Abe is eager to "slime" someone.

Poor Ginny got slimed.

Abe thought it was quite funny.

A bit later...

 We met Brooke and Scott at Lynway and had a fun lunch.

Abe was excited because he just ordered a pancake and chocolate ice cream.

After lunch...

Abe couldn't wait to play in the little park across from Lynway.

Joe showed Abe how to use the digger.

Abe is thinking of a way to bury Ginny.

Look at that devious smile!

Back home on the Farm...

 Abe made some birds with the help of Mom and Dad and he brought them to the farm so we could make a picture of the three birds together.

Of course, we had to do our creating in Oma's Art Room.

Joe framed the special work of art.

And then...

Abe spent some time on my swing and Amy pushed away and looked like she was enjoying the view.

Amy is such a good mom.

~It was a wonderful day~

That evening...

The gifts that keep giving.