{little boy adventures.}

My days have been busy, and time is flying by. Just like everyone else, I've been busy with gardening/canning/freezing. Our garden is pretty much done now, for which I am thankful. I was also thankful for the garden, too, but its good that gardening is a seasonal activity in my opinion. I go so overboard in the spring when I go to buy seeds and sometimes I plant things that I later wonder why on earth I would have planted that. Fall squash, for example. It seemed like a fabulous idea at the time! So I bought not one, but two kinds of fall squash. I don't even LIKE fall squash! Oh well, waste not, want not, right? It will get eaten. But it might just be the baby of the family who consumes it in squished up form. He seems to love squash. He's probably the reason I planted it. See! I knew there was a reason.

Our weekends have been packed with activities, too. There has been no resting around here! This past weekend, we did finally have a whole Saturday to just be at home and catch-up and work outside. This was the first in many Saturdays. We spent the day together just doing our chores and enjoying each other's company... And in the evening, we went to Bob Evan's for supper and then went golfing with Matt. It was so, so, so fun! I wish I had taken the camera, but I wasn't sure I could manage an ecstatic Miles, a curious Layne, a golf cart, AND a camera. It was one of those evenings that will be forever remembered and cherished. I'm pretty sure we have a golfer on our hands- Miles had the time of his life. At every little stop, he was out with a club whacking the ball! After the first few holes, he started telling me "Jest stand back, 'kay? Lemme hill {hit} it. Stay back." And after a few unsuccessful whacks, he would finally make contact and off the ball would go! It was a beautiful early fall evening with such a simple activity- and so far, one of my most treasured memories with our precious little boys. Except for when Layne fell off of the golf cart. The moving golf cart. That was more traumatic than treasured.

We went to Holmes County with my Dad & Mom a few weekends back... I actually TOOK the camera on that excursion but did not take a single picture. If I was a die-hard blogger, I would have taken a hundred shots and had at LEAST a thousand word essay to attach with glamorous photos. But I have neither. It was a really fun weekend, though, all 24 hours that we were there! Miles loved the "clop-clops" and being in "Counties". He had a great time swimming at the hotel and pretty much tuckered himself out. Layne was a sport although he's kinda at that age where he doesn't really seem to understand what all the commotion is about... He'd prefer his naps and definitely his meals on time. He didn't fuss one time though, and had as much fun as he possibly could! Such a trooper! Love them boys!

Miles has recently discovered pockets in his shorts and is quite taken with them. Before I get him dressed in the morning, he has to inspect the shorts to make sure they have pockets. If there are no pockets, the shorts are not going on him. No siree! Saturday, he found a frog... and with his recent obsession with pockets... you can only imagine...

{getting mr. frog into the pocket proved to be a difficult task. a task that required lots and lots of effort.}

Here's Miles wanting me to take a picture of  Mr. Frog...

{100% boy.}

Layne has been teething like crazy lately. It's been hard on the poor lil guy... and hard on his Momma, too. He has been cranky and sensitive... but that's to be expected out of a little guy whose getting somewhere around TWELVE teeth!!! He only has 2 currently, but his little mouth is full of bumps and gum blisters all over. I feel terrible for him! He still has plenty of time to get into just about everything, time to practice taking steps by holding onto things, and certainly time to charm the camera.



{i cannot turn my back to him for a second without turning back around and finding something similar to this...}





{sweet boy!}



{miles is quite taken with bike riding right now... we have no toddler seats for our bikes, so this is the most conventional way we have come up with. toddler bike seats are definitely on the Christmas list already.}

And just this morning, a cool, rainy, early fall morning... As I was folding laundry on our bed...

{what better place to read amelia bedelia?}

I leave you with this thought that I read this recently:

One thing scientists have discovered is that often praised children become more intelligent than often blamed ones. There's a creative element in praise. 

Lets praise our children for good behavior, for listening, for good manners, for smiling, just for being them! Our children should NOT hear us degrading them in any WAY to any ONE! Let's influence the future in a positive way and direct willing hearts to Jesus!