More Camping

Hello All, I guess you know by now that school has started and my schedule gets a little crazy.  The kids all love their classes and yes, I have already been up to both the girls school to help.  I am having a relaxing weekend with a wee little baby...and he is so sweet!  We are having fun, chatting, watching movies, and holding the sweet baby.  But I did say that I would add pictures from our camping trip. 
These are from a place called Bluff Springs...beautiful.  We also saw it rain...it was wonderful.  there was a water fall and we all climbed to the top.  So here you go.

Camping Fun

Well...I am not a huge camper...actually, I don't really like it.  Yes, before kids and 20 years younger...it was not so bad.  But now...it just seems hard.  A lot of work, dirty, wanting showers and my own toilet...but I suffered through.  Not that I was in the best mood the whole time...but I have to admit the beauty and the weather was amazing.  I can't post all the pictures...I can't even post enough in this one message...so I will split them up a bit.  The kids had a blast...Hubby had fun (except when he had to deal with me)...but it was worth the cooler temperatures.  So here we are hiking around our campsite...enjoy the pictures.

                                  Smores!

      The kids had fun telling stories with 'Uncle Dog Bone'

 

Mermaids, Fish, Dolphins

Hello all...I just cannot  believe how much the kids have improved in the water.  They must have 'mermaid' genes!  Big Girl is jumping, diving, flipping, touching the bottom at 8 ft, imitating a dolphin...and the list goes on.  She loves the water...I guess she takes after her mom!  And my sweet girl has come a long way as well...Just yesterday she did 6 back flips in a row!  She is jumping and following Big Girl everywhere.  She also loves diving for things on the bottom.  She used the ladder yesterday to 'climb' down to the deep end. And you should see my Little Man!  Wow...at the beginning of the summer he would scream if you got his face wet...and would NEVER get in without his life jacket.  Well, the life jacket has now become mommies floaty!  He is jumping off the diving board, swimming all over the place and having a blast.  They truly are doing great.  Here are a few pictures so you can see my little fish in action!

Amazing Character

OK...so the plan for the day was to wax the brows and get my Little Man a much needed hair cut.  And I have to say (I am a bit partial)...but he is the cutest thing ever.  I have yet to capture that on camera...but here is the amazing thing that happened today.  Big Girl had mentioned a few months ago that she wanted a hair cut...but when asked again she said not really.  So we were there and she came up to me and said "Mom, remember when you donated your hair for cancer wigs? "  I said yes, and she replied "I was wondering if my hair would be long enough to do the same?"  Wow...I was shocked...really?  Yes, she was sure.  So we measured her hair and showed her just how short it would be if she donated the 10 inches.  REALLY SHORT. 

So she was asked again...was she sure, was she going to cry...she simply said...at least I won't be bald like some people are.  I guess maybe she does pay attention to some of the things that we try to teach...and what a sweet heart!  If you will notice the last picture...I think my Little Man wouldn't mind a wig sometimes. 
So here you go:

Sorry daddy...but this was just too cute not to post!  He is still the cutest thing you have ever seen!

Mammoth

OK...so I know this pictures are late...That is obvious since you can see jackets in one of the photos.  That seems like AGES ago with the heat now...but not too long ago.  In March we decided to visit a dig site that had found Mammoth bones.  Is this not AMAZING!

The Good, the Bad, and the FREAKY

So many of you know that I am just crazy enough to add a good size garden to my 'to do' list in the spring and summer.  Well, it has been one tough summer...basically no rain in forever!  Anyway, some of you also may know that we seem to have every pest in the world right in our back yard.  And I don't mean just one or two...but TONS of critters.  I may be a biologist, but when it comes to getting bitten, stung, or having critters in the house...I draw the line.

So just to give you an idea of what we have to deal with...we do have some good ones...you know things like lady bugs, honey bees, preying mantis, butterflies...and I am sure there are a few others.  But we have some bad ones as well...more plentiful than the good...squash bugs, Colorado potato bugs, cucumber beetles, vine borers, stink bugs, leaf hoppers, grass hoppers, corn pests...oh my the list just goes on and on.  So I won't bore you except to say that we probably lose as much (if not more) that what we actually eat because of those pests!

We have also seen some really freaky critters both insects and spiders.  And the occasional snake.  Anyway...since the majority of what I see in the garden are considered pests and they tend to make me crazy...I do a lot of smashing, squashing, stomping...you get my point.  So the other day I started to squash one...but decided first that it was really large, and second that it was quite creepy looking.  So I took a picture, stopped pulling weeds, and went straight for my insect book.  Here is the image:

Well...you can't see exactly how big he is...but he would not fit on a quarter.  So a bit too big to squash between my fingers.  He also had quite a large fang...check this out:

So what is this guy?  He is known as the Assassin of the insect world.  So of course he halls in with the assassin bugs which I have seen before and know that they sting.  This one is actually called a wheel bug...notice the wheel like structure on its back...

And here he is as a baby...or nymph if you want to be scientific:

CREEPY!  But pretty cool looking.  So did I go back and squish it?  Well...that is where it all comes to what can I put up with.  Several things that I don't like about the bug...they are hard to find, freaky looking, larger than I like to see near my hands, and their sting...or rather puncture wound...is said to be 10 times worse than a hornet and can take several weeks to heal.  Well that is something to look forward to right?

However...check this out:

Here he is eating a yellow jacket...that is good right?

And here is a young wheel bug eating a Colorado potato beetle larva...Good thing!

And probably my most FAVORITE...hence the decision not to kill the critter and would not mind having a few more...

Yes...he is actually eating a SQUASH BUG...one of my worst enemies.  I didn't think anything ate or killed those critters...so this guy is welcome in my garden.  However...I would like to maintain the population to a few...I don't need anything else 'stinging' around.

Next post...maybe I will tell you about a few other critters I have to deal with...all for the good of the garden right?  Worth it?  Sometimes.

So I guess I will just keep looking for the good, the bad, and always the freaky!