Fun with 4-H

Last week the three oldest kids headed to 4-H day camp. Even though Madisyn is 12 {and a half!} it still feels very strange to drop my children off somewhere and leave. 4-H events are the only place that I've ever left them outside of leaving them with family. The leader for our club, Mrs. Jennifer, is an awesome lady and the kids all love her. She even gets brought up in day to day conversation among the littles. ;-)

At camp, they learned about bees and honey from a local keeper. I don't think the kids every found the queen but they did discover all that is involved in getting the "honey" from the flower to WalMart. They also learned what an important role bees play in pollinating all plants. There is an area of China where bees do not live. Each spring villagers collect pollen and dry it. They then take cups of the dried polled and climb ladders equipped with paint brushes and pollinate the trees by hand. As a result, their food is every expensive!

They also made a craft to enter into the upcoming county fair. This particular craft was a beaded keychain shaped like a viper snake! Thankfully, the bright colors of the beads keep it from looking like the real thing.

The next morning Liberty was in more of a mood to socialize so we hung around a bit. The kids started the day off with some exercise.

Mary Claire decided that exercising looked like fun and found a place next to Griffin. I'm not sure which one of them was having more fun! I love it when the kids delight in doing things together. I makes me proud and makes the moments when they are constantly fighting a little easier to bear.

Then the group  sang a few songs while waiting for the animal man. Singing silly songs is something I really need to do with them more. There just always seems to be something more important but I so loved singing when I was a kid. And the sillier the song, the better!

The park interpreter was the animal man. He gave a little talk about reptiles and what characteristics they posses. Then he shared the main reptiles that live in our area. He had a corn snake but chose not to pass him around.

I was really surprised that Henry and Mary Claire were willing to look at the alligator. They are my children that are terrified of dogs, no matter how small. In fact, Madisyn has a stuffed dog that moves it's head and barks and Mary Claire will not be in the same room with it. She is convinced it will get her.

Libby decided when the snakes and gators came out that being confined to the stroller wasn't where she wanted to be. I really believe the child has the ability to take off walking across the room but she just won't let go. It would also help if she didn't love bouncing while standing.

The interpreter carried the alligator around and let the kids touch it that wanted to feel of him. I wasn't surprised when Ty and Griffin took a turn and when Madisyn politely refused. However, what happened next really caught me off guard.

Mary Claire and Henry BOTH touched it. Multiple times even. She was a little unsure but I think she decided that if Mrs. Jennifer was willing to pet him, he must be safe.

We really enjoy our time in 4-H. It's a great, safe environment for our children to branch out a little and learn to handle various scenarios without Mom and Dad right there. Plus - I'm never going to bring a snake or alligator in for show and tell!

Teton Trek

The kids and I with the grizzlies in the background. While we were there the bears preferred to nap.

I believe I mentioned before that we go to the library in Memphis. Last week on our once every 3 weeks trip ( what is that called - tri-weekly?) we decided to hit the zoo first. The kids were beyond thrilled that Daddy could come. We didn't leave until nearly 2:00 so we didn't have a lot of time.

Kent and the kids in front of the water fall that flows under a boardwalk style bridge and then falls again before ending in the grizzlies "river".

It just happened to be the opening day (for zoo members anyway) for the newest exhibit, Teton Trek. The Exhibit is beautiful! We were also thrilled that they opened up the zoo so that access to Teton Trek and the Northwest Passage can be obtained without having to go through Africa and then back up the hill.

The kids and I in front of the geysers. The rocks were a little wet so the kids weren't willing to take too many pictures.

When entering the exhibit, guests are greeted by "Old Faithful". The entire exhibit is supposed to be reminiscent of Yellowstone National Park. This fountain is a little different from the geyser in that it has several smaller streams as well. We were there on a fairly warm day, after school hours and there were wet children everywhere! I'm not really known for being "fun" so we kept our kids dry. :)

Interior of lodge. (photo from MemphisZoo.org )

After entering and exiting the lodge, a boardwalk is set up that takes you on a trip around Yellowstone. There is an observation window that cuts into the grizzlies lake/stream area. The kids were impressed that there were fish in the stream. We later learned that the bears can/do fish in the stream. The boardwalk/trail leads to an area with a pair of swans and some cranes. The docent told us that the swans on exhibit have hatched over 20 eggs that have been released into the wild. Swans mate for life.

Once on top of the hill you stand beside and over the waterfall. The grizzly area is between the waterfall and the lodge.

View of the lodge from the waterfall bridge.

After crossing the waterfall, the grey wolves home is the next portion of the exhibit. Elk are on the way but that part of the exhibit isn't finished yet. I think they better wait until all the fences are up to put them in their new home. Can't you just imagine the news stories of elk loose in mid-town? :)

Two of the four Grey Wolves. Didn't they hear that Red is the new Grey and choose to support Arkansas State? LOL

Just because . . .4/22

it's pretty.

More Flowerbed pictures 4/20

The clematis is starting to bloom! It has beautiful purple flowers and the Hosta lillies are coming along nicely, too.

Tree planting 4/20

Mom and Dad came over Sunday afternoon to visit. Before they left, they gave us some Cherry Bark Red Oak trees. Daddy and the kids immediately began planting them.





I even managed to capture a little video.

More Spring Beauty

I wanted to share/document a few things from the front flower bed.



The pansies are doing well. I added hay to the bed last fall and almost smothered them but they are out in full force now. The Hosta Lillies are coming up nicely and the green leafy thing in the middle of the picture is one of the Mums I planted last fall. I wish I would have planted the large mums I had in pots, I'll try to remember that for next year.

I'm not really sure what will happen here. I tried to get a Clematis to grow last year and ended up planting two in my attempts. Neither one seemed to survive but the previous years morning glories appeared and climbed the trellis. I believe this is one or both of the Clematis plants. It should be interesting to see what comes up - Clematis #1, Clematis #2 or Morning Glory.

I wanted to show what a difference a few days make. Several more Irises are blooming now. I love the purple color. I'm on the look out for yellow Irises that I can plant for next year to mix in with the purple.

Spring is here - maybe

I thought for sure spring had arrived, then the temps dropped back into the 30's. brrrrrrr

The only thing is - nobody told my Irises. A few opened up for the first time today.

Hopefully the cooler weather won't hurt my apple tree. Right now it is fully decked with beautiful blossoms. How could anyone look at the way the seasons change and how plants "know" when to bloom and think a big bang caused it all?!?!? The amount of detail God gave us just for our enjoyment is overwhelming.

I can't wait to add some more color to my flower bed!