Chipmunk Update

Ron and I counted 7 chipmunks running around the patio the other morning. There are at least 6 babies and an adult. They are so cute, but I can almost see our patio sag a little more everyday. I got some cute video of them popping out of their hole, but I need to edit it before I post it. (It's too long.) They were very curious about the gopro.

 

 

We ordered a live trap from Amazon. It came on Thursday.

We put it out but didn't catch anything the first time. Some of the bait (apples in peanut butter) was gone but they weren't heavy enough to trigger the lid to close. Ron made some adjustments and we put it out again this afternoon. So far there haven't been any takers. They are most active in the morning, so we'll see if we have any visitors in the morning. I think they will wise up as their numbers decrease, and that 7th chipmunk may be pretty tough to trap. Clara did manage to nip one yesterday. He was able to scurry into his hole, so I don't know if he was mortally wounded. After that they were pretty quiet the rest of the day.

They are cute and I will be a little sad to see them go. Until then, I figured I might as well take advantage of the photo opportunities. If I sit quietly on the patio, they eventually come out.

 

 

Shoes

Doesn't everyone's shoe pile look like this??

Strawberries!

We made our annual outing to the strawberry patch today. The sun hasn't been shining much lately, which means the berries aren't ripening very quickly. Usually we fill the majority of 3 buckets, but it took us awhile to fill 2 buckets today. We still had a nice time: More berries went in Tyler's mouth than in his bucket, we enjoyed our strawberry slushies from the rocking chairs on the porch, and we enjoyed strawberry upside down cake for dessert tonight. We've been enjoying this summer tradition for 9 years now. I intend to keep it going as long as I possibly can.

At the Park

My Chipmunk Problem

The folks who installed our patio did a poor job and several of the bricks sunk within weeks of them finishing the job. They were out once to redo their handiwork, but didn't make things much better. Shortly after that a chipmunk discovered the uneven bricks made a nice hiding place. I'm sure the tunneling has only made the existing problems that much worse.

 

This is one of two babies. The momma makes an appearance at the end. It's time to find these cuties a new home. I think I've convinced Ron to buy a live trap so we can relocate them rather than kill them. They are so cute. It's too bad they are so destructive.

 

Football Weather?

We layered on the jeans, sweatshirts, jackets, and blankets...for a June 1 softball game. Crazy.

Come On, Tomatoes!

I finally planted my tomatoes yesterday. You forget just how tasteless store bought tomatoes are until that first bite of a home grown tomato in late July. And then they just don't ripen quick enough. I hope they grow big and plentiful this year!

Shortly after I planted them, a front moved through and watered them a little more thoroughly than I did. I love watching summer storms roll in...as long as we're not at the water park. I remember sitting in the garage with my dad when I was little and watching storms roll across the fields around our house. The view isn't quite the same here, but the clouds are still impressive.

Last Day Celebration

We celebrated our last day of school with our traditional water balloon fight. I bought some of those "magic" balloons that connect directly to the water hose and fill 30 or 40 at a time. They are supposed to seal themselves as they fall off the tubes. They leak pretty badly unless you adjust the seal on each balloon, but it is still quicker than filling and tying them all individually. Since I get off work an hour later this year and get home at the same time as the kids, Ron filled all the balloons for us. We had fun.

I wore my go pro to record the fight. Ron enjoyed watching it remotely from inside.



Before

 

From the go pro

After

We enjoyed dinner out at our favorite Mexican restaurant.

I also got the kids "bundtlette towers" to celebrate. They each contain two individual sized bundt cakes from Nothing Bundt Cakes. I got four different flavors and we sampled them all. They were wonderful.

Tyler had an exceptional year this year. He breezed through academically and really blossomed socially. It was so neat to look out into the cafeteria at lunch time and watch him laughing with a table full of friends. Danielle had a little tougher year, but she came out on top. I can't believe she's going into the 6th grade. I had a pretty good year, too. Things were a little different at work this year, and that was mostly good. At the April board meeting I was approved to be the permanent kitchen manager starting with the new school year. That was good, too. I think both kids were a little sad to be done with school, but I was not. :) I am ready for a great summer. We only have 5 more summers before Tyler heads off to college. We have a lot of memories to make.

First & Last Comparison

Today was our last day of school. Hooray! I will post pictures from our celebration tomorrow, but I wanted to share these tonight. Check out these pictures from today compared with the first day of school picture from August. (Danielle forgot she wore that dress on the first day when she picked it out to wear today.) Both kids have grown and changed, but Tyler looks like a different kid. Even though I see him every day, I can tell he's changing. This just makes it seem so dramatic.

First day of school
August 2014

Last day of school
May 2015

Perfect



 

Awards Day

It was a double whammy today - both kids had awards assemblies. Hooray.

Thankfully Tyler only had one awards assembly all year. He got an award today for his grades, but he was not happy about it. He missed getting straight As this year by a couple Bs, and he was embarrassed that his "underachievement" was announced to the entire school and all the parents in attendance. He was seriously very cranky about it and I had to give him ice cream, a pep talk, and some time to chill before he would allow me to take a picture of him with his certificate. And the smile was forced. He was also disappointed because one award was given out to a band member for each grade and he did not get it. I feel like he deserved it, and I understand his disappointment with that one. That's one of the problems with awards ceremonies. I feel the same way when I leave Danielle's - like she's better qualified for some of the awards than the kids who received them. And I hate feeling like that because that's not why the kids get good grades or are kind to others or are good citizens.  (I hate these things.)

Danielle got an award for all As, outstanding conduct, and perfect attendance for this 9 weeks. She was also recognized for a couple other things. This is the first time either child has EVER received a perfect attendance award in all their combined years of school! I think this is an especially stupid award that encourages kids to come to school sick and doesn't allow for activities or outings that are sometimes more important than what's going on in the classroom on any given day. We make fun of this award at home and I quietly laughed and pointed at her when she got called up for it. (Did I mention I hate these things?)

I may hate the awards assemblies, but the bottom line is that we're proud of Tyler and Danielle for a myriad of reasons, even without the public recognition or pieces of paper. I am not one to miss an opportunity to celebrate, however.

Only 2 more days of school!

Baby Birds

There is a bluejay nest in the tree in the neighbor's yard, right on the other side of our fence. We were able to get a peek of them today. There are at least two. They look like they are good size, so hopefully we will see them out in the trees or yard soon. Baby bluejays are cute - they always look like they're mad.

Mommy bluejay is sitting right behind the baby.

There are two little beaks in this picture.

This & That

Danielle's first league games were last night. It was nice to be watching her play again, but it was so cold. (Don't let the bare arms fool you. It was cold! Danielle wouldn't wear a long sleeve shirt because her mother suggested it!!) They had a double header and they won both games.

Tyler decided he wanted to make his favorite meal for dinner for us, so he did that tonight. It was nice spending time with him in the kitchen. He is growing up too quickly.

Mexican chicken penne pasta

This baby robin made a pit stop in our yard tonight. He flew onto the neighbor's shed when I came out with my camera, so I didn't get a very good shot. I think his little tail is so cute!

Band Concert, 2 of 2

Tyler's last band concert of the year was tonight. He did a great job. While trombones generally play more of a supportive role, the trumpets are definitely front and center. There are only 2 trumpet players in Tyler's band, and, as first chair, Tyler generally carries the melody. We could clearly hear him tonight, and he did a great job. Thank you to all our family that came to watch & support him tonight.

Isn't he looking grown up?!

Scratch & Sniff

Don't you wish?! They are so fragrant this year. Mmmm!

Play Ball!

This is from Friday's scrimmage. It's fun to be watching softball games again. This Wednesday is her first league game of the season.

Today's Pic