In Search of the Witch's House

There is a Witch's house hidden in the forest of Oak Park.

When I was a Girl Scout, she left tootsie rolls out for anyone who found her house. It was exciting!

The boys and I decided that we would go in search of her house and see if she was still leaving out treats for boys and girls.

It was a muddy mess on the day of our hunt and the paths that the boys kept choosing were super skinny, so really there was no avoiding the mud puddles!

Unlike the other two, Josh wasn't a fan of our trip. He wanted to go back to the car because he was dirty and the woods were scary. He was willing to tough it out, though, if I carried him.

We searched and searched for the house with no luck. I'm pretty certain that we actually came across where it use to be, only the walls of her "house" had been torn down and replaced with a metal fence.

It was sad that they boys didn't get to visit, but I think they had fun just trampling through the woods!

Memorial Weekend

We spent Memorial Weekend exactly as it was meant to be spent--just hanging out in the sun!

Gigi, the boys and I went to Kansas City for the weekend.

We went to Sedalia and put flowers on the graves and ate at our very favorite diner. I love those shakes and onion rings!!

We spent the rest of the weekend in the backyard.

The boys made s'mores--Henry came up with the s'more dog--and played with bubbles. Lucas learned how to play croquet. He's pretty good--even without having to do do-over's. By the end of the weekend it was a toss up whether Amy or I was the best croquet player. I think we are going to have to have another go at it next time!

We also went on a "scenic" drive to watch hot air balloons take off. Sadly it started lightening on our way there so it got canceled. It would have been fun, though!

To make the weekend even better, Eli is getting old enough that he really just blends in with the other boys. So it really feels like a mass of kids running everywhere. Plus, one of our favorite girls, Jennifer, showed up on Amy's doorstep, because they "just felt like eating at Joe's"! She's so spontaneous!

It was great fun!

The croquet, the diner, Sedelia, just hanging out outside, it all reminded me a lot of when we use to spend our summers at my Grandpa Tom's.

And really, there is no better way to spend a holiday weekend than the way we use to spend them with him! I do miss him!

In Mourning

We had one heck of a storm come through last night, and we woke up to a sad sight this morning.

The tree that we planted just after Joshers was born, was snapped right in half.

Also our grill--which I'm pretty certain weighs more than I do--had been blown over. Ben hasn't tried it out, but we are pretty sure it's broke.

Lucas immediately rounded up all of his money and started counting it out to add to our "new grill fund". He's generous like that!

Henry came to me with a handful of change and told me that he wanted to contribute too. He quickly pulled out all the quarters and handed me over the pennies!

I know that if we do have to get a new grill, those pennies are really going to help!

Rotten Eggs

Last week, while we were at my grandpa's house, the boys found some eggs.

We told them to leave them alone and, for sure, not to break them.

Within 5 minutes, however, Henry's curiosity got the better of him--"I just really wanted to know what was inside of it."--and he ended up with egg down the side of him.

He was completely disgusted!

It was everywhere and he smelled horrible. I could barely stand near him long enough to help him try to wipe some of it off. It was bad!

I asked him if he wanted to take a picture by the broken egg, but, oddly enough, he didn't see the humor in that!