4th of July in beautiful downtown Alachua

How can I tell you how very hot this was? Thank you PattyCake for enduring enjoying this with me and the boys. The bounce house was stinky fun. The slide was hot fun.  The people were sweaty sticnky rude having fun. The cotton candy was melting sticky good.  Lets skip it next year and send the men to take the boys. Can't wait for next year, the boys had a great time!

Bros

Behold, how good and pleasant it is for brothers to dwell together in unity!

Psalm 133:1

Happy Fouth on the Second!

The fireworks show this year began on the 2nd as Daddy was leaving the next morning for Haiti...but the enthusiasm had not yet culminated for festivities... Noah decided he would not like to alter his bedtime, so he did not attend.  Various offerings appealed to the other regular attendees.  Dear Mom and Pop humored our soiree.  I guess Daddy will have to add some pizazz next year... or maybe better food? Nah, I think it is the inept pizazz ;) 

Gavin loved it very much and even decided to dress in his favorite "baseball suit" for the occasion.  He refuses it to be washed and I believe this was the second or possibly the third wearing...ahh, boys. Dirty little boys.

Oh, no! Lightning!

Ahhhh, summer. Hot, humid mornings lending to stormy afternoons....The Collins three and the Walden two started the AM at the Alachua Splash Park. All was well and getting better as EVERYONE but the 5 little men left... I guess that should've been the foreshadowing we needed...

During lunch, huge, ominous clouds crept in our direction. Unsure of what to do (pack up or take our chances???), a clap of thunder defined our plans.

After consulting weather.com, we thought it safe to drive to Mom and Pop's house (approximately 15 minutes north) to swim in thier pool...

Alas, 30 minutes later, the rain storm followed us! Back to the Walden house for a movie and ride out the storms!

Pickin' blueberries

Thank you Poppa and PattyCake for allowing us to eat, er, pick fresh blueberries...

The official blueberry picking uniform...

Gavin eats WAY more than he brings home

This child eats more blueberries than both adults in my home. You'd better believe we make him pick his share!

Ut-oh... the garden is coming in!!!

Pretty much every other day, we load up early in the morning while the weather is still "cool" (relatively speaking...) to help in the garden at Mom and Pop's house. On the menu: okra, corn, black eyed peas, squash, cucumbers, field peas, and TOMATOES!!!

The "wash station"

The garden is protected with a 6 foot electric fence to thawrt those deer.