State Park Recreation

Please do not let the title confuse you. We are not recreating state parks; rather we are recreating in a State park. Hmmm, that doesn't seem correct as a written sentence. Do you not love the English language?

Anyway, Tyler's vacation this year started with a wonderful sunny day.  We took advantage of this and went to Range Pond State Park with our friends Sara, George, and Lily Colby.  Sara is one of my friends that I met while in College, and whom I had not seen in a while. By "in a while" I mean I had yet to meet her 2 yr old daughter, and, of our large brood, she had only met Elijah.  After many months of trying to actually get together again we were able to pull off a wonderful day at the beach together. 

We started our day by seeing Sara and George's home that they built themselves. It is a wonderful home, which unfortunately I didn't take pics of for you to see. Oh well, Sara probably wouldn't like me posting pics on the internet for all 3 of my blogger friends to see. Afterwards, we ventured onto Range Pond to enjoy the water and extensive playground. The boys had a great time playing with Lily, but I think the highlight of their trip was playing with daddy and George.  Of course, for me, I loved being able to visit with my long lost friend and hope to see her and her beautiful family again soon. 

Wildlife Extravaganza!

Lately, we have found multiple little and not so little creatures; which does not fail to amaze and delight the boys.  Now, I am no skittish girl (unless I have slugs on my back. ughh!), most animals do not frighten me (as long as they have feet).  Yet, I still don't understand the boys desire to touch these little amphibians that we find hiding around our home. I suppose, if it wasn't for the touching we couldn't call it hands-on-science. Here are just three specimens that we have recently examined...

First, the ever engaging salamander. We actually have quite a few of these around here, but because of their overall shyness they are not easy to find. Finding one of these black and blue spotted guys is a real delight.

Second, the frog in the middle of its metamorphosis. A pollywog truly is something to be watched and amazed at. What an amazing God we have, not only can He create these great creatures, but His imagination in thinking up the life cycle of a frog is amazing!

Lastly, but not least, especially considering his size. Is the toad. This toad was huge. Tyler and the boys found him sleeping in the mud. Those are Tyler's hands holding this beast of a toad, and Andrew taking his turn touching.

What sorts of discoveries have you made recently?