{Climbing...}

How did they get up there? Where are they? Oh, just on top of the shed that houses our well-pump. They are ingenious, and their imagination never ceases to amaze me. They have the childhood I dreamed of having. Pigs, goats, chickens, free range of land around them, inventing things, building forts, running barefoot, haylofts in a barn, carefree living. I love it. One day I went outside to see they had rigged up their own climbing wall. Who needs repelling ropes?
Ryan is the coach for Caleb and Max's baseball team, and they are LOVING baseball. Of course you can tell by their pose. I hope that they will never change. I love their personalities, how they get so excited about small things like making clay necklaces, learning about the Romans, catching a baseball and making up slides that go off of really tall well-houses. I love little boys, the mischief they make, the constant wrestling and teasing, the battles, and the energy. I love them!

Here's their set up. It all started with Noah...he has always been my monkey! At nine months he couldn't walk, but he could scoot a chair and get on top of the table. He just liked to be high...I guess it has stuck. He still can climb a straight tree with no branches sticking out...we figure he must be part Polynesian. He is the instigator in this little climbing adventure, but Caleb has no fear of heights, and is sweet enough that after they got their set-up on top of the well house, he mad a smaller slide for the girls off the hitching post. No wonder they love him.

My polk-a-dot lady! I hope you never change. She is just enough shy to keep her reserved, but when she gets to know you watch out, she is all "TUDE" {short for attitude}. She loves mud, sidewalk chalk and her long polk-a-dot skirt! She is a tough girl who follows me around just like my shadow. I love it! She can fence with the best of them and loves the animals. She is such a hard worker and is still helping long after the boys have gotten distracted. I love her! I hope she will always like me as much as she does now.