Swimming at GumpyYaya's

The kids had a sleepover at GumpyYaya's house last night while Mommy and Daddy went to a friend's wedding.  We all had a great time and when we went to pick them up today we knew Ava couldn't wait to go "Kick kick kick Yaya's Howse!" (swimming).   But first she wanted to work up a good sweat and help Gumpy mow the lawn.

 She learnied how to lean into the hill from the neighbor.

 And has already mastered the pull it back up the hill.

 Ready to swim with Mommy while Daddy cuts down a some trees and "Baby" (Henry) naps.

 "I do! I do!" after watching Daddy do a flip off the diving board.

 And there she goes.  With all the confidence in the world.

 We could get used to seeing this view of the Mississippi every day... 

More Ducks

Since our visit to the duck pond Ava has requested multiple times a day to go see the ducks, so yesterday we walked to a small duck pond in our neighborhood in hopes of seeing some.  There were 2 in the distance but nothing like the other pond.  Ava declared the ducks were "Hiding" so we found a great place in the shade to sit for a bit and enjoy the beautiful morning.

 

Mmmmmm....

I don't often take pictures of the kids eating but we recently had some special treats, messes, and an important lesson that I had to share.

We topped off a fabulous dinner outdoors the other night with a mini ice cream cone.  With pink and purple sprinkles, of course.

Moments before the whole thing fell on the ground.  Oh well, the few bites were yummy!

 Henry got his first little taste of ice cream too.  Clearly a fan.

 Check out those teeth!

 Also, clearly a fan of avocado.  Good thing, or we might have wondered who he belonged to.

I wonder where that last piece went...

 

The Only Way to Eat a Chocolate Chip Cookie 

by Ava and Daddy

 First, start with a low-ball glass of whole milk and a frozen, homemade chocolate chip cookie.  Next, dunk the whole thing and wait a long time.  Like 30 seconds.

 Be sure to slurp all the milk from the cookie before taking a bite.  This allows for maximum flavor.  The more slurps the better.

 Mmmm.  But needs more milk.

 Don't rush this.  Proper milk soak-age is key.

 Thinking about it...

Nope.  Needs more milk!

 Don't be afraid to use your hand.

That last bite is the best.

 Now, drink the milk!

 Aaahhhhhhh. Nummy:)

Hungry Ducks

This morning we headed out with some old bread to feed these guys.

 Ooohhh! Here they come guys - looks like they're hungry.

 And clearly not afraid of us.

 Or willing to share that whole piece of bread with others.

 While this one posed nicely for me, his buddies started nipping at our ankles hoping we'd drop the whole bag.  Ok, that's a little too close for us.

 So we chucked a big piece to make our getaway...

  and headed for the bridge.

 These guys were right up our alley.

Uh oh.  They found us.

 

And I found the shirker.

 So, we found a shady spot for a snack. 

 And watched the ducks move in on the next unsuspecting families. 

 Bye bye, Duckies!