driver

driver, originally uploaded by ellajohn.

We drove up to Lexington today to meet Granny and Grampy for lunch to celebrate Granny's birthday.

mama, the roundy roundy looks smaller now

mama, the roundy roundy looks smaller now
Originally uploaded by ellajohn

John and I pulled some weeds at the school on saturday while Ella and her daddy rode nine miles on the Huckleberry Trail. After the weeding we dropped by the playground where John liked to play last year. He just stood there for a while and then said, "Mama, the roundy roundy playground has gotten smaller. The swings are smaller, the slide is smaller." Maybe it is time to move on to bigger playgrounds for bigger boys.

ruby walks

ruby walks
Originally uploaded by ellajohn

first day of second grade

first day of school, originally uploaded by ellajohn.

creek::forest

creek::forest, originally uploaded by ellajohn.

We spent a long weekend at the Breaks Interstate Park on the Viginia Kentucky border. We camped out, had campfires, cooked over an open fire, hiked, swam, and rode horses. Our children are happy out in the woods. The mushrooms were incredible this year. We heard the hooting owls at night and the pileated woodpecker during the day.

What a great way to wrap up summer.

from our campsite

from our campsite, originally uploaded by ellajohn.

purple

purple, originally uploaded by ellajohn.

heart

heart, originally uploaded by ellajohn.

hike in the woods

hike in the woods, originally uploaded by ellajohn.

two years ago

family, originally uploaded by ellajohn.

I thought it would be fun to find this family photo from our Breaks Interstate Park camping trip two years ago. John is two and in a backpack. This year he had to hike on his own two feet with Ruby in a pack. Ella is a little cusp of a kindergartner. We spent this weekend trying to decide if we should send her to private or public school. A space had become available at the private school and she could start monday if we were willing to take the leap. Two roads diverged in a wood, and I, I took the one less traveled by, And that has made all the difference.

back from the woods

family, originally uploaded by ellajohn.

im magical

im magical, originally uploaded by ellajohn.

corn

corn, originally uploaded by ellajohn.

back from baking camp

crown bakery tortano, originally uploaded by ellajohn.

seven summer days

There are seven more summer days until the official first day of school, so yesterday the children and I swooped across Virginia, stopping at my brother's house for swimming, floating, sunflowers, goldfinches, swarms of hummingbirds, local steaks on the grill, devilled eggs, hound dogs, and lemonade. The giant hummingbird feeder by the pool had to be refilled. I've never seen or heard so many at once.

We are going to spend a few days with Grandmarie and then fly back to mountain town to reload for a few days of state park camping. Big bonfires. Bears. I'm planning on some cozy kid camping. I don't want to tuck into the outskirts. Old Mother Hubbard is camping between the playground and the bathrooms.

ruby blue

ruby blue, originally uploaded by ellajohn.

mama's feet

mama's feet, originally uploaded by ellajohn.

i'm never taking off these boots

i'm never taking off these boots, originally uploaded by ellajohn.

Ella is really developing her own sense of style. Her aunt sent her these boots, and she doesn't ever want to take them off.

aller dater

aller dater, originally uploaded by ellajohn.

This may be the nicest four year old ever born. I'm so lucky he is going to marry Ruby and live with me forever. He loved his birthday party and was so happy to have almost all of his special friends there. He is a little boy who really appreciates his life, his dinner, his Curious George book. He is so in the moment. Did you know that when he plays "puppy" his dog name is always "Rascal"?

ahoy matey, I'll be four tomorrow!

ahoy matey, I'll be four tomorrow!, originally uploaded by ellajohn.

happy birthday

happy birthday, originally uploaded by ellajohn.

my first crayon

my first crayon, originally uploaded by ellajohn.

She loved it. She sang, danced, scribbled, and absolutely celebrated this crayon.

finally

finally, originally uploaded by ellajohn.

proof I am the most patient woman alive today

proof I am the most patient woman alive today, originally uploaded by ellajohn.

I demolished the kitchen counter today, and the children "helped". My hands are hurting, but the old counter is gone, and the new one is perched in it's place. Tomorrow I have to nail it all together and screw it on, but it already looks so much better. I'm wondering why I waited three years to do this. The tile was always so gross. The new one certainly isn't the countertop of anyone's dreams, this faux labrador granite formica, but I want to make bread just because I have a nice place to knead it on. I'm going to need some help to do the sink side, but I want to do it as soon as possible. Then some new carpet, some linoleum, paint a few more rooms, and I'll be ready to move to the farm.

animals

3 animals, originally uploaded by ellajohn.

high summer

I can tell I'm nuch busier this summer than last because I don't seem to have time to take pictures of my weekly CSA haul. It is finally hot here, but fall is lurking. Today we got a huge cantaloupe, peaches, nectarines, early apples, green beans, purple potatoes, basil, lettuce, small leeks, pattypans, zucchini, garlic, and tomatoes, and eggs.

The flower is growing on the mammoth sunflower in our front yard, and we are counting the days until school starts, twenty. Can go to the lake three more times? Is there a weekend for camping? Can we eat a few more ears of corn?

John turns four on monday, and we are having a party on sunday. I realized today that there is a whole group of people, all of my friends here in Smalltown, who have never known me when I wasn't pregnant or nursing. Ruby will be fourteen months old next week. She still isn't walking but is starting to stand without holding on to anything. She boldly climbed the steps this weekend, and I had to run out and get a baby gate. She is happy to be in the midst of whatever the other two are doing and she dons her "costume" with gusto.

We need to pick raspberries. The spiders are starting to build their webs.

john

john, originally uploaded by ellajohn.

bike

I want this. I can't seem to get it off of my mind. I need a job that I can do in the middle of the night or with three children on my back. Really. Look at this one. Up, up m'ladies three in a row.