gone camping

gone camping, a photo by ellajohn on Flickr.

We'll be back on Sunday.

shine

high summer, a photo by ellajohn on Flickr.

waves

waves, a photo by ellajohn on Flickr.

red

red, a photo by ellajohn on Flickr.

orange

orange, a photo by ellajohn on Flickr.

summer

summer, a photo by ellajohn on Flickr.

signs

spiderweb, a photo by ellajohn on Flickr.

rainy day

skirt sewing, a photo by ellajohn on Flickr.

Moo

Moo, a photo by ellajohn on Flickr.

We were out at the park in Newport listening to some old time music, and the kids and I walked over to visit some cows and watch the swallows swooping and diving at twilight. The largest cow gave us a big "Moo", and Ruby thought that cow was talking just to her. She may have read about cows saying moo in storybooks, but this was her first real live cow conversation. This is her telling the story. Three is joyful, theatrical, and downright loud.

festival

ellablue, a photo by ellajohn on Flickr.

I have taken a little break from my camera this week, but I promise I'll be back with a vengeance. I've been in the car a lot and it has been too hot to leave it in there.

Yesterday we stayed up to our necks in lakewater as much as possible. Today the littlests are playing with Legos while papa and Ella bike from Wytheville to Galax.

faerieland or bust

faerieland or bust, a photo by ellajohn on Flickr.

We are headed out to the magical woods next week for four days of camping and music. The kids don't want to talk about anything else.

John has been in bug camp all week, so the girls and I have been out and about. It it is hot and humid, and tomorrow we are going to the lake for the day.

tuesday

One day someone will buy my house, and we will move somewhere else.

today

sunflowers, a photo by ellajohn on Flickr.

super ruby

super ruby, a photo by ellajohn on Flickr.

you are my sunshine

you are my sunshine, a photo by ellajohn on Flickr.

John, July 2008

my own baby, a photo by ellajohn on Flickr.

The little man is about to turn six. These days he spends more time talking about Star Wars legos than cuddling baby dolls. Not that he knows the first thing about Star Wars, but he needs four hundred dollars for the Death Star.

He had some strange circular marks on his leg and shoulder the other day, and I took him to the doctor. They aren't really sure what it is, but they are going to treat him for Lyme disease just in case. At his age it is fourteen days of amoxicillan. He is pretending that it tastes great to make his sisters feel like they are missing out on something.

pink echinacea

pink echinacea, a photo by ellajohn on Flickr.

bread

Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day, a photo by ellajohn on Flickr.

Bake it. Life if really too short.

self

self, a photo by ellajohn on Flickr.

The hardest part about taking pictures of yourself is that then you have to see yourself.

my little man

my little man, a photo by ellajohn on Flickr.

He has a lot of questions. The other day he said, "Mama, why do you girls wear your testicles on your chests?"

I thought I was going to fall down.

sunflower field

sunflower field, a photo by ellajohn on Flickr.

We visited some friends last week and spent the whole day with them. The children would have happily moved in with them and spent the rest of the summer. They took rabbits in the house and set up a bunny school. The two three year olds picked all the blackberries they could reach and then fed them to each other with Junebugs zooming and buzzing around the sunny field. We ate in the yard with the chickens, did some swinging, and then went swimming.

children and chickens

children and chickens, a photo by ellajohn on Flickr.

summer

self, a photo by ellajohn on Flickr.

I'm at my mama's playing, cooking, reading, wine drinking, taking pictures, picking blackberries, eating fried green tomatoes, making peach pie, eating breakfast outside, going swimming, playing with rabbits, collecting bugs, and generally enjoying summer.