farm boys

Spring is FINALLY here for real!! It's been just GORGEOUS the past couple of days, although rain is in the forecast for the end of the week and through the entire week next week! So I decided to ditch our "schooly" plans as long as the nice weather lasts and just spend as much time outdoors as possible the next couple of days. Here's a few pics from yesterday's fun -- Zoo Boy had a cold, so we just hung out at home all day.

In the first photo, J holds one of our newest lambs, Samantha.

The boys (and a couple cats, and a chicken...) play in the hay tent while I muck out the horse stalls and attend to other morning chores. Zoo Boy did take a fall from the round bales at some point during the morning. It happens. But to me it's worth the risk with all the benefits associated with their being able to climb and explore and just be farm kids. (He was just fine, by the way. We've yet to have to make a trip to the emergency room. Yeah, yeah, knock wood....)

Who needs monkey bars when you've got board fencing? J contorts himself through the slats on one of the horse stalls. (The horses are out on pasture at this point -- the kids know not to climb into any stall or paddock that has a horse in it.)

Zoo Boy emerges from the chicken coop to report that there are three eggs to be collected (and then went back in to collect them). The coop has always been one of his favorite places to play -- he says that he likes to pretend he runs a restaurant for chickens.

Foot races in the horse paddocks. They run from the stall to the paddock gate and back in repeated heats. All their idea, of course, and with nothing but bragging rights for the winner.

SO much better to be out enjoying the world than to be sitting indoors reading about it!!