Flora, Fauna, and a Few Animals Too

I love summer!  I know I have said it before, and I will continue saying it again, and again, and again...

I love our yard!  I love that all of the things we have planted over these last few years are blooming and filling in so beautifully.  I find so much peace and happiness just looking at all of the flowers and watching them transform and change.  

We are getting delicious red raspberries, 

and we started a vegetable garden this year too.  

Even though it got off to a rough start, thanks to a late snow and freeze, it too is now flourishing.  Fresh BLT's, here we come!!!

I also absolutely love being a Mom in the summer.  My little man and I are having a great time playing outside, and finding new and fun adventures to fill our days.  After a LONG winter, these warm sunny days are SO welcome and wonderful!!!

One of our latest adventures found us at "The Barn" at Thanksgiving Point.  It is basically a big petting zoo, and I wondered what Ian would think of it.  You see, one of my most favorite parts of being a Mom is watching him experience new things for the first time.  Every time we show him something new, my heart beats a little faster at the joy of watching his wonder and amazement.  Sometimes it goes well, and sometimes, well... not so much=)

This day however, was a good day.  He loved it there.  He got right up in the animals faces and let them slobber all over him.  Pretty gross for a clean-freak Mom, but as long as he was having fun, right?  At least that is what I kept telling myself as I saw the poop from the horses face migrate to the shoulder of Ian's little shirt as it sniffed his neck! YUCK!!

It really was fun though!  He fed the animals, he rode them, and he talked to them in his little 18 month old language that very few people can actually understand.  The animals seemed to "get" it though.

Have I mentioned lately that I LOVE this guy?!?!?!

The only tears of the day came when Ian was feeding this little cow and it let out a loud "MOOOOO" right in his face.

The tears came instantly and he jumped into my arms as fast as I have ever seen him jump before.  He calmed down pretty quickly though and enjoyed the rest of the day - he even walked by the cows again!  But I think his favorite part was the stop we made at the ice cream parlor on our way out - chocolate chip cookie dough ice cream dripping down his little chin seemed to have a magical way of erasing all the bad "moo" memories!=)

You also may have noticed in our recent pictures that Ian just LOVES his hat and his sunglasses.  I have a hard time actually getting him to take them off some days.  He wakes up and wants them on.  He gets out of the tub and wants them on.  He puts on his p.j.'s and wants them right back on.  I don't mind though, because doesn't he look adorably cute in them?!?!