Blueberry Picking 2010

We geared up for our annual blueberry picking trip this morning. Ainsley was so excited and couldn't wait, she had talked about it for a whole month! It was a beautiful morning and the bushes were full. It was the best picking that we have seen in the three years that we now have gone.

From Rankin Family

Andrew loved carrying the bucket. We picked just enough berries that by the end of the morning he couldn't carry it without some help.

From Rankin Family

Ainsley was so surprised to see how full the bushes were. It was easy this year for her to truly pick the berries. The berries made it into the bucket more than the tummy also. She remembered the blueberry lemonade and the yummy cookies from last year and was saving room.

From Rankin Family

It was a really successful, fun day. It has been such a joy in my life to see the children love each other in the little sweet moments they don't know I see.

From Rankin Family

The berry train ride was so fun. Ainsley graciously let her brother sit with her for a short photo op. Andrew was disappointed, he is still too little to ride the train alone.

From Rankin Family

Rosy cheeks and big smiles all around!

From Rankin Family

Mini Vacation

We went to Nana and Granddad's for a mini vacation while dad wrapped up school for the semester. It was a great 6 days and we had lots of fun. We got some of the old school toys out and enjoyed the driveway. Here's Andrew with his dad's old Fisher Price ATV, a classic!

From Andrew Tyndale Rankin

And of course, no trip to Nana's is ever complete without a ride in the golf cart. This trip, there were many! We even had to recharge the battery a few times.

From Andrew Tyndale Rankin

One of the highlight's is Bella, Aunt Katherine's dog. It takes awhile for the dog and the kids to make peace with one another and the shared space, but this time around they settled in quickly.

From Andrew Tyndale Rankin

Even Andrew and Bella made friends this trip. (Bella received plenty of table scraps from Andrew who was innocently sharing his food and his fingers.)

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And then there was the pool. Ainsley started really making an effort at swimming with water wings or the innertube and Andrew proved his lack of fear repeatedly. (I see a life jacket in his near future.)

From Andrew Tyndale Rankin

From Andrew Tyndale Rankin

Nana also gave Ainsley a few special surprises! There was a special earthworm class the two of them went to. And then there was the quick trip to Branson, MO to see Dolly Parton's Dixie Stampede!

From Andrew Tyndale Rankin

Andrew and I came along and enjoyed the fun. Both the kids loved it and were mesmerized by the sights of the horses and special effects. Ainsley couldn't stop talking about it and continually asked when we could return. Andrew was hoarse from all of the squealing he did at the horses and the actors/actresses. It was a special treat and we sure are thankful for the time we can spend with our family.

First Sting

We had our first sting on either of the children today. It was traumatic for all of us! Andrew was on the deck and playing by the rail. Mom was down in the lawn. Andrew hit just the right spot and out came some wasps from their home. Andrew took a direct hit to the forehead. As the screaming began, I pushed him away from the nest and onto his bottom. Since our deck has no stairs, I had to run around the house, inside, and then out to get him. Needless to say, he was not happy with that wasp or with is mommy!

Ice and a baking soda paste seemed to relieve the pain.

From Andrew Tyndale Rankin

It's now two weeks later and the site of the crime, our deck, is now under construction. The railing came down last weekend and steps will be added.

The Museum

Since going through our art books, Ainsley has been asking to go to the museum. We have a wonderful one downtown and so our first rainy day, we went. I think Ainsley would have stayed all day. Andrew, however, made the trip enjoyable for about an hour and a half.

From Andrew Tyndale Rankin

All of it was exciting but Ainsley was on a mission to see the Egyptian gallery and the knight.

A stone tablet complete with hieroglyphics. We managed to join in on a high school group's tour to hear more about the egyptian artifact's. The tour guide asked some questions and Ainsley piped up. She let everyone know the writing was hieroglyphics.

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A real sarcophagus and a mummy! The concept of the mummy was exciting to her and a bit frightening. We have discussed this in length since our visit.

From Andrew Tyndale Rankin

From Andrew Tyndale Rankin

Could this be Saint George's armor?

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Memorial Day

We had a quiet weekend and had a good time just frolicking in the back yard. The pools came out and the kids really enjoyed each other. We got some great pictures of them enjoying life!

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Getting ready for fun. "What do you want to do?"

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"Ring Around the Rosy" brought big splashes and big smiles. Ainsley played in the small pool with Andrew and had so much fun with him. You would have never guessed that a few inches of water in a small baby pool would have brought so many smiles.

From Andrew Tyndale Rankin

From Andrew Tyndale Rankin

From Andrew Tyndale Rankin

"Again, again. More, more!" Was Andrew's response to this new game.

Ainsley enjoying the outdoors!

From Andrew Tyndale Rankin

From Andrew Tyndale Rankin

From Andrew Tyndale Rankin

Andrew enjoying his snack! This boy can eat and drink all day. I am having a hard time imagining what this will be like when he's older.

From Andrew Tyndale Rankin

Definitely a Boy!

From Andrew Tyndale Rankin

Need we say more.

Deanna Rose Farmstead

We had company in from out of town, a special treat for the kids. Their Great Aunt was in town and Gigi took some time off of work. We were able to spend some extra time with our company and we went to Deanna Rose, one of our favorite activities. This was Andrew's first time, truly enjoying it!

He loved the ducks. I think the goats were a little to aggressive for the little guy. He enjoyed the fish and some of the larger animals, but he really loved the ducks.

From Andrew Tyndale Rankin

Of course, Ainsley's favorite is the pony ride. She has loved animals for as long as I can remember but her passion is really heading toward farm creatures and gardening.

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It's hot and it's snack time. As the day wore on we took frequent breaks!

From Andrew Tyndale Rankin

From Andrew Tyndale Rankin

Everything Ainsley does, Andrew tries to get in on the action. Ainsley is usually very helpful and will often get right in with him to help him out. Here they are milking a cow together. (It's a water filled utter on a cow replica, thankfully.)

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We had a blast and are looking forward to our next trip there. Andrew is definitely ready to get out and explore!

1st Trip to the Zoo

We made our first visit to the Zoo with Andrew!

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We went with some friends that we made through soccer. It wasn't the prettiest day, in fact we got rained on the whole time. The kids loved it and the mom's stuck it out.

From Andrew Tyndale Rankin

From Andrew Tyndale Rankin

From Andrew Tyndale Rankin

We went through all of Africa and saw so many different animals up close. I think they prefer the rainy weather to the heat and sunshine. Our zoo also has train rides, tram rides, and carousel rides. We did all three. Andrew didn't make it on to the carousel, but he sure thought it looked neat. He especially liked it when Ainsley came around. Here he is waiting for the train, he was pretty excited.

From Andrew Tyndale Rankin

From Andrew Tyndale Rankin

Craft Time

We've been exploring different art books from the library this summer. We are looking for good arts and crafts books to use throughout the school year. Right now, we really like the Usborne Art Treasury and First Book of Art. Ainsley picked out one craft to try out to see if she could do it on her own. Here's her rendition of Saint George and the Dragon.

From Andrew Tyndale Rankin

The book was great, it had the actual artwork with information about both the painting and the artist. It also had the craft instructions detailed enough that she could mostly do the art on her own. We followed it up with a book from the library retelling the legend of Saint George and the Dragon. It's one of her favorite's this spring!

Quick Visit

We had the opportunity to take a quick trip down to Nana and Granddad's. I thought I would have captured more pictures of our fun; we had golf cart rides, duck feedings, fish feedings, time with a dog, and fun toys. However, all I seem to have are a few good ones of Andrew sporting his pink shirt.

From Andrew Tyndale Rankin

He's gotten some more teeth finally. He's teething pattern is so different than Ainsley's was. He now has his top two and bottom two teeth. Teething has started again, but it's his molars! I guess he's trying to get all of the big teeth out of the way first. The next picture is one of my favorites. One of the few that captured the twinkle I see in his eyes everyday. That twinkle is part joy, part mischief, and part love.

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He loves be tickled and laugh. I think I could tickle him all day and he would never say "Uncle".

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Sand, Sporks, and Smiles

Well, it's June and I'm just now updating April....where has the time gone. A good friend of mine mentioned that I was good at marathon blog posting, I'm hoping to not disappoint.

Spring flew by, but not without it's fair share of new activities, accomplishments, and plenty of fun. Andrew discovered the small sandbox we have on our back patio. It's his favorite outdoor activity by far. He loves just playing and picking out the tiny stones. He's also become quite accomplished at filling in holes in our yard with sand.

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Ainsley has continued a tremendous love for nature. We now have a "critter shack" which houses caterpillars, ladybugs, and other interesting finds. We need to become better at nurturing our bugs, we haven't had any long term tenants. She has also enjoyed the dandelions we have had in our lawn. Mom and dad pull them and she blows them. It's been a vicious cycle as we see new ones sprout up daily.

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Andrew started using silverware on his own this month. This has been particularly challenging for me. The mess is everywhere! He is becoming more efficient with the utensils. His independent streak shows more and more each day with eating. It has been interesting to see him decline any help from mom, when Ainsley is still so willing to accept help in this area.

From Andrew Tyndale Rankin

From Andrew Tyndale Rankin

We are so blessed to see both Ainsley and Andrew beginning to really enjoy each other. The smiles are always on when the two of them are together. It seems as though they just love to get each other to laugh and make silly faces.

From Andrew Tyndale Rankin

From Andrew Tyndale Rankin

From Andrew Tyndale Rankin