Poppies

The poppies are blooming here in the Antelope Valley and if you are brave enough to venture out in the wind there are some beautiful hillsides to be seen. We brought a picnic lunch (pronounced "pick-a-nick") and hurriedly ate it while huddling beside a wall to keep from blowing away. A brave little hummingbird came over for a poppy snack as we ate our sandwiches. After a few pictures Libby and I ran back to the van for shelter while the men hiked the hillsides. We bought the boys sunglasses over the summer and they really didn't care for them. But the miracle of childhood is they rediscover items they didn't care for before. Sunglasses have become a fashion must in our household night and day, indoor and outdoor. Daniel, being the most fashion-forward in our family, has taken to wearing them around his waist as well.
This morning I was forced to head to Walmart with everyone in tow for a long list of items. Usually I go a couple times a week to keep the list/trip shorter. Libby sits in the front seat area of the cart, Jake rides in the cart with the groceries (another benefit of a shorter list in that everything will fit in the basket with him), and Danny walks. Today Jake was forced to walk or die a slow and painful death of being crushed by groceries. We are having an ice cream party on Thursday and the boys watched as I loaded ice cream, candy, sprinkles, hot fudge and brownies into the cart. Finally, Jake had the nerve to ask for a bite of something. When refused he said "But I need it sooo much." Now who taught him that? We also bought pails and shovels for our beach camping trip this weekend. It was a bad idea from the beginning to let them carry them and once I finally took them away there was the usual weeping and gnashing of teeth. Once safely in the van Jake decided to do a quick recap with me and said "Mom, you made Jake and Danny cry. We were mad." What a teaching moment!