A Fort

It is happening. Finally my kids are learning the fine art of being a kid! This past Saturday, all 3 of them were outside the entire day - just playing happily BY THEMSELVES! It was magical! They played, they jumped on the trampoline, they explored the ranch, they harassed fire ants (Big Wy didn't make it out of that adventure without a couple bites...but you'd never know it. He's so tough!) they chased the goats and lasso'd anything and everything. And they built a fort. A really cool fort! Down in James' woods, atop the large pile of mulch/rocks. It was fantastic!

James refusing to pose for a picture until his explanation of what he's built is complete.
Pointing out all the rocks he has carefully piled and arranged on the branches.
Here they both are crawling into their bunker. This is where they hide from the bad guys to sneak up on them.
I love Izzy's eyes in this shot. She was totally pretending to keep an eye out for ruffians.
And the explanations continued....
Perhaps it is their age, but I'm really starting to see a change in my kids. I think ranch life suits them. (I mean, what kid wouldn't love to have free rein of all that the light touches.) But really, it's more than just being able to run free and wild. They aren't inside that much.

James would much rather be outside chasing goats and wearing his cowboy hat than inside watching a movie. He's got this new game where he's drawn a bullseye with chalk on the side of the goat shanty. He tosses dirt clods at the side of bullseye and keeps tally marks each time he scores. He calls it pitching practice! :) And Isabel loves to dig in the dirt and build mud pies and mud cakes and mud anything. And Wyatt. Well, Wyatt hasn't known any different so he loves to be outside more than the both of them combined!


It reminds me of when I was little. I use to play outside until the sun went down. My friends on our street and I would play kick the can and ghosts in the graveyard and no bears are out tonight for hours on end. I never was inside playing video games. It makes my heart happy to know that even in this changing world, we're able to give our kids a little bit of that joy.

Ok, I'll get off my soapbox now.