The sun! It IS real!

Man, after all these months of rain and cloudy skies - I actually got a little sunburned today! Clear blue sky, 72 degrees...a perfect day!  What made it even better was today was my testing day down at the Willamette River.  Hubby left for a business trip this morning, so I ended up taking the Bugs with me to the river for the first time.  There is a parking lot next to the dock and we usually set up our testing station in an empty parking space, or on someone's tailgate.  So today I made the Bugs a bargain - if they would sit cooperatively in the car (in the shade with the windows down of course) while I stood next to them and ran my tests, I would take them across the way to the playground when I finished my sampling.  Naturally this proposal was well received.  One of my site mates, Steve really sweetened the deal as well by sharing his orange tic-tacs with Big-Bug and Middle-Bug while they waited (Baby-Bug was not amused by this development.) He is such a nice guy, I have really enjoyed getting to know him and the other two team members this past year.

After we wrapped up our tests, I took the Bugs over to the playground and they had a fantastic time trying all the "new" toys.  We have never taken the Bugs to this particular park before and it really does have a very impressive play structure - lots of activities AND swings!  After we had been in the heat long enough, I took the Bugs for a shaded walk over a small bridge to look at one of the tributaries that runs into the Willamette, then I took them to check out the dock on the way back to the car.  This was a big moment for me because I have three kids and two hands!  Taking them out on a floating dock (with no rails) seemed a little stressful to mom!!  But they did SO well - super mature and safe about the whole thing - I was really impressed.

When we came back home I went out to work in the yard for a while.  The Bugs were playing with their new water table and I decided to work on pulling up all the vegetation from a section of our yard where we are planning to put down a gravel pathway.  As I was working away I uncovered the severed tail of a squirrel. Now - I spent years working in the animal care department of a wildlife park and I also spent a couple of years working on an ambulance where I saw all sorts of blood and guts.....but this squirrel tail....YUCK!  I literally felt queezy when I saw it!  The worst part is, the boys and I have named the squirrel that hangs out in our yard (Wallie) and we haven't seen him around for a while....After that discovery, I put my tools away and called it a day! Ha Ha  I did venture back out later though to cut the front grass and I am so glad I did!  This evening the sky clouded back over, the breeze picked up and everything is gray again.  I wouldn't be surprised to see rain tomorrow.