Boys weekend in the country

 This weekend I took the boys to the farm for some boy time. This was somewhat of an impromptu trip, so I just packed a few things and we were off. After getting some staples for the kitchen, we left just in time to arrive around dinner. Our first task was to catch some grasshoppers so we could go fishing. Once the boys got the hang of trapping them with their nets, we were able to catch quite a few critters. The toughest part was keeping the captives in the box when putting a new catch in.

We feasted on frozen pizza the first night while we watched Wall-E. We hadn't seen this movie in awhile, and the boys really enjoyed it. We headed off to bed not too much later than normal, and the boys were asleep within minutes.

The next day we started the morning with some fishing. We gathered up our poles and tackle, and we tried our hand at fishing for the first time this summer. Of course, it didn't start off too well, and the only thing we really caught was some weeds and moss. After about an hour, we went back to the house to help Uncle Clay put a canopy on his new tractor.

The best part of attaching the canopy to the tractor was getting to go for a ride in the pasture. Both boys also decided it would be fun to race the tractor on foot when they weren't riding. Sam and Nate were both very happy that they were able to outrun the tractor, and I was pretty impressed myself.

After Uncle Clay left, it started raining so we played on the front porch and gazebo for about an hour. The boys stripped down to just their shorts and played in the rain while I relaxed in the easy chair.

After the rain stopped, we took another stab at fishing, and this time we had better luck. Nate caught a pretty good sized catfish, and Sam caught a brim. I had to do most of the reeling, but they definitely caught the fish. Our fishing was cut short because a turtle learned we were using grasshoppers as our bait, and he would go wherever we cast the line. It became a game of chase, where I would cast the line and try to reel it in before the turtle could get the bait. If you want the score, the turtle won 4 times, and I got skunked. And yes, I forgot my phone at the house when we left to go fishing, so no pictures. You will just have to believe my storytelling on this one.

After a bath (we were all VERY dirty and stinky), we went over to Uncle John's for dinner. The boys loved playing with Sissy, their rat terrier, and I had a nice time visiting with Uncle John and Aunt Nancy Jane. The dinner and fellowship was wonderful, the perfect end to a fantastic day.

We packed up and went back to the city that morning. We met Gina at Granny and Granddad's house, were we got to also see our cousin Max, Jean and Aunt Carol. I knew it was a good weekend because both boys asked me when we could go back to the farm before they fell asleep. It was the last thing on their minds when they drifted off into slumber, which is just about all you can ask for.