Carver Days

Last weekend we went to the George Washington Carver National Monument for Carver Day's.  It was hot and sticky, but we did a whole bunch of stuff to get a Junior Ranger badge.  We had to find out information from other people about the Fort Scott National Monument, find out what was unique about Wildcat Glades Center,  ask the Missouri Department of Conservation people why fire is important to a prairie, paint a picture, make a card by hitting flower petals with a rock to get the natural color off of it, label a drawing of a peanut plant, and research some dates in the cemetery.  Elena didn't really want to do it, but Mom  made her. When we had all of it done, we turned in our papers to a park official and we got our first ever Junior Ranger badges. I felt tired but proud. Later I saw a girl at the park wearing a vest COVERED with badges from all over the U.S., so now I've decided to try to get a Junior Ranger badge wherever I can! -- Sophie

The River

One of the things we like best about living here is how close we are to the river. Our mom takes us to swim there sometimes and it's really fun. It's refreshing, and we get to see all the fish. There are also a whole bunch of cool rocks. I like to find flat ones and skip them across the water. We can float down the river (a little), or you can turn the other way and keep paddling but still stay in one spot. It's a good way to work up an appetite. You can also fish, canoe and kayak down the river.  The river is really low now because we haven't had any rain this summer, so canoeing might be kind of hard. I think I'll stick with swimming for now. - Sophie

Anything with a Stinger

So you know how bad the hornets are? My mom was hanging clothes on the line, and there were hornet nests in the metal poles. Sophie and I were hanging from the poles and  - BANG - Sophie was hit.  She got stung. So now I check the door before I walk out because I don't want to end up like Sophie.   -LANEY ;p

Our Fourth of July

We took a break from the farm and we went to our "aunt's" house for the Fourth of July. We couldn't have fireworks because of a burn ban because of a drought, but we survived. We went to swim at Bull Shoals Lake with Jack, our dog. It was Jack's first time swimming. He didn't like the water, but when we kids were far away from him he got anxious and jumped on a floatie that was close to him and started barking. When we came back to see what he was barking about we saw him floating like a pro! I thought he looked cute! Daddy was embarrassed because he expected Jack to be a brave hunting dog and instead he enjoys floating on a pink floatie. -- Sophie

Taking a Break

For the last couple of days we have been at our "aunt's" house (really, a close family friend). We took our dog with us on the 2 hour drive, and he threw up at least 8 times. When we got there, our dog met new friends, the new puppies Thor and Odin. Thor is a golden Labrador and Odin is a German  Shepherd. When we woke up every morning,  I would call my dog, and he would come back with beggar lice, which is like little spiky brown stuff on his face. When we went home, my mom got some pills so we wouldn't get carsick. She gave our dog a pill (wrapped in cheese, of course) and my sister took one too.  The pill said it might cause drowsiness.  They both slept for 120 miles, so I'd say the stuff worked! ;) -Laney