Monkey Class continues

I am getting ready to make dinner, and Fermin came in to tell me that monkey class was going to be held while I got it ready.  I asked him what they learn, and he said, "oh, we learn martial arts, marching like soldiers, and we go to the library, just the regular stuff."    I wish I had a hidden camera to spy on them with.

Monkeying Around

Overheard this evening:

Fermin (dialing a toy cell phone): I'm calling the teacher.
Mommy:  Who is that? 
Fermin: Jose is the teacher.
Mommy:  What does he teach?
Fermin: Monkey lessons.  Come on, John, we need one more student.

I asked Jose whether he was teaching monkeys, or teaching people how to act like monkeys, and he told me it was the latter.  It ought to be interesting to see how this develops.

A few minutes later the class assembled.  Therese told me she was hungry and wanted a banana.  The other monkey students have gone outside to play soccer. The monkey-trainee named Thomas is wearing a Chicago Bears jersey and goalie gloves.  I had no idea how important soccer was in a simian curriculum but at least it will help them burn off some energy before bedtime.

June--Picking Blackberries

A highlight in June was a trip out to Grandma and Grandpa's house to pick blackberries.  The kids love blackberries and they also love riding 4-wheelers.

The older boys were the first ones ready to head out:

 Waiting for Grandma.

"If I could just get this thing started......."

Mommy with two happy little boys.

 The kids showed off the blackberries as they found them.

 John wasn't so sure about the picking part:

 After he picked one, he decided he really didn't like the idea of tasting it.

The camera wasn't fast enough to catch a blackberry in Catherine's hand, because she ate them as fast as she could.

Therese decided that flowers were more fun to pick than blackberries.  "Smile, Therese!"

After we picked and ate blackberries, we went home the long way

with just a few stops to take pictures of wildflowers.

 This grasshopper is small but a few more flowers and he will be a regular, disgusting, large grasshopper.