Spelling sinister sentences

These remind me of those anonymous notes, pasted together from newspaper cutouts, that criminals write to police departments in old movies.

Turtly is the name of the (stuffed animal) turtle, of course. I don't know why the jaguar is sad.

"No visitors allowed exept [sic] if you are one of us [signed] the cats," (very creative use of a line and two numbers when lacking an e) placed outside the Fisher Price house.

"Dear Squeaky [the stuffed dolphin], I heard that a stingray stung you." (Many letters were unavailable by this point (the above sentences remaining on the floor), so several number or composite-letter substitutions were needed.) This one is especially sinister. Suggests the writer thinks it would be a shame if the stingray would have to sting Squeaky again....

We jumped into the swamp again

Alex Spells Bovines

Reading field guides is still the most popular activity for the mini-Yoders, but spelling the names of the animals also consumes hours daily.

Yoder Cup Soccer

Unremarkable behavior in many children, but A&B have so far been so unsporty that half an hour of kicking balls in the backyard was worth documenting.

Kentucky Trip Pictures

Here are a few pics from our weekend in KY.



Reading animal books while waiting for food in a cafe. (Notice Ben's book is about lions, not birds! Perhaps this is what is giving Alex his shocked expression.)



Outside the wedding reception.


At the pool at Carter Caves State Park.


At the natural bridge at Carter Caves.


Smores!

Bird Quiz

One of the boys' new favorite activities is playing online bird-identification quizzes. In this clip, after the easy Mallard id, Ben goes for comedy rather than correctness (perhaps worried that Alex would do better than he would). Calling a hoary redpoll a common canary is the height of hilarity in this house, I assure you.

Before and After Jumping in the Swamp

Before

After