Critters on the Farm

(this post is dedicated to KE, who will despise this blog post, but her kids will love.)

Because we get too many in one day, and because I was going through all my photos and seen all these pictures I thought I would post them up here for you all to get a glimpse into what our boys consider a good day.

You know you are having a good boy day when S4 asks to pray and he prays "Dear God, thanks for the turtle and the frog and the snake and the watermelon. It's a great day. Amen."

So, here is a picture of a gartner snake, my hubby is holding it, he thrust it at my face and I screamed bloody murder. Notice the green shirt of one of the boys, scared they are not. Laughing they all were at their girly moma. I LIKE being girly!

Here is a garter snake that S1 is holding and I zoomed the camera in to get a close picture of it and it just is blurry but nightmarish so why not share? It was on the camera, I figured I might as well.

Here is a blue spotted salamander. This is the largest one I have ever seen, I believe. Hubby found it in the field and handed it off to S3 who was more than happy to take it for him. We used to catch these all the time as kids but the boys don't find too many. I think they are too cool so I make sure they let them go the same day they catch them. One time we tried to keep one, later in the day we had to have a funeral for it after the unfortunate bathtub incident.

See, aren't they just the cutest? Love those salamander smiles!

This is a big honkin' bull frog. S3 thought it should live in the house. I did not. I am not sure how I should feel about him thinking that our home is PERFECT for bullfrogs.

A painter turtle + two toads = a great day.

This, THIS, is the cutest toad EVER. How can you not smile at that cute face?

One morning, S2 went outside, seen this baby bird on the grill, picked it up and brought it in the house to show me at 6:30 in the morning. He had been headed out to check his tomatoes, of course. He named this bird Wing. Wing lived with us for a day. The boys informed me it had a hurt wing. It seemed to fly around the house just fine, I thought. And when we let it outside, it flew to the squawking and calling birds in the old orchard by our house.

Here is a boxer turtle. I literally turned around to go back and get this cute thing. It rode on the back seat of the suburban and seemed genuinely happy for the ride. He was a big hit at the Vacation Bible School pick up time too. This is Lauren (check her mom's great blog and great stories about Lauren here) and she informed me that she doesn't like this turtle. She only thinks Snapping Turtles are the pet turtles to have.

But I think Boxer turtles are by FAR my favorite turtle. And we let it go in the swamp out back so I hope that I cross it's path very soon. No turtle is as cheery as a yellow boxer.

And to leave you with, here is a picture of the bunny that got away and hid in our house for about 48 hours only to be found, and then once put on the porch it escaped again but it escaped outside so I wish it only the best. And you have to admit, it was adorable.

So there you have it, a glimpse into some of the wildlife on our farm here. We don't necessarily find them all in the same day...but all in a week or so wouldn't be out of the realm of possiblitly. Which is why Becca won't be visiting any time soon, and why KE thinks our life should be a reality show. Hope these pictures make you come visit us soon, Farmer's Wife! Maggie would have a ball playing Survivor man here, I am sure! :)