The MacFarland’s

I just love doing things on a whim, and since we have our Six Flags season passes, it’s easy! Here are some fun shots from our day in the park…

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That about sums up our fantastic Fourth of July celebration this year. Both my parents and Scott’s parents came down to visit and we had a blast! ( No pun intended, hehe) We enjoyed blowing things up with firecrackers during the day and my Dad even got Kacey lighting her own firecrackers! She didn’t even want to come out of the house when the boys first started shooting them off. After a day full of having fun with the little mini dynamites, we enjoyed a fried chicken dinner, courtesy of Bush’s chicken. Yummy! Night fell and the real fun began….fountains, aerials, and sparklers…oh my! Scott took the helm and the rest of us settled in across the street where we could watch not only our fireworks show, but our neighbors all around us too! Seems everyone was shooting them this year and it was spectacular. Here are some pics I took throughout the day. I didn’t get any of the aerials, I wanted to take it all in this year without the camera in my face. But believe me, they were awesome!

Yesterday I took the kids to a local park to play on the playground and take a short nature hike. The trails through this part of our area are really rich with history and beauty and I wanted to share that with the kids. Scott and I both have rode the trails on our bikes and have only briefly stopped to read the historical marker and take in the sights. I had taken my camera with me before and took some really neat shots of the creek and the historic railroad bridge that crosses over it. I had also gotten off the trail and wandered down to the waters edge but never realized it was such a hot spot for fossils until yesterday, when I encouraged the kids to get off the path and go down to the water to check it out. Not 2 minutes after setting foot on the gravel bar, I spotted the first fossil of what was to be many over the next hour. The kids and I got really into it and I just loved the squeals of happiness coming from the kids when they would find yet another fossil. I have long known that this area was great for fossils and Indian artifacts, but never realized how close it was to my own house. This park is only about ten minutes by car. The kids and I already have plans to return soon to hunt for more fossils. I am also currently researching  new spots along the creek, as I have read that this area was home to many Indian camps and burial mounds. Not far from where we were hunting yesterday is the famous Indian burial ground of the “Leanderthal Lady”.  There are many serious fossil hunters out there and most are not very willing to give up their hunting spots, and I don’t blame them. I think the kids and I will just have to keep this little spot to ourselves

Scott rewarded Brady with a brand new pro (dk siklon) bmx freestyle bike this weekend after his “starter” inexpensive bike broke. We knew for a while that he has had a strong interest in bmx and freestyle riding. He loves watching the X-Games on tv and really shows no fear on his bike. He is already doing tricks and will probably be stepping up his game once our local outdoor skate park opens (hopefully they will allow bikes). He is such a natural on the bike and we love watching him ride. Here are a few shots I took the other day as soon as they got home from getting the bike. I will be getting some better shots soon….