Today I sat with the kids in the wood swing in the garden and we looked at all of the beautiful flowers and listened to the bees and the birds in the trees. I’m trying to help the girls not be scared of bugs (Margot freaks out). We decided we’ll sit in the swing every day and “talk about things.” They continue to hound me for stories about when I was a girl. They’re quick to say now, “I have a TOPIC!”

The kids have also loved learning to sing Bill Grogan’s Goat and There Were 3 Crows.  They are echo songs I taught them at the beach in honor of my dad.  These were our favorite car songs when I was a girl, both sung with the same melody.  I’d sing a line, then they’d sing it back to me.  The kids have learned both songs well.

After singing about Bill Grogan’s goat dozens of times, Clark turned to me today and said, “GrAnn, when you pray, can you ask Heavenly Father to tell your dad to listen to us singing his song?  I think he’d like to hear us.”

Here is the view from our garden swing:

Bill Grogan’s Goat

Bill Grogan’s Goat, was feeling fine.
Ate three red shirts, right off the line.

Bill took a stick, gave him a whack,
And tied him to, the railroad track.

The whistle blew, the train grew nigh;
Bill Grogan’s goat, was doomed to die.

With 3 great moans, of awful pain,
Coughed up the shirts, and flagged the train.

There were Three Crows

There were three crows n a Hiickory tree
Said one old crow to the other three,
“In yonder field lies an old dead horse,
we can chew and chew and chew and chew.

And chew and chew, and chew and chew
and chew and chew and chew and chew
and chew and chew and chew and chew
and chew and chew and chew and chew.

Great-Grandpa Arthur Laemmlen