The Duck Days of Summer

"Do princesses eat the crusts of their bed?  No, they save them for the ducks instead."  

This offered a good question, what do ducks eat?  I asked our vet, Dr. Jack this question and not only did she give me an answer, she gave me some duck food.  (For those of you who would like to know, it is 2 Grain Scratch and you can purchase a huge bag of it at Southern States for $10.) When I went back to work, David would take the kids to feed the ducks. After the first time feeding them with the appropriate food, it was a BIG hit. Stephen has no fear of the ducks or the geese, he grabs handfuls of food, throws it all around him and yells, "DUCK, DUCK, DUCK!" Just like you would call the dogs in for dinner.  Believe it or not, they come.....  He tries to pet them and interact with them like he does with our dogs and cats.  Kate on the other hand, is more like her mother at that age, a little intimidated by the aggressive geese.  You have to remember, she is not that much bigger than them.  She prefers to keep her distance from a higher perch until she settles in.    

A long time ago, I nick named the duck with the bouffant hair-do the "Grandma Ruby" duck and this has stuck with Kate.  So when our friend the Grandma Ruby duck swam by Kate said, "There is the Grandma Ruby duck." Then Madeline replied, "Oh look, there is the Grandma Bev duck."  (She was pointing to the other white duck, minus the white hair-do.)  Priceless.... and tugged at my heart. 

After we fed quite a few duck friends, we made our way to the sandy beach area.  There were more ducks to feed, but the closer we got to the water the more we got in the water.  The shoes came off first, then the dresses were lifted up while the girls waded in the water in search of shells.  Then everyone was just in the water..... 

Madeline, Claire and Kate retrieving shells from the water.  Enjoying finding every single one. 

Stephen was content with his feet in the sand, and then sitting and wading in the water.  It was his first time on a "beach" this season.  

Our four little ducks.