Frogs, Newts, and Trucks... Oh My!

Today was another hot day! We started out by getting some errands done, and then we headed out for a walk on the Rail Trail. I've been determined to find tadpoles for a while now, but have not been successful. Still, we brought the kids' little nets, and my mom and I caught (and released) a few little froggies for fun. But there were no signs of tadpoles. We did, however, see a few of these gorgeous Swallowtail butterflies. They were HUGE!

We also saw a lot of turtles, though they plopped off of their logs and into the water before I could get photos. Boo!

Anyway, we continued our trek. It was very green, very humid, and very buggy. Niko whined the entire time. That part was not so pleasant! On a related note... we hardly ever use the stroller anymore, with the ONE exception being the Rail Trail. Their little legs never go as far as we need them to! So it prevents whining, sort of...

So we kept on walking and, suddenly, found a small pool that was absolutely FULL of tadpoles. FULL of them, I tell you! We made a note of where it was located, and I vowed to get some tadpoles on our return trip.

We got to the point where we usually turn around, and took a short rest on the bench there. My dad told me to watch out, because something was on the ground right behind my shoe. And it was this little fella!

We'd never seen one of these on the Rail Trail before. A newt! And we found another one just like him a few feet away. So cool!

On the way back, I got us some tadpoles. But I didn't have a jar or anything, so you might be curious as to how I got them and transported them. Well, let me tell you! haha! We have this little folding potty that is actually very small, and I sometimes bring it along when we are out in the wilderness where there are no bathrooms. It uses these disposable plastic bags. So... I put a (clean) bag in the potty, and dunked it into the pond to fill it with water. Then I used the net to catch the tadpoles. And then I very carefully removed the bag from the potty, and carried it home. Tada!

Anyway, there are five tadpoles altogether. Their little aquarium is murky (just like their pond), but they seem happy! They are all already in the process of growing legs. I plan to release them back into the pond once they're done. No more pets here! We just want to observe! But here are a few pictures of them. Take a really good look at the second one.

Yeah... that second tadpole is not going to be a frog. It's going to be a NEWT! I actually managed to get two newt tadpoles! You can tell by the fringe around their heads-- that's their gills. Crazy! So we should, in theory, have three frogs and two newts. So cool!

After we came home and got them settled into their new home, the kids and I went over to the town library to check out their trucks and diggers event. The Department of Public Works brought out a bunch of their huge vehicles, and the kids got to play around in them. It was fun, but it was in full sun and was brutally hot. Thankfully, the library was nice and cool. So we checked out some books and signed up for the summer reading program. It was fun!

The rest of the afternoon was spent relaxing on the deck while the kids splashed in the baby pool. Then, when Gus got home, he and I went out to a local Chinese restaurant to celebrate our eighth wedding anniversary. All in all-- a great day! :)