The Further Adventures of Jack South....And The Rest of The Gnomes

Our gnome family has grown again in the past month. 

I was at Aldi's recently where I found this little fellow.

He looked so forlorn stuck in a box with plastic frogs that I had to rescue him. 
He said he was so grateful he would make it his life's work to welcome all who come to our house.

Especially gnomes.

But not plastic frogs.

I wasn't sure what his name was, and he was a little reticent.  So I had my friend who speaks fluent gnome give him a call and see if he could find out.  

Turns out his name is Jo-Jo.  

 No, I mean the gnome's name is Jo-Jo.

Just like my friend who speaks gnome.  

Yesterday Mr. Marvelous was home from the office, so he was working hard to get the yard cleaned up and the garden planted, weeded, and generally tidied up.  

I decided to take the boys out for a photo op.  

Oh, the hi-jinks!

Their poses were typcial.  

Jo-Jo was in his usual spot:

Marky was chilling in the hammock:

Sam took his nifty little spade and started "helping" Mr. Marvelous:

And Jack?

Jack struck a noble pose and oversaw everyone else!

It was a little hard to get good pictures at first.

They were just so stiff!

But after a bit they loosened up and started running around like...

...well, like feisty little gnomes.

They had a round of Hide and Seek in the corn patch

Sam was "It"

but when it was time to hunt he could not put his spade down long enough to go look.

Can you find Marky?

Jo-Jo got tired of waiting

Jack was nobly patient

After that game, they went exploring. 

They found a dead tree.

Jo-Jo wanted to make sure the birds knew they were still welcome.

Marky and Jack were cool and noble, respectively.

Sam dug a little trench around the roots "just in case".

I'm still not sure "just in case" what.

The boys also found a wood pile.

Sam actually quit digging long enough to climb a tree!

Jo-Jo wanted to make sure the chipmunks knew they were welcome.

Jack and Marky were noble and cool.  Respectively.

We went into the garden part of the front yard where the boys found

a MONSTER!

 Sam dug a path for the monster to follow.

Jack and Marky were noble and cool.  Respectively.

Of course.

And Jo-Jo?

He made sure to make the monster feel welcome.

The boys were getting tired by this point, so we started meandering over to the front porch.

They found the Scarlet Honeysuckle.

And of course, 

Jo-Jo was welcoming,

Marky was chill,

Jack was noble,

And Sam dug a little trench for his roots.

Just then we heard a LARGE noise!  You thought that first monster was monstrous??

Oh no, it did not have anything on what we found next

Now that is a monster!

The boys got busy.

Sam dug a trench of defense.

Jack was nobly unafraid.

Marky was cool about the whole thing.

Jo-Jo made sure that the monster felt welcomed.

What a crazy afternoon.

We finally made it all the way back to the porch.

Jo-Jo found a chicken to welcome

(ceramic chickens are much nicer than plastic frogs)

Marky was both chill and cool at the same time.

Jack struck a noble pose.

And Sam...

Sam???

SAM!!!

 Oh.

Sam apparently decided that Mr. Marvelous needed a little more help!