Improper photos

James had a funny reaction to some of the old photos that Mom sent last week.  He was both upset and offended by the naked baby shots.  I said, "I hate to tell you this, James, but I have naked pictures of you."  He made a pouty face and told me that was not "proper" and I had better not put them on my blog.

That's one of the differences between being 9 and 43.  I no longer care if the world sees my naked baby butt!

February 1969

Car wash

Today is car wash day.  Seth is washing the outside...

and James is detailing the inside.

They're doing a really good job. 

I wonder if I could talk them into washing my car, too. 

It really needs their attention! 

January 2012

Circus rat

So far James' rat, Peppermint, has shown no aptitude for saddle training.  Ryan is not ready to give up on her, though.  He says that even if she doesn't want to wear a saddle, she can still be a performance super star.  

So now he's training her to do circus tricks. 

Looks like she's getting the hang of it! 

January 2012

Christmas 1978

My mom sent me an envelope filled with old pictures.  It arrived today, and I asked James if he wanted to see a picture of me when I was his age.  He came over, took a look and said, "No offense, but I'm cuter."

For the record--I am offended.  I think I look really cute in this picture.

December 1978

Thanks, Mom!

November 1976

Jock and I in front of the garage

This was in the same box as the birthday cards.

No date, sorry!

Birthday wishes

New dog park

After months of delays, Lowry Dog Park is finally open!  This park is less than five miles from our house and occupies land that was once part of the Lowry Air Force Base.  Seth and I took Darcy there yesterday.  

Because Darcy is crazy, we spent our time in the High Energy Play area.

It's a long way from the parking lot to the park, and there isn't much in the way of landscaping yet--just a few fire hydrants...

and some big rocks. 

Fortunately, there's no lack of dogs.

There are also a lot of abandoned tennis balls... 

so Darcy was able to show off her mad catching skillz. 

You have to look carefully to see the ball in this one.

Most importantly, there's lots of room to run. 

Darcy really likes to run. 

This is the face of a very happy dog! 

January 2012

The rat whisperer

January 2012

Farm fresh eggs

One of the fringe benefits of leasing a pony at Big Iron Ranch is the access to farm fresh eggs.

I love farm eggs!  They are so much prettier than grocery store eggs. 

The green ones are my favorites. 

January 2012

S-p-e-l-l-i-n-g b-e-e

Yesterday was the Highline Spelling Bee.  Mr. Langdon, the principal spoke as the twenty seven student contestants walked into the gym and found their seats.

Most of the kids looked nervous, but not James.

James was having a big time flashing peace signs and goofing around for my camera.

He settled down a little bit when the bee got started... 

but he never did look worried.  Instead he got a big smile on his face every time it was his turn to go the microphone. 

Several rounds passed and more and more children moved from the stage to the floor.

Still,  James was hanging in there! 

At this point, it really looked like he had a chance. 

The fifth round began with nine kids in contention...

but ended with just five.  Sadly, James was among the casualties.

He was done in by the word "waiver."  No worries, though.  He says the spelling bee was a lot of fun, and next year he intends to win it all!

January 2012

Cute Maggie

When Maggie first came to live with us, she was afraid of cameras.  I tried and tried to take a flattering picture of her, but most of the time she just looked scared and miserable.  In the seven years since then, Maggie has overcome her camera phobia but it's still hard to get a good picture of her.  Every now and then, however, I get lucky.  Doesn't she look cute in this photo?

January 2012

Slantindicular

Now that school is back in session, James' number one priority is preparing for the Highline Spelling Bee.

Wish him luck--some of these words are really hard!

January 2012

Happy New Year!

With temperatures hovering near freezing, 2012 got off to a chilly start.  The boys didn't seem to notice.  They spent most of the morning outside playing with James' new electric scooter.

Watch out, Aurora!  James has wheels.

Beep beep, zip tang! 

January 2012