Toads

Sophie and Brennan have become awfully fond of the toads that roam freely here. Somehow they found their way into these PVC tubes that are in our front yard, and the kids have kept them trapped there. They do let some go when they find new ones, and somehow the toads survive. They have spent so much time playing with them, that the neighbor has started referring to the kids as "Toadologists".

These are two especially large ones that Brennan named Billy Bob, and Billy Boo. All of the toads have names, but we won't take the time to list them. I will mention though, that one evening Brennan and a friend caught 37 of them.

Eggs Hatched

The eggs have now hatched, so now we have a pile of fuzzy, ugly, hungry, critters in the not so very big tree on our front porch.

Beach Vacation

For our first summer vacation (hopefully there will be another), we went to South Padre Island, TX for a few days. This is one of Wade and Jodie's annual trips that they take with some of their friends. We had a good time getting to know those families, and relaxing on the beach. We passed the time by studying the local sea creatures,
feeding the seagulls,
making a giant sea turtle out of sand (Lance and I didn't help at all),
playing la cross and frisbee (This is Wade and Jodie's friend Julie Gill in action. We now consider her our friend as well.),



collecting seashells,
playing in the sand,
playing in the sand some more,
playing in the water,

and reading, and eating (only healthy fruits and vegetables of course). We also went out to eat a few times, and had fun crab hunting after dark. Regardless of multiple applications of sun screen, we all came home tired and burned. Nonetheless, it was a great time, and we can't wait to go again sometime.

Daisy wants to play with Gunther

Daisy is really interested in playing with the cats. She doesn't seem to want to harm them, just play. We really haven't made much more progress than this. The other night one of the cats was brave enough to come right up to Daisy and smell her head while she was sleeping.

Aiden's Court of Honor

Aiden received his Scout Badge, and his Tenderfoot rank the other night at the Scout Court of Honor.
Next time I'll remember to wear a shirt with a collar. Aiden couldn't put the pins on me without reaching down my shirt, so I had to do it myself.
As parents, we are both very proud of him. He's a great kid.

This is the not so very big hibiscus tree that sits on our front porch.

This is the little bird that built her nest in the not so very big hibiscus tree that sits on our porch.

These are four of the six eggs that the little bird laid in the nest that she built in the not so very big hibiscus tree that sits on our porch.

We just hope that the cats don't discover it. They probably won't considering that they haven't hardly set foot downstairs in the two weeks that we've had the dog.

We're starting to grow accustomed to the bird flying out of the tree every time that we open the front door. How long before these babies are big enough to fly away? We're considering opening a zoo.

Aiden brought home this poem that he had written about our cat Larry. Lance and I both read it at the same time, and as I was feeling silly for having a hard time keeping my composure, Lance said that it almost made him cry. I didn't feel so silly after that.