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.

Last night was the 5th grade Western Musical. It was all about the settling of the west, and the different ways that people traveled to get there. It was a great performance, and we were very proud of Aiden. Afterwards he confessed that he wasn't feeling very well. He was a trooper doing his part regardless of how he was feeling.
Aiden helped design and draw the scenery. Unfortunately, we weren't seated in the best place to take a picture of the backdrop.

Steven's Wedding

Lance's brother Steven was married in the Washington DC Temple on May 17th. My mother was kind enough to come and stay with the kids so that we could be there for the wedding. It was so fun to meet Lucy, his bride, and to spend time with family. The ceremony and reception were simple, sweet, and perfect.
Steve and Lucy seem perfectly matched for each other. Unfortunately, I didn't get the camera out until the end of the reception, but I did get a couple of decent photos.

Daisy

We have added a new member to our family. We've been planning this for some time now, and have been watching for just the right dog for us to come through the Austin Boxer Rescue. On Saturday we met "Zee". She met all of our qualifications, give or take a few, so she came home with us. The kids are excited, and the cats are not impressed. They feel like prisoners in their own home. Neither one has been downstairs for two days. They finally got brave enough to go down and investigate after the dog was put in her crate for the night. It didn't take long for them to hightail it back upstairs.

She's only about 9 months old, and perfectly heathy other than the unfortunate fact that she has heartworms. She begins treatment for that in a couple of days, and should be completely cured in no time.
The person that we got her from has four dogs herself, and came home one day to find this little dog tied to her fence. Apparently someone knew that she was a dog lover, and left her where they thought that she might be safe. She made contact with Austin Boxer Rescue, and agreed to take care of her until a home was found. They called her Zee, but we've decided that Daisy should be her name. She has responded well to the extra love and attention that she's been getting here. She's been perfectly well behaved other than chewing up a pen, and several potty accidents. We didnt' want a puppy for that very reason, but it looks like we got one anyway. We're hopeful that she'll improve in that area quickly.