Thursday, May 31, 2007

Zooooooma!

A few weeks ago, Chris found a great deal on a couple of Zuma scooters, & he just couldn't pass them up. I wasn't too fond of the idea, but they've really grown on me --although, I have to say, I feel a bit like Toby McGuire in his latest Spiderman movie. --which isn't necessarily a bad thing.

Our friend, Kristina, told us of a dirt biking spot up in the mountains, so we went up there to see what fun we could have. It was such fun! We took the kids with us, and they had a BLAST! I put all of the photos on my flickr page, but some of my favorites are here. The best thing about the pictures is the kids' faces, so be sure to look closely. Also, be sure to notice my stylish pink helmet, which I'm especially fond of (Kristina about died when she *had* to wear it for a few minutes to go on the street). You may notice that I was the only dork who wore mine the whole time. But after my motorcycle accident, (way back when) I'll take all the protection I can get!


Right before my first ride.
Chloe & Gideon



Gideon, especially had a great time riding. He chatted the WHOLE time!









Cramming them on...


Century plant. These plants only bloom once in their lifetime (after 10 years) and then they die. There are more pics of this on flickr.

Evy searches for a cookie.

Evy tries on a helmet.



Wednesday, May 30, 2007

I just love Winnie The Pooh!

I've been reading Winnie The Pooh to the kids, and have loved every moment of it! A.A. Milne is just so clever & witty! I love his out-of-the -box thinking, and the way he phrases things. I think a lot of it is over the kids' heads, but I'm really enjoying it, & would recommend it to any adult.

today, we were reading about pooh & piglet as they traveled from house to house, to wish everyone a happy Thursday (as an excuse to visit, in hopes that someone will offer them Tea). After leaving Rabbit's house, pooh & piglet have a conversation:

"Rabbit's clever," said Pooh
"Yes,," said Piglet, "Rabbit's clever."
"and he has Brain."
"Yes," said piglet, "Rabbit has Brain."
There was a long silence.
"I suppose," said Pooh, "that that's why he never understands anything."

Chloe couldn't understand why I was laughing so hard that I couldn't read anymore. Maybe it has something to do with all of the Brainy people in my life...

I especially like Eeyore's dry humor:

"It's snowing still," said Eeyore gloomily.
"so it is."
"And freezing."
"Is it?"
"Yes," said Eeyore. "However," he said, brightening up a little, "we haven't had an earthquake lately."

Here's an excerpt from when Eeyore was knocked into the water by Tigger:

"Eeyore!" cried everybody.
Looking very calm, very dignified with his legs in the air, came Eeyore from beneath the bridge.
"It's Eeyore!" cried Roo, terribly excited.
"Is that so?" said Eeyore, getting caught up by a little eddy, and turning slowly round three times. "I wondered."
"I didn't know you were playing, " said Roo.
"I'm not, " said Eeyore.
"Eeyore, what are you doing there?" said Rabbit.
"I'll give you three guesses, Rabbit. Digging holes in the ground? Wrong. Leaping from branch to branch of a young oak-tree? Wrong. Waiting for somebody to help me out of the river? Right. Give Rabbit time, and he'll always get the answer."
" But, Eeyore," said Pooh in distress, "What can we -- I mean, how shall we--do you think if we----"
"Yes," said Eeyore, "One of those would be just the thing. Thank you, Pooh."
"He's going round and round," said Roo, much impressed.
"And why not?" said Eeyore coldly.
"I can swim too," said Roo proudly.
"Not round and round, " said Eeyore. "It's much more difficult."...

He kinda reminds me of House. :)

anyway, it goes on and on. but it's so very delightful, that I had to share a little.

Tuesday, May 29, 2007

Green, Blue and Red make Donald Duck!

In school, we just learned about how a television works. Afterward, we looked at the TV screen with a magnifying glass, so we could see all the tiny squares that make up a picture.


Monday, May 28, 2007

I am an Archer

I've been thinking about my job, as a parent, recently, and it's led me to ponder Psalm 127 --especially verses four and five:

"Like arrows in the hand of a warrior, so are thie children in one's youth.
How blessed is the man whose quiver is full of them;
They will not be ashamed when they speak with their enemies in the gate."

I am a warrior with four powerful arrows in my quiver. And if I am careless, and don't aim, my arrows could go anywhere: into the sky, into the ground, into a friend, or even into my own heart. But if I learn the art of archery, and if I take careful aim, my arrows can make a powerful impact, and even deal a death-blow to the enemy.
I pray that I may be a strong and skillful archer, and that God will stretch out my bow, and aim my arrows for me, and that they will soar straight to heart of the enemy.


long day

We went to the park the other day, and the kids crashed as soon as we got in the car. :)


Saturday, May 26, 2007

miracle remedy?

awhile back, i was having some unhappy acne issues. when I asked around, one thing that came up was coconut oil. Apparently it's really good for you, ingested, and applied topically. But it seemed too strange, so i never looked into it. Recently, I read an article by a doctor, saying that coconut oil is one of the most healthy cooking oils. Since my acne is still bad, and I've been looking for a good cooking oil, i finally sought it out & bought some from my local health-nut store.

When I got home, I thought I'd do a little internet research & find out about the acne thing. Well, I was amazed at what I discovered! Apparently, it's good for a zillion different things, including deoderant, hair conditioner, eczema, athletes foot, ringworm and other funguses, just to name a few. Also, ingested, it's supposed to help your energy levels, metabolism, tooth health, and sugar cravings (just to name a few).

I'm just so impressed with what i read, that i had to share it with you, too. :) i've tried it as a deoderant for a few days, and it's worked well, so far. I've also been putting it on my face, for acne. I plan to try it for a month, to see how it does with all my hormone cycles. So far, so good. :)

If you want to find out more, I found this website to be pretty interesting. That page will show you people's comments and uses. There's also a link near the top of that page, to "facts about coconut oil."

(as a side note, the above website says mentions Apple cider vinegar as their most popular home remedy. I heven't read it yet, but it looks interesting.)

Here are a couple excerpts from another article that i read:

"Coconut oil is one of the most stable oils you can buy. It does not turn rancid easily. It does not attack your arteries. In fact, coconut oil was one of the foods Weston Price studied in his journeys. He discovered that the coconut was considered, by the local populations, a medicine food. He found that those civilizations that consumed coconut regularly had no knowledge of cancer, heart disease, arthritis, and diabetes."

and

"Let’s take a look at the healing properties of coconut oil:
*Coconut oil is antiviral, antifungal (kills yeast too) and antibacterial. It attacks and kills viruses that have a lipid (fatty) coating, such as herpes, HIV, hepatitis C, the flu, and mononucleosis. It kills the bacteria that cause pneumonia, sore throats, dental cavities, urinary tract infections, meningitis, gonorrhea, food poisoning, pneumonia, and many, many more bacterial infections. It kills the fungus/yeast infections that cause candida, ringworm, athletes foot, thrush, jock itch, diaper rash and more.

*Coconut oil is called the "low fat" fat. It actually acts like a carbohydrate in that it is quickly broken down in the liver and used as quick energy. It is NOT stored like other fats. It boosts one’s energy and endurance. Many athletes use it blended into their drinks. It also supports thyroid function and increases your metabolism (great if you want to lose weight).

*Coconut oil improves digestion and absorption of fat soluble vitamins, minerals (especially calcium and magnesium), and amino acids. It improves the body’s use of blood glucose and improves insulin secretion and absorption (great for type II diabetes). In fact, many diabetics (type I and type II) use it to reduce their symptoms. One’s risk of diabetes decreases with regular use of coconuts and coconut oil. And as we already mentioned, cooking with coconut oil does not create any harmful byproducts.

*Coconut oil helps the body heal and repair faster. It aids and supports immune function, protecting us from a variety of cancers.

Coconut oil, contrary to much hubbub, is good for your heart. It keeps our blood platelets from sticking together (and causing dangerous clots). Regular users of coconut oils have a much lower chance of atherosclerosis (clogging of the arteries), arteriosclerosis (hardening of the arteries), and strokes. Coconut oil can lower your blood pressure.

*Coconut oil is a natural antioxidant. It protects the body from free radical damage and prevents premature aging and degenerative diseases.

*Finally, coconut oil is the best massage oil on the planet. What it does to your skin, you simply have to witness. It forms a barrier against infections, softens and moisturizes your skin, and prevents wrinkling, sagging, and age spots. It promotes healthy hair and complexion, protects from any damaging UV rays. (It is used in Ron Salley’s products.) "

Friday, May 25, 2007

Global Day of Prayer

is this Sunday, May 27, 2007. Please join with me and thousands (millions?) of others across the globe, who are crying out to God, to heal our land, to touch His people, and pour out his power and glory on every nation.

The following is an article about the Global Day of Prayer. If you're in a hurry, I would recommend that you come back & watch the 13 min. video when you have time, because it's POWERFUL.


In July 2000 God captured the heart of a South African Christian businessman, Graham Power, with a vision based on 2 Chron. 7:14. The vision had three clear instructions:

1. To call Christians from all denominations in Cape Town for a Day of Repentance and Prayer at Newlands Rugby Stadium.
2. To challenge Christians across the rest of South Africa to unite in a Day of Repentance and Prayer.
3. To challenge Christians in Southern Africa to unite in a Day of Repentance and Prayer.

In March of 2001 more than 45 000 Christians united for a Day of Repentance and Prayer at Newlands Rugby Stadium in Cape Town. It was a day of intense intercession that transformed lives and was reflected in a changing city in the months to come. Testimonies of transformation caused the vision to be spread into the rest of South Africa and planning immediately started for similar prayer gatherings in 8 provinces of South Africa for 2002.

In February 2002 Graham Power had a second vision. This vision had an even bigger challenge: The whole of Africa was to gather in a Day of Repentance and Prayer, changing Africa to become a "light to the world".
Eventually, Africa was to invite all the nations of the globe to unite in this move of transformational prayer.

In May of 2002 Christians in South Africa gathered in 8 different venues for a Day of Repentance and Prayer. Again, the testimonies of church unity and the healing of communities inspired leaders to expand the vision into the rest of Africa. At a Summit in September 2002 leaders of 9 African countries agreed on the vision "Africa for Christ".

At the same time, it was clear that different prayer streams from across the globe were flowing in the same direction with a similar vision of community transformation through prayer. God was busy raising up a church of intercession in order to prepare communities for the revelation of His glory.

Across the African continent millions of Christians were inspired to participate in the process of transforming Africa. 77 South African regions and 27 African countries (66 cities) committed to a Day of Repentance and Prayer for Africa on the 1st of May 2003.

On 2 May 2004 history was made when Christians from all 56 nations of Africa participated in the first ever continental Day of Repentance and Prayer for Africa.
Numerous communities, villages, towns and cities united in non-denominational prayer gatherings at different venues. In South Africa 277 communities participated. A flame of prayer was burning in Africa!

At a meeting of the International Prayer Council in Malaysia in November 2004, the invitation from Africa went out to the nations of the world to join in a five year Global Day of Prayer process up to 2010. On Pentecost Sunday, 15 May 2005, Christians from 156 of the 220 nations of the world united across denominational and cultural borders for the first Global Day of Prayer. In the months following this day, Christians were overwhelmed by the testimonies of God's powerful work in answer to these prayers.

This move of prayer again miraculously expanded in 2006, when on Pentecost Sunday (4 June 2006) millions of Christians from 199 of the 220 nations of the world united in prayer.

But, this is just the beginning of a process to saturate all the nations of the globe in prayer: "For the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord as the waters cover the sea" (Hab. 2:14). May every Pentecost until 2010 see a fresh outpouring of the Holy Spirit!


Thursday, May 24, 2007

Wednesday, May 23, 2007

Three Years Ago, Today

My little Zachary Peter was born. Poor Zachary didn't have a middle name for a few days (which is more than I can say for Gideon!). We just couldn't decide between Peter or David. For months after he was born, Chloe and Gideon would say, "Mom, is it Zachary Peter, or Zachary David?" And I honestly didn't know, because I couldn't remember which one we had picked. :)

Zachary is a joy to my life. He's full of fun an energy. He's all boy. He's boysterous, and playful. But he loves to cuddle with his mamma. And he adores his baby sister. It's so fun to watch your children grow and change before your eyes. It's exciting to see how much more he'll change in the next year.

Tuesday, May 22, 2007

need your opinion, quick!

okay... the current photo challenge that i'm doing is "Flowers." Tomorrow is the last day to enter the contest, and I have no clue which ones to use!! please look at my flickr page and tell me which ones (I can do 2) you think i should enter. I can use any of the photos on the 1st page, or the 1st two rows on the second page.

your thoughts?

Monday, May 21, 2007

Birthdays

This is a week of birthdays!
To Dawn, who's birthday was yesterday. What did you do to celebrate? I hope it was something fun.


And
to Jacob, who is 10 today! oooh! He's entered the double-digits! How was the party?




Peter Pan pays a vistit to our house

In our living room, we have a ledge in front of the fireplace. It makes a perfect stage for any performance and is probably one of the favorite spots in the house, for the kids. This day, they were having a blast jumping off of it. :)

Just think Happy thoughts!!!


And the children fly happily away to neverland, while Evy waves goodbye. :)



Saturday, May 19, 2007

Dinner with Evy

The other night, after dinner, we all went into another room to do something. When I walked back to the dining room, i found Evy sitting on top of the table, helping herself to the leftovers. As is usual for her now, she struck a pose as soon as she saw the camera. :)



Friday, May 18, 2007

AWESOME!

Check out these AMAZING photos!!

Each little flower that opens...

Here is my 2nd photo for the challenge...

All Things Bright and Beautiful
by Cecil F. Alexander
All things bright and beautiful,
All creatures great and small,
All things wise and wonderful:
The Lord God made them all.

Each little flower that opens,
Each little bird that sings,
He made their glowing colors,
He made their tiny wings.
(Refrain)

The rich man in his castle,
The poor man at his gate,
He made them, high or lowly,
And ordered their estate.
(Refrain)

The purple headed mountains,
The river running by,
The sunset and the morning
That brightens up the sky.

(Refrain)

The cold wind in the winter,
The pleasant summer sun,
The ripe fruits in the garden,
He made them every one.
(Refrain)

The tall trees in the greenwood,
The meadows where we play,
The rushes by the water,
To gather every day.

(Refrain)

He gave us eyes to see them,
And lips that we might tell
How great is God Almighty,
Who has made all things well.
I just LOVE that song...the first and last verses are my favorites.

I can see clearly now, the rain is gone...

I joined a fun group on flickr yesterday. They give you a photo challenge twice a week. You're allowed to submit two photos, and then everyone votes on the best one. The challenge they gave yesterday, was, "communicate in picture and in song." We're supposed to think of a song that we like, and then take a picture to illustrate that song. Here was my first photo:




A baby!

Awhile back, the kids were begging me to have another baby. Finally, Gideon said, "Mom, if you have another baby, we promise we'll take care of it."

When my friend Angie brought her baby over the other day, Gideon was *so* proud to be able to hold him. Chris came home for a few minutes, & Gideon was so excited to be able to show him how he was holding a baby.... kinda makes me want another....


I love this picture of chloe & the baby.
You may remember that I posted a few months ago about Angie's baby. When he was just a week or two old, he had to have surgery because his intestines were twisted. It was such a difficult time for their family. But now he's a big healthy boy. Thank you, Lord, for your kindness and mercy.

Thursday, May 17, 2007

Another Great Book

I read another great book when I was in Yosemite last month. It's called Don't Make Me Count to Three! by Ginger Plowman. My friend, Jamie recommended it to me, and to be honest, the title didn't thrill me. BUT... it was a GREAT book!

You may know, from reading my "best books" lists that one of my favorite parenting books is "Shepherding a Child's Heart." I had also begun to read "Teach Them Diligently" by Lou Priolo, which is all about using scripture to teach your children. Well, Ginger Plowman's book basically summarized those two books plus another one, in *her* book. Her writing is very simple and easy to understand, plus, it give tons of practical advice.

So...if you'd like a great parenting book, may I suggest, Don't Make Me Count to Three (A Mom's look at hert-oriented discipline)? :)

I will, of course, be adding this to my books-list-link on the side of this page.

Letting Christ do it

we read an excerpt from a book last night, that I really liked. it's from the book, Ruthless Trust by Brennan Manning (not sure if i spelled his name right). I've read Mr. Manning's book, The Ragamuffin Gospel and really liked it. If I ever have time to read, again, I think i'd like to read this one, too.

anyway, here's what we read:

" If you feel the call of the spirit, then be holy with all
your soul, with all your heart, and with all your strength. If, however,
because of human weekness, you cannot be holy, then be perfect with all your
soul, with all your heart, and with all your strength.
But if you cannot be perfect because of the vanity of
your life, then be good with all your soul...Yet, if you cannot be good because
of the trickery of the Evil One, then be wise with all your soul...
If, in the end, you can neither be holy, nor perfect,
nor good, nor wise because of the weight of your sins, then carry this weight
before God and surrender your life to his divine mercy.
If you do this, without bitterness, wih all humility, and with a
joyous spirit due to the tenderness of a God who loves the sinful and
ungrateful, then you will begin to feel what it is to be wise, you will learn
what it is to be good, you will slowly aspire to be perfect, and finally you
will long to be holy. "

double-whammy

Chris called me up yesterday afternoon, around 4:30 and said, "i don't have time to talk. I signed us up to take a 'freedom in christ' class at church on wednesdays from 7-8:30. That's tonight, so see if you can find us a sitter. bye." So i went into a tizzy to find us a sitter. unfortunately, our usual sitter was busy, and all the church girls had churchy things going on, so they couldn't do it either. Luckily, our friend, Kristina (who the kids call Aunty Tina) was able to come at the last minute.

So....now we're taking a class at church. I'm very excited, because i wanted to take it, but it's going to be going on at the same time as my photography class, and i'm concerned that it's going to be a bit much..... oh well!

We'll be going through Neil Anderson's book, Victory over the Darkness. We'll be reading 1-2 chapters/week and doing the study guide that goes with it. Then we'll meet with a "coach" once a week, and attend the class on wednesdays. Because we joined 2 weeks late, we're already behind. i'll need to read the 1st four chapters by next Wednesday... ak!

anyway...i really enjoyed the class last night and got a lot out of it. so, this should be fun. :)

Wednesday, May 16, 2007

back to school

well...i've enrolled in a college course. AK! I've been so enjoying my new camera, I thought I should take a class. Our local city college offers an online summer course, so I signed up. I was thinking that maybe, if i did a little at a time, i could get a degree in photography... I didn't think it'd be a big deal til i had to enroll. I had to apply and fill out forms! I don't think i'm cut out for this college stuff.

Anyway...i'm very excited about this class, and if i learn anything interesting, I'll be sure to share it with you. :)

Tuesday, May 15, 2007

For Heather

We just finished reading a fun book by Eric Carle, "Animals, Animals." It had a poem that made me think of heather ;-)


Mother Doesn't Want a Dog
Mother doesn't want a dog.
mother says they smell,
And never sit when you say sit
Or even when you yell.
And when you come home late at night,
And there is ice and snow,
You have to go back out because
The dumb dog has to go.
Mother doesn't want a dog.
Mother says they shed,
and alsways let the strangers in
And bark at friends instead.
And do disgraceful things on rugs,
And track mud on the floor,
And flop upon your bed at night
And snore their doggy snore.
Mother doesn't want a dog.
She's making a mistake.
Because, more than a dog, I think
She will not want this snake.
--Judith Viorst
tee hee. :)

Speaking of Dinosaurs...

i read a cute poem yesterday, by John Gardner:

The Lizard

The Lizard is a timid thing
That cannot dance or fly or sing;
He hunts for bugs beneath the floor
And longs to be a dinosaur.
Don't know why, but that last line tickled me. :)

Dinosaurs


Heather sent me some fun CD's a couple months ago. One of the songs she gave me is "We are the dinosaurs," by I-don't-know-who (heather?). Every time the kids hear it, they start marching around, and roaring. So cute! I just had to share the pics, but they're not near as good without the music. :)




Marching, Marching



We stop and take a rest, over in our nest.


ROOOOAAAAAARRR!!!!!





Mighty Warrior

This is Gideon, my Mighty Warrior

Monday, May 14, 2007

Happy Mother's Day!

I know this is a little late, but I was too busy enjoying my mother's day to post it yesterday. :)

one of my favorite sappy mom stories:

Once upon a time there was a child ready to be born. The child asked
God, "They tell me you are sending me to earth tomorrow, but how am I
going to live there being so small and helpless?"

God replied, "Among the many angels, I chose one for you. Your angel
will be waiting for you and will take care of you."

The child further inquired, "But tell me, here in heaven I don't have to
do anything but sing and smile to be happy."

God said, "Your angel will sing for you and will also smile for you
everyday. And you will feel your angel's love and be very happy."

Again the child asked, "And how am I going to be able to understand
when people talk to me if I don't know the language?"

God said, "Your angel will tell you the most beautiful and sweet
words you will ever hear, and with much patience and care...
your angel will teach you how to speak."

"And what am I going to do when I want to talk to you?"

God said, "Your angel will place your hands together and will teach you
how to pray."

"I've heard that on Earth there are bad men. Who will protect
me?"

God said, "Your angel will defend you even if it means risking it's
life."

"But I will always be sad because I will not see you
anymore."

God said, "Your angel will always talk to you about me and will teach
you the way to come back to me, even though I will always be next to
you."

At that moment there was much peace in heaven, but voices from Earth could
be heard and the child hurriedly asked, "God,... if I am to leave now,
please tell me my angel's name."

"Her name is not important. You will simply call
her,...........Mom."



Thank you, Mom, for being my angel.

"All that I am or ever hope to be, I owe to my angel Mother." - Abraham Lincoln

Friday, May 11, 2007

Boxing

you may remember me telling you that every monday, after ballet, the kids visit a boxing gym and hit the punching bags for a few minutes. Last time I was there, i took a few pictures. Here are my favorites.










Thursday, May 10, 2007

a reason to celebrate


this weekend, i was able to wear my pre-pregnancy jeans for the first time since before Evy was born. my body usually snaps back a couple months after having a baby, but not this time. i figured i would never lose the weight. But since my only pair of jeans was dirty, i went ahead and tried on my old ones. and they fit! YAY!

Wednesday, May 09, 2007

I'm glad I asked...or, how to chose a watermelon


I went to costco the other day and was looking at the watermelon. I hate picking out melons, because i never know how to find a good one. I heard that a ripe cantelope smells fruity, so you're supposed to sniff them to see which one is good. Once, when I sniffed one, I got a nose full of mold that was growing on the rind. But that's another story. So i was looking at the watermelon, trying to look like I knew what I was doing, when I noticed a pretty girl (20's?) doing the same thing. i just assumed that she was as clueless as me, and thought i'd make friendly conversation, so I said, "How do you pick a good watermelon?" I expected her to say, "I have no idea." And then I would say, "me neither." and then we'd laugh, or something. But instead, she started telling me all about watermelon! apparently, she grew up on a farm.

So here's what she told me: if you thunk it, and you hear a dull thud, it's not ripe. But if it sounds hollow, that's a good one. Also, the heavier they are, the better, becuase that means they have a lot of stuff inside. And the best ones have a little bit of juice oozing out of the stem-stump, because that means they're really juicy inside.

as a side note, i asked the produce guy how to pick a cantelope. He didn't say anything about smelling them. He said to squeeze them gently, especially around the stem-stump (what's that spot called?). If they're tender, that means they're ripe....on second thought, I think he *did* say that they would smell fruity.

Tuesday, May 08, 2007

body parts

awhile back, chloe asked me why boys and girls had different "wee-wees". I gave her some very basic answer about making babies, and she was satisfied with that. Out of curiosity, i asked some other mothers what they would have said. The answer i liked the best was, "so you can tell them apart." of course! how simple is that? Well, Chloe asked me again, a couple days ago, "mom, why do girls' wee-wees look different from boys'?" This time i used the simple answer: "So you can tell them apart." And chloe said, "but we always keep them covered so no one can see them." Sheesh. I guess it wasn't such a simple answer after all. So, I went back to my first answer, and told her that boys use their wee-wees to put something into the girls' so that she can make a baby. Chloe liked this answer better, and added, "but they don't get stuck together" (Remembering the butterflies, and how they took hours to mate) :)

Monday, May 07, 2007

The Fair

well, i've *finally* finished posting all of my pictures from the fair a couple weeks ago. You can see all of my pictures at flickr, but here are my favorites. :)
Every time we drove by the fair, zachy would say, "mommy, sing the roller coaster song." So if you want the full effect, you can listen to this song while you look at the pictures. :)

update(5/08): Erik has informed me that my itunes songs won't work on here. >:( so i'll just have to give you the lyrics instead:

Last night I took a walk after dark
A swingin' place called Palisades Park
To have some fun and see what I could see
That's where the girls areI
took a ride on a shoot-the-chute
That girl I sat beside was awful cute
And after while she was holdin' hands with me
My heart was flyin' up like a rocket ship
Down like a roller coaster
Back like a loop-the-loop
And around like a merry-go-round
We ate and ate at a hot dog stand
We danced around to a rockin' band
And when I could, I gave that girl a hug
In the tunnel of love
You'll never know how great a kiss can feel
When you stop at the top of a Ferris wheel
When I fell in love down at Palisades Park
--Freddy Cannon


Chloe's butterfly.



Wide-mouthed Frog

Evy has begung to pose for pictures. Any time she sees my camera pointed at her, she cocks her head & smiles, and says, "eeeeeeeeeeeeeeee" for cheese. :)


Evy looks at her butterfly.




I thought i'd see how close i could get to the moon, between my zoom and some cropping on the computer. If you click on the photo, to see it large, you can see some craters at the bottom-right side of the moon.


I love how Gideon is looking at chris. :)




Nobody I know. just thought it looked cool. If you view this large, it's fun to look at the people's faces.

Traffic Jam


"You'll never know how great a kiss can feel til you're stopped at the top of a ferris wheel."
"I took a ride on the shoot-the-chute. The girl I sat beside was awful cute. And when it stopped she was holding hands with me."

The ticket lady didn't want to take Zachy's ticket.

"We ate and ate at a hot dog stand..."

Every time the kids see a flag, they shout, "stars and stripes forever!"


Gideon goes on a helicopter ride.


These are show lambs, freshly shorn for the show.


The kids got to go on a real-live meri-go-round (how do you spell that?). Their first time ever, to ride real horses.



Evy feeds a goat. I, of course, have pictures of all the kids feeding the goats, they're on flickr.

Chloe looks for stones in the water. --this is probably my favorite picture.


Panning for gold. (the theme of the fair was "how the west was fun") They actually got to find gold in the pans. --but they didn't ge to keep it.


Zachy & this little girl have very similar personalities. I thought this picture was funny, because they're standing the exact same way, holding their bodies the same way, etc. they should've been twins.

This was just so sad. Zachy wouldn't hold the food close enough for this poor goat to reach it. He'd stick his tongue out as far as he could, to no avail.


The milk goats were SO friendly, because they're hand-fed when they're babies. This one was really cuddly with Chloe.


Evy loved petting the goats too.


Baby alpaca


I just loved this guy's smile!