Summer is over

Fun times ahead!

Through the years

It's good for sisters to spend time together:

Farm adventures

We've had a fun week+ at the farm as usual. Some of the activities have including running to the ER for stitches and glue for John,


 and petting the snake that lives behind the toilet in the downstairs bathroom. Fortunately, it was John who discovered Ratty, who didn't startle him enough to aim worse than usual.



We've had moments of rural beauty with the baby chicks:



And we have appropriated some rural hair styles, like mohawks (don't worry, after another buzz with the clippers, he looks more like he has a high and tight, good for tick siting)

One more pastoral scene: Blond girls on blond horses:

A visitor

Last night Bosco frightened me with his vigorous barking - I thought someone was trying to break in one of the cars. Then I heard scratching at my front door, and this is what I found:

I guess they really are nearly blind because it didn't run away when the flash went off.

 Very professional video footage here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LBVkMXSVhUI.

First Communion weekend

Blessings on Sarah, Annie and Daniel - 2010 First Communicants!

Some photos of our weekend with Mom and Dad:

Dad with eyes mostly open

Happy Annie

the fam

Cake!

Annie wore the dress I made for her second communion

Nana holds a baby gator

Pop and gator friend in the distance

After Claire showed us she only had one finger left

John happy to see Nana and Pop

Joe with friends after jr National Honor Society induction

Fun in the Sun

Nothing beats a dirt pile for fun.

Unless it is Uncle John.

Or entertainment from squeezable Charlie:

By the way, Sid Hoff's Scarface Al and His Uncle Sam is a steal at Amazon for only $3.30 used.  Meanwhile, Professor Wormbog in Search of the Zipper-ump-a-zoo goes for as much as $274.

Fun With Trampoline

The Genie!



The Spindle!



The ...moving camera!



The TEN!

A teenager!

Happy Birthday Joe!

From this:

To this:

In just 13 short years.

Ben turns 12

Happy Birthday Ben!

This cake did not turn out as well as Luke's. Not enough powdered sugar.

Ben and Joe display their weaponry

Nana gets into the bead thing. Thank goodness she didn't show off her goods.

Happy Birthday to us

Before Dan left we had quadruple chocolate cake and enough candles for everyone to make wishes since he'll miss all the birthdays.

New pets:

Ready for High School Musical Knex edition. I guess James is happy to be 10.

What do you think this says?

Claire told me it says "Sticker":

She wrote this all by herself, when the kids were at school.

Happy Birthday, Uncle John!

Have a great birthday, Little Brother!

Survival

Well, I've finished my fiftieth load of laundry and have almost emptied a container of bleach in the process, but I think we have defeated the bug that has been passed around here. Maybe we sent it away with Gram and Pop Cook, with whom we had a nice visit this weekend, despite having weak stomachs.

In celebration of health, here is our only picture of the weekend:

If you take your report card to Krispy Kreme, you can get a free donut for every A, with a limit of 6. (James must have been visiting the throne when this picture was taken.)

So we are beginning the month-long celebration of Mardi Gras.  If anyone wants to join us for the Gulf Coast celebrations, the doors are opened and the kids have Fat Monday and Tuesday off of school.

More Cows

I couldn't figure out how to upload this video of the baby calf, so now you can watch it at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zd2-5xvjtKg

More pictures of cousins/sisters? scaring bad guys

Don't mess with a cow in labor.

The birthing party protecting the mother from intrusive onlookers

The midwife coming to warn off invaders

This should frighten someone

The intrusive onlookers ready for excitement

The newest favorite

A deterrent to attackers