Saturday, July 28, 2007

The New Guinea Singing Dog Makes a Comeback!

Last February, after an emergency vet trip for one of our dogs, Sam asked if dogs have a uvula (to see the post click here). We couldn't see down Poncho's throat (he's such an excitable dog!), so we did a little research and found that dogs do not have uvulae. Except the New Guinea Singing Dog, which has a uvula-like structure in the back of its soft palate. Well, lo and behold, we go to the San Diego Zoo and someone asks us if we want to take a picture with a singing dog! I was stunned! We excitedly asked if it was the New Guinea Singing Dog and began telling the uvula story. The trainer looked a bit surprised, and maybe a little like she was thinking, "Ah, the wackos have landed!" But yes, it was the NGSD!

Well, the story continues. Today we get ZOONOOZ Magazine in the mail and one of the featured articles is about the very dog we met! It's a small, small world!

Saturday, June 30, 2007

Look Out Mars, Here We Come!

We've been learning about the planets. I was totally unaware that Sam and Grace were taking a trip to Mars. I walked into the kitchen, minding my own business, and found Sam rumaging through pots and pans. When I asked what he was doing, he informed me that he and Grace needed space helmets. "For what?" I asked. Because they couldn't breathe on Mars without space helmets, of course. Silly me! He couldn't see out of the pots, so we all came up with other ideas. Their trip to Mars was great fun! I almost missed it. Imagine how surprised I would have been it they just flew off in their space shuttle without any goodbyes?

Happy Birthday, Aunt Jo!




We love you!

Wednesday, May 30, 2007

Memorial Day

I'm sad to say that my husband and I used to treat Memorial Day as a great time to get away for the weekend--totally ignoring the reason for the day off. Then we had children. We wanted our children to learn to be grateful for the people who have died standing between us and harm. So we now treat Memorial Day as a special day to honor those who have protected us and preserved our liberty. We put out our flag, decorate our home, sing patriotic songs, and dress in red, white and blue. We attend a Memorial Day Ceremony at the local cemetary, where they read the names of every person from our area who died in battle. The ceremony isn't fancy. The speakers aren't particularly articulate. They're just a bunch of heroes who love their country and are committed to honoring their fellow soldiers. Just regular guys. I find the whole thing quite moving.

Sunday, May 20, 2007

Sam Teaches Grace to Read



Well, I think I've nearly worked myself out of a job! My five-year-old is teaching my three-year-old to read!

Saturday, May 19, 2007

I've Been Tagged!!!


I've been tagged--had to ask my husband what that was! This sounds fun!


Rules:


1. Each player starts with eight random facts/habits about themselves.


2. People who are tagged need to write their own blog about their eight things and post these rules.


3. At the end of your blog, you need to choose eight people to get tagged and list their names.


4. Don't forget to leave them a comment telling them they're tagged, and asking them to read your blog.



Here are my eight random facts:



1. Sorry, ladies. I have the best husband in the world! He is funny, sensitive, makes my motor race and is the best dad ever!!! I can always count on him! Besides all of this, he is one of the smartest, most interesting people I know. I love being married to him.



2. I love taking hot bubble baths while watching a movie on our portable DVD player.



3. I love Diet Coke from the fountain. It's like an addiction for me...diet coke with just the right amount of ice so that it clinks in the cup just so! Ahhh! I can even tell if it is diet or not by the way the fizz looks!



4. I hate Diet Coke in the bottle or can. Bottled soda definately must be Diet Pepsi for me.



5. I'm a Believer, by that I mean that I follow Jesus Christ. I fail miserably at living up to my own standards, let alone God's standards! It is only by His grace that I can continue the journey in spite of my failings!



6. I am blessed to have three beautiful children. They alternately drive me crazy and charm my heart. They add more joy to my life than they can ever know.



7. My husband and I think that watching our children is WAY better than any television show!



8. We have annual passes to Disneyland. One of my very favorite things to do is to give the parking attendant one of our children's passes (they are African American and we are white). The looks are amazingly funny as they try to hide their surprise and discreetly try to see into the back of the van! I know, this is kind of warped, but it gives me the jollies!



The eight people I will tag:



1. My husband (Family: The Final Frontier)


2. Fully Operational Battle Station


3. From Our Bunch to Yours


4. Wilkifam Blog Spot


5. I don't know eight bloggers either!











Saturday, May 5, 2007

Last Game of Sam's First Season

I uploaded this movie mostly to share with family and friends. It's about 12 minutes of highlights from Sam's last game. Sam makes several great rebounds during the second half! Go Trojans!

UPDATE: I deleted the movie. Apparently it was too long to supported by YouTube!