Gateway Arch In St. Louis

We took the ride in the Arch today. It was windy so it was very "wobbly" up there.

Don't Fiddle With The Knobs!

Aat the hotel in Kansas the air/heat unit in our room didn't work . My brother called the front desk to ask how to operate the air conditioner.The front desk said there was nothing they could do, so my sister got on the phone and told them to credit her account. His response was, (in a Brittish accent), "With all due respect ma'am, if ur man hadnt been fiddling with your knobs...yada yada yada..." Well, I don't remember the rest of what he said but laughed really hard. (seriously, would you remember what was said after a beginning like that? ROFL) She responded politely and when she ended the conversation we all laughed hysterically for a while, then contemplated moving to a different room or going to the previous hotel(with fabulously padded mattresses and fluffy comforters and down filled pillows and a fireplace in the living room and a big breakfast and many more comfort features) or
stay put and deal with the heat. We decided to stay, opened the window, and prayed for a breeze.

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45th Parallel

Monday was a beautiful day for a road trip. Zac and Spencer and I drove up to our friends ranch to pick Bash up. We had fun! Zac and Spencer posed under the 45th Parallel sign. It is half way between the equator and the north pole. We had a difficult time finding the line representing the 45th Parallel on the map we had that day. Weird.

Zac Carries Sierra

Sierra followed Zac everywhere he went. He worried that he may step on her, so he decided to carry her. She was lovin' it.

Sierra Sitting On Zacs Lap

Zacs chicken, Sierra, is more like an affectionate puppy than a bird. She follows us around all day. When we stand still she will stand on our feet. When we sit down she will hop onto our laps and sit with us. She like being pet and even enjoys being carried around under Zacs arm.

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Blaires First Egg

Bash's chicken, Blaire (remember The Whole Ten Yards? LOL), thought our ultra messy garage would be a great place to lay her egg on her first day at her new home. She fluffed up the dirt on the floor to make a nice little nest area first. It was very cute. The egg is a pretty beigy-buff color. It will be very yummy in our tummy(s).

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Zac Caring For A Couple Kids

Bash and Zac are having a blast up north at the farm. Bash and the boys went sucker fishing with their grandpa. Zac stayed behind to help Chantel care for the kids and assist with the birth of more little ones. I've never seen goats in the house before. How cute! Everybody say awwww!
I have been busy helping a friend pack and get ready to move.

Snuggling With The Kids

Just looking at this picture makes me happy! What a great day!
The boyz and I took the fabulous road trip to the farm up north. The weather was perfect and I was able to take a lot of great pics! (except I forgot to take my charger and my battery died before I was able to get pics of the boys building a real teepee!)
We made it just in time to witness the birth of two kids (baby goats.) The kids are so tiny and fluffy and clumsy and cute! I wanted to "kid"nap one.
The boyz have been invited to stay at the farm for kidding season. This means they will be able to help with the care of the goats before, during, and after birth. I think they will have a lot of fun bottle feeding all the baby goats.
The boyz may help care for chickens and ducks and dogs and the garden and any other chore that happens on the farm.
It should be a wonderful adventure for them!

It Is What It Is...And It's ALL Good!

IT IS WHAT IT IS. After an event has taken place, there is nothing we can do to change it. Often we can make amends if we have behaved badly or we can repair something that has been broken, but we can never go back in time&actually change what happened. Why waste another moment of your life wishing something had been different? It is a fruitless exercise that consumes energy that could, rather, should be used to live joyfully in THIS moment. (joy is a choice, not a state of being)(I say THIS moment because #1 we can't control the future so why bother worrying about it & #2 we are only guaranteed THIS moment so make the most of it)
IT'S ALL GOOD. Everything happens for a reason. Happy, painful, annoying, they all have purpose. Even spilling my milk has a purpose. Embrace the moments that make up your life (the good, bad, &ugly!)&KNOW that there is meaning&purpose&value in all things.
I'm not saying 2 lay down&take what life throws@u. Change what u can, accept what u cant, & love freely.

King Vitamin

Ronnies favorite cereal.
Usually King Vitamin is just one row of boxes sort of stashed away on the top shelf, but today there were two rows prominently displayed on the middle shelf near the Life and Cinnamon Life. They really grabbed my attention. King Vitamin always reminds me of Ronnie cuz it's his favorite. Ronald is the coolest! and I love him! <3
I just wanted to share. =-D

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Are You Being Stretched?

I definitely am! This snake appeared to be a solid brown color. We discovered that we were very mistaken when its skin was stretched and its pretty pattern was revealed. (This picture shows the neck and tail looking plain and the middle section stretched and pretty.)
Have you noticed that we may appear one way when life is flowing all happy and things are going our way, but our true colors are revealed when we are stretched beyond our confort zone. This does not have to be a bad thing. God can use that stretching process to reveal what is really there so we can once again turn to HIM to rearrange our ugly markings and create beautiful patterns in our lives. And, when our markings are already looking good, He will refine and beautify them even more. HE is just cool like that!

Snakes Markings

Notice that the tail end of the snake appears brown while the swollen middle part has clear markings. That is very neat.

Snake Digesting A Frog

Caution! If you are squeamish about animals eating other animals, do NOT scroll down.
This image is not graphic. The frog has moved down the snakes body and its neck is nearly back to its normal size but one can clearly see where the digesting frog is within the snake. It is really neat to be able to see all the markings on the snake more clearly where the frog is because the skin is stretched.

The Snake Ate The Frog!

Caution! If you are squeamish about animals eating other animals do NOT scroll down!
The snake managed to expand (stretch) its mouth around the frog. Zac and I were amazed to see how much it could stretch! It reminded me of a turtle neck sweater, how it looks so small but easily accomodates the mass of a persons head with plenty of room to spare.
I thought the picture of the snake with the frogs leg in its mouth was graphic enough. We have several more pics of the feeding process. If you want to see them send me an email and I will send them to you.

Snake Opens Its Mouth VERY Wide To Eat Frog

Caution! Do not scroll down if you are squeamish about animals eating other animals.
It was amazing to see how wide the snake was able to open its mouth!

Snake Eating Frog Leg

Caution! Do not scroll down if you are squeamish about animals eating live animals.
The snake decided that the frog would be a tasty snack and started by ingesting its leg. Interesting to watch, but also gross. Poor little-ish frog.

First Frog Of 2010

Zac also found his first frog since last fall, except the one he and K found in the ice during the winter.

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First Snake Of 2010

Zac found his first snake since last fall.