Nap Time

My little Abby prefers sleeping (and laying around) on her back lately. I'm sure she will prefer resting on her tummy again after her puppies are born.

Gene Simmons Military Tribute

My Little Sweeties

Mercy and Abby

?? Mystery Spider ??

Zac and I noticed this bright yellow (with red markings on its sides) spider in our driveway.
Can you say Ewwww!?!
Thank God it was tiny so I wasn't TOO creeped out.
It was quite beautiful and quickly attracted the attention of Sierra. She tried to eat it but we shooed her away so I could get a photo.
I've never seen a bright yellow spider before. Zac is sure it was poisenous because he believes that many poisenous creatures are brightly colored to warn potential predators.
I could not find this spider in my spider book. If you know what kind it is please leave a comment because we are curious to know. Thanks!

Blair's Egg Stash

It was quite comical to watch both girls hustle to the opposite side of the yard this morning after Zac let them out of their night time enclosure.
They don't nrmally run off in such a rush. We assumed they wanted to get into the sunshine and off the dewy grass.
When Zac walked around the yard he found them bickering about the space where we found Sierra's egg stash, except it is not just Sierra's stash. It is also Blair's. They have both been laying their eggs there!
Both hens wanted to lay an egg in the same place at the same time. Too funny! They figured it out and a short while later Zac added 2 fresh eggs to our egg carton.
He also made scrambled eggs for breakfast. Yummmm!

Sierra's Egg Stash

Zac accidentally discovered Sierra's stash of seventeen eggs!
She was nestled between a shed and an old steel bedframe that had grass and weeds growing tall enough to make her feel sheltered. (we had to pull everything back to get the picture)
She usually laid her eggs in a small crate which is inside the enclosure we keep her and Blaire in at night to protect them from predators. (They free range during the day.) Blaire usually laid her eggs in the garage.
We assumed they stopped laying because they were stressed after we took them to a friends house when we went to Kansas and they just hadn't fully recovered. We continued to keep an eye out for eggs around the yard.
Now we have to find Blair's egg stash. There are a lot of potential hiding places for nests out here in the woods.

'Be Roman Tic'

Can you guess what movie this quote is from?
"Be Roman Tic."

A hint:
The prince reads aloud from his Royal Guidebook,
"Chapter 4. How A Prince Must Behave At Ball"
"#1. Smile at Maidens."
The prince smiles at the maidens and they giggle.
"#2. Look heroic."
The prince flexes his muscles for the maidens and they giggle.
"#3. Be Roman Tic."
Huh? The prince looks at the book again and reads,
"Be Roman Tic??"
The prince appears puzzled, looks at the book again, and reads aloud,
"Be romantic!!"
Aha! He gets it.

Do you know it yet?

The movie is....(drum roll please).....Happily Never After!

Zac and I can't stop laughing (and quoting) that line!...."Be Roman Tic"

Global Academy: A Little More Info

Global Academy runs 7 days a week, 365 days a year. There are no days off. The researchers are required to communicate with their mentor every day and turn in a minimum of two projects each week. They have access to a teacher 24/7. The researchers also have access to other researchers. Global academy recently opened channels to other researchers in the UK and Australia! The researchers are supplied with awesome computers loaded with tons of neat software and a great digital camera which become theirs when they earn their diploma.
Bash has never attended school before. I expect the transition to be quite smooth because we have always learned in a similar manner, except this will be a little more directed (with the goal being to complete specific proficiencies rather than learning for pure enjoyment) and formal (presenting an essay, speech, poster, powerpoint or any other possible form of communication you can imagine to the mentor rather than an informal conversation with mom).

Bash Has Been Accepted To Global Academy!

Bash was accepted to Clio's Global Academy. We are very excited that he can participate in this unique school.
The young people are researchers rather than students. The researchers create their own projects rather than work through someone elses prepared curriculum.
The state of Michigan no longer requires students to spend a certain number of hours in a classroom to earn credit. Instead the students are required to show proficiency in many specific areas within each subject to earn credit.
Global Academy lists every proficiency within every subject. The list shows which proficiencies have been completed and which have not. The researchers have 24/7 access to this list so they always know what they still have to complete. The researchers are encouraged to complete the proficiencies in whatever way they want. They are actually creating their own lessons and curriculum using their personal interests and preferred learning styles.
To be continued...

Chicken Dog

Our chicken, Sierra, thinks she is one of the dogs. Today she was even sharing a dish of dog food with them! It is so comical to see the dogs and a chicken playing chase with Zac. She literally runs around with the dogs like she is part of their pack. Zac can call her and she will go to him just like the dogs do.

I Miss You 2

Since Shayna and I often exchange pics of what we are doing at the moment, I grabbed my water bottle and wrote "I Miss you!" and took a picture and sent it back. I probably should have taken a photo of myself carrying my dogs leash and frantically searching for my naughty run away dog. (he came back home on his own after trying to entice us into a game of tag...that little stinker!) It's not nearly as pretty as the beach but it's where I was at the moment. I miss her!

I Miss You!

Shayna sent this photo via text message today. We often send pics to each other of ourselves doing whatever we are doing at the moment. It could be hanging at the beach, the library, driving/riding in the car, getting groceries, waiting in line for a movie, watching tv at home...pretty much anything. I think this is the first picture message she has sent. I love it!

Looking Up 3

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Looking Up 2

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A Different Perspective

The Arch

Looking Up

The Bottom of the Arch

Looking Down

The family, looking down at the city from the top of the arch.

Being Cool At The Fountain

Bash isn't into smiling and being cute for the camera, so I had to try to be as cool as he is....but coolness is not a trait I posess. I managed to look sort of grouchy so it's all good.

At The Fountain

Bash and me at the fountain. That green roofed building and the arch are aligned with the fountain. Too neat! I love this pic. I wish I mirrored Bash's posture, then the pic would be really awesome.
The edge of the fountain angles in and is quite smooth. For a second I thought I might fall in. LOL That wouldn't be too big a deal except that water is an unnatural shade of blue. Eww.

Pretty Roof

The same green round roofed building from the street.

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View From the Top #5

There is a neat fountain on the other side of the building with the greenish round roof.

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View From The Top #4

Another view of the stadium.

View From The Top #3

What a great view of the stadium. The streets were filled with happy people of all ages heading to the baseball game and wearing their team colors. Fun!

View From The Top #2

Another awesome shadow of the arch.

View From The Top #1

Awesome shadow of the arch!

Welcome To The Top

The sign at the top of the arch. Well...I thought it was funny.

Riding The Tram

Me, in the tram. Fun!

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Bash Riding In The Tram

To get to the top f the arch one must take a ride in a tram that runs up and down the inside of the arch. Each tram has 5 seats and is fairly small. I was sort of scared to take the ride because I hated it when I was young, but Bash really wanted to go. Thankfully the ride was smoother so I didn't feel quite as queesy and the tram had brighter lighting so I didn't feel as claustrophobic. I still did not enjoy the ride but it wasn't a bad experience at all and the view at the top was beautiful so it was worth it.

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An Unusual View Of The Gateway Arch

It was a great day to visit the arch. The sky and clouds were beautiful and the sun was positioned perfectly in the sky for awesome photos. God is just cool like that!

Bash And The Arch

I love this! Bash was running his hand along the side of the arch as we were walking toward the entrance, which is underground. We are a touchy feely kind of family. LOL

Us At The Base Of The Arch

Bash and I settled down and posed nicely for the camera....well almost. ;)

Goofing Around

We were supposed to be posing, but instead Bash initiated a bit of rough housing. Fun!

The Park

The trees create a pretty path.

The Arch Through The Trees

The parking ramp led us to a beautiful park with a neat man made pond on one side, the river on the other, and the arch at the end. Pretty!

The Abandoned Hard Hat

We parked in the ramp to go ride in the arch. I was a very happy tourist when I exited the car and discovered an abandoned hard hat sitting on the vehicle next to ours. What a weird and fun photo opportunity! But by the time we all got out of the car and I got my camera out the owner of the hat walked up. He started to walk away with it but I (of course) stopped him and asked if i could take a picture of his "abandoned hat." He laughed, replaced that hat, waited for me to take the picture, and even posed with it for me. He said he was an architect and it would be great advertising for him. He and his partner had recently won an award.
I wish I would have used my flash. :(

Bash's Reflection

I was taking a lot of pictures of everything, like I always do, because you never know when you're going to get a fabulous photo out of something that seems uninteresting. This photo looked dull until I noticed that I accidentally caught Bash's image in the mirror. Now I think it's neat.

The Beautiful Gateway Arch In St. Louis

I love this photo! It was taken from the car window while we were driving! How cool!

Which Way Do We Go?

We live in a very small town and have to drive a VERY long way to see this many signs on a single post. It made me laugh, and made me grateful for not being the driver at that moment.

Tall Round Building

After the funeral events Dad and Judy took Bash and me to Aunt Joyces home.
They have a lovely home.
We visited with everyone for a while. I wish we could have stayed longer. I love being with the Browns!

*This is a neat building in St. Louis.

The Bush

The funeral was amazing! I cried like a baby, of course. About 500 people passed through the building that day. It was a full house. But why wouldn't it be? Uncle Doug was an awesome man and deeply impacted many lives!
After the funeral, we drove to the cemetary. Bash and I rode with Dad and Judy. Bash and Rob were pall bearers.
There was a lovely dinner at the church after the cemetary.

* This bush was outside our hotel room. I love how the bright new growth contrasts and compliments the deeper color of the older growth.

I Fixed My Pump!

My pump broke and we were without water...again! Ugh. It has happened so many times that it has become a minor inconvenience rather than a huge obstacle to overcome. Regardless, it is a pain to not have running water in my home.
The cover to the well pit jarred and broke a small copper pipe. Water was spraying everywhere. Well, that's an exaggeration. The water was spraying in the well pit and a little on the ground.
Any sort of repair that requires me getting greasy or laying on the ground or being cold and wet and dirty is not my thing, but I put my big girl pants on and tried to figure it out.
I did figure it out but we could not get the nut off to fix it! I kept going back to it and it finally broke loose! I took my parts to the wonderdul hardware store guys (who are always patient when explaining in detail how to fix my problem) and spent a grand total of $1.88. Thank GOD! That's the cheapest repair around here yet.
We have running water again and no leaks. God is good!

Skater Crossing?

We arrived in St. Louis around 1 or 2 am. Jacqueline was waiting for us in a hotel room (Thank you Jacqueline!) where we all power napped until 5am. We hopped in Jacqueline's vehicle and the 5 of us arrived at our second hotel room in Kansas (thanks again Jacqueline!) in time to freshen up and head over to the church for the funeral.
Mike and Krystal generously opened their home to us. Thank you!!!

*This photo was taken in Kansas. Someone put a skateboard sticker on the pedestrian crossing sign. (Does that make it a skater crossing sign?) The skateboard looks just like it was part of the original design. I love it! LOL

Road Trip Pics

Rob and Jackie and Bash and I took a trip to attend Uncle Doug's funeral in Kansas. I hope you enjoy the photos from our trip!
By the way, we did not travel in this neat little car. It was just a cool car on the road in Kansas. I thought it was a fun image to introduce our trip and a great excuse to use a picture of a random strangers car in my blog. :-D