halloween

Girl Effect

Introducing...

My new 3rd grader and 7th grader!!

Katie's Animal Safari

So with David away at camp, Katie and I spent a week doing what she likes best. For Katie, that's animals, animals & more animals...

First she tamed the horses at my Mom's house. These aren't the trained, socially adjusted horses that you might ride. These are the running wild, just nice to look at horses. Who amazingly, got closer to Katie than we have ever seen before. The youngest one actually lowered it's head and let Katie rub his ears.

Next she moved on to the calves. These babies have just been separated from their mothers and have never seen a person so small.

After a very long stand off and lots of patience, she finally got one to eat from her hand and was able to pet his nose. I really couldn't believe that it could be done. These little guys are so skittish.

Next, we were off to the Wildlife Safari in Winston. There were too many amazing animals to mention, but the highlight of the trip was Katie taking a ride on a camel. She is completely fearless when it comes to animals. I am positive that as much as I loved animals as a kid, I would have not taken a ride on a camel.

Of course no animal tour would be complete without a trip to the Oregon Zoo. We have been to the zoo many times, but it seems that we always have some new experience.

Katie is a huge fan of turtles and the Oregon Zoo has hatched a huge number of baby turtles in order to try to repopulate some areas.

We stayed for the wild bird show. My favorite was seeing the bald eagle fly over the audience. So beautiful. Katie donated her allowance to the zoo after the show by giving it to the Turkey Vulture who then put it in the box. The girl has no fear, even of giant, creepy red-headed birds.

Of course we had to visit the most popular baby at the zoo, Sam.

Finally, we did the Lorikeet adventure. Katie will stay all afternoon until one decides to stand on her arm.

Last, but not least, David returned home safely and we took a little camping trip to the river. There Katie spent the day catching fish, like only she has the patience to do.

HOT

Ok, I know that this is completely random, but I just saw that the thermometer on my site reads 106.7. I think that must be a record for us! Yikes!

Animals, Animals & More Animals

With David away at Boy Scout Camp this week, it has been a time to focus on doing what Katie likes to do. So, it will come as no surprise that we have been having a week full of animals! More details to follow!

Dad's Day

I can't think of the Fourth of July without thinking of my Dad. He was born on the 4th of July. If he were still with us, he would be 71 today. I always thought it was perfect that he was born on the 4th. Since he was my Dad and a policeman, I just always thought that it "fit" him. He, like Independence Day, was kind of serious and commanded respect, but had a fun side too. It was a holiday that he always seemed to really enjoy. He was not much of a holiday person, I don't think he liked getting together on Thanksgiving. He bought his Christmas presents on Christmas Eve and thought that most of the other holidays were made up by Hallmark. But he really liked the 4th. Being a "real man", he loved things that exploded and made tons of noise. I can remember all of the kids on our street coming down to our house to set off fireworks, because my Dad would always have something special. Like the year that he set off a smoke bomb that completely obscured the street for more than five minutes. Or when he would set off a big bundle of fire crackers. It was fantastic! On the Fourth of July, my Dad was always the coolest around. It was a day he brought out his fun side. So today, I am going to celebrate that fun side, happy birthday Dad!