Friday, May 28, 2010

Dustin's 12th birthday

Dustin had a doctor's appointment (complete with shots) on the morning of his birthday. Rather than make him go back to school afterwards, I let him spend the rest of the day at home. He used the rare free time to shoot his bb gun, play xbox, go swimming, and catch some fish. Later that evening we had a little family party for him. Dustin wanted to decorate his own cake this year.
Dustin was also ordained by Roger to the office of Deacon in the Aaronic Priesthood a couple of days later. Grandma & Grandpa Leckie came for the occasion. I regret that I forgot to take any pictures that day!

More Fishing!!

With the high water from the extra rain, there have been some areas without lily pads to fish in. The kids love going out because the fish bite almost immediately! I'm actually kind of glad they are a little too small to keep. Much easier to throw them back!

Sunday, May 16, 2010

One of those random posts....

Kaylee really wanted a picture with her balloon. She kept blowing it up over and over and letting it fly all over the house. Each time, it got bigger and bigger, but eventually the pressure was just too much for it!
An osprey that we have started seeing around the pond occasionally.
Kaylee's project for "Charlotte's Web." She did all of the work at school with a friend (I like that kind of project!)
Our garden is growing! Of course I took these pictures late in the evening, so you can't see very well, but it's still exciting!
Derek & Dustin after their band concert. Dustin was slouching a little, but Derek really is towering over him these days!
Dad and the boys also went on the father/son camp out this weekend. I forgot to send the camera, though.

Soccer is over!! The kids have had a great time this season, but we are all ready for a break! Here are a couple of pictures from Kaylee's soccer party. The camera didn't make it to the others for some reason!
Roger at the ward fish fry. I just had to capture the expression he gives me when I break out the camera. He loves it!!

Saturday, May 15, 2010

Water Rising

Talk about too much rain! I never heard the official totals, but we got close to a foot of rain over about a 12 hour period. These pictures were taken almost 2 weeks ago, and the pond still hasn't dropped at all. In fact, it has actually gotten a little deeper. The driveway still has some standing water. I sure hope the water sinks in soon to make room for the summer rains. Otherwise, I'm concerned that traveling down our driveway will require a boat! (The trees are usually on dry ground, and the wooden fence posts are supposed to be well out of the water.)
If you look close, you can see where the lily pads end. That's usually where the edge of the water is.
I took a drive while it was still raining and found several places where the water was at or above the level of the road.
I stole this picture from my friend Teri. It is the road that we take to get to our house. The rushing water washed out the dirt and sand that used to be holding up the road. Unfortunately, the repairs are still not finished, so we get to take a nice detour anytime we go anywhere. You don't think a lot about how much you appreciate a road until you can't use it!

Thursday, May 6, 2010

Brandon's Pirate Fieldtrip

OK, I'll admit I went a little picture crazy on this field trip, but it was so much fun! I'm pretty sure this doesn't qualify as "educational," but the kids sure had a great day!
The Captain (and Master of Ceremonies)
Brandon checking out the Captain's wheel.
The cannon fires...and we're off!
A fun water gun battle
Swabbing the deck
A beautiful view of the shoreline
Now he's a "real" pirate.
Swordfighting
A little sabotage
Panama City Beach in the distance
Trying to find the hidden treasure - we're looking for an orange buoy...
There it is! Turn the boat around!
Tossing out the grappling hook...
Reeling in the treasure chest - heave ho!!
The treasures Brandon picked...
Gotta have a little limbo!
When Brandon's turn came around again, they abruptly dropped the pole very low to the ground as a joke. Brandon doesn't take jokes very well. He turned away and started crying. The other kids started rolling under it.
Brandon was still pouting while his friends did pirate dances.
The smiles finally came back.
Brandon with his teacher Mrs. Brannon.
Bozeman 1st graders