Swallows

Saw the coolest thing ever today!

Preface: We have swallows that nest under the eaves of the house. They raise at least 2 "sets" of babies each year, and they all skim the pool for water throughout the day/evening. Neat to watch.
Most awesome thing: I was lying on a float in the pool today and 7 - 8 swallows were flying all around me skimming the water, drinking, sooo close to me! It was great!

You've gotta be kidding me . . .

Have you ever seen in a movie where someone is driving and the hood flies up then the people are sticking their heads out the windows to see where they're going? Well, let me tell ya -- it doesn't just happen in the movies! It happened to US! And we looked just as idiotic as the people in the movies! Hah!

So we were towing the boat, going fishing, just Rusty and I. The hood flies open, the little hinge thingies BEND and we have to walk home to get some tools to bang them back in place! Thankfully we were only a mile from home! I couldn't stop laughing as we were walking. It was funny!

Not to worry! Got it fixed, went fishing, and got to see at least an 8 foot alligator! It was really cool at first, watching that alligator just laze around about 100 yards from us! Really, it was cool! Then the STALKING comes in . "Let's move further into the cove to see if we can catch bigger fish," Rusty says. Move further in? Yeah -- move closer to the alligator at the same time!! I wasn't worried too much until the alligator SWAM TO OUR BOAT! Eyeballed us -- all the while touching the boat - swam under the boat -- eyeballed us from the other side of the boat -- all the while touching the boat -- HOLY MACARONI!!!!

My knight in slippery sunscreen wielded his trusty net and looked ready to POKE the thing until I adamantly protested! Good idea, Rusty! Let's POKE HIM and piss him off. Good one! Geez!

Finally he swam away and just lazed around, this time about 50 yards from us! Whew! That was scary to me! Cool but scary!

Meet Me In Montana

(for those of you who aren't as old as me -- that was a song a long time ago! Marie Osmond, I think? whoooaaaaa!)

Kristian is now in Montana! From Hella-hot Arizona to Helena Montana! Hah! He got to stay with us one night when he was home last week, so that was great! In Montana, he'll be staying with a host family, so I'm anxious to hear his stories about that!! All in all, he's excited to be there, and we know he'll do a great job! Go Kristian! Go Brewers!

The Lake

Finally made a trip to the lake! Rusty and I got one night by ourselves then we picked up the boys (including Tim) and stayed two more nights. We got a most awesome campsite with a not-so-treacherous path down to the water. We pretty much had our own private beach!

Anthony, Rusty, and Tim

Rusty and Kyle with a fish that Kyle found -- already dead! hahah! (he was planning on using it for cut-bait)

Rusty is holding this box because he ate the last snack cake and left the empty box on the table instead of throwing it away. Because he always gripes at the kids for the same thing, I told him we were recording that moment on this blog! Meanie!

Hot chicks

Hubba Hubba

Regionals

Well, after Regional track meets across the state were cancelled due to the Swine flu (or, as the girls call it -- the Swiner!), they were just as suddenly un-cancelled and rescheduled! So Reba had a fun trip -- not so productive . . . but fun! Oh, we're still proud that she made it to Regionals her freshman year, and we're looking forward to great things in the future!

Reba getting ready to run . . . then jump!

The whole picture -- that tiny person on the runway is Reba!

me and Reba

Cool picture!

The big One-Three

On May 13, Kyle turned 13! Happy Birthday Kyle!

We love you!

Kyle at dinner -- his choice -- Chinese food! Yummmm!

Anthony and Kyle at dinner

Weekend before last . . .

Weekend before last, we had all the kids, and it was cool! We went to Chris and Robert's graduation party Friday night, then hung out here at the house the rest of the time. The weather was nice, so the kids swam while I worked in the flower beds. Remember those seeds I told you I had sown -- well, they sprouted and some of them were blooming, but apparently to Rusty they looked like weeds because he annihilated them with the weed eater. I cried. A lot. Then I went and bought a lot of already-established plants and planted them! Rusty vowed to never go near the flower beds again. Let's see if he holds true to his word!!!

Reba made an awesome chocolate cake with homemade buttercream frosting -- a lot of which you see on her face after she and Rusty got in an icing fight! eeewwww! (or maybe, yummmm!)

Kamyn's margarita in a rain gauge! Funny!

Kamyn and Reba fighting over sunglasses while Jackie, Kyle, and Clayton watch! Looks like Clayton threw that little "basketball" at them to shut them up!

Kamyn goofing off, Reba coming up out of the water, Jackie sitting on the ladder, and Anthony watching from outside the pool!

Aaah, what a good seeester! Putting sunscreen on?

Kamyn, Reba, and Jackie

Clayton and Kyle playing basketball; Kamyn and Reba in the background