Digging Potatoes

Our garden (also known as the Deer Garden) has been taken over. The deer have had a great time eating every thing they can find.


Exhibit #1 - There were once bell peppers here.













They somehow missed the budding strawberry.














The garden had pretty much been worked over and nothing had a chance to grow. But guess what Deer?



We still have potatoes!












Dallas and Lin-Ley started digging up the potatoes.












Little potato.













Itty bitty potatoes.













I am not sure how Lin-Ley's winter time, suede boots became her gardening boots...














Tru finally joined in on the potato hunt.


























We managed (OK - they did all the work) to collect a whole "truck full" of potatoes (and a few onions too).








































On the other side of the house (outside the deer territory) we have some zucchini, squash, melons and pumpkins growing quite nicely.

























Baby Ground Hog is back. This time her flower of choice is the Petunia.
The yellow arrows point out each stem where a Petunia once grew.













And now some shots by our beautified (with what's left of the flowers after Baby Ground Hog's latest visit) front porch:

Meet Madeline

Disclaimer: I had nothing to do with this. And I am still not believing it!

This is Madeline.
Lin-Ley has been talking about getting a pet. I have said no to a dog for now so the discussions have revolved around guinea pigs and rabbits.
Dallas surprised all of us when he came home yesterday after a trip to Home Depot (yet another plug for Home Depot!) with this little creature. He thought this would be a good test of Lin-Ley's commitment to becoming a new pet owner.



She and Tru (surprisingly) instantly wanted to hold her. Lin-Ley went outside, sat in the grass, and allowed Mousey to crawl all over her.





It crawled up under her hair and Dallas had to come give her a hand.

(That gave me chills!)

































As long as Madeline stays safely tucked into her cage we will not have any problems.
I just keep thinking about how contradictory it is that we always have mouse traps on hand....

Independence Day 2009

This is our newest yard guest. I had always wanted a ground hog to visit us. I love seeing them around but have never had an up-close view. I did not realize however that they loved to eat flowers....

This baby ground hog lives under our front porch. When we wake in the mornings he is usually in the front yard eating grass. Very cute!

Dallas and Lin-Ley planted a long planter of Impatiens. A few mornings later all of the flowers were gone. There was just a planter full of green stems remaining...

On the 4th of July we went to the parade as usual. Jordyn, Lin-Ley's preschool friend, and her parents met us there for the second year.


We arrived about 45 minutes prior to the start of the parade to make sure we had a good seat/location. Take a look at the couple sitting in front of the girls. They sat right in front of us just before the parade started!


















Tru was not very interested in the parade last year but this year he was totally in awe of the fire trucks.












One of the highlights of this parade is the "Precision Lawnchair Marching Dads". They stop along the parade route to perform their drill.










Here they are marching in formation.













And here is a clip of their performance:

















After lunch and nap time (have I mentioned I love nap time!) we went to the carnival at Ft. Meade. There was not much there but the kids jumped on the inflatables and managed to talk us into spending money on trinkets and games.





































Lin-Ley wanted to try to climb the rock wall. We waited in line for one hour! We were sure Lin-Ley would scale the wall with ease. She is fearless.
Well...















She got a little stuck at this point and was scared to go any further.

















While waiting at the rock wall the clock struck 5PM and Revelry began to play. Members of all of the uniformed services were there at the bottom of the parade flag pole to lower Old Glory. Once the music began all of the soldiers attending the carnival turned to face the flag and stood at attention. That was rather moving and brought a little more significance to the day.














































The kids also had their photos taken for their cover shot on the Ft. Meade Soundoff.

How Do You Cool Off In Louisiana?? Get Wet!

We were in Louisiana for ten days. The very first day we arrived the heat index was 103 degrees. The kids were all about getting in the pool (or getting wet) any way, any where, any how.

Pool Party #1: Mr. Ed and Mrs. Nikki's house:

Tru sat on the steps and soaked those who were close enough with his new found water gun.













Lin-Ley was soon in on the action.














Pool Party #2: Visiting Auntie Gabby and Prince Michael


It took him a while but Tru eventually dove in.














There they are... Auntie Gabby and Prince Michael.













Ma-Ma Shirley sits nearby to observe and protect Tru's leg.































Pool Party #3: Pa-Pa Cowboy and Ma-Ma Linda's house:




Desperate times call for desperate measures. Lin-Ley takes a dip in the baby pool and quickly cools off with a cup of water over the head. It was H-O-T!









Tru was not so sure about this. He was happy to observe.












Let's get this party started!















A new target - Michael. (A different Michael - this is Anna K's Michael.)














Uh -Oh Tru! Somebody has turned the hose on you.




































Lin-Ley is determined to get Tru as wet as possible.






















Yes, it was that sneaky Michael!
















The tables have turned. Everyone look out! Tru has the hose.












Finally Tru decides to check out the pool. He was looking for water activities and decided to fill his leg with water.










Note: Typically it would not matter if Tru's prosthesis got wet. As long as it is not salt water, Tru can fully immerse his prosthesis in pool or fresh water. His doctors actually encourage this. However about two days before leaving for Louisiana his prosthetic foot began "wobbling" and Dallas had to tighten the screws holding the foot to the pylon (the main rod). Once we arrived in Louisiana it was clear that something was wrong. We called his Prosthetists in Maryland and they referred us to "Red Stick" in Baton Rouge. The nice folks there took a look at Tru's leg and informed us that he had a broken part. They taped up his leg with fiberglass tape to keep it stable until we could return home. That is the only reason he had to remove his leg for the pool.

Additional Note: I emailed the above photo to Tru's Prosthetist (Angie) while we were still in Louisiana. See the silver ring at the bottom between the white tape and Dallas' finger? That is the part that was broken. Angie said she has no idea how Tru managed to break it. All of the parts that comprise Tru's leg are built to sustain children up to 99 lbs. Tru is only 35 lbs when wearing his prosthesis. That is not a problem now. Since he arrived home Tru's leg has been upgraded to titanium!!


Music break.















Next, Tru tried to fill his sandal. (That did not work so well...)















Hmmm... what could Tru fill next?




How about Aunt Renee's "tackle box"....
(This is Dallas' sister.)

Boys, don't try this at home.















Pool Party #4: Well actually this would be a much needed rain party at Pa-Pa Bill and Ma-Ma Shirley's house:

"I'm singing in the rain, just singing in the rain..."














"What a glorious feeling. I'm happy again..."




















Pool Party #5: Back at Pa-Pa Cowboy and Ma-Ma Linda's house.



There is that sneaky Michael again!













Pool Party #6: Uncle Jason and Aunt Melissa's house for the Breeden Family Reunion:


Lin-Ley and all of her cousins enjoyed the two water slides at the family reunion. For over five hours Lin-Ley enjoyed the water with her numerous cousins - exactly what she had been waiting for. They did not stay in one spot for very long but I did manage to get this shot of Lin-Ley and Cousin Anna.




And after all of this outside fun you should see the kids' tan lines!!