Fishing Day

 This weekend we decided to go on a family outing to the Stanford Ranch in Jordan Valley. When I say family I mean our crew, Lisa & Luis and kids, my parents, Bruce & Nancy, and PeeWee. This was our first trip to Jeff's house. The house in the background is over 100 years old. A portion of the house was moved from Delamar. It was interesting to listen to Jeff tell about the ranch and local history.

 Here is Bruce, Jeff, and PeeWee relaxing in the shade. Jeff was a gracious host with our unannounced visit. We brought beer, BBQ fixings, beer, pie and beer.

 

Jeff has a collection of rocks on display. Most of these were thunder eggs and were particularly fascinating for the kids.

 Rumor was that there were fish to be caught at the falls. We'd never been so we were eager to check things out. It's a short 4-wheeler ride and then a hike in.

When we got there, the priority was having the kids catch fish. Barry and Sprout are working on casting. 

 Barry could hardly contain himself when Sprout was casting, so he was nearby to help. I think he had visions of pole in the water or hooking a person.

 One of the best parts of Sprout catching a fish is when she has it reeled in and starts singing her "I got a fishy, I got a fishy" song. Initially she started to sing as soon as she hooked one, but after she lost a couple of fish she waited on the celebratory song.

She was also equally enthusiastic when anyone else caught a fish. She would cheer and clap.

It was a fabulous outing. The weather was perfect- not too hot and we missed the rain showers. Thanks to Jeff for putting up with all of us.

Happy Birthday

Marcus wasn't the only one to celebrate a birthday this month. Here is the other birthday boy enjoying ice cream at the Orchard House.

 Barry has yet to learn the fine art of the month long birthday celebration, so all the celebrating occurred in one day. I couldn't pass on the opportunity to share this picture with everyone.

One Year

Marcus officially celebrate turning one a couple of weeks ago, but we've come to terms with the fact that he's a second child and he should be ok with the fact that his parents are slackers and behind the times in posting his official picture.

First off, Marcus had a great time opening his gifts. Sprout had just as much fun.

 Marcus enjoys all foods, likes tickles, peek-a-boo, and bath time. Not so fond of his sister at times, but things are looking up as he's gaining some size and learning how to antagonize her.

 He has four teeth, with two more on the way. A little bit of hair that resembles a Mohawk at times. Overall a happy guy.

More Poopy Talk

Karen made the mistake of voicing her disapproval of Sprout's poopy songs. Now Sprout is taking it to the next level.

On a related note, Sprout likes to pick up chicken poop in the yard and put it in a pile. After much negotiation, she now picks it up with a shovel instead of her fingers. At one point this afternoon she brought an extraordinarily large specimen over to show it off. Karen was really impressed.

Marcus Is Off To The Races

Today we went from this:

To this:

Nothing in our house is safe anymore!

Marcus's First Birthday

We had a birthday BBQ to celebrate the event today. We learned three things about our kids today. 1) Marcus is much more careful with cupcakes than Sprout was at his age. 2) Marcus is kicking her ass in the hair department (see previous link). 3) Both of our children have inherited Karen's dad's love of frosting.

This is how he enjoyed his cupcake. First, he suffered through the candle process.

Frosting first!

Next, he attempted to jam the remainder into his mouth all at once. This resulted in a complete outfit change.

This may be the most kid-friendly gathering we have ever hosted. They played in our small kiddie pool, drew with sidewalk chalk, fed horses, chased chickens, bowled, played baseball and football and blew bubbles. Here are cousins Alex and Marcus enjoying the pool. 

 Zarek (Justin and Bev Mack's son) shows off his upside-down style in the pool.

We had a Mexican-themed BBQ. I would like to thank my brother-in-law, Luis, for spending three hours at the grill to keep everyone fed!

Overheard During Bath Time

Elena is at the point now that I often leave her to bathe by herself because she likes to do her own thing. I generally hang out nearby in case she needs something, like the emergency towel when she suddenly becomes hypothermic.

She has taken to singing to herself while in the bathtub.  For the past two nights, she has been singing the following song over and over again.

Old McDonald had a farm, E-I E-I E-O,
On that farm he had poop,
Here a poop, there a pee, here a poop, there a pee, here a poop, POOP!    E-O

You can't make this stuff up

We are getting ready for dinner and I have a conversation with Sprout that goes like this:

Me: It's time for dinner. Do you want milk or water?
Sprout: I like beer.

Um, where did that come from?

Last week while she was at playschool (Teaching World), she was talking with Miss Mo. Miss Mo said, "Your mom is like a doctor, right?"
Sprout: "Yes."
Miss Mo: "What does your dad do?"
Sprout: "He's a boy!"

Over the last week I explained to her what I do for a living. When I picked her up from playschool this week, she told me that I work in the "Snake Jungle." I give up.