Flashback's from Myspace

I started the world of blogging on Myspace several months ago, which, of course is inferior. And I have fairly cute stories on there that I would like to have here, so I don't lose them. So, you're getting some flashbacks - that aren't really flashbacks, but worth reading about, even if out of sequence.

Tradition: From 05/28/07
So, yesterday...it was almost like we lived in hurricane, ut....as the wind was horrible! But, alas, I was the only one home and it was up to me to keep up the memorial day tradition of driving down the alleys of Lander and stealing...I mean...collecting all of the flowering foliage to decorate Mom's grave. So with the baby in the car seat and with the trunk open and my pruning clippers at my side, we set to work lurking the dusty road. A trunkful of leaves, lilacs, honeysuckle, bridal veil and even some bleeding hearts created a lovely arrangment upon the grave. It was FAR to windy to place them in a flower pot, and even the ground arrangment blew over three times before I was done. But we did quietly, secretly and alone carry on the tradition of so many years! And we got smiles from heaven.

Dog and Stroller - what baggage! from June 2007
Today I have success. I have been trying to figure out how to take the dog and the baby on a walk. The baby is too heavy to put in a snuggli for lengths of time and holding the leash with one hand and pushing the stoller with the other...also too awkward. See, Corbet is a big dog and jerking him back on to the side walk gets exhausting after two or three good yanks. And if I leave him at home to go on a walk he howls...and howls and howls and howls until I return. You can ask the neighbors. (once a whole THREE HOUR stretch, we went to the park)
So today I looped the leash ONTO the stroller. It turns out that this is the best thing EVER! Corbet generally likes to wander away from me in a side to side pattern as opposed to a forward backward direction. This is fantastic because now he pulls on the stroller, which is a JEEP - all terrain stroller and it is resistant to such verticle stresses!! YEAH!! Now me and baby go forward and the dog tags along after trying to slide away to NO avail! We can now all go walking together in harmony. It is a good day.
P.S. I will be speaking on father's day Sunday.

The cow story at church: Father's Day 07
The talk is finished. I did fine, the content was fantastic.
During the talk I told a story about a time my father and I had to gut a cow on the side of the road. The brand inspector called, this cow had been hit in the head by an ambulance racing into town. Apparently the meat was good, only the head had damage...gross. So dad and I bundled up against the COLD Wyoming evening and set to gutting out a cow on the side of the highway. My job was to hold the back leg of the cow up in the air. (she was on her side.) Well, with the wind and cold, the only way for me to stay warm was to snuggle up against this animal. It was a very Empire Strikes Back moment like when Han puts Luke in the dead Tom Tom. So then some hours later after she was gutted, wenched up on flat bed truck and taken to the meat packers.....we find out. She is not our cow. She was laying on the side of the brand, only once she was delivered to the packers did we know.
This does not mean I like public speaking in church any more than I did before...it just means I told a cool story.

Child Height Predictor

I measured N.Q. today. He is just over 3 ft. tall. I plugged that into the babycenter.com Child Height Predictor and (as I suspected) my child may get kinda tall :)

Your boy will likely be 6 ft. 2 in. at age 18.

Young men often continue to grow a little past 18 until they reach 21, but their height at age 18 is very close to their final adult height. This prediction is a "best guess" but it's still just that -- a guess. Based on the formula we used* there is a 50 percent chance that your boy's full-grown height will be within 0.8 inches (above or below) of this prediction, and a 90 percent chance that it will be within 2.1 inches.

Petty's Puppy

Here he is! The sweet, new addition to Petty's Place. We have yet to settle on a name, I'm calling him Jasper. Nathan is calling him Jack, as he associates the puppy with Jack (because the pup comes from Jack's family) and Shane actually has yet to lay eyes on him. So Shane doesn't call him anything....yet. (That should change in about 30 minutes.) If you have any suggestions, we're willing to listen!

He's a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel. Here's what the AKC says:

"AKC MEET THE BREEDS®: Cavalier King Charles Spaniel
The Cavalier King Charles Spaniel is an elegant, energetic toy breed that is compatible for city or country life. Successful in conformation shows, obedience and agility, they also make wonderful therapy dogs due to their sweet, gentle natures. The breed also became a TV star when featured on "Sex and the City" as Charlotte York’s dog. Their silky coats come in four colors – Blenheim (chestnut and white), Tricolor (black, white, and tan), Ruby (solid red) and Black and Tan.

A Look Back
For centuries, the Cavalier King Charles Spaniel (a namesake of King Charles II of Britain) has been recorded in paintings and tapestries together with their aristocratic families. It is obvious from these works of art that Cavaliers were a luxury item and lived "the easy life" as housepets. Though used successfully for shooting small game, the Cavalier’s true purpose has always been that of companion.

Right Breed for You?
Friendly and easy to train, the Cavalier is a trustworthy companion for children and thrives as part of a family. The coat requires weekly brushing, but no trimming. The breed is adaptable in their need for exercise, happy with either sleeping on the couch or taking long walks.

Toy Group; AKC recognized in 1995.
Average size: 12 to 13 inches tall at the shoulder and between 13 and 18 pounds.
Companion."

Classic Quote

I know I have a LOT of stuff about N.Q. on here, but what can I say, he keeps doing the cutest stuff!

The other day we were at Grandpa & Grandma Barney's house. Apparently Grandpa Barney has a new Deer Head to mount and he had it on the floor below the wall space he was considering.

Nathan spies the creature, walks over to it, looks at it for a few seconds and says,

"That's instrastring. Moose fell down."

Midget Photo Shoot

I had some senior portraits to take this week. And because I wasn't sure of the light we had this time of year, Nathan and I did some investigating. He's getting very good at posing for the camera and I fear that it may force him into a career of acting, modeling, or public disturbance.

"Contemplating Nature and snack time"

"In Daddy's Shoes "

"Sitting on a fence in Winter"


"An ode to Afternoon Church"

"Innocence, by a Cavernous River Sink Hole"

The cake

Here's the 50th Wedding Anniversary Cake that I created a few weeks ago. You might notice it as being a Classic Cami Styled Cake. It is. I love it. Simple. Elegant. Easy.

I'm not ready for a big challenge yet, but with Shane's Birthday coming up in a week, it's probably time I stretch my creative muscles and outdo myself. Stay tuned.

Fun things about this week.

In no particular order:

1. N.Q. and I getting to watch Jack while his Mommy was working at the hospital.
2. N.Q. getting to STAR in the film that will be running in the Lander hospital. He's dressed in a hospital gown, and has an IV taped to him and walks down a hall with a nurse and smiles at her. So sweet.
3. The Mexican Fiesta party with the Casey's and the Phillip's, Casey rock the house in Hand and Foot.
4. Nathan's exploration in singing. He's enoyed "the wheels on the bus," "Twinkle Twinkle" and "Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes" among others.
5. Being picked to be Cinderella's (Holly's) Prince Charming in the "story hour players" play. Play practice begins next week!
6. Picking out a new PUPPY for our family. He'll be ready in two weeks. SOOOO CUTE, Can't wait!
7. Going to dinner and Kim's Baby shower with Kirsten.
8. Activity Day Girls always make me smile.
9. Snuggling with Shane and laughing until it hurt watching a movie together.
10. Getting my church talk done...not performed yet, but it is done and I'm not going to worry about it anymore.
11. Getting the poster for our Ward Party finished, it looks AWESOME. (so do the invites.)
12. Recieving Adorable Valentines from Grandma Barney! Thank You!
13. Getting paid for a cake I did last week...very nice, goes into the puppy fund.
14. Having a few minutes to write down a list of things that were good this week :o)