BOWLING!!

One night we went bowling with our friends. It was a first of O and she was enjoying herself until she chased after the ball and fell on the slick lane. Fortunately, she'd already bowled a couple of frames before she took her spill. I'm trying to remember why she chased after the ball. I think she didn't like how it was rolling or something. We were able to coax her to bowl some more balls but several days later, she told me she doesn't like bowling. So sad.

Here she is ready to send off her first ball.

Waiting patiently to see what happens.

Body movement helps the ball even once it's been released.

Ankle stretches are essential in order to avoid injury.

Flipping the hair always makes for better bowling.

Picking Berries

One Saturday afternoon, not too long ago, I kidnapped a friend for O and we went to a local farm to pick raspberries. O and W were troopers in the hot, hot sun and picked and picked until they couldn't pick anymore. That was only five minutes into our adventure but we did end up picking loads of raspberries. We also went to the flower patch and picked flowers too.

Making silly faces

The fan at the end was a hit.

Matt

His name still brings a smile to my face. I feel so blessed to know him, to have dated him. I was so infatuated, then again, how could you not be by someone who called you his "red-headed pixie-faced yum-yum". We saw or talked to each other every day. I took him to Pocatello and he took me to Toole. He made me giddy. He made me laugh. He looked gruff and yet, he was so gentle. He has his own special place in my heart, always will.

On Monday, his wife shared news that knocked me over, I'm still reeling. When we were together, he always joked about his head being fat. It turns out, it is too fat, it has too much fluid. Due to chronic hydrocephalus, he is expected to develop dementia and loose his memory in as little as 1 to 2 years.

I can't take it in. He is so young. His family is so young. A child was born this year. I can't fathom what they are experiencing. And then, I wonder, how would I do it if LT had the same diagnosis. I can't imagine it. It's unbelievable.

M and A, I am praying for a miracle.

One of these books is not like the other.

One morning, this is how I found Os room. I must say, we are doing our best to geek her out. Can you tell? LT is quite proud she asks for his Trig book.

Blogging

I feel so overwhelmed with all of posts I want to share on my blog. There are more posts than I have time to compose. I want my family and friends to actually know about what's going on with us rather than just see a photo journal of what's shakin'. For some reason, I spend more time being picky about how I want to share things than actually sharing them. SO, I end up months behind and then I get overwhelmed with what I want to share and find myself here. Therefore, instead of giving each topic the proper and intended story, I'm sharing the bare bones just to bring myself and YOU up to date.

Thursdays, Part 3

I have to say, the day at the Smithsonian topped the list of my summer favorites. O was THRILLED to ride the metro to DC and she had a good time at the museum. I laughed when I noticed her reaction to the size of the dinosaurs. We've told her they are HUGE and the book "The Dinosaur in my Backyard" talks about their size too. But she wasn't prepared. She paused walking and said, wide eyed, "Whoa". It was great.

While there we played with microscopes, bugs crawled on us and we watched a tarantula eat. O helped put together a skeleton too. It wore us out and we were ready to get back on the Metro and head home. I already posted the video of me bribing O with a cookie to keep her awake. Check it out again, you'll laugh.

And yes, the Washington Monument is coming out of the top of my head.

The train ride in.

My really cool friend who put it all together.

We are so cute together.

O loving science.

Whoa

At least she's not afraid.

I even got in on the action. That is a cockroach. Yep, I'm brave.

This was in the forensics lab. A very cool place in the museum.

Just worn out.

Thursdays, Part 2

I already mentioned a really cool friend of mine put together Thursday outings for the summer. we had a fun time exploring our new home and the sights around it. I LOVE living in MD. Seriously, I couldn't be happier here. I have been told to hold on to that thought to keep me warm during the winter season, but my guts tell me winter won't change how I feel about living here. Anyway, back to the Thursday outings. On adventure took us to the College Park Aviation Museum. O tried out being a pilot and even made a plane.

Another of the Thursday adventures was a Teddy Bear Picnic. It was a lovely, humid and HOT day, but the kids didn't mind. Their big smiles and red faces tell the story.
We also explored the Goddard Space Center. Truly, O was more interested in climbing on things than looking around.

Yep, she likes to pose.