You Win, Dad.

Spectacles.

They've got my astigmatism.

But aren't they cute in glasses?

 (My apologies for the flash-glare.  We were in a hurry to post pictures...)

A Day in the Life.

Being self-employed from home allows for moments like these.  I have a whole file full of kids with the mannequin.

Ivy likes helping Dad make sure the sleeves look all right in the pictures.

One Last Fling

Bass Pro:  where it's free to straddle and otherwise mildly abuse all manner of expensive outdoor equipment.  At least, no one told us to leave.

Two parents, five kids, and two strollers can have a pretty decent time.

A Whole Lotta Crap in One Post.

We're still recovering from our trip to Utah.  It's strange that even if it's somewhere you want to go, with people you want to see, trips are stressful and exhausting.  Especially with five kids in tow.

On the way there, we were stuck in a huge traffic jam for three hours in Denver, Colorado.  Toby had been asleep next to Ivy, until she peed on him, which is why he isn't wearing a shirt.  I don't know why he's showing off his biceps, but it seems like he does it a lot.

Maybe he's shaking his fist at the cars blocking our way to Utah.  I don't remember.  I DO remember that Olivia stayed awake and talked the whole night.  We are both masochists and cheap, so we try to drive straight through.  I've personally been training for the last eleven years to handle sleeplessness.

The kids were all mostly happy to see each other.  Maggie and Brynn are the best of little girly-princess friends about 95 percent of the time.  Ivy and Todd, are best of hooligan-mayhem friends 50 percent of the time.  Hollis and Olivia did a lot of packing Lochlan around while Toby and I tried to work. 

We haven't seen Dana and Josh and Corinne for WAAAY too long.  Late one night, we ran out to an all-night grocery store and giggled like teenagers while we all bought snacks.  Back at Michelle's, we watched a Rifftrax short called "Shake Hands With Danger."  Oh, good times.  Corinne, I'll be your kitchen wing-man any day.

Ivy modeled the latest in fashionable shark headwear.

We made a required trip to IKEA.   I had to get a picture of the fake buttocks assaulting a chair repeatedly to prove how durable it is.  The chair, I mean.

 
We visited Temple Square with Michelle and Tyler and all our collective kids.  I tried hard to feel the spirit and not just to notice the mullets and stonewashed jeans in the old-school church videos.  All joking aside, it is a beautiful place.

 We even managed to make it home with our little camera, in spite of the fact that Todd found it and used it.

And, shortly following our return, this little guy turned one.  Happy Birthday to Loch.

Playing in the Creek.

It's been a wet, rainy spring, so our "Sometimes Creek" has been running a lot lately.  We've all had a good time trekking down the hill and around the "Usually Not Pond" to get there.  In the above pics, you can see from one end of where the creek hits our property to another.  It's got steep tree-lined banks, so great for my pale family to avoid sunblock.




 Maggie and Ivy can play in the parts where the water is shallow and fast.

Livvie and Hollis love the place next to the big sycamore tree, where it's about three feet deep so they can paddle about a bit.  You can see the sycamore tree in the top picture.  It sticks out into the water more than any other tree out there, and has a great gnarly root system.

Hollis and Ivy claimed to have spotted a snake last time.  How big was it?  And why are we so happy about it?

Those who know Lochlan know that he's a clingy little guy who mostly loves to be held at all times.  I kid not when I say that he will sit for an HOUR and toss rocks into the creek.  BY HIMSELF.  He'll pick up a rock and make a questioning "Hmmmm?"  Then he'll toss it in with a decisive "Hmmmmm!"



Toby and I were actually there, too.

Okay, Toby started goofing off when I shot these...I call these poses, from left to right, "The Gun Show," "The Underwear Model," and "Napoleon."  Fun, right?

Uh, Feeling Better.

I don't feel that way all the time. I must admit I'm feeling a bit embarrassed, but I blog about what's going on, and that was going on.

Things are looking up today.

These are some pictures I fudged about on Picnik. Enjoy.

Today.