Pink Floyd's Pulse - Keep the Blink Alive!

Every couple of years the deed must be done. Put it off too long and you've got corrosion to deal with.

California Screamin' (Point of View)

The kids and I all passed on this but Steph went for it!

More Disney Fun

and I haven't even pulled the pictures off the Canon yet!

The bunk beds were a real highlight for the kids!

Elle's favorite...the Dumbo ride!  Note all the people :(   We once stood in line nearly 45 minutes for the 2 minutes on Dumbo... 

This was just after Mom rode the only big bad coaster at Disney - California Screamin' in California Adventure.  

Our only character picture of the trip.  The line was short and Jack seemed to like the Ant (Flick from It's a Bugs Life).  The line to see Frozen's Anna and Elsa was multiple hours.  Thankfully the kids didn't have much interest in any of the characters!... yet...

Happy Easter!

Here Jack waits patiently for Mom and Elle to get up.  They Easter Bunny left a little teaser pack of chocolate bunnies and rabbit ears at the top of the stairs!











Jack's basket featured Pooh Bear, some magic tricks and a lego set!

 
 
















Elle's basket included a life size stuffed beagle that she promptly named Kodak along with a variety of princess related items!

The Quote of The Trip

As we were driving South down Interstate 5 we passed a cattle feed lot.  It was rather pungent...moments later Elle started crying, holding her nose and declared, "I smell my brother."

Back from Disney Vacation!

Lots of pictures that we haven't even looked at yet but here was Jack's favorite's show from the trip.



Sadly, he wasn't selected to be a youngling apprentice despite scoring a seat upfront and being the cutest kid in the whole group. After a few crocodile tears afterwards he still declared it his favorite.

Arizona Cactus!

I spent three days in Arizona this week and scored a cactus picture!

 

Cars, Cars, Cars

In the market for a '79 Rolls!   There is one in Missouri available now....

Alternatively, if a Miata is more your speed you can't go wrong with this one!

Learning Baseball

Jack is learning how to play baseball this year.

 

The End of The Rainbow

We scored a beautiful full rainbow a few weeks ago after a day of rain and a touch of sun to end the day!

Phone Rules for Youth! Somewhat applicable to Pads too...

http://www.janellburleyhofmann.com/gregorys-iphone-contract/ Merry Christmas! You are now the proud owner of an iPhone. Hot Damn! You are a good & responsible 13 year old boy and you deserve this gift. But with the acceptance of this present comes rules and regulations. Please read through the following contract. I hope that you understand it is my job to raise you into a well rounded, healthy young man that can function in the world and coexist with technology, not be ruled by it. Failure to comply with the following list will result in termination of your iPhone ownership. I love you madly & look forward to sharing several million text messages with you in the days to come. 1. It is my phone. I bought it. I pay for it. I am loaning it to you. Aren’t I the greatest? 2. I will always know the password. 3. If it rings, answer it. It is a phone. Say hello, use your manners. Do not ever ignore a phone call if the screen reads “Mom” or “Dad”. Not ever. 4. Hand the phone to one of your parents promptly at 7:30pm every school night & every weekend night at 9:00pm. It will be shut off for the night and turned on again at 7:30am. If you would not make a call to someone’s land line, wherein their parents may answer first, then do not call or text. Listen to those instincts and respect other families like we would like to be respected. 5. It does not go to school with you. Have a conversation with the people you text in person. It’s a life skill. *Half days, field trips and after school activities will require special consideration. 6. If it falls into the toilet, smashes on the ground, or vanishes into thin air, you are responsible for the replacement costs or repairs. Mow a lawn, babysit, stash some birthday money. It will happen, you should be prepared. 7. Do not use this technology to lie, fool, or deceive another human being. Do not involve yourself in conversations that are hurtful to others. Be a good friend first or stay the hell out of the crossfire. 8. Do not text, email, or say anything through this device you would not say in person. 9. Do not text, email, or say anything to someone that you would not say out loud with their parents in the room. Censor yourself. 10. No porn. Search the web for information you would openly share with me. If you have a question about anything, ask a person – preferably me or your father. 11. Turn it off, silence it, put it away in public. Especially in a restaurant, at the movies, or while speaking with another human being. You are not a rude person; do not allow the iPhone to change that. 12. Do not send or receive pictures of your private parts or anyone else’s private parts. Don’t laugh. Someday you will be tempted to do this despite your high intelligence. It is risky and could ruin your teenage/college/adult life. It is always a bad idea. Cyberspace is vast and more powerful than you. And it is hard to make anything of this magnitude disappear – including a bad reputation. 13. Don’t take a zillion pictures and videos. There is no need to document everything. Live your experiences. They will be stored in your memory for eternity. 14. Leave your phone home sometimes and feel safe and secure in that decision. It is not alive or an extension of you. Learn to live without it. Be bigger and more powerful than FOMO – fear of missing out. 15. Download music that is new or classic or different than the millions of your peers that listen to the same exact stuff. Your generation has access to music like never before in history. Take advantage of that gift. Expand your horizons. 16. Play a game with words or puzzles or brain teasers every now and then. 17. Keep your eyes up. See the world happening around you. Stare out a window. Listen to the birds. Take a walk. Talk to a stranger. Wonder without googling. 18. You will mess up. I will take away your phone. We will sit down and talk about it. We will start over again. You & I, we are always learning. I am on your team. We are in this together. It is my hope that you can agree to these terms. Most of the lessons listed here do not just apply to the iPhone, but to life. You are growing up in a fast and ever changing world. It is exciting and enticing. Keep it simple every chance you get. Trust your powerful mind and giant heart above any machine. I love you. I hope you enjoy your awesome new iPhone. Merry Christmas!

Jack Taking His Reading Test

Here's Jack taking his "Accelerated Reader" reading tests.  Not sure if he's accelerated or not but he's a good reader and he likes to read so that's good enough at this point  I think :)

Have Your Cake and Eat it Too!

 How do you make a regular boxed cake great?  Well - don't buy a regular boxed cake... get the fancier "decadent" style cake and a regular thing of frosting.

Then - with the cake mix - substitute the water with buttermilk (trust me on this).

Then mix in a large spoonful of sour cream into the frosting.

You've turned a regular ol' cake into something pretty amazing!