Necessity being the mother of invention...

...here's our red-neck swimming pool! Nearly as good as the real thing.

Busy weekend (Part 2)

Forgot to add this one to the wedding post...Kate loved dancing with daddy!

Gumpa Bob by his name on the wall

Commemorating Kate's great-grandpa and his brothers

Today we went to a ceremony to honor veterans, especially Gamma Starla's dad and his brothers who served during World War II. Their names were placed on the Veterans' Memorial Wall, along side Gumpa Bob who served in Vietnam and Gumpa Bob's dad. The memorial is set at the base of Mt. Shasta and it couldn't have been a nicer day to honor all the men and women who have served throughout the year. We were fortunate to have been able to attend, and for Kate to know a piece of her family's history. On a different note, I forgot to mention in my wedding post how excited I was to get to visit with Ryan's cousin Cindy at the wedding. We have daughters the same age and now we're both pregnant and due only a week apart! I'm putting it out there right now that I hope we have babies the same day!!

Busy weekend!

Clint & Laura's first dance

Our little party girl!

Two mommies toting babies!

Gamma Starla & Gumpa Bob

Wow--what a fun weekend in Yreka!! The weather has been marvelous, and we've had two big events to attend. First, Ryan's cousin, Clint, got married yesterday and we had a great time visiting with all the family. The ceremony was lovely and the reception was quite a party. Kate hung in for hours of partying, and took quite a few turns out on the dance floor. Clint and Laura make a wonderful couple, and I know it made all their family and friends so happy to see them so obviously in love. There were many highlights to the whole day, but one had to be when Uncle Ray challenged Laura's family (the Brays) to a Singleton-Bray dance-off. The DJ called it a tie but, personally, I think that Ray's moves put the Singletons over the top! The party is NEVER dull with Gumpa Bob, Uncle Ray and Uncle Ross in attendance. I can't wait until the next big Singleton event!

What's better than a big pile of dirt?

Here comes the storm!

Thanks for the lift, Gramma!

To Kate, not much! Today was an exciting day for the little one because she got to see a big, green dump truck deliver a load of dirt for the garden. Then she got to dig in it, and watch the Bobcat transport it to the backyard. After that, she helped Gramma Connie put it in the raised beds and helped mommy spread it around with a rake. It was fun for all of us until we got chased in by a thunderstorm! At least the new dirt will get a good dose of water!

Modern technology is amazing!

I just got back from having my first (and only, probably) 3-D ultrasound and it was totally mind blowing!! The baby appears from all measurements to be normal and healthy and, as the ultrasound tech said, "one of the most active babies she's ever seen" (hmmm...sound much like Kate??) The first part was in traditional 2-D, but when she got to the head, she put it into 3-D and it looked just like a "real" baby! I mean, I know it IS a real baby, but I could see exactly what the baby looks like at this point. She estimated he/she was about 1 lb 10 ounces right now, and I could totally see all the facial features and every little finger curled up by the face. He/she was even sucking his/her thumb!!! This whole he/she business is cumbersome, but I'm glad we're going to be surprised. I showed the pictures to Kate and all she said was "it's a baby" and didn't appear very impressed. My mom, on the other hand, reacted with the appropriate "oohs" and "aahs"! :) I can't wait until Ryan gets home to show him!

Some kids like youtube....

photo courtesy: www.deere.com

photo courtesy: www.bobcat.com

...ours likes online videos of machinery. Almost all the parents I know entertain their toddlers with online video clips, mostly, it seems, of Sesame Street and the like. Kate, however, likes to watch videos of Bobcats and John Deeres. She recently informed Ryan and I that she "wanted a new Bobcat and a new horse." I think she might be waiting awhile for those, especially as she went on to ask if "they came in blue" (they don't--we checked the website). She found the fact that they don't come in blue mildly disturbing, so I told her that, should she ever actually get a Bobcat, she could probably paint it. Problem solved, for her at least. Ryan and I may be at a loss if she's still asking for farm equipment and farm animals come Christmas......

Fun with "big kids"

Kate had a great time playing with her "big kid" friends, Shaun and Ryan, this weekend. They came out to see us on Dusty Loop and, despite the less than warm weather, they all enjoyed playing with buckets and buckets of water. They also helped feed the horses and dogs, so they've become "farm kids," too. Shaun and Ryan's dad Josh has been friends with Kate's dad Ryan since pre-school, and it's so fun to watch their kids play together. We were talking about how it seems not long ago that we were at Josh and Jen's wedding, and that they were at ours, and now there are almost four kids among us! Now that we're living close to them, all the kids will get to grow up together, just like Josh and Ryan. A fantastic example of history repeating itself, I think!