ANOTHER CHECK ON THE SUMMER TO DO LIST

Finally, got to float the river with the family today. This is always a fun activity. The secret is to wait until the river is moving slow, and the water level is quite low. August is usually prime. So the four of us, plus Dylan (Max's buddy) took to our tubes and life-jackets and hopped in the blow up raft. We threw the Fuji into a doubled up zip bag for taking photos and went on an adventure. It's funny how you can spend two or three hours floating less than a mile, but we had so much fun doing it! Stopped at the rope swing to cool off a bit!

OK, I'm going to give this video entry stuff another shot. Last time I tried it, I couldn't figure it out. These blog videos are never too clear, but here's Max "Running on Water" in the river today. It took a little while for him to get up the confidence to jump off the shore on the rope (Jeff and Zoe and I did it from up on the tree), and then with a little help from Daddy, he figured out how to do this little trick. He was all smiles. The water was quite deep, so he is truly on top of the water!

Scenes from the yard
We've had so many butterflies this year! Loving the new camera, I can zoom way in and get great focus on these critters that usually fly away from me if I get too close.

I've been waiting and waiting all summer for my sunflowers, morning glories and zinnias to start blooming, and they finally are. Like crazy! I didn't even plant any morning glories this year, they planted themselves. I usually (for 6 years anyway) had little daycare kids picking all my seeds in the fall to plant the following spring, but this year, with no one to pick them they just hung around all winter and then replanted themselves. We've got them growing up into the trees, on the fences, up the sides of the house! It's amazing, and they are so, so beautiful! Got to get out early to enjoy them though, they fade in the heat of the day!

Critters
OK, you might remember be posting photos of the little (and I mean dinky) froggies that we have in an aquarium on our back steps. We rescued the tadpoles out of a drying puddle on the side of the road this spring and have enjoyed watching them turn into little frogs before our eyes. They must be well fed each night when I turn on the back porch light to attract little bugs because not many of them have left. The top is off the aquarium and they can all climb out if they want, but many have stayed.

Anyway..... About a week ago Zoe and I were peeking into the tank and saw this bright green, and quite large, compared to the others, tree frog. There he was just sitting in the water hycinth that I have potted in the tank. He got a little spooked and dove down into the water, and then later climbed out of the aquarium, but he's been back two or three more times since. Isn't that funny. He must have heard my little ones croaking one night are realized that there is a nice, wet, buggy spot on our back steps. He's a drop in visitor, but we are happy to have him.

And then there are the stick bugs..... We've had them for a couple months now, and they have gotten so huge! Well... today Jeff played tennis with the guy we got them from, and he warned us that if we didn't want millions of them, we needed to clean the tank out everytime they lay eggs. He described them as looking like "little round poops", and sure enough, when we looked, our tank was covered in them (beware Lisa and Jill). So I hate to say, we've disposed of them. UUUGh, I hope they don't do this on a regular basis, the guilt.... the guilt!!! Zoe and Jeff played around with them a bit while we cleaned out their tank.

Baby News
WOOOHOOO To Angela, one of my fabulous CT gals has given birth to twin girls! Angela, I'm so happy for you and your husband and big bro Coban! Your photos are gorgeous. Everyone check out Miranda and Claudia at Angela's Blog and send her a congrats! Another one of my wonderfully sweet CT gals is due any day! I can't wait Mel, to see the new addition! Don't keep us waiting now, hurry it up girl!

And now our baby....
Didn't think I could leave without a puppy update did you? She is growing bigger and bigger every day. Jeff weighed her today and she was a HUMUNGOUS 5.6 pounds, LOL! She is picking up on the potty training "finally", thank goodness for the crate, it's saving my floors. She really loves being with all of us. She is a bit shy around strangers and we are working with her on that as much as possible. She is definitely a BEAGLE... you should see her sniff around the ground. Everywhere she goes, the nose has led her there. She even has a scuff of paint on her chin right now (we are painting the deck). So funny! That's a whole other story, I'll share that one later. Here's Max and Lily nose to nose out in the yard.

Keep checking back, I'm having a huge sale coming up at SBB, and a couple new products in the works. School is finally starting to feel doable, and I'm getting the hang of things. Of course work starts on next Thursday so I'll have to adjust all over again. And OH..... how can I forget. Year NUMBER 4... DAVE MATTHEW'S BAND, next Saturday Night at the Gorge in George! I'm so excited!