Scout

We miss our faithful companion, Scout, who passed away on Saturday. It is difficult not to see him every day. We miss his friendly greetings every time we arrive home. He was a good dog and a good running partner. Although he was not able to run with us the past couple of years, he logged many many miles, sometimes going out as many as 3 times a day when Wendy was home. He definitely left a hole in all of our hearts but we have many happy memories of him. We know he is enjoying running free now.

James: the man

This is James

James is 17.

Today.

Is it just me or is that crazy?

Crazy.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY JAMES!

You can't have anymore birthdays after this one, okay?

I like to call this collection "James: The Making of the Man"

James: the tyke

James: the innocent

James: the little brother

James: the big brother

James: the persistent

James: the warrior

James: the tree hugger

James: the composed

James: the speedster

James: the crusher

James: the jovial

James: The posterizer

James: the suspicious

James: the vigilant

James: the intrepid

James: the owl whisperer

James: the sneaky

James: the devourer of popsicles

James: the fearless

James: the baller

James: the uncle

James: the fanatic

James: the man

oh and James the American Idol.....

You're a great man, James. I love you. Have a Happy Birthday!

kicks and giggles

Oakley's favorite time of day is when Dave comes home. She loves to be bounced, thrown, rattled, rocked..... or as Dad would say thrown through the air "with reckless abandon." :)

the good stuff

Oakley ate baby food for the first time this week. And she did a great job! On the menu yesterday was sweet potatoes. The faces she makes are priceless. I just had to share this video with you guys but for some reason I can't upload videos to the blog, so you'll just have to click on this link to watch.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e5xIYIF4B1E&feature=youtu.be

Christmas Vacation

Well, here it is, our Christmas vacation in Oregon. Oakley was obviously the star of the show. We packed a lot of activity into our days, even in the rain. We found a nutria, (a beaver-like creature); saw a couple cool movies; some of us did a lot of running while others played on Grandma's basketball hoop. We had a rainy day at the coast, but that didn't stop Bill, Gabe, and Dave from climbing on the rocks and watching big waves crash. We even found time to buy a new (well, new to us) Dodge Ram truck. Yes, we really fit in now.