Dodge Ball

Katherine suggested a game of dodge ball, the best idea I had heard in a long time. Whoever won ten rounds won. It came down to a draw at the game point with the reputation of the girls vs. that of the boys on the line. The boys narrowly pulled it out, but the last few minutes they were sweating a little - it got a little intense.

Ready, Set, GO!

Dad, making a bigger mess than the gopher he was after. But gopher #83 could only outwit dad and Jake for so long before he'd run out of tricks.

Sweet Aunthood

Soaking up every minute of being an aunt. I just wish I wasn't so busy the whole visit so I had more time to play with him and just be around him. I just realized they are leaving early in the morning and I haven't even changed a diaper or put him down for a nap! Sad!
I want to see my two other nephews too, but it looks like they are going to be another half year older before I do.
Osh Kosh O my Gosh this kid is just way too darned cute.
(Mrs. Ellis, after church: "Jeez, what do you do? How do you stand it? How do you keep from just eating him, he is so cute!")

It was so good to have Katherine home too, although with a kid like that,she didn't get much of the limelight.

Pohn Jaulie: What a Poon

Wordworks and Fireworks

Uhh, Sam, Zi, like fece, isn't a word. And, Carmen, its queasy, not queezy. But don't worry. I don't mind if you girls CHEAT!
The genius considering her options.
Its funny how when you stare at seven letters long enough you can convince yourself that you can make words out of them. Even if they are completely original words.

A break for the firework show. I like this picture because the rocket is gone, but the frame just shows the smoke it left behind and the illuminated night.
Ta da.
Back to more serious matters.
Carmen came out with over 200 points. Sam just breached 100. I was somewhere between. A very unhappy place to be. Ouch.

A few more fireworks pictures.
Andrew put on a homemade firework show of his own. The budding Einstein got (several) bottles of cologne for Christmas. Rather than getting the hint that he needs to shower more than once a week and wear deodorant on occasion, he only noticed the word "alcohol" on the bottle. Boy+alcohol+fire+pop gun caps= baby fireworks. But this is not a picture of one.
Carmen, mom and I enjoying the show.
John Paul also enjoying the show, in his own way. "DAD??? Is this going to be a LOUD one?" he asked before every single fuse was lit. He shortly began complaining that he was suddenly very very tired and needed to go to bed....but he wasn't afraid, just tired, he insisted.
Sam is always putting out Andrew's flame.

And, of course, Indepence Day wouldn't be complete without a water fight. 3 boys vs. 3 girls. But I wasn't about to be impeded by a camera in mortal combat.

Horsin' Around

Sunday found Mare and me riding Jazz out in the mile long field across the road (not exactly trespassing - there's no sign against it). Opening her up in a long flat field, she has a chance to prove her lineage (Mary got on the internet and, tracing her lineage back, found that she is a descendant of the Great Kings of her species: among them Seabiscuit, and therefore Man'O War and The Godolfin Arabian; Hastings, a famous horse who also claimed fame as a mankiller (10 people), also a triple crown winner (there have only been 7). All that means is that we got a really good deal on a really good horse. But we knew that already.

I had broken a stirrup a couple of weeks ago, so we had to ride bareback (meaning we have a speed limit of about half her max speed). Finally we got a new stirrup and we were able to make the dirt fly again. I wish this little clip showed her at her fastest and not as i was slowing her down at the end of the field, but she still has some speed. She can clear the mile long field with little coaxing from being a little speck at one end to a little speck at the other in +/-40 seconds

Let me explain this one: my hat (the wild waving of which gets her going her fastest) had flown off my head a moment before, so I went back to retrieve it. Upon finding it, I jumped off. And then Jazz thought it would be funny to play a little game of tag. Mary found it hilarious. I, as I yell at the end, don't think its so funny.

Mary and Jazz. Mary is working wonders with her three charges. Her goal for the summer is to get Banjo trained well enough that we can go on a ride together to the lake, her on Banjo and I on Jazz. I am skeptical, but if anyone can do it, Mary can.

The other day I came home to find Andrew chuckling devilishly while looking out the window. Following his gaze, there was Mary, working with Jazz in the round pen. She had a little rope around Jazz's waist and was gently tugging on it in a coaxing sort of way. Andrew explained that he had laid a large sum of money, $2.50, on the bet that she could not train Jazz to lay down on the ground on command by the 4th of July. "She will never get that horse to plop down on the ground with a little rope like that! She is crazy!" He walked away gleefully. Not ten seconds later, Jazz obediently laid her thousand pound body on the ground with a heave. "Andrew," I called, even more gleefully, "better go get your two and fifty. Jazz stayed there calmly 5 minutes until mary told her to get up.

I like this horse... A lot, if you cannot tell.