Basking in the Glow

Punkin loves to sit in the window in the late afternoon and soak up the warm sun. He's so nice to pose for me, too. :) ~N~

Celebrating a Milestone

Love x3

Jane Cara is Six Months Old!

Goofy, funny little lady.
Here Daddy was playing peekaboo with her.


We are so proud of our Janie! Six months have passed, and man- how time flies. Life is so sweet with Janie around. She's a happy, funny, good little girl and we are so, so blessed.

A Walk in the Park

I went to the Nature Center today and walked. Seeing deer there is a regular thing. This one was about 25-30 feet from me. They're really tame. I zoomed in for this shot. ~Kim

Cousins 1980

I found this sweet picture of Ashley and Kim at Thanksgiving 1980, Springfield MO. ~Nancy~

Garrett

We think we're close.

Dad and Carolyn are leaving in the morning and should be here Saturday.

So who knows...hopefully soon!

Lady Bug Encounter

Took advantage of a photo op today when I saw a lady bug on my desk at work. Finally let it crawl onto the pencil and let it loose outside.

~N~

Duck Park Images

The Duck Park

We have all enjoyed Nancy's(Gammy's) pictures of various birds and sunset scenes at the park down the street from her house. Not long ago, she took Abby and Nathan to feed the ducks at the "Duck Park" as we call it. Abby had a school assignment to write about her favorite place to go, and she chose to draw upon her experiences feeding the birds with her Gammy. For those of you in Texas, it was a TAKS writing practice (written totally independantly without help from teachers or parents) for the test they have coming up. A 4 is the highest rating, and she received a "strong 4" from her teacher on this practice. More than that, though, I thought this was a wonderful snapshot of a childhood experience she will always remember. Enjoy!
P.S. If anyone has access to share this with Grandma, I would appreciate it!


When I looked up at the sky, I noticed three snowy-white seagulls flying above the sparkling lake. Ducks of all different colors like green, brown, and red were splashing and diving with each other. I knew right then that I didn't want to be anywhere else.

I glanced down at the unused bread bag I was holding and took out a piece of crumbly bread. It felt stiff and spongy in my hand. I tore a small bite off and threw it to the ducks and geese in the lake. I observed that the geese wrestled and splashed at the ducks for even the smallest piece of bread. I laughed when this happened. Sometimes even a seagull would swoop down and grab a bite!

As I walked along the brown, dirt road, tearing bread, I saw a large, feathery goose nearby. I walked up to him and held out my hand. He waddled away. But he came closer when I held out a piece of bread. He snatched it out of my hand, waddled into the water, and ate it.

Soon, I pulled out the last piece of bread. I stood up straight and threw it as far as I could. It landed in the green lake near a large bridge. I watched closely to see if a goose, a seagull or a duck would eat it. Suddenly, out of nowhere a small seagull sailed downwards to grab the piece of stale bread. He scooped it up in his beak and flew away. It was amazing!

Finally, the beautiful, raspberry-purple sunset came. While I watched all of the birds fly and swim away, I admired all of nature and what it had to offer. I loved going to "The Duck Park". It makes the earth seem so perfect. All of my worries were gone when I left. That is why "The Duck Park" is my favorite place to be.

-Abby Faust, 4th grade, 10 years old

Cupid Awake

From turn-of-the-century (1900) antique lithograph.
Was this the reference to Kristy's curly-hair picture Mary?
~N~

Military Pro Shop ad

For Bill's shop, in case you couldn't tell due to the video size.

CJ in his Keller Knights baseball sweatshirt

Here is CJ getting ready for practice with his select baseball team. He is #10 and having fun so far. I saw them practice for the first time outdoors (they have been practicing indoors) and was truly amazed at how good this team is. These kids know what they are doing as opposed to recreational baseball. CJ is exactly where he needs to be..with kids at his playing level. First tournament will be the last weekend in Feb in Mansfield...GO KNIGHTS!

Kristy at 1.5 years old

Went through some pictures and wanted to share an old photo of Kristy when she was 1.5 years old. This is a favorite of mine taken in our backyard.

Jenny and Papa (Grandpa)

My dad took a clip of some 8mm film he had and sent it to us. I thought I'd share it with the rest of the family. Papa (as he's known to the Briley girls) was usually behind the camera, so this is kind of unique. Jenny is SO, SO CUTE!! - Laura

Bookends

I've had him six months now, and he's a lot of fun. :) ~Kim

Bouncing to Baby Einstein

Janie loves to smile, squeal, kick and bounce while watching and listening to a Baby Einstein video.

(Posted by Gammy)

:~( Sorry, Cards!

Good game, though.

SUPER BOWL XLIII

Thanks, Nancy!

Thank you, Nancy, for maintaining the blog site! The wallpaper this month is pretty. ~Kim