The Known Universe

I found this on the Astronomy Picture of the Day website for January 20, 2010, see http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap100120.html if this video doesn't work.

We are really tiny.

Play with me!

Cookie Monster tried to get Zach's attention, but he was busy playing in the condensation on the inside of the windows (note the wet face).

This Cookie Monster toy makes all these little noises when its jaw opens. So you can shake him and the top of his head bounces up and down while he says funny things. One of the things he does is burps, then the next time you shake him he says "scuse me!"

We put the wrapped box he was in under the Christmas tree and he must have been sitting right at an angle where the jaw was on a hair trigger. Whenever you walked in the room, he would do his little Cookie Monster sounds from inside his gift box.

I give this toy the "Zacher's two thumbs up and put it in your mouth" seal of approval.

Comics Box

Here's a picture of my favorite gift this Christmas. I got Kyle a little Leatherman multitool/knife that came with a little flashlight.

I got a diaper box to wrap it in, which is huge. I taped the knife and flashlight inside the box to the side. Then I wrapped it with Sunday comics, which was fun.

Andrea thought that Kyle would be disappointed to have a box so large with such a tiny gift, but he liked it. He read the whole box first, and then he wasn't disappointed at what was inside because it was so cool.

I think, growing up in this family, he has to be ready to be messed with.

Christmas is Coming

Here's Zach in front of our Christmas tree at home. It looks like a lot of presents for his first Christmas.

It almost looks like someone asked him if he's been good and he's avoiding the question.

Which is ridiculous, because he's a baby, he's always good. Wait, I forgot about the way he chews on electric cords and throws his bottle on the ground and attacks the cats and ... Oh well, he's a baby, he gets a pass on all those things.

Fireplace Fixation

When we took Zach to Grandma & Grandpa's, he did the same thing he does at home, which is to hang out at the fireplace.

I think it's just that it's a nice child-sized ledge. It's not like he's making a fire or studying masonry. Well, he might be studying masonry, we can't tell what's going through his mind yet.

Baby's First Christmas

We went up to Des Moines early in order to get Christmas in with the Grandparents.

It was a hit, and Zach thoroughly enjoyed the tree, the Grandparents, and all the holiday cheer.

Elmo is a hit

Zach got a laughing Elmo for his first Christmas, which was a huge hit.

I'm not sure what Elmo is, exactly, beyond being fun. I'm thinking maybe the bear family.

Weightless Hawk

This Redtailed Hawk seems to weigh almost nothing, if you look at the branch he is perched on.

I have never understood how these big birds can be at the very top of a tree and not seem to weigh down the branches they perch on. I wonder if they can put a little bit of twist in the limb by the way they grip it that unbends the branch and reverses the effect of their weight.

Or maybe they are made of air.

Harvest Garden

We went back out to visit the new Harvest Garden section at Powell Gardens, with a little more of the area finished than on the opening weekend.

We found more randy grasshoppers, this time of the variety that I've known about since I was little.

I think Andrea thought that the big one was giving the little one a ride.

The cold frames were very cool. I've read for years about how you can grow lettuce up until December sometimes with a good cold frame.

Grasshopper Love

We went for a nice visit to Powell Gardens back when the weather was still nice.

You expect to have to explain to your small children big animal's behavior, like horses or cows, but you don't expect to see such randy grasshoppers. Fortunately, Zach was oblivious.

I've never seen such big grasshoppers, let alone these dark green ones.

Legacy Fields

We got into the habit of taking long walks down the east side of the Legacy Park walking trail, which gives you some nice silhouettes of the ball fields

Two Bucks

Here's two almost identical bucks that were coming up to our back yard for about a week. They had a doe with them, too, and they were play fighting for her. They were in practice for the real thing, which was still about 2 months away at that point.

Hidden in Plain Sight

How can this "Pointe" be hidden if they have a big sign for it?

And why the lighthouse in Missouri? Last I checked, we don't have an extensive coastline.

I'm not saying it's not a really cool entryway for a subdivision. I'm just saying that they were a lot more creative with the naming of the subdivision than with the design of their houses.

Baptism by Slide

God loves a good water slide.

Reflective Walk

We went around the lakes at James A. Reed on a pretty fall day that had no wind. This made some nice reflections on the water.

James A. Reed's Susans

This fall had so many yellow flowers that were similar to black eyed susans. That's not what these flowers are, because the centers were not black, but the flowers around James A. Reed's hiking trails were very pretty.

Spider vs. Wasp

Some wasps catch spiders, putting them in a state of suspended animation in their egg chambers, as food for their young.

I've broken open wasp nests and found the spiders before, but I've never see one being captured and taken back to the nest. This wasp could not fly, because the spider was so big.

Sunset Vista

Here's another view from Lake Vista Trail, this time across the lake past a dead tree full of birds watching the sunset at the ramp that takes the trail below the Jacomo dam on the other side of the lake.

Opossum Hollow

One of my favorite approaches to the Vista Lake Trail around Lake Blue Springs and Jacomo was called Opossum Hollow.

It was an old road that was access to a quarry or farmer's fields in the bottom land years ago.

The old road was covered with gravel, but was still washed out. Someone decided to pave it from the parking area down the hill to where it ties in to the loop that follows the lake.

Very nice. Especially for bikers, but for the hikers too.

September Cute

Here's Zach from back in September, looking cute. He was starting to push up and try to stand, and he liked the area under the table. We had weaned him off of the pacifier, but he liked to play with them occasionally, when he found one.

Fish Log

This fallen hollow tree looks like a large fish trying to bite a tree. You have to picture a gar to see it.

First Time in the Cart

Here's Zach for the first time in the shopping cart.

He really likes the freedom compared to being straightjacketed into his car seat in the cart. He likes to be able to look around in all directions.

I usually let him smell things or hold onto things. Anything you put in his hand immediately goes into his mouth. All parents will tell you this, but how many of them follow their children's lead and taste everything in their worlds? Perhaps the world would be a nicer place if everything had good taste.

Yesterday, I put a cucumber in his hands. This was perfect, it fit in his hands just right, and you knew he wasn't going to choke on it. Then I saw that his little face was screwed up in a grimace and his mouth was open and there was a little bite of cucumber on his tongue. He did not like the taste at all. He used his two little lower front teeth as a vegetable peeler and sliced of a piece of the skin.

I was able to extract the piece of cucumber, but it was a close thing. When you try to help a baby with something in their mouth, they just clamp down.

Squirrelly Truck

Steve's truck was not working. Steve was not happy. When he opened the hood, he found that he had a philosophical disagreement with a squirrel. The squirrel believed that the dry, warm protected compartment under the hood was an excellent place for a cozy little nest. Steve believed that the truck was a method of transportation and the engine was to be used for moving the truck, not housing squirrels.

The squirrel also thought that eating wiring was a good part of a nutritious rodent diet.

The squirrel did not survive the experience.

Photo by Steve

Antique Jeep

Here's a fine example of one of the old Jeep Wagoneers. In production from 1963 to 1991, it was the first luxury 4x4 and the second to the last vehicle produced with a carburetor rather than fuel injection (source: Wikipedia). These sturdy behemoths are still out there, still running. The owners look to be people that are primarily into hunting, fishing, camping, or in this case, politics.

Sheepish Love

It may be an inantimate object, this blanket/throw with the little sheep head, but that doesn't mean it can't show it's love to Zachy by giving him a big sheep hug.

Old Homestead

We found a geocache site in Monkey Mountain Park and I told Andrea that it was the site of an old house, probably with a barn. The fields were cleared on top of the hill just to the north, an old stone road went right in front of it, and there was a clearing with large trees around it, all markers of an old house.

This man came up behind us when we were searching the site and told us that there used to be a cabin there. He was more concerned with warning us about snakes than telling us about the old cabin. It was probably from back before even his time.

Foggy Bale Field

We were geocaching in Monkey Mountain park and found this cool view of native wildflowers and large round haybales in the fog.

Cabin in the rocks

This old hollow between rock slabs used to have a little cabin in it. This is a natural opening in the rock that was used as a fireplace with chimney. You could see the foundations at either end of the opening where end walls were installed, and the footers up on the rock where the roof was supported. This is a very strange place for a little cabin.

Making Beetles

I love the Black Eyed Susans, and apparently, so do these little orange beetles. I stood by and sang "I'm in the mood for love" to them.

Garden Spider in morning dew

This is by far the best Gardener Spider web in morning dew I've ever seen.

Heron over Water

I love the way a bird with a 6' wingspan can fly along just a few inches above the water. I don't remember having so many Blue Herons around when I was a kid, but they sure are beautiful birds.

Too Cute

Here's some more gratuitous pictures of baby Zach and his most excellent cuteness.

Family Portrait

Here are some pictures of Zach looking cute with his Mommy and Grandparents.

Confirmation

We got Zach a spiffy little outfit for his confirmation. He's looking divine.