Backwards Baby Bjorn

These things work in reverse, too.

Zach likes to see where we're going, so he likes this arrangement much better.

Clubbin' It

Here's the outside of the Round Hill Tennis Club's clubhouse.

We went to the 50th birthdays of Ken & Lilly, where Zach got to show off his snazzy sweater again.

A good time was had by all.

Airing Things Out

Just before burping, Zach gets this zombie-like stare in his eyes, then he does his best to imitate a bugling elk.

Reason #2

Here's another reason I hate herbicides.

Ground Ivy, Glechoma hederacea, which is a creeping perennial that smells like mint when you cut it, also has beautiful little purple flowers in the spring.

Ivy

We spent a long time at the nurseries trying to find a breed of ivy to replace the virginia creeper vines we tore off the front of the house this year. And here's the perfect breed growing in the back yard about 50 feet away.

Redbud, Magnolia, Dogwood

The house next door was finally sold and there have been contractors working there for the last 3 months. They chopped down a 30 year old magnolia tree in the back yard, so it's probably a good idea to get a record of how the place looks before they start hacking the trees in the front yard down, too.

Paul planted the dogwood as a memorial to his father when he died back in the early 90s, so it's about 15 years old now, and doing well.

Mutant Violets

While I love violets, I really love the mutation to the violet species that we have cropping up in our yard in spots.

This white violet retains some purple streaks near the center.

Violet Meadow

This is my argument against weed killer.

Baby's Eye View

Here's what it looks like from Zach's play mat.

It's blurry because the camera can't focus that close, and I can't either.

The only logical conclusion is that babies must have microscope like eyes.

Bird's Eye View

Sometimes Zach likes me to hang out with him on his play mat.

Funny Joke

Here's Zach after I told him the joke about the bumblebee and the Farmer's Wife.

Kitty Closeups

Here's two of my favorite pictures of cats lately. Speedy getting her much loved head rubbing and Eddy hanging out by my feet.

Dead Oak Cracks Up

This huge oak tree in our neighbor's yard was struck by lightning in 2004 and died.

It's been there for only 5 years, but it's really getting rotten fast.

Saturday morning, I heard a load snap and a thundering crash. I looked out to see a limb, probably weighing a couple hundred pounds had snapped off and speared itself upright in the ground.

Bullseye is in the lower left foreground, checking it out.

No furry or feathered animals were harmed in the making of this blog.

Miniature Airplanes

Zach did not enjoy his first trip to the Radio Controlled Airfield at Lake Jacomo.

This picture is about 3 minutes prior to his fussy meltdown.

Dino Fishy

I always notice the little religious fish symbols on cars.

This was a new one for me, the T-Rex with the fish in his tiny front paws.

Is it saying that evolution devours religion? I can't tell for sure.

I feel like I should be pixelating the license plate so the guy won't be targeted. But then, I remember that no one reads this blog.

Dino Jammies

Mommy loves Zach's dinosaur pajamas.

Bobbie meets Baby

Zach finally got to meet his Aunt Bobbie, to thank her in person for the quilt she made him.

A New Breed of Bradford

This bradford pear looks like it is trying to grab the truck.

This lot outside of Gate 2 at Lake Lotawana used to have a little store with a greasy little kitchen inside.

Some people claimed that they had excellent food (you know who you are Shane), but the place burned down a few years back.

Now, for some reason, there are always a lot of trucks parked in the old parking lot.

Stone Haus Cedars

I never noticed how dark, almost black, cedar trees look.

This line is outside of Stone Haus winery on Colburn Road.

Stunning Sycamore

I love a majestic giant sycamore. The white trunks stand in such contrast to all the other trees (with the exception of the aspen, but we don't have those around here).

This monster is so huge that the white extends out to its branch tips, filling the whole canopy of the tree.

Ward Parkway on a Perfect Spring Day

It's hard to imagine a prettier scene than the bright blue of a spring sky with the new green lawns and the blossums of the trees in their glory.

The drive down Ward Parkway in Kansas City is always nice, since the area has been pampered and manicured by the city and the land owners surrounding it for years.

Bradford Pears at Ash Grove

I love it when the Bradford Pears bloom. It's a toss up between them, Redbuds, and Dogwoods.

This picture doesn't do justice to the lush beauty of this little cul-de-sac near Zach's day care house.

First Contact

Zach got to meet his Uncle Steve and cousin Kyle for the first time.

For some reason, his main reaction was to laugh and smile the whole time.

I think he liked them on first sight.

photo by Andrea

The Gentle Spaz

My brother's dog Ray is such a nice dog. He doesn't seem to be exceptionally bright, but he's so good natured.

Watching him bounce around and frolic clumsily, you would probably think that he's kind of a bull in a china shop, but he proved to be surprizingly gentle around baby Zach.

The only thing to worry about was that he couldn't seem to resist giving a lick on Zach's hand or cheek as he passed by. Zach's tiny stature makes him an ideal unprotected target for dog kisses.

photo by Andrea

Vulcan Mind Meld

During Kyle's recent visit, he attempted to answer an age old mystery.

What would happen if you transferred the mind of a cat into a dog and vice versa.

Unfortunately, we will never know, because the experiment was interrupted by breakfast.

Heart Pond

I used to use views of a pond down the street as the cover photo on this blog. The pond is heart shaped from above, and we've always called it the heart pond.

I hate to take down the gull picture, so I'm putting two recent cool photos of the heart pond in the blog rather than letting them headline.

Bradford Pears

I love this time of the year when the bradford pears are in bloom.

Baby Grass

Here comes the next generation of baby grass.

I hope it works. We've got a yard that reminds me of Branson. It's full of bald knobbers.

Delicate Frost

I noticed that just a little sunshine erased the frost quickly.

I like the lines of remaining frost protected by small shadows from the tree branches.

Starball Freeze Rays

I noticed that there were rays of raised frozen ridges coming off of the Starballs in puddles.

I'm sure it has something to do with seeding the crystallization during the freezing process.

In any case, it looks pretty cool.

Red Maples of Spring

I never noticed how red the maples were when they budded out before this year.

Back that Mockingbird Up

This is a Mockingbird I saw recently in the parking lot where I previously heard one of the funniest things that I've ever heard from a bird. He was mimicking a backup warning beeper, with a pretty uncanny resemblance.

This guy was living in a bush right next to where I first heard the backup bird. I'm not sure if he's the one, or the son of the one.

Melting Piles

When the snow first comes down, it is so white and beautiful.

It always surprises me how dirty and grimy it is when it melts.

Symbol Confusion

I thought the CR-V logo was one of those little Christian Fish symbols. I wonder if the Japanese are closet Christians?

Blooms & Blankets of Snow

This is something that you don't see very often.

Fully bloomed Bradford Pears with a thick blanket of snow below them.

The snow did not kill the trees, surprisingly.

Getting a Sense of Scale

Many parents that have seen Zach have commented that they forgot that their baby was that little.

So here's a couple of examples of scale against my hands.

Some day he'll be 6'5" and will make jokes about my bald spot as he looks down on the top of my head.

I'll then cut off his allowance and not let him borrow the family hovercraft to go out on his date that weekend.

Sting Like A Bee

Here's Zach practicing his Muhammed Ali moves. Cover the chin and go for the knockout with a quick left jab.

Word Up

Zach was listening to Word Up by Cameo (he likes early 90's music) and after listening to the part where they go "Wave your hands in the air like you don't care..." he promptly fell asleep.

Jordi LaSmudge

Smudgie is one of the X-Cats. His super mutant power is super spider multi eyes. This enhancement means that no kibbles will escape him.

Withdrawal

Is this what they mean by going cold turkey?

Money Shot

This is the photo we will use for the Baby Mount Rushmore scupting template.

Revision

OK, that last entry about me was somewhat amusing.

Daddy is Dull

This is what Zach thinks of his daddy's blog.