More Trains

On Tuesday, Grandma and Grandpa took the kids to Train Land (or something like that).  If you through the model trains at the fair were great, this was much bigger!

They had different set-ups designed to represent different U.S. states or different time periods or cultures.

It was something to be enjoyed by grandkids of all ages.

But I think the kids had a lot of fun just climbing around and pushing buttons too!

Our New Playground

Our church bought this playground equipment from an elementary school that closed for $100. (Plus costs to move and reconstruct it)

But over all, it's a great deal, and great equipment!

And after about a year of waiting, it's finally finished!!

Except for the pea gravel they are planning to add in a few weeks, and possibly staining the whole structure.  As you can see, some of the boards were replaced and don't match the wear of the others.  But it's in our back yard, and what a blessing it will be for Joshua as he grows up! 

New Toys

It doesn't matter if the toys are "New" or not, just as long as they're different.  

Last week we enjoyed spending a few days with my family.  Josh had fun searching through new toys.

And he also had fun with grandma and grandpa, cousins, and aunts and uncles.

We enjoyed a nice evening outside.

Made complete with sparklers.  Joshua just had to watch though.  Maybe next year, bud.

I don't think he minded as long as he had a grandma to sit with.

Just Cute

Animals at the Fair!

Joshua loved seeing the animals at the fair.  It was like the zoo, only he could touch most of the animals. 

He enjoyed the goats, but we had to be careful because they like to nibble on little fingers!

Josh's friend, Jeremiah, came with us and got to experience a goat nibble on his fingers. They both had a blast!

Then we went to see the cows.  They didn't like being pet as much.  If you try to pet one that's laying down, they would stand up immediately.  And when you're only a few feet away from those HUGE creatures, that can be pretty intimdating.  So we learned to keep our hands to ourselves! 

I know this isn't the best pictures if the sun shining, but do you see the way those cows are staring at him?  That's how we felt in there.  Intimidated!  So we left and went to find the horses.  But I didn't take pictures of those, sorry!

Trains at the Fair

Some local men have a model train set they have put together at the fair grounds here in town.  We went to see it during the fair and Josh really enjoyed it!

They have a huge track that takes up the whole room, running several trains at one time. 

What a dream land for little boys...Or grown up boys too!

Spill Proof Cups

We have this wonderful spill-proof cup for Josh's snacks.  I just started using it this week for the car.  My arm was getting tired of constanly reaching back to feed him cheerio after cheerio.  (Too bad I didn't think of this until after my trip this week)

Joshua really likes this cup, but today we learned that the cup doesn't work if you use it up-side-down.  

But Duke was sure excited when he saw the mess!

Words

Josh has started to talk already.  He is constantly talking Jiberish, but there are a few words he says very clearly.  His first word was "Bye", followed by "Hi" and then "Ball".  Recently he has added "Dew" in reference to Duke, as well as one he learned Sunday, "Amy".  No Joke.  I was on my way out the door Sunday evening and he started saying "Amy".  But I can't tell if he's trying to say Mommy or something else.  Let's home he's not calling me Amy.  It sounds very weird coming out of his mouth.  Now I know why I got in trouble for calling my mom Susan!  :-)

But it's so cute seeing Josh sit on the floor at church, or wherever we are and he'll just wave to everyone saying, "Hi...Hi...Hi".  And when Duke walks in the room, he points at him and says, "Dew...Dew...Dew".  I love it!  The only way to keep him quiet is to keep his mouth busy with Cheerios.  That does wonders!

More Cuteness with the Dishwasher

Josh still love climbing and playing with the dishwasher.  I think today he climbed all the way up onto the door, but I got him down right away because I didn't want the door to fall off!

He just doesn't want to give up though.  He's a determined little guy. (Also know as stubborn)

Pistol Shrimp

• The snap of the pistol shrimp’s claw is so loud that it competes with animals such as the sperm whale for the title of loudest creature of the sea. 
• When it snaps its claws together, it creates a vapor bubble with pressure sufficient to kill nearby small fish; these are then eaten. 
• Incredibly, when the bubble bursts it produces temperatures of up to 5,000 K, close to the temperature of the surface of the sun. This is not visible to the naked eye because of its low intensity.

Conspiracy

The other day, we went to our local county fair.  While in the commercial building, we visited a "Pro-Life" booth.  They had a great display, and they also had a drawing for a baby blanket.

Now, I have several baby blanket.  Some were gifts given to us, and some were even made by people special to us.  I didn't need another blanket, especially one that was made by someone I didn't know.  So although the ladies invited me to sign up, I waited until the person I was with was finished signing up using the only pen (because they talked her into it also), and thought I could make a clean getaway without taking the time to write all my info down for something I didn't need. Someone else could probably use it more than me!  But as I was walking away, the lady asked, "Did you sign up?  You can't win if you don't sign up."  Busted.  So I went and filled out the paper and entered the drawing. Oh well!

A few days later, the door bell rang.  One of the ladies was standing on my front step with the blanket I had tried so hard not to win.  Why is it that you only win the drawings that you don't want to win?

It is a nice blanket, and I am very appreciative for what these ladies are doing, and for the generosity of whoever took the time to make this beautiful blanket.  And I will pass the love along.  If you need a blanket, let me know.  If not, whoever had the next baby gets it!  Just kidding.  But maybe the Alpha Women's Center could use it.  Nothing like donating a pro-life prize to a pro-life organization...again.  Now, I just have to figure out how to get it there.

Fireworks...

Our 4th of July fireworks were delayed due to rain.  And although we had them a week later, this post is further delayed due to technical difficulties.  But better late than never!

Duke came with us, but I'm not sure he enjoyed it much.

Josh enjoyed the view, but not so much the noise.

But all in all, it was a fun evening.

Wolves

When hunting in packs, wolves use different howls to communicate with one another. Because echoes can distort communication, a wolf's howl does not produce an echo, even when emitted in a valley surrounded by mountains.

Kelci

Our friend Kelci came over for dinner the other night.

We had a lot of fun hanging out with her and Josh had a blast playing ball with her!

And since I told Kelci that she didn't need to bring anything for dinner, she decided to bring something anyway for Joshua.

This chair!  It's so adorable.  She found it at a garage sale and couldn't resist it.  It also has a football cover you can put on.  Josh loves it and it's so perfect for a little boy.  Thanks Kelci!!

Blue Whale

The blue whale is the largest creature that has ever lived on earth. It tips the scales at a whopping 170 tons - that's the same as about 22 elephants. Its heart is the size of a small car, and its largest blood vessels are wide enough for an child to swim through without much difficulty.

Woodpecker

Woodpeckers slam their heads into wood at a rate of 20 pecks per second. What protects them from injury is a spongy area that sits behind their beaks and acts as a shock absorber.

Camel Eye

• Camels are equipped to deal with harsh desert conditions, such as flying sand.  
• Camels have 3 eye lids. 
• The camel's eyes are protected by long eyelashes and have an extra thin eyelid. 
• He can see through this 3rd eyelid allowing him to find his way even in a harsh desert storm.  
• Also, the ears are small and very hairy, to keep flying sand from entering, and the nostrils can close completely or leave just a tiny opening for breathing.

Monster Trucks!!!

Did you know I LOVE trucks?  Not just any trucks, but mostly just Big Trucks.  And Monster Trucks are big!  I mostly love the Monster TRUCKS and no the Monster SUV's, but I'll take what I get.

This one was at the fair this year, so we had to have a picture.  When we were done, they turned it on and reved up the engine.  It took my bag to my high school days when my dad use to take me to Monster Truck Jams for my birthday.   They are a lot of fun!!

Eye

To put it simple...

• The human eye moves 100 thousand times a day. 
• It handles 1.5 million simultaneous messages
• It is auto-focusing
• It is self cleaning with built in wipers and cleaning fluid
• It has the ability to heal itself
• It distinguishes millions of colors
• Both eyes look at the same point at once.  If it were even a degree off, we'd see double

More of the Parade

Joshua loved the parade.  He was constantly leaning forward to see what was coming next.  He also loved playing with his frisbees he got and he loved the noise the box of nerds made.  That is, until he soaked the box so much that it opened and mommy had to eat the nerds...bummer, right?  Mmmm.

Our Harlan marching band.  We enjoy the many talents of our school.  They are #1 in about everything they do.  It's really neat to be a part of a town that has something to celebrate.  The whole town rallies around Harlan Sports.  I think it really unifies everyone.  I would compare it to living in Green Bay, WI where the town owns the football team.  Ok, so maybe not as intense, but still pretty cool. :-)

Cycle of Life

Isn't it amazing how this can change into...

...this, and then into...

One Of God's Designs

Humming Birds have small bodies to help them move easily from flower to flower.  Their needle-like bill helps them probe into flower cups and they have a special tongue to extract nectar. Their strong wings and breast bone helps them to stop mid-air, and even fly backwards.

 The hummingbird flaps its wings 55 to 75 times per second. In order to fuel this activity, it eats approximately twice its weight in nectar every day.  Their hearts beat 21 times a second.