Guess my age

This is the water heater that got removed yesterday. Take a gander at how old it is. No peeking. Hint: it is older than anyone in our household.

I'll publish the answer tomorrow.

Feliz Navidad y Próspero Año Nuevo

Here are some highlights from recent days. The pictures of Katie and Christine are the two of them comparing and discussing bunions-scintillating conversation for Christmas Day. Some of the exciting purchases of which we do not have photos yet (but maybe I'll get some posted in the future) are: new tires for the truck and a new hot water heater! Woo-hoo!

Thanksgiving

We are thankful for many things this year , mostly we appreciate our health. Bob's Mom, Phyllis, was diagnosed with ovarian cancer the weekend before Thanksgiving so we have spent quite a bit of time at the hospital. One of the positives was that Bob's sister, Mary, was able to fly in from AZ so we got to spend time with her. Of course we also said goodbye to my parents as they are on their way to TX for the winter. The doggies are doing well. In the picture with Katie you see Solie enjoying her status as top dog (she is in the living room, a no-dog area.)

New table and chairs

We love our new dining set. The chairs with cushions are infinitely more comfortable than the old ones. Thank you Dad.

Snow!

The first flakes of snow fell this morning and continued on and off throughout the day. So fay nothing is sticking to the ground. The Zephyrs play their last outdoor football game tonight. If they win they advance to the Dome. Go Zephs!

Election day

We held a family election night party while we watched the returns. Molly won the election vocabulary bingo game and we all enjoyed coloring in the states blue or red. R.J. was very interested in the election. Apparently it was/is a hot topic at school among his friends. An historic night indeed!

Trick or treat!

Pumpkin carving 2008

Only Mom needed a band-aid.

Zeke is growing up!

Keri O'Rourke's wedding

The dance photos did not turn out as well so I did not post them. A good time was had by all. The reception was at Dale's family's farm, a beautiful setting.

Memory Walk Weekend

Eventhough Molly and R.J. were ill (which is why I am on-line at this hour) we managed to attend some of the festivities. The hot-tub was quite popular!

First week of school

The first week of school is always a rude awakening, getting back on a tighter schedule, etc. Last night Molly hit her limit. She was overly tired but did not want to go to bed. Luckily Bob and I had wine with dinner so we were able to not overreact while she resisted showering and making her lunch.

Amid much foot stomping and "You can't make me go to bed!" She finally climbed up into her loft, determined not to read because "I'm mad and I want to stay mad. I am not going to sleep all night." Bob responded, "good luck with that Molly, hope you have a good day at school tomorrow", which of course just set her off again. Finally, after a lull we heard "That conditioner doesn't even smell like apples!"

Oh the cruelties of this world. Once we get back into the groove of things we will dedicate ourselves to finding appropriate conditioner.

Phyllis' 80th Birthday Party

Texans visit MN

Football Season

Expect fewer postings now that football practice has begun. We are all starting to log some significant hours at school. I have curriculum to write and the kids have no choice but to tag along.

Zeke is coming along, he still needs to learn a more obvious way to communicate to us that he needs to go outside and do his business but he responds to the commands of sit and come, stay is still tough. I'm posting some more pics of the new pooch. We decided to get the king sized bed as he'll grow into it quickly though for now he prefers Solie's bed.

Bob, Katie and me went down to Skinner's pub again to hear Martin Zellar play last night. A lot more people there than the first time. Good show though, he played the Gear Daddies' staples, a couple of Neil Diamond tunes and some Johnny Cash. Bob has committed to getting his Master's degree (finally) so that makes for some interesting scheduling this fall with football and later hockey. He still bikes into Mahtomedi everyday so our couples bike rides have taken a hit though last weekend we did a family ride around Lake Harriet.

No other news of note.

Zeke meets John, his hunting partner

Zeke appears to have some hunting skills. He pointed, fetched and retrieved for John. He also enjoyed running in the tall grass and trying to eat some of it.

Days with Grandma Baumhover

Well, Molly finally fulfilled one of her heart's desires. She enjoyed a visit to the candy store with Mom and Grandma. Today we spent a couple of hours at the Como Zoo and saw almost all of the animals. We watched Sparky the sea lion's show, glimpsed the construction of the new polar bear exhibit and toured the butterfly exhibit. One butterfly even landed on my shoulder.

Meet Zeke!

We added another member to our family, an 11 week old German Shorthaired Pointer. It's puppy love all around and Solie is getting lots of exercise.

Two more cute photos

Berries, tubing and fun in the sun!

Picked wild raspberries with Grandma and Grandpa yesterday. We also went tubing in the "speedboat" (14 foot fishing boat), and swam in the lake. Only 2 rafts to lounge on so R.J. and Molly had to chase Grandma if they each wanted their own raft. Today it is raining so we are having an indoor game day.