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Our Family

Luke — Thu, 08 Sep 2011 03:07:09 +0000

We’ve looked, but we can’t find this one anywhere.

Click to enlarge.

They just aren’t big on sharing

Luke — Tue, 26 Jul 2011 03:07:51 +0000

(RJ runs in from outside)

RJ: It’s not good, Dad! Our family has some BIG problems.

Dad: What do you mean?

RJ: Well, I tried to lay the cat down in the dog’s bed.

Dad: No luck?

RJ: She just wont stay in there. She does NOT like it.

Dad: Maybe it’s the smell or something. Weird.

RJ: Yeah! And when I put her in, the dog started freaking out and got out of the bed too! Our family does NOT get along.

We all have to contribute in this family

Luke — Wed, 18 May 2011 03:07:47 +0000

(extremely excited about a new idea)

RJ: … it’s just like the rice we found growing in Bali, except with the grass and leaf bits taken off and we could plant it in our own garden and have small fields in there, some with rice and some with wheat and some with alfalfa and we could collect it up each year and gather it into big bales and we could have Scarlet carry it around on her back, she’s super strong you know, like one of those animals… called… what are they called again?

Dad: Umm… I’m not sure exactly what you’re talking about…

RJ: You know! Those animals! The ones that carry stuff!

Dad: Animals? That carry stuff?

RJ: Yeah! Hay dogs! That’s it! She could be our hay dog and carry it all around for us and then we could sell it to people at the market!

Our USA Adventure 2010, Part 4: Buffalo Bill vs. the Fourth of July

Luke — Sun, 04 Jul 2010 03:07:13 +0000

Cody, Wyoming is home to the Buffalo Bill Historical Center, a marvelous set of museums which we spent a while exploring. Out front, a blacksmith worked a historically accurate forge and anvil making nails by hand (a job that I do not envy), while someone cooked up some buffalo stew over a campfire. The smells were delicious!

We also had a great time watching the Fourth of July Parade, complete with cowboys, horses, skiiers, cowboys, hamburgers, horses, cowgirls, poodles, horses, Shriners in little zoomy cars, cowboys, marching bands and horses!

We visited the Buffalo Bill Historical Center. It houses several museums in the same building.

Dad and RJ finally figured out the difference between a Bison and a Buffalo!

RJ, C., LR and Mum check out some footprints.

LR compares the skulls of a brown bear and a grizzly bear. They have HUGE nasal cavities.

LR takes a closer look at some of the local wildlife in one of the excellent microscopes.

RJ and Mum step in for a closer look.

LR and Mum try on some buffalo horns. RJ doesn't need them.

The museum had a huge mosaic map across the floor. We had fun calling out places and having the kids rush around the floor trying to find them.

C. and RJ compare the different Indian headdresses and decide which ones would be for them. Warrior chiefs seem to be popular this year.

RJ checks out the face in the rock as the old Indian chief looks on.

LR and C. go for a spin on the swings. Is that wise after eating so much icecream just moments before?

RJ runs to catch up at the local library. The Cody, Wy library is fully equipped with a cafe and indoor and outdoor seating and most-importantly.... Free WIFI!

The kids make their way down the Cody, WY streets.

On the Fouth of July, we went into town and watched the parade. With over 150 different entries in the parade it took a couple of hours to get throught them all!

Of course, no parade is complete without marching bands, and there were plenty of those.

Mum proudly remembers the countless hours stomping around on hot summer days while wearing a woolen coat. She's happy that they're over.

LR found one caramel with the outline of Australia in it! -- A continual stream of people wandered past handing out candy and lollies to the crowd. It wasn't long before the kids had enough lollies and began handing them around themselves.

The rodeo clowns made a showing, driving madly in and out around the other paraders.

Most of the cultural references were totally missed on the kids from Down Under... but the pink lady with a pink poodle was a big hit.

There was no shortage of cowboys and horses in this parade.

The hamburger was not impressed by the amount of horse manure left around.

There was both a mule train AND a llama train. They were equivalently loaded, but the llamas seemed considerably more laid back.

They even had a skiing entry in the parade... with a small crane suspending the skiers up on the chairlift.

A real cowboy... We didn't mess with him.

Yay! Flags!

Of spines and men

Luke — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 03:09:42 +0000

(RJ getting increasingly agitated attempting to attach porcupine quill to large inflatable hedgehog)

RJ: I need to stick it on. Hedgy wont be safe.

Dad: Safe from what? He’s in our living room.

RJ: He has no spines. He isn’t safe from predators.

Dad: (get increasingly worried about Hedgy getting punctured) We don’t have predators in here. The worst Hedgy has to deal with is that pile of unfolded laundry on the couch.

Mum: RJ, he’s a fuzzy hedgehog. They’re bred specially for living rooms.

RJ: He isn’t safe! What if… if… a lot of hungry dogs come in here… through the window?

…

Dad: (under his breath) Better Hedgy than us, then. We’ll remember him in heroic verse after we make our escape.

A day at the Perth Royal Show

Luke — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 03:05:47 +0000

Every year, we head off to the Perth Royal Show to see the animals, ride some rides, watch some wood chopping, cheer on the sheep dogs, and of course, pick up a couple of showbags. If you haven’t been, it’s just like a state fair in the US, but perhaps a little smaller with fewer crazy rides. It’s great fun, and we haven’t missed it yet.

RJ challenged one of the Australian Defense Force underwater operations specialists to a game of tic-tac-toe.

LR got her hands on some very cute chicks.

"Whoah. This came from one really big chicken."

LR cuddled this guinea pig for nearly half an hour. RJ discovered that it loved carrots.

RJ's uneaten sandwich had the undivided attention of this Australian Shepherd.

Mum and LR queue up to buy some tickets for the rides.

LR makes some waves in the bumper boats.

"Hey! Look out! You're going to *BUMP* ... crash into me!"

RJ and LR take a wild ride on the kids' roller coaster.

RJ shows off his fantastic new hat from his Backyardigans Showbag.

LR gets to work right away with her new paper and pens from her showbag!

LR jumps on Mum's back for a fast getaway! That's all until next year's show!

What’s for Dinner?

Luke — Thu, 03 Sep 2009 03:49:40 +0000

Dad: What should we make for dinner RJ?

RJ: Ummm… Pasta… sauce… and something special.

Dad: Special? Like what?

RJ: Let’s cook Scarlet! She’ll be very juicy.

Dad: What!? We can’t cook the dog! Mum would freak!

RJ: How about just her tail?

Dad: Like a dog tail soup or something?

RJ: No. Just chop it in pieces.

Dad: I think Scarlet would miss her tail.

RJ: Yes, but it’s too waggy. She wouldn’t bump us around so much any more.

Scarlet - Without Tail