Friday, July 28, 2006

Standing Again


Standing Again
Originally uploaded by DoubleEE.
A is always wanting to stand...and loves being propped up to something....but she just doesn't quite have the balance yet to maintain herself in this position.....so please excuse the lower part of my leg as her prop.

Happy Birthday Dad!


Happy Birthday Dad!
Originally uploaded by DoubleEE.
NEWS FLASH: My dad is entering his final year of his twenties today.....does that mean he is getting old?

Why again do you put these on my feet?

I tried putting shoes on A today.....She wasn't quite sure what to think...and spent most of her time just trying to pul them off.

Thursday, July 27, 2006

First Notice...of East Ridge Fire

This fire started about 3pm today...cause is still unknown...
Speculation of course is from a lightening storm that came through last night....
This photo was taken from our front porch.
The news reported today...that this summer in SD could be one of the driest SD has seen since 1888.
We really feel like we've been pretty fortunate this far.....that this has been the only fire this close all summer long.

Close...but not too close


Close...but not too close
Originally uploaded by DoubleEE.
This was the view from our next door neighbors driveway.....it doesn't look like much now.....but all afternoon we had burnt pine needles and ash falling all over our driveway. I decided to run the sprinklers in the back yard as a precaution given the fact that the neighbor behind us has yet to turn on his sprinklers this year and has a completely brown dead lawn.

Birds Eye View


Bird's Eye View
Originally uploaded by DoubleEE.
E decided to take a better look by climbing on the roof tonight....
So far one house has been a total loss.....but there are many many more in harms way.

South Dakota Drive in Theater


South Dakota Drive in Theater
Originally uploaded by DoubleEE.
Now Playing: Backdraft.....
We decided to venture out and join the other hundreds of gauckers taking in the sites of the fire burning just across the interstate from us.

On-lookers


On-lookers
Originally uploaded by DoubleEE.
If you look closely you can see how the fire came up over the ridge line and came down the other side.....lot's of houses in the area...

Night Light


Night Light
Originally uploaded by DoubleEE.
So this was the final shot we took of the fire tonight before we turned in....last report....100% NOT contained....and they would be relying on ground crews through the night....since the planes and helicopters could not fly at night.

Sunday, July 23, 2006

Look Mom No Hands!


Look Mom No Hands!
Originally uploaded by DoubleEE.
A thought it would be fun to try standing next to the coffee table....without using her hands....needless to say....she didn't last long.

Socks??


Socks??
Originally uploaded by DoubleEE.
Current conditions at the time of this picture.....98 degrees....for some silly reason...K was cold and thought she needed not only long pants on....but warm fuzzy winter socks too!

Family Photo


Family Photo
Originally uploaded by DoubleEE.

College Roomies


College Roomies
Originally uploaded by DoubleEE.
K & N made a short trip over to South Dakota this weekend for a little visit.....we had good time reminiscing about our old college days.

Princess


Princess
Originally uploaded by DoubleEE.
Grandma D bought me a princess crown...so now I can be a princess whenever I choose.

Sunday, July 16, 2006

Picture Perfect


Picture Perfect
Originally uploaded by DoubleEE.
A sure does do a good job of posing for the camera that is constantly in her face....in fact, I think if she could get her hands on it she would and give it a good lick.

Sunday Best


Sunday Best
Originally uploaded by DoubleEE.
A has a closet full of cute dresses.....but they don't seem to get worn as often as we like, especially when we are on about our 5th or 6th day of a 100+ degress outside....she spends most of her time in a diaper or a onsie. Today though was an exception...she did put on one of her best dresses for church, only to get to church and realize the air-conditioner was not working all that well and she was ready to be naked again.

Tuesday, July 11, 2006

6 Months Old


6 Months Old
Originally uploaded by DoubleEE.
A was 6 months old last Friday.....where has the time gone??
She had her 6 month appointment yesterday and these were her stats:

Weight = 17 lbs. (75%)
Height = 26.5 inches (75%)
HC = 44cm (80%)

She is trying very hard to sit up now also....she is almost there....but still needs a pillow behind her for protection since she likes to throw herself back.

Thursday, July 06, 2006

Bad Habits


Bad Habits
Originally uploaded by DoubleEE.
A's Grandma & Grandpa D thought it would be funny to teach A how to blow food out her mouth......she never quite mastered it while we were in Billings.....but she had no problem blowing those peas all over yesterday when we got home.

More Peas Please


More Peas Please
Originally uploaded by DoubleEE.
This was our second attempt at Peas....the first attempt didn't go over so well - but surprisingly A liked them much more this time around.

Great Grandkids


Great Grandkids
Originally uploaded by DoubleEE.
Great Grandma D got enjoy her 4th of July with all her Great Grandkids - A, little A and O.

Watch Out!


Watch Out!
Originally uploaded by DoubleEE.
I won't throw it at you I promise!

Blow Torch


Blow Torch
Originally uploaded by DoubleEE.
When you don't have a lighter or a punk to light your fire works - you just have to resort to the ole' blow torch.

Smoke Bombs


Smoke Bombs
Originally uploaded by DoubleEE.
A & O had their own array of fire-works to light off....and they were much much quieter and to our liking than the loud boomers that went off later that night.

4th of July BBQ


4th of July BBQ
Originally uploaded by DoubleEE.
A spent her first 4th of July at her Great Aunt and Uncles house, enjoying a great BBQ and some good company....If you look off in the distance you can see a big party going on for the entire community and directly behind the fence is where the big fire-work display was launched....Needless to say - we had front row seats.

Wednesday, July 05, 2006

Grandma Loves


Grandma Loves
Originally uploaded by DoubleEE.
And yes, Grandma did get to hold A a little bit...when Grandpa didn't have her.

More Swim Time


More Swim Time
Originally uploaded by DoubleEE.
Always posing for the camera and showing off her swim skills....

A warm swim


A warm swim
Originally uploaded by DoubleEE.
A had her first taste at swimming while we were camping this weekend at Chico Hot Springs....the water was like warm bath water - which is fed by a natural hot spring. She loved it.....except when she took a nose dive.

Elk


Elk
Originally uploaded by DoubleEE.
We also were fortunate to see some bull elk just grazing next to the road.

Hammin' it up!


Hammin' it up!
Originally uploaded by DoubleEE.
A absolutely loves being in the baby bjorne....she was drawing quite a bit of on lookers with her screams of delight while riding in this.

Yellostone Falls


Yellostone Falls
Originally uploaded by DoubleEE.
These falls dump into what is called "The Grand Canyon of Yellowstone Park"....you can actually hike all the way down to these falls....but after already 8 hours of touring the park...we just weren't quite up for the hike down...or rather the hike back up.

Oops!


Oops!
Originally uploaded by DoubleEE.
Yep, that's right a handicap spot....Grandpa D swears someone moved that sign there after we parked.

The Best Spot


The Best Spot
Originally uploaded by DoubleEE.
If you knew Grandpa D at all you would know that when ever you park it's all about finding the closet parking spot no matter how many times you have to drive around the parking lot....This day we seemed to be quite lucky....1st spot front and center....little did we realize until after we got in the truck to leave....this spot was marked specifically for someone else.

Mud Hole


Mud Hole
Originally uploaded by DoubleEE.
This was a different type of geyser...it was spewing mud and stunk even more than the others.....needless to say...this buffalo did not mind the stench one bit.

Grizzly


Grizzly
Originally uploaded by DoubleEE.
Probably one of the 2nd most sought after attractions in Yellowstone is to be able to spot a grizzly bear. Seeing a grizzly in the park can sometimes be a rare thing anymore....but we got lucky this time. This little grizzly was drawing quite a crowd and causing quite a traffic jam. (You'll have to excuse the motorcycle handles from the picture...you do the best you can when shooting pictures from the car window.)

Lake Hotel


Lake Hotel
Originally uploaded by DoubleEE.
This is the historic Yellowstone Lake Hotel under the awning is an old tour bus...they are currently in the process of restoring these old buses...this one obviously has not be restored yet.

Yellowstone Lake


Yellowstone Lake
Originally uploaded by DoubleEE.
And the trip would not be complete without a stop at Yellowstone Lake.

Old Faithful


Old Faithful
Originally uploaded by DoubleEE.
And there it goes.....Every 80 - 90 minutes hundreds upon hundreds of people line the boardwalks around Old Faithful to watch it erupt. Whether it's your first time seeing this attraction or the hundredth - it's always worth the trip.

Cool Shades


Cool Shades
Originally uploaded by DoubleEE.
A found the day to be a bit to bright for her liking so she requested the shades to watch old faithful erupt.

Pine Needles


Pine Needles
Originally uploaded by DoubleEE.
Whatever A can touch she will, and if she is really lucky she will get it up to her mouth too!

More Hot Pots


More Hot Pots
Originally uploaded by DoubleEE.
As you can see from the background the pools really are very hot...and yet despite all the warnings every year, someone stupid either falls in or let's their kids get too close and they end up getting burned or die from falling in.....A decided that this trip was the not the one to venture off on her own and check things out for herself...she was always safely in the arms of someone...or some baby hog Grandpa!

Hot Pots


Hot Pots
Originally uploaded by DoubleEE.
If you've never been to Yellowstone....than you might not know that it is full of geysers and hot pools other than just old faithful.....what they fail to tell you before you come is that they stink terribly of sulfur.

Arc de Yellowstone


Arc de Yellowstone
Originally uploaded by DoubleEE.
Yellowstone has it's own Arc de Triomphe....in Gardiner, Montana. I must say not quite as spectacular as the real thing, but definitely a tourist photo opportunity.

Yellowstone


Yellowstone
Originally uploaded by DoubleEE.
We were camping close to one of the entrances to Yellowstone Park...so on Sunday we spent the day driving through the Park and taking in the sites.

Campfire


Campfire
Originally uploaded by DoubleEE.
We went camping or shall I say RV-ing this last weekend in Grandpa and Grandma's 5th wheel. We were not allowed to have a campfire of our own at this place....so we placed A in the middle instead and we all sat around her.

Screamin' Hair-do


Screamin' Hair-do
Originally uploaded by DoubleEE.
A is sitting with her Uncle B....it took a few days for her to be able to do this....she was a bit tentative around strangers this time. She would always go to Uncle B though if she could pull his hair and scream...(screams of delight of course) which she did almost every time she could get her hands on his head.