A chance to do what I love...

I asked Matthew's teacher if I could give her a photo shoot for as a teacher's gift and she graciously accepted. It took two tries with the weather.. but here are a few of my favorites from the two shoots.

 I simply love this last shot...

I also simply love sharing what I love with someone who loved my child...

R.I.P Hoppy

 So this is the story of Hoppy...

Last Wednesday Matthew talked me into going to the pet store to "look" at Parakeets. 

It is kind of a long story but we inherited a cage and everything needed including a book on parakeets.

Matthew was convinced it was the perfect pet for him.

I was not so sure...a bird???

Well my biggest mistake was going to the pet store...

I guess Parakeets are great pets for Matt..

Next thing I know I am walking out of the pet store with "Hoppy" 

Matt is ecstatic! He is skipping and jumping and telling me how I am the best mom in the world...

I am thinking...."Mike is going to kill me"

Well this little bird was everything they said it would be...it was so cute and it loved Matthew so much. It would freak out if Matthew left the room. It absolutely loved him. He loved it too.

A lot actually....

So when I got woke up on Father's day morning with a ..."mom....something is wrong with Hoppy" followed by a little bird taking his last breath in my arms and a completely devastated child...not to mention a husband who was less than thrilled in seeing Matthew's heart broken...lets just say it was not a great day. 

Matthew's friends came together for his incredibly broken heart. This was his card from the McCutcheon's. I have to say it made all of us cry.

Then he got a picture from Huddy of Hoppy flying around Heaven with the butterflies...

After a day of debating and talking about it we decided to take our dead bird back to the pet store..Yes, this was...hmm....an experience. The first thing I asked was if it was okay if we took "Hoppy" home with us so we could bury him. Matthew almost hugged them when they said that they would love if he would do that. 

Then they helped us pick out "Chipper" 

Yes, we are a regular nature center at the moment...

We have Praying Mantis babies..

a crayfish that just molted

and now a Parakeet

Oh and don't forget Portis and Charlie

I might be able to charge admission soon.

In case you are wondering we did have a nice funeral for Hoppy...

"Hoppy"

he was a good bird

R.I.P 

~Matthew

babies, babies everywhere{Warning..this maybe disturbing to some}

A few weeks back we ordered a Praying Mantis cocoon for Matthew to study. It has been sitting in it's little net cage for weeks now. This morning as I went in to use the restroom I noticed beady little eyes staring back at me...lots of them...and there were even more crawling out of the crusty thing that they came in.

 This is what they look like when they are emerging..

 hundreds of them...

Don't worry Mike...then they start eating each other!!

They really are pretty cool.

Anyone one want one for a pet? They do make great pets and they are fun to watch according to the girl at Petco.

Oh, and they eat fruit flies!!

A few of Mike's best photos so far this summer

 Mike has been picking up his camera a lot the past few weeks...

Here are some of the photos that amazed me

 Just love the one of these two

 Oh, those dimples!!!

 we never found this rocket..if you live by Gibs school and you find this..let me know! We also lost a red one today.

and then there is Chuck..

5...4...3...2...1 BLAST OFF

 When we were up in the cities for New Year's Mike and Matthew bought a rocket kit that was on sale

Yesterday they put it together

Then we launched it!!

 Then we had to find it

Today we did it all again..

Kicking off summer with a parade

 Summer does not really start until we count the gophers right??

Shana and I have sealed our very friendship on this event!

This year Jenny came with us!!! 

We even got there super early this year to get a good spot! 

 Grace and Nora looked soooooo darn cute!

 Addie was so thrilled to see GIRLS!!!

 We even had a cool old barn behind us

 We had to wait a few minutes for the parade to start but not too long

 So there was goofing around..

and time to take this shot

 Then we were underway!!!!

 Well everyone but Huddy... I can't remember what he was upset about...but he was

 Hannah want's to know where all the candy is that we talked about

 Matthew considers if he would like to play the tuba?!?

 Here comes the candy!!! Those cute hats come in handy during a parade!!!

 and there are always clowns

 and old cars....

 beauty queens....

 and lots and lots of tractors...

 loud noises...

 SPARKLES!!!

 Fire trucks...

 and happy kids!!! Okay..make a note of litte Addie back there sitting with her lollipop 

 The best part about a small town parade is that you can run across the road a few hundred times to get a better shot...

 This was little Addie during the whole parade pretty much. She got a few pieces of candy and she sat and ate them happily...unaware that she could have a slew of candy if she would just hold out her bag. 

 In fact she was so happy over her two suckers that she took turns holding up one and then the other

 See the parade continuing behind her

 First the girls....

 then the boys!

 Then the babies

 Huddy loved the dozens of tractors on parade!!!

 Hannah loved it all!!!

 look at those feet!!!

 There is the whole big bunch of them! 

 Addie was sooo happy!

 So was Grace

 Then it was over...

What a good looking bunch! 

Thanks for joining us {M} family!!!

Want to see last years pics click here

2009 click here