Vaca Day w/ Dadda

The family of four less the Boatboy who was sleeping in the stroller. The 4 story glass thing behind us here is quite amazing.



See. Yeah...that's a thumb in the mouth. LA never did that. This one does it all the time. We'll likely still keep him.



This was big. Very big. LA's first successful (without bawling) carousel ride. Crystal hadn't tried it since our season pass gift was received for LA's second bday back in August. Dadda gave it a go and it didn't take much pursuading.



Massive alligator-like skeleton. Wicked cool.



This Thomas character is seriously everywhere. Who knew putting a massive smiley face on a blue train engine and naming him could be a multi-million dollar business?



14.5 years and counting until this car cut out grows wheels and engine and hefty insurance policies.



The Momma and the little one (and Hulk and Spidey).



A classic. Only I think it just used to cost the penny you smash. Now, it sucks two quarters down the chamber along with it. Still...LA loved it.



...crawling in the hall or mirrors.



"Get in racecar with Dadda!" Heck ya, boy! IndyCar it is!



...after a half an hour lunch, a toddler was ready to "see trains and go bye bye"-- translation: tired. very tired.



Boatboy on the other hand was happy as a clam. How stinkin' cute is he?



"Look at that big bell, Dadda!"



A quality morning at the local children's museum. Let's head home for a nap.

LA not intested in pics these days!

We can not get a cute pic of the boys together. I think I try everyday. It will happen and you will see it!!:)



Pictured above is the boys with Great Grandma.

Giddy Up!

Let's get this week started!

because safety = clean water

Need to keep people out of your house? Need to keep people in your house? Hate dealing with keys? This brand spankin' new satin nickel Schlage Keyless Deadbolt lock was donated by designHER as a fundraiser for The Well Water Project. Click on the little boy that needs clean water below to check out the auction and place a bid.

Weather Alert!

Meteorologists Predict Intensely Brisk Autumn

Hug your loved ones extra tight. Let them know you love them. Cash in those stocks. We might not make it through this one alive.

Be a voice for Darfur

During the presidential debate last night, both Senator McCain and Senator Obama spoke with conviction about ending the genocide in Darfur.

It was an important moment for everyone who cares about stopping the violence and bringing peace and protection to the people of Darfur.

We need bold action on Darfur from the next president. And so Americans from all backgrounds, parties, and faiths are adding their voices together and signing postcards calling on the next president to act.

I added my voice—will you? Be a voice for Darfur by clicking here.

LA acquires HMFD

Ever heard of hands mouth and foot disease? No, not hoof and mouth disease. Leave that one to the cloven footed ones. HMFD. No? Well, here's what it does...

* Fever. Frequently fluctuating. Very high at times.

* Poor or no appetite.

* Sores. Rashes. Blisters...Guess where. Yep. Hands. Mouth. Feet. Mouth, by far, being the worst. Inside all over. And, outside on the lips.

* Aforementioned sores wake up the victim during the night. Often.

* Causes general fun-loving well-tempered cute little blond toddlers to turn into painfully possessed demon tornadoes at the drop of a hat.

* Very contagious. Not the best viral option with an infant in the house too.

* "There is no specific treatment for HFMD." Oh, really. Thanks. For nothing.

Run. Duck. Cover. Wash hands. Lysol. Don't kiss. Contain. Disinfect. Wash clothes. Wash skin. Bleach eyes. Shave head. Bathe in HCl.

HMFD, please go away!

Garage Sale-abration!

Thanks to all of our friends, neighbors and family that helped our cause by donating items to our garage sale this weekend.

In total we raised $375 to go toward The Well Water Project!

And, let us not forget the generous buyers that came out as well. Some didn't know the cause until they arrived. Dozens upon dozens had enthusiastic and hope-filled comments once they were educated that 100% of the money they spent was going directly toward building a well in Zimbabwe, Africa for a community who lacks clean water. To them goes a special thank you!

Want to donate some items yourself or make a donation? Drop us an email or leave us a comment and we'll get in touch with you.

Love this weather!

We went to the annual IndyCar Seaon Ender Bender over the weekend. What a beautiful property! Too bad you have to live an hour from everything to find land like that. It was a gorgeous evening!

The following night was spent celebrating Mark and McKenna's union amongst our friends without our wonderful sons! It was so great to hang out with everyone and see so many old faces.

We had so much fun! Thanks Papa and Nana for keeping the kiddos!

Little Boatboy is growing and we are finally starting to see some subtle differences between the boys, which is so fun!

Papa decided to join us for an afternoon of so much fun at the children's museum. But, Note To All: the muesum is closed on Mondays for the winter. We talked about what we were going to do the entire drive...and then...we pull up to the garage to see...a big red sign..."Sorry we are closed today." Bummer. So we headed to the park. We had a blast! Anywhere Papa is, LA is one happy happy camper!

How cute are these two little monkeys?! Today we were able to hang with the four chicks from this joint and had so much fun!

Philanthropic Friday!

Bill Gates, Co-Chair of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, meets with United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon during the 63rd United Nations General Assembly at U.N. headquarters in New York September 25, 2008 where he announced a donation of $168 million dollars for malaria vaccines research.

I didn't know zeros went that high! But, I'm glad they do. And, I'm glad the megabillionaire is giving his funds away to causes like this versus something stupid like building an island.

Got an idea?

Google will pay you $10,000,000 if you do. Read the CCN report here.

clean up your act

Bath time is always fun. And, generally involves a lot of laughing, splashing (probably a bit more when Dadda is involved), singing and whatever other antics can be considered.



"I fall down in bathtub." Followed by much laughter because "Landon is funny." he proudly proclaims.

The result of asking him to "Smile."



Bouncing up and down on his knees in the tub. At what age does that start to hurt and stop being fun?



While snapping the first few pictures of this post, LA asks to "Take picture with George in boat." So, there you have it. Two little monkeys taking a bath.

when the sun hits it just right

On nice days we enjoy our very nice very large front window. It is, to this day, one of our most prized takeaways from the massive (massive meaning entire thing...top to bottom...outside to inside) remodel we did to our home a few years ago. Birds enjoy nice days as well. Given the conditions they see our window as an outstanding exploration opportunity beneath their wings. "Wow! Check out that hole right in the front of that house! I'm heading in for a closer look..."THUMP. Lights out. Forever.

This little fella's trajectory of death propelled him into our gate window. Which made it very difficult to close later that evening. Kidding. Mrs. Haffner Home called a neighbor as this occur ed during the early afternoon. He was nice enough to come assist with the carcass removal.

He's on a roll!

We expected #2 to have a little lead time on #1. Turns out, he upped his older bro by a couple months! LA didn't roll over until about 6 months. Boatboy isn't quite 4 months yet and performed the feat for the first time this morning. Enjoy the flick and have yourself an amazing Friday evening.

hope-filled fashion

Gotta love when you run across visions like this. Thanks to Relevant's 850 Words newsletter for the tip.



Meet Jedidiah.



From their manifesto...

"...Burdened by what seemed to be an endless onslaught of lifestyle alternatives that promote self-gratification, greed and addiction. Jedidiah embarked on a path of trying to touch the hearts of people through clothing. We feel that serving others is more fulfilling to the human heart than serving yourself..."

Based out of So Cal, but with retailers all over the nation, ya gotta love why they're doing it and how they're doing it. A fashion company first but not without action. Some sweet designs in their store. Check it out.


Here is one of Amos's favorites.

The PROTECT Our Children Act

Go here and do as the Mustard Seed Sessions suggest.

Took less than 5 minutes to send a note to both of our State Senators. Please.

check out the view

It still looks and feels like summer this weekend. Won't last much longer. Enjoy it...despite the humidity...imagine if you were in Houston right now. Todd/Amie/Christian/Delaney -- we're thinking of you!

the luxury fund

Loving these guys at The Luxury Fund. They just started up in July. Learned of them via the Love 146 blog.


this is the first image that comes up after a Google search for luxury

From their first blog entry...

"...We're starting The Luxury Fund in hopes of using some of our "luxury money" to help change the lives of those around the world who suffer from great poverty, disease, and injustice...."

They donate all of the money they collect to Blood: Water Mission, Compassion International, International Justice Mission and Love 146.

Yep. Lovin' these guys.

Fall is coming!

We attended a Fall Festival parade in a downtown smalltown this past weekend. It was LA's (and Boat Boy's) first parade. He was a little unsure of things, but he warmed up.



Boat boy is fast asleep! The whole loud parade he never made a peep!



The parade was running a little late so we pulled out some crayons to occupy LA. And, he colored his face. This pic is hilarious because (as most of you know we have a sensitive little boy) he thought he was in trouble. Then realized he wasn't! How precious.



Post parade our happy little Boat Boy with his Dadda.



We headed to our favorite park and our friends joined us for the evening for some pizza and park time. We had a blast! Thanks for heading down to our timezone. Ha!



Major static!

Born in September?

Scott was. And, his heart moved him toward a brilliant Life-giving idea...


The September Campaign Trailer

Here's a public service announcement they did with Jennifer Connelly...



It's hard to watch as I sit here at the office sucking down four 32oz bottles of crystal clear purified water each day. But, it brings me joy to see images like this one, read about guys like Scott, know what these guys are doing over here and be so deeply entrenched in our own Well Water Project with some friends of ours. More to come on the latter as we work on getting PayPal set up for online giving.

harmonious Landon

Landon's Papa and Nana got him this harmonica a little over a month ago. He plays it almost every day. Normally it involves dancing too, but this was toward the end of his second set. And, as you can tell, he's parched by the time he completes the arrangement.

the brothers of lounge

We had a busy and relaxing weekend. These two shots represent the latter of the paradox.

have a happy weekend