Dane-y's Got A Gun

There are three items on the "List that is Shayne" I was dismayed to discover when we began dating: He loves motorcycles, he loves dogs, and he loves guns. Should I have been surprised? He is a West Virginee, after all. Still, I felt a sinking feeling in the pit of my stomach armed with such knowledge (pun intended). I mean, I'd been raised around guns (if you count my dad taking them out and cleaning them for hunting season) and we tried the occasional dog in the Preator family (but I hated them all!) I just wasn't too excited to have the future might-be-the-father-of-my-children fostering such likes in the little people I was going to raise on this earth. I vowed then to "cure" him of (or at least, vehemently prohibit) all three loves. So, where do I stand currently? There's a Harley in my garage, a gun-safe in my garage, and we were dog owners for exactly 24 hours one day. It's true--I lost the battle on two fronts, but continue to hold strong on the third (in spite of my children constantly begging for a dog!) It came as no surprise, then, when I went outside the other day and found Shayne teaching the boys about gun safety and how to shoot a gun. I didn't even know he had this little gun (it's like an airsoft gun or something), and he was trying to teach them how to aim at the little targets he had made a trek to Cabella's to buy for just this activity. I don't think Dane and Connor were quite as enthusiastic about the lesson as their dad was hoping for, but it was nice to see them spending time together. And all I can say is: sorry, honey, looks like they got more of my genes than I initially thought!

Steady As A Clock, Drip, Drop...

It is late on a Sunday night. A knock at my back door. Who is bugging me on a Sunday evening? And why at my back door? I open it inches wide. My neighbor, sheepishly declares that she and her husband have been eating the peaches off our tree without telling us. What? I couldn't believe it! No, I didn't care that she'd been eating my peaches. I cared that I HAD PEACHES?? I had no idea! (Shows how much time I spend outside!) Sure enough. We have a lovely little peach tree; and the fruit it produces is to die for! Seriously, if you don't believe, ask all my neighbors who've sampled of the nectar. They are the most delicious peaches I have ever tasted. So, last year, I attempted to delve into my pioneer stock and can those gorgeous things. It ruined my stove top and, 'though the beautiful, bottled jars all lined up like orange soldiers looked amazing, the fruit was mushy and gross. I know, I must've messed up somewhere in the process. At any rate, I wasn't about to give it the good college try another year running. Instead, last Saturday (yes, my peaches ripen pretty late it turns out) I rounded up the kidlets and we spent the morning picking from our tree. The kids then tried to sell our lovely harvest (with few takers, I might add!) Whatever, people don't even know what they're missing out on, and that's fine with me. We pawned them off to family and a couple of friends and ate the rest ourselves. Delicious!!

I'm All Out Of Love, I'm So Lost Without You...

"Your tooth is wiggly!" I proclaimed to Dane one day at the dentist's office. "It is??" he excitedly responded. So commenced the daily wiggling of his first loose tooth. In the beginning, he thought it was fun to grab that little nub of a tooth and try to move it ever so slightly. As days turned into weeks, the fun disappeared. Then the complaining started: "When is my tooth going to come out?" became the daily, whining query. I kept telling him to wiggle, wiggle, wiggle it. At all times. Then, I noticed the giant permanent tooth quickly encroaching on the baby's space. And I sighed in a moment of oft felt submission. You see, here's the deal: My children have small mouths. I figured since half of their genetic makeup comes from their father, they might inherit his smaller, thinner teeth. Not so. As the Preator children have had children, and those children have had the joy of permanent teeth erupting in their little gums, we've decided those Preator "chicklets" (as Shayne lovingly calls them!) are dominant! Our saving grace? Those big teeth make great smiles, as adults. In a six-year-old's mouth, they look largely out of place. So, it is with a bit of sadness that I see those perfect, tiny baby teeth begin to fall out to be replaced by their MUCH larger big brothers. Someday, I tell my little people, your teeth will be gorgeous! In the meantime, well, we just love their sweet smiles anyway. And, needless to say, Dane was ecstatic when his tooth popped out Thursday night and the lovely tooth fairy left him $1.50!

Rise And Shout, The Cougars Are Out! They're On Their Way To Fame And Glory...

The conversation at dinner tonight:
Natasha: "Connor, what college do you want to go to?"
Connor: "I don't know...what ones are there?"
Natasha: "Well, BYU--"
Connor: "Oh, yeah! I want to go to BYU!"
Natasha: "You have to work really hard to get into BYU."
Connor: "Oh. I don't really like working hard...so, never mind."

The other night when it was Dane's turn to pray:
Dane: "I don't really need to say prayers tonight."
Mom: "Why?"
Dane: "I don't need to talk to Jesus. I don't have anything to say to him today."

The Keckley Home--where we promote academic excellence and religious devotion...

One Little Duck Went Out To Play, Over The Hill And Far Away...

A major milestone this week--my first day in 11 1/2 years with two hours of complete silence and no children in my house! LAAAAAA! I just feel like singing. But, more importantly, it was Fynnley's first day of preschool at Knowledge Adventure Mini School! She was crazy excited to see this day come (as she has asked multiple times a day when she gets to go to school like the big kids). Fynnley insisted on buying the princess backpack for her new adventure (even though it's more than half her size!) and wanted to know where her "stuff" was...um, they didn't require any supplies, so she didn't have any "stuff." (She didn't love that answer.) I dragged her outside for the photo shoot and she was pitching a big fit--she just wanted to go! Mrs. Pulley (who Fynnley calls, "Mrs. Pony" and is a friend of ours), is her new teacher and nine other kids are her new classmates. Here's hoping to a wonderful (and, potty-trained!) year...

Don't Go Chasing Waterfalls, Please Stick To The Rivers And The Lakes That You're Used To...

In a last-ditch effort to be the best mom on the planet before we slipped heavily into the school schedule, I took the kids to the splash pad the city built behind our new library. I thought it looked really fun, and I think the kids enjoyed it as well (once they got past the temperature of the freezing water!) The fact that 50 other moms had the same brilliant idea the day before school started kind of put a damper on the event as I counted about 200 kids trying to splash their little guts out. The Keckley kids didn't love it as much as the pool, but it was fun for a change of pace and I loved getting to try out camera tips I learned the weekend before at my photography class. I'm pretty pleased with the results--'course, it helps to have darling subjects and whole lot of water splashing around...

The Last Known Survivor Stalks His Prey In The Night

Three hours before the big award, Connor and I were madly passing off the last few requirements for him to earn his wolf badge: "Connor, how do you clean a cut?"; "Connor, what stories have you heard about recycling?" (huh? I had to look up some of those on Google!); "Connor, what are healthy things we can eat each day for dinner?"; "Connor, how do you show courage?" I have been Connor's den leader for exactly one year and four weeks (that's right, I'm counting!) He has participated in a lot of activities with me by his side--that's pretty much the only reason I agreed to this calling, to be with my son. But, he is moving on now and is very excited for the future as a Bear! We were proud to be there with him to paint his face appropriately, see him receive his "wolf fangs" and be given the wolf badge. Good job, Connor!

Hey, Little Thing, Let Me Light Your Candle...

A celebration of all things princess and pink--that's what Fynnley's 3rd birthday was this year! She has jumped head-first into love with the Disney princesses, particularly her favorite, "Sleeping Nudie." And being happy to delve into this magical realm with her, we showered her with all the Sleeping Nudie stuff we could find (in pink, of course!) She was also ecstatic about her three birthday cakes which she had been anticipating for weeks (and might I add, they were most delicious! Grammy Su couldn't stop licking the frosting off of the plate). She loved having Grammy Su and Grandpa Bar, and Grandma and Grandpa W. come to celebrate with us and was super excited to try on all her pink stash. We dress her up in her Sleeping Nudie gown several times a day now and she loves to clomp around the house in her purple, ballerina rain boots. It's hard for me to believe how fast the time has passed since this gorgeous little face appeared in my world. She brings an energy and sass to our house that would be vitally lacking without it. She definitely keeps us on our toes and we adore her for it. Fynn informed me on her big day, "Mommy, I'm growing into a bigger girl now!" Yes you are, my doll face, whether Mommy is ready for it or not. Hugs and kisses to you, my forever pink princess...