Merry Christmas!

Pwn3d!

Who me? The center of attention? Oh, my!
(and what's with that title?)

Baby Bath

Just some shots from a bath...

Noah's Birthday Day

Wind: 35-52 mph. Sunny. 68 degrees. That could only mean one thing: it's time for a 2 mile walk on the beach! The surf was rough, the younger siblings were scared. But, the stroller came equipped with a rain shield to block the wind, and Noah and Elaina were up for the trudge.
So we headed north and fought the sand and wind for over an hour as we slowly made our way to the point. Noah coming along behind the stroller with his head down and his eyes closed when the sand was blowing too hard to see. Elaina taking pictures and taking shelter as required. Andrew and Molly taking turns being overwhelmed by the whole affair in their windless carriage.
Of course, Noah's trusty dog, Beah, was present for the whole trip and ran happily from person to person to piece of flying debris to birds. After the trudge and a rest at the point, enjoying the wind with no blowing sand, it was time to turn around and head home. On the way home with the gale behind us the stroller inflated and took off on it's own. A wrist strap for stopping the run-a-way buggy proved most helpful as releasing the handle resulted in the cart speeding away at increasing velocity.
At one point Noah was holding the wrist strap with Elaina and Molly in the stroller when he decided to just let the cart do what it wanted, which at that moment was to head pretty much straight into the ocean. The wheels were wet but not submerged when I grabbed it with the two hysterical kids howling on the inside. Noah was delighted with the stroller's close call as his feet were already quite wet from several similar trips into the surf on his own.

At home, after baths had warmed the troops, it was time for dinner and presents. Noah's favorites were a tethered remote helicopter that he controlled from a pair of levers controlling throttle and angle and one of the things in the picture that I have no idea how to describe with words. Dinner was hamburgers and waffles at his request and was followed by chocolate chip chocolate cake (gluten and casein free of course).

It was a wonderful day and Noah proved with every step that he was nine years old and faced every challenge of the day with a new resolution which was nothing short of joyous to watch. Someday my little lad will be a man and on this birthday the glint of that future was clearly visible in him. Happy Birthday, Noah. My Beloved Son.

Happy Birthday NOAH!

This morning at 9:15 Noah turned 9 years old. He was greeted in song while still in bed and whisked to the kitchen where a breakfast of waffles and grits awaited him. Now, with the wind gusting from 35 to 52 miles an hour, we are headed out to the beach for a walk and an adventure. . .
And, no, this shot isn't from this morning. It's too cold to be in shorts, soaking wet. That was so last month. This shot was taken the same day.

Racoons on the Front Porch

raccoons on front porch
porch 10 feet high, pet food gone
dog comes: guests dive off

Dolphins in the Front Yard

We have been doing a lot of dolphin watching in the evenings and they are everywhere! We have seen upwards of 30 at a time; many of them splashing around and jumping out of the water.
They are Andrew's favorite animal and he has been literally beside himself with joy watching them in the water.
The dolphins have been using a feeding/mating ritual which involves swimming quietly along the beach about 50 feet out then suddenly turning towards the sand and tearing in towards the beach turning at the last minute with a tremendous splash and often soaking the sand on the shore in the process. After fish or females, we don't know, but it's an awesome sight. Here are some more shots from the last two nights on the beach.