Wednesday, December 10, 2008

RoArInG TIGER


I love when I find toys just as they were left. It gives me a creative insight into the mind of a 19 month old boy. He must see daily that our two cats eat from this food bowl. Lathan also has a toy cat that he must have thought needed to eat too. Thought I'd share.

Wednesday, November 26, 2008

Flowers, what are these things upon my table?


I thought flowers only grew in a field, oh, but they can be cut??? and put into a vase...What??? Sense my sarcasm? I only say this out of pure fun and happiness as Ben has brought home my first flower bouquet. Yes, the first. There are firsts for everything and I am so happy that I can delight in such beautiful Sunflowers smiling their brilliance and emitting the most delectable aroma. Ben and I are approaching our 4 year Marriage Anniversary in January and I think he is gearing up and getting the oil changed so to speak. Yes 4 years and my first flowers. I will be sure to post a new blog when he changes the oil again after another 4 year run. J/K, lots of love here, I just like to tease him about it. Happy Thanksgiving to you all!!!

Friday, November 21, 2008

Not working


Before you say, "how cute," (or "how gross") consider this. Lathan is almost two years old and doesn't know how to use the potty. I have heard it said that consistency is the key. But this just doesn't seem to be working. Plus, I am sick and tired of changing diapers. Any advice from the peanut gallery? Don't feel like you have to have kids to give advice on this one. In those cases I have found that sometimes an outside perspective is good to hear. For those of you with kids, you have obviously gone through this, so your advice is just as valuable. All in all, I can't wait to read the blog Lathan writes about me, when he has to change my diapers when I am an old has-been. Happy trails.
BJL

Tuesday, November 11, 2008

Pom


I love Mango's! I also enjoy a good kiwi! Pineapple is delicious! Fig's will delight you! Pomegranate's are splendid! The dilemma you ask? All of them are not available year round and at the same time. Shucks. Or is it so bad? We could try and pump our fruit with chemicals to make them ripe year round, but the joy isn't in eating them year round. The joy is in realizing, that right when your luscious mango you crave daily, has expired it's existence at your local market, you see that something new and refreshing has replaced them. You forget all your troubles, tell the mango's you'll see them next year, all lights turn green, everyone wins the lottery, birds chirp, my brother sings praises for the sun at 0430 in the morning, all mail is delivered on time, and the girl at starbucks gives you a free Pike Place today just because Pomegranate's are in season!! Oh joyful pomegranates!! Praises, Praises!
BJL

"Black holes, coffee, and SVT."


I made some coffee this morning. But I didn't use the trusty and faithful coffee pot. I decided I would boil some water, grind some coffee beans by hand using an old coffee grinder we found at a garage sale, and then mix those together in my french press. After the conglomeration of water and coffee grounds, I decided I would try and see if sunlight could penetrate my coffee. As a result, I decided that what all the scientists refer to as "black holes" in our solar system, that suck in all matter cause they are so dense, is nothing more than coffee poured from a french press. The physics behind the big french press in outer space is another topic we will focus on some other time. For now, I just wanted everyone to see my 'black hole" coffee that absorbed all traces of sunlight. If your wondering if I actually drank the "black hole" coffee... well ... yes I sure did. But I had to mix it with one part cream and two parts water. Otherwise I fear I would go in SVT for the next week. (Super Ventricular Tachycardia, where your heart beats in excess of 220 beats per minute. I wouldn't recommend it.)

Tuesday, November 4, 2008

Mary Poppins small space solutions


Just like Mary Poppins purse/handbag, is this box. In this picture Lathan is standing on two five gallon water bottles, my DeWalt orbital hand sander, four broken crayons, one old wellington rain boot (size six) and an old Norman Rockwell coffee mug that Beth got at a garage sale. (The handle broke off and is in there too. Somewhere.) They don't make boxes like they used to. This picture also shows a good view of our 450 sq ft. apt. that we live in currently. It's... how do I put it.........umm..... cozy. Especially with Lathan.

Sunday, November 2, 2008

Business Logo???


Many of you know that I am getting out of the military in 6 months. I am trying to think of ideas in case I start my own business. This image was originally spawned from my ill content over the little blue alien that appeared by my name every time I commented on someone's blog. Now I am thinking of incorporating it into a business logo. I am curious to hear the reaction of my faithful three blog readers before I go posting this thing all over the city. Be blunt, please. I am looking forward to hearing your response.
BJL

Sunday, October 19, 2008

Poem of which Describes My Day in a nutshell, ENJOY!!!


Boys in my House
Author: Erin Jo Kilmer
There are boys in my house - and Spiderman shoes
And 200 papers in various blues.
There's Bob (he's a builder) and Thomas the Train,
There's a fireman coat to wear in the rain.
They have cars on their shirts and frogs on their hats
There's a glove and a ball and a red plastic bat.
There's dirt on a face and a smudge on a nose;
Grass stains on knees and sand between toes.
There's bathtime at night with bodies to scrub,
And when we're all done there is dirt in the tub!
There's bandaids and bruises and curious bumps,
There's smiles and laughter and sometimes there's grumps.
There's odors most icky; there's boogers so green
There's more yucky things than I'll ever get clean.
There's piles of laundry; there's stories at night;
There's bedtime and bathtime and dinnertime fights.
There's cars and there's trains and there's books about trucks
There's Scoop, Lofty, Dizzy, and Travis, and Muck.
Sometimes there are bugs, and sometimes there are frogs;
Sometimes they are lions, or dinos, or dogs.
There are cute little vests and darling neckties
Dragged right through the mud - oh what a surprise!
There's running and climbing and jumping and falling
And laughing and crying and hugging and brawling
And rolling and losing and finding and creeping
And whining and stealing and sometimes there's sleeping.
There's tantrums and time outs and extra loud noise -
There's love in my house shaped like two little boys.



Elizabeth

Thursday, October 16, 2008

Water skiing


A couple at our Church invited Beth, Lathan and I out to Lake Roosevelt here in Arizona. We all enjoyed a great day on the lake cause it wasn't too cold or hot. We thought Lathan might like to try his hand at Tubing. He did great. I'll let you all guess if he was out there all alone or not. Enjoy.
BJL

Wednesday, October 15, 2008

On the Other Side of Things

Today I anxiously readied Lathan for a long awaited date to the local library for Toddler Storytime. I had originally thought this would be a great way for momma to talk to someone other than baby and herself, and a way for Lathan to socialize with other babies his age. As it began, this "man", the storyteller, was walking around the room with a hand puppet bear giving hugs to all the toddlers who wanted to hug this very cute and cuddly bear talking to them as if they were unthinking bubbly little angels that have no intelligence of their own. It was cute at first, for like a second, but Lathan thought otherwise and clenched onto mommas arm with all of his little might. So I thought, he is being shy, which is a characteristic of his I love for many reasons, and gave a small smile at the man who just walked away to the next toddler. I was a bit hesitant in staying, seeing that this "man" had a voice similar to a girls, but well you know different. Here we go again, I thought to myself. I can't believe people allow this in a library and to see such peculiar behavior from this man was unexceptable to me. What are they trying to expose to our children??? Lathan did what I wish I had courage to do right away, He simply stood up and ran for the door. Well that solved it all, we were out of there and didn't look back. What a disappointment to a much awaited date with my son. I like Kyle strongly believe in sheltering our children, because nobody else will stand up for them if you don't, and then what will become of these precious gifts of ours?

Thursday, September 25, 2008

wine flask



Elizabeth has found that she can find gold in people's junk. She found this "wine flask" that was hand made in Italy by an art student, at a garage sale. She probably paid nill for it, I don't know, but Lathan and I were hiking in the mountains and he thought it would be nice to pic some flowers for Mamamia. Thus and such, when we arrived home Beth had the perfect vase for the perfect flowers.
BJL

Sunday, September 21, 2008

Bats and Burgers



Last night Elizabeth and I wanted to take Lathan outside and play somewhere but we couldn't decide where to go. Earlier in the week I was talking to a random lady at work who had a bat poster in her office that displayed all the known bats of Arizona. She told me about this bridge here in Tucson that supposedly has millions of bats living underneath it. That bridge happens to be 2 blocks from our apartments. So as Elizabeth, Lathan, and I were aimlessly driving about we crossed the "bat" bridge. (Just a little note on the bat bridge. Every time you cross over it you can smell this overwhelming smell of bat guano. It's so strong you can hardly breath.) Well, the clan ended up zooming into the closest parking lot and ventured out down into this deep wash to see if we could see some bats. The time of day is important cause dusk is when they start leaving the bridge to eat all the mosquitos in the world, and we were there right at dusk. By the time we got under the bridge you could hear them. Millions of little squeaky bats. (Listen to the latest "Sounds of Africa cd from mom and dad to know what I am talking about.) As we were shuffling around in bat guano, Beth found an old cowboy hat. With her hat on and her sandals flopping, she ventured into a nasty little stagnant, mosquito baby, pond. All of a sudden the mud sucked her sandals off and thought about eating her, but she, quick as lightning, jumped out and was safe. Not from being pooped on by bats, but from being swallowed whole by green mud. (She said she saw frogs in the pond and that's why she was curious.) It was nightfall on our way back to the car, and if you held still bats would almost fly into your face as they left the bridge to fly off into the night sky. Well all that excitement got us hungry but not unitl we washed the bat guano off. So we stopped by our old place that we had to move out of cause the owner forclosed. No lives there still, so we used the hose and washed up quick. Then it was off to "in-n-out." Bummer for those of you who don't live in the west cause they are only in California, Arizona, and Nevada. Best burgers on the planet. Yep. All in all it was one of the best dates Beth and I have been on since we moved here.

Thursday, September 18, 2008

Pictures of Creation






Recently Elizabeth and I have been on a quest to beat each other in a competition that arouse from all the good pics she takes. We were looking at all of our pictures one day and started to notice that all the sweet creation pics we have, were taken by her. Well...almost all of them. 90% lets say. So now we are in a dead heat to see who can take the next good creation picture. I have a hummingbird feeder that I captured these hummingbird pics at. And Beth noticed these two beatles on top of a barrel cactus on a hike down near Patagonia Lake, Patagonia, AZ. We would like to hear what you guys think. Who is winning the competition so far?

Tuesday, September 9, 2008

The Sounds and Actions That Go UnHeard-For Most Atleast

It's morning here in Tucson, the sounds of Ben scrambling out of bed to the ringing of his cellular work phone, then the slam of the receiver and quickened footsteps, then on turns the bathroom faucet along with noises of what sounds like a GREAT BIG BEAR shuffling through his belongings searching frantically for his toothbrush, toothpaste, razor and shavecream. A rumble of noises then take place, the gags and hacks of the bodily reaction to a toothbrush being shoved to deep for the normal throat to like, and then the snorts and gurgles of the water being slammed around like a hurricane within a semi-opened mouth. The splashes of water droplets hit the counter, mirror, and anything that stands in its way, and then the cracks of a razor being beat against a porcelein sink. Oh no, this is a normal day here in Tucson. Ben then grabs his keys, says outloud to himself, "keys, phone, wallet", grabs the doorknob, turns around to find Lathan and Mama staring at him in awe to the whirlwind of happenings we once again witnessed. He quickly hugs Lathan, and in the wee corner of Lathan's play area mama and dada hear the sound of tiny lips smacking together like he is smooching the air, many smooches. We look at each other, I guess that's what it sounds like when mama and dada smooch good-bye every morning. I look at Ben and kiss him goodbye and off he goes flying down one flight of stairs racing around our building to greet his car with a quick jolt of the wrist and VROOM, SCREECH, VROOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM, and then SILENCE....................

Does anyone else know this scene, can you relate. I don't know, it is an everyday thing over here in a tiny apartment in a terrible Tucson.

Sunday, September 7, 2008

First in a series


Nate! I specifically posted this pic for you. For the rest of our lives, whenever chance affords us the opportunity, we need to take pictures similar to this one. It's from our favorite movie. Remember? I am looking forward to seeing yours. Love ya Brudda.

Thursday, August 21, 2008

Oh No!


Lathan's new expression.

Sabino Canyon


This picture hopefully gives you a sense of the Arizona desert when those elusive rain storms roll in. As much as I don't want to retire in Tucson, I have to try and find the positives while I am here, and this is one of them. Up in the foothills is a nice little canyon that has a little bit of hiking trails and an abundance of wildlife. I have seen a million lizards and horny toads, eaten 6 trillion little gnats and mosquitos, almost ran over two rattlesnakes while I was running, just missed a tarantula while running too, have been caught in a rain storm with only a little "cleft of rock" as a shelter, and found a glorious little swimming hole in the river to swim in that's a good 6 feet deep. All of this has been accomplished with Lathan the Lion heart. (Hopefully this picture gives you some relief from the "Lathan fatigue" this blog offers.) I don't want to be the overbearing friend who only talks about his kids, but after all, I never get to see any of the people who read this blog, so I don't feel bad overdoing the Lathan pics. Hopefully you understand. I won't do it at reunions, I promise. Thanks for viewing.
BJL

coffee thief somewhere in these parts






I don't know all the evidence is pointing to the little snipe.

de trop


Can you say 'excessive?" Wow, when Beth and I saw this we didn't know if it was awesome or stupid. Maybe stupidly awesome? What do you think? We would love to hear your comments.

Wednesday, August 20, 2008

books and coffee


Me and Lathan are fast becoming not only best friends but classmates too.

Tuesday, July 22, 2008

Family Resemblances


As Lathan grows and he begins to look more and more like a young lad, it has amazed me how much he resembles Brynna Boo. They look so alike that if they stood next to each other, you would think they were brother and sister. Ben couldn't agree more with me, but he does add that at times Lathan reminds him of Stinky Nate. So there you have it. We miss you all, but feel like you are with us just by looking into a 1 year new set of big blue eyes.

Saturday, July 12, 2008

Nobody Knows it but me.






Nobody Knows it But Me

There's a place that I travel,
When I want to roam
And nobody knows it but me.

The roads don't go there,
And the signs stay home
And nobody knows it but me.

It's far, far away and way, way afar,
It's over the moon and the sea,
And wherever you are going,
That's wherever you are
And nobody knows it but me.

-Patrick O'Leary

Nobody Knows it but me.

Thursday, June 19, 2008

Balls, Balls, Balls



Lathan is all about balls, throwing, chasing, catching, finding,...you name it, if it involves a ball he is all game. Recently I visited family in El Paso and Lathan took a liking to my cousin Joshua. Here is a short clip of the two just having a BALL at my grandpa's house. Hope you enjoy. Just an added note on his progress: Lathan is now running, he understands us very well, but he just can't talk back, so he shows us what he wants now. His form of communication. If we say the OUTSIDE word, beware, he jumps up from a sit position and runs to the door and gives you the look(if you are a parent, you know that look.) He loves eating grownup food, especially chicken and mangoes,apples, bananas, cheese, and mommas special berry shake; just not the green stuff (we are trying to change that slowly). Love you all.

Tuesday, May 20, 2008

Birthday Boy Turns One

Lathan has reached the one year mark and my what an adventure we have just begun. Lathan is our little explorer...He loves all the new adventures that every morning brings and really loves when it is something completely NEW. For example, Lathan went swimming with dadda for the first time and had such a blast. We had to keep a very close eye on him because he would turn and dart straight toward the water, and just when my heart jumped out onto the pavement, he would quickly put on the brakes to his little feet and stop and stare into the clear blue water. Here is a little clip of him swimming for the first time. Enjoy...

Saturday, April 26, 2008

Cheerios

Cheerios
I have noticed that as of, lets say... 6 months old, Lathan has been learning "cause and effect". One way in which he teaches himself this, is through the sense of touch. He loves to touch things. Feeling their texture and shape before either throwing that object as far as possible, or simply placing it in his cheek for later use. (As a side note he also likes to eat Cheerios as a snack.) When we give Lathan more than two cheerios at a time, instead of eating them one, two, or three at a time, he likes to huck em' as far as possible. Just to let you know, I don't like dirty floors. I like everything to have a home. Lathan's books have a home next to the toy chest in a pile. Lathan's shoe's have three homes, a pair in the car, a pair in the closet and a pair on the shoe rack. His toys like their home in the toy chest. He even has a home for his refrigerator magnets...outside in the rocks and under the couch. At the end of each day when Lathan is ready to go to bed, we go through the house putting everything back in it's neat little home. The only problem is that if you don't pick up the cheerios first then they make a home in between the carpet fibers and the tread on your shoes. So if any of you that are reading this can relate, smile next time you notice your cheerios in their home nice and neat in your cereal bowl and think of me and Lathan rounding up the days herd of cheerios from all corners of the house. Now this is not only the case with cheerios but with anything you can think of. In this video we have Lathan helping Momamia roll the pennies that we collect for his college savings account. Here is another video of when he first started to walk as well. I just watched it and you should see him now. I will try to get you an updated one tomorrow. But nevertheless here are some tid bits of Lathan when he first started to walk. I hope you enjoy. Cheers.

Thursday, March 6, 2008

Often Reminders

I have often been reminded of the simple pleasures and joys that surround my daily life which sadly are forgotten or go unnoticed. Lathan has made this very plain to my sight, and thankfully I am beginning to enjoy those forgotten things once again. For example, yesterday as we were driving to the park, I had the windows down as it was a very nice day for things like that, and I heard this strange cooing and sounds of excitement behind me. I turned around and saw Lathan with both hands raised, straight up over his head, and his little hands grasping the air as if he was trying to catch the wind as it flew past him. His hair, what little he does have, was blowing in the wind and hitting his face like a morning kiss. He was so gleeful and excited to have discovered such a joy that I often forget is there because I get so wrapped up in worldly things such as traffic, and the guy next to me cutting everyone off, or the car behind me with his music so loud and annoying that my car is vibrating as I sit at the red light. All of those distractions that stare me in the face do not even phase Lathan...He found a joy in the wind that consumed all other distractions. After seeing his face and his enjoyment I quickly forgot about my distractions and began to smile and giggle to myself. Nothing could ruin my day after that.

Saturday, February 23, 2008

Lunar Eclipse






There are few chances in life that something extra ordinary occurs. Ben, I, and Lathan stood at the top of our townhouse roof in Tucson to watch this extra ordinary event occur right before our eyes. Had this been an ordinary day you may look and think we were going to jump, but instead we stood gazing into the big night sky at one big yellow moon with a pair of binoculars in hand and a camera perched upon a tripod. If you happen to miss the total lunar eclipse, don't fret I think you will have your chance in 4 more years. Ben and I took wonderful pics of the slow transition into pitch black night with, you guessed it, NO visible light shining from the moon. It was very exciting, we hope you enjoy the pics.

Monday, February 18, 2008

Lathan is growing or I should say developing in leaps and bounds everyday. He is now pulling himself up into a standing position, as well as crawling very quickly, and if you give him your two pointer fingers he will quickly grab them, standup, and walk very quickly with much excitement. He also is learning that balls, blocks, and toys are much more fun to play with when they can be tossed out a cracked patio door. He does this exercise everyday. He also is becoming a very good book looker, and although he cannot read yet, he does know that with every page words are said aloud, and he practices making these sounds when momma or papa are not reading them. It is very interesting to see his little mind figuring out the world before him. Ben an I are just amazed and in awe at times of this little creation.

Wednesday, January 23, 2008

Tag You're It

Aside from the constant knawing of his fist, Lathan enjoys laughing and playing which we think distracts him completely from the pain of his first tooth emerging. Ben and I on occassion play tag which is very exhausting but fun, and we have begun to include Lathan in on the enjoyment as you will soon see. Enjoy and we will keep posting seeing that we have an audience. Tickets for the next show are on sale in a week or so. Love you all.

Tuesday, January 22, 2008

For Little Brynna and KerBear

Lathan and I love to play hide and seek around the recliner. He loves this game and every now and then he will try and peek around the side to see if maybe he spotted me. Tons of fun...

Tuesday, January 8, 2008

Yellow Feathers+Cat=A Whole Lot of Fun

Okay, sorry for all the videos as of late, but we think you all will enjoy them so much. Lathan is growing in leaps and bounds everyday, and he finally is getting his first tooth. Yeah for the tooth, but not the pain. Anywho the video describes itself, we just thought you all would get a kick out of Lathan playing with Marcus. They really love each other, Marcus is definately a good sport and doesn't mind the sudden pulls and tugs. We are having fun trying to teach Lathan to give gentle pets...

Sunday, January 6, 2008

MikeHuckabee.com - I Like Mike!



I have noticed in the race for the white house there are several candidates that will change their message as they go from state to state campaigning, just to get a vote. Vote for someone who is, moderate, (can accomplish things for the people for which he serves, by truly finding win win situations for everyone to agree on) sincere, (believes in his convictions) and trustworthy (a record that shows proof of bringing real uplifting change to the people for whom he served). Please use logic in picking a presidential candidate. I am voting for Mike Huckabee, you don't have to but I am confidant that once you check out what he stands for at www.mikehuckabee.com you will vote for him too. You don't have to be a white Christian with kids to vote for Mike, you can be a purple atheist with iguanas. The only criteria for voting for Mike is that you are a person. Thanks for taking the time to check him out.