Good thing we are not farmers...

...we would starve! (oh yeah, we are Realtors, same dif!) Yes, this little gem of a tomato is the only one that is ripe (we have 2 huge bushes). As you can see, it is the whopping size of a dime! We are cutting it up into three equal pieces for dinner tonight!

Eighth Grade and CONTACTS!! Look...no glasses!!

Yeah, the day has finally arrived when Courtney could shed the glasses and sport the contacts! She is so happy to be able to wear sunglasses! She has been learning how to put the contacts in and remove them. We were almost late to school this morning! It takes a bit of doing the first few days until you get the hang of it. Back-to-school was more exciting this year, the last year of middle school and just feeling more sure and confident about it all. I offered to accompany her into school the first day to pick up her schedule, but was turned down. "No thanks, Mom. I am all right. I do not need you to come in with me." One part of me was sad, the other part was happy that she is ready to launch herself without me by her side!

The Science Fair Project

2 months of growing 6 pea plants in the kitchen window, (3 were left in the window day and night and 3 were put in the garage at night with a tone generator left on) to see what effect a tone being played for 8 hours had on plant growth. In case you are wondering, the plants with the tone generator did not grow as well or as fast. Conclusion: plants like peace and quiet at night just like humans! In the end a ribbon for participating was awarded and the project was a success.

Spring Piano Recital at Lairmont Manor

Once again Courtney did an amazing job of memorizing and performing a beautiful piece of music and once again, she received her repertoire award for memorizing and performing pieces of music from four different periods of music history. She earned herself a movie pass!

Courtney and her wonderful and patient piano teacher, Renee Crandall.

Grandpa time and sidewalk chalk...

You can have a lot of fun with a box of chalk!

Rylee drew a giant heart and put the names of all the people that she loves inside it!

It took a long time, it was hard, she asked how to spell all the names and wrote them herself.

And Nana did one for Grandpa, too! :)

The perfect day for a pony ride!

Yes, these two little ladies are just a few months apart in age...but the difference in their height is astonishing!

P.K. joined in the fun...

And Courtney is our trail guide.

Saddle Up Cowboys and Cowgirls!

This is how you carry a cat, Nana

And he puts up with it...

Nana's house and baking brownies

has turned into a tradition for Rylee and I. "Open wide!" says Grandpa as they lick the spatula clean.

The joy of grandparenting...

You get to go play with the kids at their house, with their toys, use the car with the DVD player and GPS so you can't get lost or bored, stay up late watching movies, drive from soccer to ballet, to cubs, and enjoy a glimpse of what life used to look like when your own little ones were young. (And you wonder how you survived!) Thanks for the fun time!

Courtney's fruit plate dinner creation...

The budding cook strikes again! This time she has prepared a pasta, alfredo sauce dish with steam broccoli and mushrooms and a fruit plate. She set the table and everything!

Fairy Hut

Sunday afternoon...what do you do? You make a Fairy Hut for your flower fairy out of twigs, leaves, pebbles, moss, and anything else you can find to emelish your fairy's little home. Just a cardboard base and a glue gun and you can build a fairy dream home!

Cooking lessons begin now!

She is in the kitchen! She has the meat thawed, she is making meatballs! And into the sauce they go! We sit down to eat...it smells and looks amazing! Then she says, "I don't really like spaghetti and meatballs, I just wanted to make them." The cook watches us eat.

The New Willow Tree doll Courtney chose for her Birthday...

This is one of the new models for this year...she is called 'Surrounded By Love'

Our little girl turns 13!

Don't you wish you had a bowling pin cut in half (with the wrong year written on it) for all your friends to sign as a memento of your bowling birthday party? Of course you do! And that is what Courtney is the proud owner of! She had a party during Spring Break at our local bowling alley and, as a party venue, it is pretty slick! All the pop they could drink, shoes, and two games of bowling - perfect! No mess, no fuss!

A quick trip to the cabin...

We headed over to one of our favorite quiet spots near Leavenworth. The infamous cabin on the creek near lake Wenatchee. We celebrated Courtney's 13th birthday there. A special cousin along made the trip extra fun! Courtney spent a good hour in one of the stores trying to decide which of the lovely Willow Tree figurines to buy!

Grandma Bunting and Nana in Chicago...

...playing tag-team babysitting. Good weather, great kids, late nights, early mornings, lot of giggles, hugs, and legos!

Afton Turns 7!

Lucky me...Courtney and I were able to head to Chicago in May to do some serious fun babysitting for Paul and Missy! And a bonus was that we were able to help celebrate Afton's birthday. Both of her Grandmas were there. Val and I overlapped for a day. What a great time we had!

Fragrance Lake Hike

What do you do with a lovely Saturday in March? You pack up a bunch of energetic kids and take them on a hike!! S, Courtney, Lauren, Tanner, Partker and I headed up to Fragrance Lake It is a good 1.9 mile steady climb. We were hungry and ready to eat when we arrived at our destination along the banks of the lake. Many hikers out yesterday made our journey more interesting. It is amazing how many people bring their dogs along. The way back down took half the time as we ran, raced, sprinted, slid, and carreened our way down the windy path. The only mishap was a little interaction with stinging nettles by P.K. (aka Parker). But we discovered that 'baby moss' helps take the sting out. (?) If you think it will, it will! :) Every good hiker knows the first thing you do is find yourself a good walking stick...right?

Announcing the addition of OTIS, the cat, to our household...

So, apparently it is not enough that we have a resident guinea pig, named Rosette. We must have pets, more pets...hence, the search for a cat was begun by Miss Courtney. We made bi-weeky trips to the Humane Society to check out the felines and scope out the options. We also took home an application to fill out, checked out books from the library and read up on cats, we priced all the cat necessities at Wal-mart and PetSmart. We did our research and our homework. Courtney even checked on line at the local newspaper website. Then, one fateful day, she googled cats here locally and, what do you know, there was a beautiful male cat right here in Conway!! His owner had rescued him from an abandoned farmhouse she used to own. She had taken him to be 'fixed' and receive his shots. She was asking about 1/4 what the Humane Society wanted for their cats. He is beautiful, soft, affectionate, does not shed, and litter-box trained!! What more could we hope for? He is adjusting to us and we to him. He has been with us since last Tuesday and, so far, so good. Welcome, OTIS. May the hunt for a pet be satisfied in you.

Cheryl and Doug = cutest couple

We had such a great time with Cheryl and Doug when they came to town for a few days. Sorry this picture did not turn out better, but they are such a darling couple. Thanks for spending time with us!!