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Well, we decided to take our little girls fishing at the city park the other day.  Rory has been hyped ever since she caught her fish at the lake.  So we loaded them up and joined Daniel and his two boys, Colton and Nick, for some good ole fishing fun.

Colton catches a fish and Rory poses with him.  What a supportive cousin.

Rory shows off her two fish.

Rory and Colton racing off the dock.

This is what my fish looked like.  Yep, I caught nothing…sigh.

As we were getting ready to leave, the Fire Department was doing exercises with their trucks.  We got to watch the world’s biggest sprinkler at work.

So it is time for camping at Dale Hollow.  Man it was hot and muggy.  But there was little rain so the weather cooperated fairly well for us.  As a matter of fact, I got home with just 10 minutes before the rain started on me.  Since I was riding home on a motorcycle this was a close call.  Nothing like the problems that I came across on the way down (which I will tell about in a future blog entry).

The fishing was pretty good.  Rory had a really good time catching her fish and I am afraid this has spurred an addiction.  There was also a lot of lounging and general good ole camping fun.  Thus all the fun that camping is supposed to be.  This year was especially interesting as this was the first year that RaeLynne could walk on a camping trip.  Yep there was a lot of “ hey come back here little girl!”

We all had a good time and look forward to the next one.

It is sorta a tradition and just plain fun.  I did it as a kid and so did my wife.  I am sure that all of you have if you lived out somewhere that you saw them.  Catching lightening bugs is a whole lot of fun and a good way to get kids to not be afraid of ALL bugs.  My daughter has been aching to get some, so last night Rory, Becky, Kristi, and myself began our hunt.  It was quite clear that we had waited too late as most were high in the trees.  So tonight Rory, Becky, and I tried it again.  Poor RaeLynne misses out on these adventures for now.  We started half an hour earlier and yielded much better success.  How many did we catch?  Not many.  But it was fun to see Rory running with her butterfly net to capture the luminescent bug.  She might have caught more had she not been so worried with dirt getting into her flip flops, but it was fun for all anyway.  Even our dog, Blanco, seemed to enjoy our activities so late at night. 

The picture is not great but hey it was dark and all I had was a cell phone.

Well, maybe it is not Barna and Bailey Circus, but there was nowhere else that I wanted to be this evening.  Rory’s school had a variety show in which each grade level performed some kind of act or skit.  Thus every parent was obligated to brave sweltering humidity, walk half a mile (due to near no parking lots), and pay a dollar to watch their child (children) perform.  I was quite taken with the fact that most of the music was stuff that I listened to when I was in high school.  Yup, I am getting old.  Soon this stuff will be elevator music. 

The kids all did well.  I saw very few that just bucked up and refused to participate.  Pretty good considering you are dealing with ages 3-13 respectively.  It was hot but entertaining.  So being the proud father I am, I have got pictures to show.  Here we go……

Here are the stars of the show…well as far as Becky, Ben, Melanie and myself are concerned.  Thanks to Melanie for taking this picture that only someone on the “inside” could get.

Rory is anxiously looking for Becky and I.  To her right is her teacher and to her left is Rachel and that is Toby with the cool hat and glasses.  Rock on Toby.

And then she finds us…

Ok, here is a basic breakdown of the skit.  In the background is “When the Sun Goes Down”, the kids are all lined up, and then they are off.

First to the left…

…Then to the right…

…Then shake it this way…

…and shake it that way.  And then the boys react with a …

They look aghast don’t they?

While the girls were shaking it, Toby spent much of his time looking too cool for words.

Not just anyone can pull that outfit off.

The whole skit was wonderful and cute.  Thus it was just what it was supposed to be.  I took sadistic pleasure in watching the teachers on the side lines having to act out the actions to be sure that the kids did the same.  Where else can you watch grown adults voluntarily behave that way?

My brother, Nathan recently obtained his daughter.  Her name is Kitara Alexis Blevins.  This is the first he has had and the first on my side of the family that has not been mine.  She is a doll.  She has proven to have great lung capacity and the keen ability to wrap her daddy around her finger.  I urge you to visit his site (www.NathanBlevins.com) or simply go HERE for the entry on her arrival.

Welcome to the world Kitara Alexis Blevins, we have been waiting for you. 

Well this post is very late, but I have been equally busy.  Recently Rory went on a school trip to the Knoxville Zoo.  Lucky for us she was able to take her family.  It was hot, smelly, and a good trip all in all.  It was extra fun in that Ben, Melanie, and the twins (Toby and Rachel) also were there.  Of course they are a part of Rory’s class so this was a given.  We all had fun and spent too much money.  No one can forget a $3.00 hot dog. 

This is how our trip began, following a bus in some heavy traffic.  My uncle craftily drove the bus.

Rory and RaeLynne sporting their matching lion shirts and double stroller.  You can see Toby and Rachel in their stroller behind them.

We saw some of the basic animals that a zoo trip requires.  As Rory watched the rhinos, she noted that it stunk here.

The many rides at the zoo.

There was also a living ride.

Rory, Toby, and Rachel did very well riding the camel.

And then some photo opps.

And then we found a monkey totally on the loose.  Someone had better get this guy.

Well, we had the second part of Easter with my family this past weekend.  We decided to combine it with the multiple birthdays that occur during the month of March and around that time.  It was quite the bash.  Everyone had fun, eggs were hidden and found, and food was eaten.  What more could you ask for?

Rory had to help her little sister open the presents.  But soon she was getting the system down pat.

She scored some really cool presents.

AND THEN THE EGG HUNTING BEGINS…

They scoured the yard for the elusive eggs.  Some were easy to find…

…and some were just out of reach.

What a bounty?!

Well the Power Wheels Jeep is getting a little cramped for Rory.  Becky and I have been talking about this for a little while now and knew that inevitably we would have to get her something else soon.  We came across a good deal and a mostly new Power Wheels Ford Mustang.  Now I am not much of a Ford guy, but I saw little comparison with this and an everyday Ford vehicle.  So we took it.

One good thing about this car as opposed to the Jeep is that this has permanent doors.  RaeLynne even gets to ride with her sister on some trips.  She really loves that.  Frankly, riding with Rory would scare the…well you know…out of me.  She misses trees by mere inches.  But, she has yet to hit anything.  So, que sera sera.

Not to let her new car look dusty.  Rory quickly (very quickly) cleans it off.

And then poses with it.

This thing has a faux radio that play songs, beeps a horn, lights for a tachometer, lights for a speedometer, makes engine noises, and startup noises.  Wow, I would like to have had one of these when I was growing up.

And they are off….

Addendum:

When we bought this car we had a little problem.  The wiring melted down to the battery.  Someone had lost the plug to it and rigged up a different one with the wrong battery and wrong size wire.  We had a similar experience with the Jeep.  My brother and I changed out the Power Wheels battery with a lawn mower batter and put in some appropriate sized wire with insulated terminals.  The thing runs like a top.  I use a 12 volt battery charger, like the ones for motorcycles, to keep it charged.  It lasts longer and is half the price of the Power Wheels battery.  The only problem was cramming it into the housing for the battery under the hood.  Power Wheels must have realized their error in allowing this much space (barely) and made it even smaller of an opening when it came to newer models.  Thus when I came upon modifying the Mustang in this manner, an alternative had to be found.  Hidden under the seat/trunk area is a plethora amount of room.  All that is housed in this area is two small motors for the wheels.  I rigged up a battery holder, re-routed the wires, and hooked it up.  VVRROOOOOMMM!!!  It has made the car more of a 50/50 weight distribution and gives it more traction in the rear.  It also gave Rory a trunk in under the hood.  That really seems wrong though.  If you would like to do you child’s Power Wheels like this, feel free to ask for help in the comment section below.

Well, this was a fantastic weekend for Easter.  Most of the Easters that I remember were always freezing.  I tell you, kids have it so much better than we did. 

Rory begins her scan for the elusive eggs while RaeLynne makes sure they have not dug into the ground.

And then the “scramble” begins…

And for the annual group shot…

And in the aftermath, the day’s endeavor’s take out it’s first victim…

Well, RaeLynne celebrated her first birthday this weekend.  It is a little premature, but close enough.  It was quite a good time with the birthday girl doing what is expected for her first birthday - digging into her first piece of cake, bare-handed.

First the pre-party fun.

And now, on to the party

PRESENT TIME!!!

I really think she had a good birthday party.  I had fun.  She has one more party to come for this year’s birthday.  More pix to come.