I'm fine! Sheesh!

As many of you know, animal drama seems to always find me!  Picking up dogs running loose and returning them to their owners, watching over baby owls (Owlets) until their mom can retrieve them from our yard, and resuscitating baby rabbits after nearly drowning in our pool.

This afternoon I was hanging out in our front room (aka-Hubs home office, formerly known as the formal dining room) with John, chatting it up when I looked out the window and saw this!  A squirrel wedged in our tree!  He was only 3 feet from the ground and it seemed weird that he wasn't moving.  

Of course I panic, run to the bedroom to look out the window right by him and he looked dead.  How did he get there?  How did he die?  Did he fall from higher up in the tree?  Is somthing going to come by and finish him off?!  I get crazy brain in a panic.

 Squirrel wedged in our tree

So I grab my camera and head out the front door to check him out up close.  And to retrieve and bag him for funeral services in our backyard.  I mean, if we're going to do it for the rabbits, we might as well have a family section for the squirrels.

As I get close to take a picture....his little head pops up!

Hey!

And then he gives me the stink eye for waking him up from his nap!  

Woman!  Get that camera out of my face!

Here I was all freaked out and he was NAPPING!  Not my fault you nap like the dead.  

Credit to the Hubs...he just sighed during all the crazy and waited for the update when it was all over.  Hes used to it.

Happy Father's Day 2016!

Want to wish my husband John and 

all Dads a very Happy Father's Day!

Here are some of my favorite pics of my husband John with our Little Man.

The day John became a father

First official Fathers Day - 2007

Piggy Back Rides

Let's go fly a kite!

First trip to the Gulf

Unsure but Daddy is here to protect me

Wheee!

 Tough Guys

T-Ball practice

Being Silly

Spring Break 2011

Learning to ride a bike

My Daddy and I

June 1970

I also want to wish my Dad, Aden, a very Happy Father's Day.

He always worked so hard to take care of the family...sometimes the graveyard shift, which I'm sure sucked! :D  

Some of the memories I have of my Dad:

He always had a bunch of change in his pockets...I'm talking a lot!  You could hear him coming. :D  Sometimes he would have keys and a pocket knife in there too.

We always knew when Dad got home from work to clear out of "his chair" so he could relax. 

When I was in kindergarten, my parents brought cupcakes in for my Birthday.  My friend Darla said, "your Daddy is so cute!"  Still makes me laugh that she said that...and that I remember it.

   

I remember a trip to Missouri and being in a museum gift shop somewhere and I REALLY wanted this corn husk doll.  Well, my Dad was chatting with the curator and didn't hear me asking for it.  Once outside, I cried and he took me right back in and bought it for me.  Was I spoiled?  Probably.

My Dad was a machinist and I always thought he could make or fix anything.  Anytime I found a nut, bolt or screw on the ground, I would bring it home because I KNEW Dad could use it for something.

We didn't take too many family trips but the one time we flew to California, I wasn't scared.  We were flying American Airlines and thats who my Dad worked for so the plane had to be safe.  

When we were little, we had a family membership to the neighborhood pool.  My Dad would get right up on the diving board and do the best jackknife dive!  I thought he was pretty cool.  He would also let my friends and I climb on his back and he would swim around giving us "dolphin rides".

When I started driving, he made sure I knew how to check the oil, check the battery, check the air pressure in the tires and how to change a tire.  These skills have come in handy LOTS of times.

After he retired, he offered to run errands for me.  This was great because I was working 2 jobs and taking a night class at the time.  He was a life saver!

When I worked for the United Way, he was my most reliable volunteer during campaign time.  I loved having him at the office.  

Always in a good mood and happy to help with whatever needed to be done.

My Dad has always been there to love and support us.

  

I love you Daddy!

One of my favorite pics

John, Little Man and my Dad

Mom, brother Eric, me and Dad

1986?

Happy Father's Day!

Hes/Shes Alive!

If you read my last post, you'll know that we had some Bunny drama at our house.  Our heroic dog, Henry, woke us up because of an armadillo in the backyard...but because of that I found our 3 baby bunnies floating in the pool.  Only 1 survived and we were able to save and release him/her later that day.

Well, I've been checking the backyard everyday, worrying that he/she didn't make it.

Yesterday, my B-I-L said he saw a small bunny out the back window last night but it was gone by the time I looked.  I asked if it was a tiny one, our bunny...he said it was A small one...not sure if it was The One.  Common!  Throw me a bone!  Just tell me it was my Baby Bun!  I'm sure the hubs and his brother are rolling their eyes about this whole thing by now. :D

Well guess what?!  He/She is alive!  Just saw her/him in the backyard munching on grass.

Squeee!  So cute!

And then there was one......

Thursday morning I was sweeping around the pool when 3 baby rabbits jumped out of the monkey grass!  So tiny!  Little Man saw them and came outside to help me shoo them to the side yard and under the deck where they would be protected.  

The Hound was jumping at the back sliding door, thinking we would let him out to initiate a bunny massacre....silly dog!  We were successful in redirecting 2 of them but the 3rd jumped back into the monkey grass and I couldn't find him!  Little Ninja Bunny!  So we decided that the best thing to do was go inside and let him chill out and find his/her siblings.

Later that day we had friends over to swim and even Henry was running around the pool but no bunnies in sight.

THEN....

Friday morning, 4am, The Hound woke everyone up with his barking.  Apparently something on the back patio woke him up.  I flipped on the patio light and the pool light and and saw something floating in the pool.  Knowing that it was probably a rabbit, I went outside to fish it out so Little Man wouldn't see it.

Once outside, I heard something rustling in the bushes and thought maybe it was the mother bunny....but quickly realized that it sounded A LOT bigger than a rabbit.  Suddenly a armadillo climbed out of the bushes, ran across the patio and stopped in front of the big sliding doors.  Henry lost his schmidt and was barking and jumping on the sliding doors, the kid was awake at this point and I was a little freaked out!  It finally dug under the side gate and made its was out of the yard.  The armadillo digging around in our monkey grass must have flushed the baby bunnies out.  Running scared, they went right into the pool.  Damn armadillo.  :/

picture found on the Web...say it with me, "EW!"

I then turned my attention to the pool where I noticed that there were actually 2 baby bunnies floating.  :(  I fished them out and checked them but they were dead.  Saw the 3rd on the other side of the pool and I thought how sad that we lost all 3 but when I lifted it out of the water, it moved!  I ran inside and started rubbing it with a towel to see if it could be saved.  It perked up and tried to jump out of the bucket so LM and I decided it needed to recouperate for a few hours.  We put a small towel in the bucket, tucked it in and covered the top with mesh and went back to bed.  

Baby Bun

We weren't sure if we needed to call a wildlife rescue group or try to release it in the backyard so instead of going back to sleep, I googled.  Most sites said releasing them back into the wild was the best thing to do unless they are still nursing.  I figured that if the 3 of them were running around the backyard by themselves, they were probably weaned.

Not so sure it wants to leave the bucket

At sunrise, LM and I returned the baby to the backyard and watched it run under the deck in the side yard.  Hoping for the best but sad that its on its own.  

LM and I had a funeral service for the other 2 bunnies that didn't make it.  I think our bunny graveyard it up to 7.  We really need to get a cover for the pool.

Its now Saturday and I still haven't seen Baby Bun.  I really hope it makes it.

Schools out for Summer!

Its the last day of school and Little Man is already planning a summer full of "RELAXING".  We only have 2 camps scheduled, one trip...maybe more and lots of playtime with friends!  

1st Day of 3rd Grade

August 2015

Last Day of 3rd Grade

June 2016

Recap of the 2015-2016 school year!

Little Man's "Facebook" profile

JJ Pearce High School football game!

Decorate a potato as a book character project.

Potato Star Lord

Build and shoot off a rocket project

Principal for 1/2 a day

Group Leader on STEM Day

(Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathmatics)

One of the upper classmen girls did his hair. :D

Last day of school

3rd Grade Class Picture!

Yesterday we had the 3rd Grade Field Trip to The Heritage Farmstead Museum in Plano, TX.  We toured a 125 year old home and learned about life "back in the day".  The kids went to school through 8th grade, hand washed the laundry, fed the animals, took a bath once a week (ew) and didn't have computers, iPads, iPhones, etc.  Very educational!

125 years old!

How to milk a cow

Pumping water from the well to wash the clothes

Fed the rooster and chickens

Schoolhouse tour

1 room schoolhouse

Pedro

Notice the sign that reads, "don't touch or feed the animals"...

yes, I petted him on the nose and got in trouble. :/

How can you not pet this cutie?!  

Apparently he likes to nibble fingers but....

Sheep

Pig

Looking forward to summer vacation!