Pets and a Birthday

Hello again everyone,

Are you all thinking "Pets - how boring!"? I'm not an animal lover myself, but I don't mind if my brothers and sisters have them as long as 1) they aren't in the house! and 2) I don't have to take care of them. I do find it interesting to observe their personalities and watch how they relate to each other, though. Oh, and I do have a soft spot in my heart for cats that will come and curl up unobtrusively on my lap when I am sitting out on the swing to read. Observing animals has been especially interesting of late with the addition of two kittens and a white boxer. One thing I thought our family would never get is a dog! It would seem, however, that Dad has always had a liking for boxers (as a boy, he had one for a day or so before his mom found out :-).


Although birthdays are so frequent in a family of eleven people that they can become repetitive, some of my siblings do their best to see that each one is unique! If you enjoyed the pictures from the last party they hosted (the barn party), make sure you see these of the party they planned for Candace's birthday. :-)

New Pets

Dad is not a cat-lover, but he is a "rat-hater," which helped the

younger girls to convince him to allow two cats into our lives.

Holmes the sleuth.

Watson.

At first we were uncertain which to make the detective and
which to make his sidekick, but it seems as if we got it right.
This docile fellow is definitely the follower, watching Holmes
investigate all the mysteries.


"Classy lookin' brothers!"

Looking each other in the eye.

The cats were just getting settled in when...

...Blanche arrived.

Somewhat of a bully where the cats are concerned. :-)

Blanche to Cats: "So this is where you fellows live."

Watson: "Yes, and we didn't invite you for lunch!"

Blanche: "What if I decide to come anyway?!"

See the conquering hero eats!

A boy and his dog.

Another of My Creative Siblings' Parties

Take note of those hats! Charity and Faith poured a lot of time into them.

Birthday girl!

*shakes his fork* "I don't want this picture showing
up on the blog!"

Opening gifts.

My latest post (the one that included the barn party;-) provided
the entertainment for the party.

Candace's Second Birthday Party

Hey! You two are looking at the wrong photographer!

We had the Raines over, since Emma's birthday is very close
to Candace's.

Dad leads "Happy Birthday to you..."

Dad and the Girls Go China Shopping

She's a tomboy; it doesn't bother her if her hair is a complete wreck.

We arrive with high hopes of finding Candace some China dishes
for her birthday.

So many patterns to choose from.

Dad: "This is a very formal pattern, Candace."

Dad's latest infatuation is China. Recently he has been going

about turning up teacups to see what brand they are. :-)

The choices are narrowed down to this striking Old Country Roses

design or...

... the serene Rothschild pattern.

Decision time.

"Dad, what do you think I should get?"

All the accessories that could be collected in the Old Country Roses

pattern helped her decide to go with that one. Honestly, they even

had teacup-shaped nightlights that matched!

Now that that is over, we can enjoy the mall!

Thanks for stopping by!

~Carmen~

International Travel

Hello Everyone,

Did you see my post's title: "International Travel?" Don't get too excited. I don't mean to say that it wasn't an exciting trip, but Canada is about as unexciting as international travel can get. Our four day trip up there was mainly to visit our Aunt and Uncle and their family, though we also made a few other stops along the way that helped to break up the long drive.

Paraphernalia of travel:

jackets to keep us from freezing in Canada, a book to wile away

the many miles, medicine (in the diaper bag pocket) to treat

any sudden illnesses, a bucket in the event that car-sickness
becomes a reality :-/, and a hat to.....um...advertise Denver

Wholesale Foods!

Mom and her bottomless box of snacks.

A victim of two much love

Our first stop was the Corning Museum of Glass in New York.

(I wonder if we have ever had a vacation that didn't include
visiting at least one museum. I can't think of any.)

"Watch your step" takes on fresh meaning.

Corning Museum of Glass

Welcome to Corning Museum of Glass; walk right in!

(Ever notice that the photographer is often last?)

"What do you think? Do I dare touch it?"

One of the many beautiful glass creations we saw.

When Candace saw that this glass mosaic of President Theodore
Roosevelt had been displayed at the World's Fair, she said "Just
imagine: I'm looking at the same thing that ladies in fancy gowns
looked at!"

"Look, Candace," I said "your lady in the fancy gown!"

Until recently, I had never even heard of glass pumpkins; now they

seem to be popping up everywhere (that is what is being made
in this picture from one of the fascinating glass-blowing

demonstrations we saw).

He didn't get to use rocks or a baseball, but he still had fun
being allowed to break glass. :-)

Do they instinctively know their place in the family?
Our amazement at their all sitting in order of age reminded
me of the story of Joseph's brothers, only this time it truly
was a coincidence.

Charity - "through a glass, darkly..."

"...but then face to face."

(I know, those two photos are AWFUL, but, when I was able
to apply 1 Cor. 13, I couldn't resist.)

Conrad, do you truly think that knocking is going to get the
elevator here faster?

Back on the Road

Snacks eventually lose their charm...


...and I have to take back what I said on an earlier post about
our family not going out to eat on vacations.

Candace sips water with a clear conscience in the place of the
unhealthy alternative: soda.

"No fair! it's chlorinated!"

One of those crazy toys that you can only buy in a kid's meal.

We made quite a spectacle at the hotel! (Not due

to misbehavior, of course; a big family just can't travel these
days without attracting attention:-).

I thought I had completely come to terms with being
separated from technology for several days. Why, then,
was it so tempting to settle down in front of the computer
in the hotel's lobby? ;-)