America's Next Top Model

Grace wanted to do a fashion shoot tonight after her bath. She really wants to be America's Next Top Model....look out Tyra Banks! The fuzzy ones were taken using my diffusion filter...so they are supposed to be fuzzy. Not sure if I like it or not!

More flowers...sorry!

I know, everyone is probably getting sick of my flower pictures. Thing's have been really boring around here lately, it's about all I've got LOL! School gets out on Friday and I'm sure things will pick up a little then! The top pic is the lily I got from Grace's class....it's so full and pretty now! The middle pic is my whiskey barrel, and the last is a viney flower at my mom's. Not sure why, but I can't move the pics to be under the text today!

Ankeny wildlife

We've seen lots of animals today! The craziest thing was this morning...there were 2 deer across the street from our house! We live in the middle of a 40,000 person city, not many deer roaming the streets! Hopefully they made it a little bit south to the fields, poor things were probably scared to death! This is something we usually see at Grandpa Jim's house, not here.

We took the kids fishing this afternoon and saw the cutest mama duck with her babies! They were adorable. Grace caught her first little fish today all by herself!

And finally, my mom and Don have 3 robins nests in the rafters of their house. One on the north, west and south. The three on the north side are getting so big they can hardly fit in the nest anymore...I saw one flapping its wings today like it wanted to fly away, I bet in the next couple of days they'll be gone!

Grace Gonzalez Kinney

Grace informed me the other day that she wants to change her middle name to.....Gonzalez :). Her friend Shaylin's last name is Gonzalez and she likes the name so she decided she wants to take it for her middle name. I told her that some people have two middle names, so maybe she can be Grace Elizabeth Gonzalez Kinney :).
Lots of playing with Ava in the past few days. So lots of good photo ops!

Pretty flowers

Just testing out some new filters I got for my lense today. These are flowers mostly from my mom's house....the orange lily is the one I got from Grace's class!

Yes, another day at the park

I know these get boring, but I try to take my camera everywhere I go...you never know when you'll have a photo op! A few of the kids at the park this evening. Tyler and his friend Derek were there playing basketball too.

Goodbye, and RIP old friend

Rich's old friend, the '67 Lawn Boy has officially retired. He's been a good lawn mower, passed down through the years. Dick bought him in 1967 at the hardware store in Red Oak, Iowa. And he's mowed many-a-lawn since then. But it's time to set him free, let him go to the great lawn mower meadow in the sky. The first pic is from the day he was born...fresh off the assembly line. And the second is ole '67 today. Rich and Ole '67 were born the same year, so I think he's a little over-attached :). We'll miss you (0k, really I don't think that I will. Ole '67 didn't like me, and I had a heck of a time starting the dang thing)!! Click on pics to enlarge!