Spring Has Sprung

Where to start? We've been pretty busy this month and have actually had a day or two of mostly clear skies. Not that we're complaining, mind you. We still enjoy the rain and the cool temperatures. Yesterday it was clear in the afternoon and the temperature was in the low 80's and strangely enough, it felt warmer than that. I'm sure it was just me though.

I have to include a comment made by Kevin recently. He was complaining about all the trees around here and claimed "it's just not natural!" Poor kid. We should have taken him out of the desert a long time ago.

A couple of weeks ago Jacobs had an employee appreciation event at the Huntsville Botanical Gardens. We spent the morning there and then I took the family out to Marshall to show them where I work. Here are the pictures:

The boys sitting in a Space Shuttle Main Engine.


And standing in front of a Saturn V F-1 engine. There were 5 of these at the bottom of the rocket. Huge!

If you look really close you can see Dana and the boys at the bottom of this Saturn I. I got a nice closeup picture of them but Dana doesn't like it and banned me from ever letting it see the light of day under punishment of something really bad and painful I'm sure. Anyway, this rocket (and a few others just out of the picture) are right across from my building so I enjoy seeing them everyday.

Now we're in the Butterfly House at the Botanical Gardens. Here's my attempt at being one with nature and all that jazz.

Cade was walking just like he looks in this picture. We smeared some "butterfly food" (sugar water) on his arm in hopes of catching a butterfly - well, not catch but have one land on him. He held his arm out nice and level for the whole time we were there. Unfortunately, no luck with the butterflies.





He even tried enticing them by offering a nice place to land near the greenery.

Watching the model train make its rounds.

A former coworker of mine warned me the bugs were much bigger in Alabama. She wasn't kidding! Here we are valiantly fighting off this man-eating ant! You'll notice only the boys took on this beast. Dana, the girly girl, stayed a safe distance away.

And now soccer is over! Good thing too because I stink as a coach. Cameron's team lead 2-0 going into the last 8 minute quarter of his last game and ended up in a tie! I couldn't believe it! Kevin's last game looked like it would be a blow out as we were down 3-0 after the first quarter. Going into the last quarter, down 4-1, I switched them around and put a new goalie in. With just over a minute left we tied it up at 4-4. Kevin scored two of those goals, thank you very much!Everyone was really getting into the game and the intensity level of the kids just kept ratcheting up. The other team finally scored on our rookie goalie to win but it was so much fun to watch. The kids weren't even disappointed because they had so much fun. It was a great way to end the season.

Here's my star 10 yr. old soccer player. Seeing this picture reminds me of the t-ball picture I have of him where I'm down on one knee and still taller than he is. Can't do that anymore.

Kevin's team. Sort of. 3 kids are missing.

And here's part of Cameron's team. 4 kids mising. Don't these Bears look intimidating? Too bad looks don't count for much on the field.

This picture makes me think of one I posted a year or two ago of Cade at the soccer field when he was still little. He looks so big here!

I taught the kids how to throw a frisbee up in the air so that it comes back to you. Kevin and Cameron got it. Cade just chucks it - but look at his windup!

Cameron's school had a fun day last week and they brought in several inflatable slides. Cameron claimed it was the best day of his life.

Cade had fun too and he looks like a pro at the net.

During Memorial Day weekend, Decatur has the Alabama Jubilee. It's like a mini balloon fiesta. The balloon glow and balloon rides were rained out this day but it was fun, and free, to visit. The vendor's row and rides, however, were very not free.

We drove all the way down there so Cameron could get eaten by a fish!

Hmm. It's usually Cameron making the faces and Kevin smiling. I wonder what happened here?

Cade loved the bubble blower.

I'll leave you with this scary face. And don't worry. His head isn't as bald as it looks here.

Step AWAY From the Clippers!

The title has nothing to do with this post. I just thought it would be a good title based on all the shenanigans with the clippers lately.

Dana suggested "Rain, Rain and More Rain" for the title and she slugged me when she saw this one. We've already had a little over 9" of rain in May. I looked at the Las Cruces totals and saw they've had 0.01" since April 1 and apparently that's about all they've had so far this year.

Everyone keeps telling us it's unusual to get this much rain in May and we've heard that this winter was colder and wetter than normal and this has been one of the worst spring seasons on record for bad weather. That means this summer will be the hottest anyone can remember. I'm not sure what the fall will bring.

The soccer games were cancelled again today for the second weekend in a row due to rain. Darn it.

Here's what our backyard looks like nowadays.

Everything is pretty and green around here. It hasn't been very hot yet so we've been enjoying the weather when we get the chance - and when the rain stops. A couple of weeks ago we took the boys to the walking path along the river again and took some pictures. Here they are:


I had Cade framed just right between the branches but Kevin rode halfway into the picture just as I took it. Oh well.


Taking a break by the river.

During our ride/walk, Cade and Cameron stopped to wait for Dana and me to catch up. For whatever reason, Cameron decided to sit on his rear tire while he waited. With a little persuasion, we got the other two to join in. To me, it looks like they're sitting on custom choppers with ape hangers. I like this shot.


Dana had some help pulling weeds in the front yard recently.

Today Cade made this planter for Dana at Lowe's and they even gave us a plant to put in it. I thought it was pretty cool. I helped get the nails started but he hammered them in. The wood has the dings and divots all over it as proof of his handiwork.

Speaking of handiwork, or not, I finally got around to making a clock for the garage. I think it's pretty cool and I've been wanting to make one like this for years. Not that anyone cares but this is the sprocket off my fo-fiddy - probably the last new dirt bike I'll ever have. sniff sniff. (I'll pause here while everyone gives a sympathetic sigh) It's hard to tell in this picture, but I used plexiglass behind the sprocket to mount the clock. I have another, smaller sprocket I want to use in the middle to cover the box but it's too thick so I have some thinkin' to do there. I'm also debating painting the plexiglass to make it easier to see the hands. It'll do for now.

Cam Turns 8, It's Official and Uh Oh

Last week our not-so-little-anymore Cameron turned eight! To celebrate, he invited a couple of friends over for his party. After we had our cake and ice cream and Cameron opened gifts I took the boys to see Monsters vs. Aliens. It's a great movie if you haven't seen it. Cameron made out like a bandit this year with his gift cards. With the money he made on his birthday, he bought a Nintendo DS and two games! He said he had a great birthday and thanks everyone for the gifts.

That's Cameron's buddy Bryant on his right and Jack on the left.

We didn't get any pictures but we also went to the bowling alley last weekend for a company employee party type thing. Sorry, I took the camera but left it in the truck and it was pouring rain and I didn't want to change shoes, get wet and change shoes again. Cameron and Kevin both helped Cade bowl again but for the most part he did it by himself. I bowled my best game ever (128 and I'm proud of it thank you) but Dana just had to bust out her best game ever and beat me by bowling a 420 or something like that. Maybe it was a 148 but I don't care anymore because she's still rubbing it in.

So now some good news! I'm officially an Alabaman, er, Alabamanese, uh, Alabamian, I officially live here in Alabama! Dana and I both have our Alabama driver's license, I finally received my permanent badge at work (yay!), and one of our four vehicles has an Alabama license plate. And now that I think about it, one of my vehicles doesn't run so that makes us fit in even more, doesn't it? I guess I should put it up on blocks in the front yard to make it official.

Remember when I accidently shaved the side of my head and Dana laughed at me? And then Cade shaved a spot on his forehead and Dana laughed at him? Well, today Dana decided Cade was looking too shaggy and couldn't go any longer without a haircut. The plan was to cut his hair with the clippers to about the length of his still-growing-in bald spot, or about 1/2-in long. Not too short but about as long as we could go without it looking funny. So Dana carefully picks the correct size comb for the clippers, turns the clippers on and shaves right down the top of Cade's head before realizing SHE NEVER PUT THE COMB ON!!! She didn't stop until she went the lenght of his head either. Poor little Cade. He was in shock and Dana having to leave the room with her jaw on the floor and laughing at the little guy didn't help. She ended up cutting the rest of his hair pretty short but not nearly as short as his new, nearly bald stripe. At first he cried because he didn't like his hair but he got over it after we talked about it some more and I showed him how cool it feels when you run your hand across it. When Dana finished he ran into Kevin's room to show the other two boys and shouted, "Ta da!" I had told Kevin and Cameron ahead of time so they knew what to expect. Needless to say, Cade will not be going anywhere without a hat for a few weeks.

And to think Dana got onto Cade for cutting a small spot out of his bangs!

I know everyone is waiting on pins and needles to hear about the soccer games. I'll just say I stink as a coach. Cameron's team is 0-2-1 and Kevin's team is 1-2. The Reynolds boys continue to play well though and I'm very proud of their effort because they both give it everything they have every time.

Kevin found this little rut he likes to jump. He likes this picture and asked me to share it with everyone. I like it too.

Cade decided he would try riding through the ruts too. He didn't make it though.

The only picture I got of Cameron jumping the rut was the one time he dropped his front wheel too soon and crashed. He was not a happy camper.

The birds still haven't hatched and someone drove through the puddle with the tadpoles so there aren't nearly as many of them left. The few remaining don't have legs yet but we're still keeping an eye on them. Fun stuff.

Much to Share

I've been slacking a little on posting pictures of our Alabama adventures and we have a lot to share. Sit back and relax as you play catch up on our adventures. You'll laugh. You'll cry. You'll be moved. Or not. I'll try to make them somewhat chronological - not that it really matters. So without further ado, here we go:


Look closely and you'll see a web full of caterpillars. They were all over this particular tree behind our house. There were a few other trees like this too. A couple of days after this was taken, the caterpillars started leaving the trees and spreading out. They're all over our house and yard. It's been a couple of weeks and there doesn't seem to be any sign of letting up with our infestation. I can think of worse things to be infested by though. And the kids like to play with them. The boys caught a couple of caterpillars and put them in a couple of bottles with grass and sticks hoping they would build a cocoon but instead they died.




Cute picture of #3. We don't know what to do with his hair because of his self inflicted bald spot. I think we'll have to give him a buzz cut pretty soon because he's getting pretty shaggy.



Most evenings, when the weather is nice, we all go out for a walk/ride. Cade is getting pretty good at riding his little bike. He had quite an audience the other day as he rode down the sidewalk. They were impressed he could ride like that at his age. Yes, I'm bragging. That's what this blog is for.



A couple of weeks ago we went to the Monte Sano state park and hiked around. Once again, we're anxious to go back there after things green up but it was still very pretty. There were several little creeks with crystal clear water running through the area and beautiful views. It would make a perfect place for a wedding! Just saying.



Some doofus and his very handsome boys.



There's a playground in the area and I think the boys had the most fun there. They even had teeter totters or see-saws or whatever you want to call them! We all took turns playing on those. Dana and I felt compelled to explain to Kevin and Cameron how much cooler - and more dangerous - the playground equipment was when we were kids. "Back in '79, I got my arm caught in a merry-go-round and it was spinning so fast I looked like an Ewok (remember those?) flapping around the outer edge of the dadgum thing. When I finally got free I flew 200 feet and landed in a tree at the edge of a cliff! They didn't have these fancy, plastic playsets with rubber padding underneath. It was survival of the fittest back in my day, I tell you!' So anyway, here's a shot of Kevin and his crazy hair at the bottom of the aforementioned plastic slide. "And we had metal slides that were 15 feet tall and had nothing to keep you from falling off. If you managed to stay on all the way to the bottom, you didn't have any feeling in your legs because your skin was melted by the heat of the slide in the summer sun!"



This was near the end of our walk. While we were looking at some park information, Cade paused to rest on these steps. Cute photo op.



The soccer season finally got underway last weekend. My coaching debut didn't go so well for Kevin's team. We lost 5-3. Our kids played well but they were outplayed by bigger and faster kids. But I must say, Kevin (middle gray shirt) had a terrific game! I had him running the length of the field to help the offense and boost the defense. As it turned out, he was the defense. I don't know how many times he hustled back down and stopped the offense from getting a shot after they ran right through our porous defense. My favorite part was the fact that the star player on the other team failed to get the ball past my boy w/o passing. Kevin stopped him every time they went one-on-one! I couldn't have been more proud of his effort.



Cameron's team had better luck. Emphasis on luck. His team tied the other team at 2-2. Like his big bro, Cam hustled back and forth all over the field and had a great game. Cameron is one of 2 kids on his team that "gets" soccer. He was so good about getting open and passing the ball. I think I'll move him up a division next year and let him play with Kevin's team. He's honestly better than half of Kevin's team.



Easter Eve! Cade took his egg decorating very seriously.


So did Kevin. This particular egg had alternating happy and frowny faces on it.



Cameron working on his personal masterpiece.



Here's my masterpiece. Hey, it was the cracked leftover that no one wanted. Not as good as my stormtrooper egg from a few years ago though. That was a masterpiece!



EASTER MORNING!!! CANDY!!! 3 boys bouncing off the walls with their sugar rush at 6:30 in the morning!!! Please excuse Kevin and Cameron in their underwear. Longtime blogstalkers will know that's how they're always dressed. To be fair, this was taken at about 6am.



Easter egg hunt! Not many places to hide eggs in our yard, darn it.



Is this adorable or what?



Enough with being cute. This is normal for these boys.

On one of our recent walks, we found this sizable puddle with a bunch of tadpoles in it. We go back frequently to check on their growth.

We also found this bird protecting its nest. If you look closely, you can see 2 of the 3 eggs underneath it. The bird probably would have gone unnoticed but it started squawking and carrying on when Cameron walked by. We visit the bird on our walks now too and await the day we see tiny, little, fuzzy bird heads peaking out at us.

Check back soon for Cameron's birthday party pictures. He's turning 8 next Monday!!!