Kids Speak

The family is watching discovery health channel 'I didn't know I was pregnant'

Alex: "Mom, look that baby has a tail!"

A Sight to Behold

Squaw Creek

I love being out in nature. Going on walks through the meadows, walking by the river or creeks, through the mountains, anywhere that is out and you can observe some of God's greatest creations. It brings such peace to me, and I find it so very tranquil to be out amongst it. We saw today some of the magnificence of these creations. It was truly a sight to behold. Squaw Creek Missouri is the home to spring and fall migration of snow geese, ducks, bald eagles and other water fowl. We observed bald eagles, muskrats, ducks (including mallards) snow geese, pelicans (which they say are rare to see here) swans, a multitude of other birds which I know not their names and one lone great blue heron. When we first entered the park we were a little disappointed because the week before on our way home from Kansas City we had literally seen 1000's (1.2 million according to the count) of geese in the sky, and we started out seeing very little. As we drove around the auto tour loop we were not disappointed when we came across the pelicans and then the bald eagles, although we only saw two of those. As we came around the bend to Eagle Pool you could see and hear the 1000's of snow geese that were sitting in the water. It was so incredible to see and so noisy! At one point we were about at the half way point of the pool and the multitude of geese just lifted off the water and swirled around a bit and then sat back down. It was awesome. You see it on the wildlife channels on tv and it looks magnificent there but to see it in person is something totally different. you are left speechless. I think that we will make this a yearly trip in the spring and fall to see this spectacular event.

IMPOSTOR

Here we are driving down I29 this afternoon on our way to Squaw Creek National Wildlife Refuge to see the migration of the snow greese and other birds that stop over in the spring. One of these is the magnificant bald eagle. We get to right between mile marker, I would say, 19 and 21 and my dear hubby say "oh man look at the eagle." Of course we all turn and there sitting on the fence post is a beautiful bald eagle. I raced to get the camera out and just about had it when I realized that this magnificant beast was a piece of wood! Oh some one played a cruel joke. It truely looked so beautiful and I could not believe it was right there..... Thus the joke was on me and the hubby had a good laugh for a mile or so down the road! Beware I29 going south between mile marker 19 adn 20, there sits the Imposter, quietly, majesticaly on the fence post!

The other two!

Having fun with a photo program!!

This program came with the camera my niece got for her birthday. We sure had fun using it. Took us awhile to figure it out and there are still things on it that we don't know how to use but give the kids time and they will figure it out!

Kansas City Getaway

If you look real hard on the right side you can see the birds!


At the park, with Tia Vicky and Tio Guerrero, finding shells! Go figure in KC?


KC watertower, this is right by the Royals stadium and Cabelas and Great Wolf Lodge


Carmen and Flor hanging in the hot tub. It was nice and not to hot!


Jesus with Edwardo, his 3rd cousin.


Last weekend we hopped in the suburban and headed to KC to visit Genaro's cousin that he had not seen in 6 years. It was nice, warm and toasty! We did not plan on the weather being so nice and so we all were sweating a bit. The kids and I cooled off a bit in the pool at the hotel though. Saturday we went to a state park and let the kids run before getting back in the car and heading home. On the way home right outside St. Joe Missouri, in a place called Mound City, there were 1000's of geese. The sky looked like an etch-a-sketch. The kids kept calling out the shapes they were making. It was incredible to watch. In one field a different group of birds lifted off and made a black cloud that moved up and down and swirled. Such an incredible sight of nature. I think that was my favorite part of the trip! Looks like a weekend trip to Squaw Creek Wildlife Refuge to see this spectacular again. On their website it said that their was a 1.2 million snow geese count and 50,000 duck count that weekend that we passed through. Again incredible!

Memories

I have been thinking about so many memories from my childhood lately. A great part in thanks to 'facebook' and all the wonderful people that I have lost contact with that I am finding again. How wonderful is that! One of the things I have thought about is the fun we would have when we went to Utah. We would stay with our "family" the Porter's. They have six kids. The oldest two are just days younger than my older brother and myself and then the other 4 fall nicely in between my younger siblings, so everyone had someone to hang with. It was home away from home. I would go with Stacey to her friends homes to sleep overs and parties and be treated as one of the gang. How often do you go out of town and end up invited to a sleep over? How cool was that! I don't even remember most of the girls names now, but I remember feeling loved and accepted. You can't remember the Porters without remembering the Cowans!!! Oh I so had a crush on Andy! LOL Who didn't??? That aside we would play hide and seek at night. It seemed like we could go anywhere on the street and all was well! (I wouldn't know if it was or not, but it sure felt like it!!) Those were the days. We ran all over that neighborhood, and I don't recall moms and dads freaking out about where we were because we were there, laughing, screaming, crying, and just having fun!! So many faces, so many memories... Mike's friends Scott, Matt....... Brandon's friend Brandon, and so many more! There was the cousins that lived at the end of the street, and Cindy that lived a few houses down for a time (she used to make us koolaid-maybe that is where I had Grandpa's swamp juice for the first time?? She used to put lemonade with something else. It was never just grape or orange or cherry. It always had lemonade in it.) Grandpa and Grandma Murray, going to their house was always fun! So many memories... so many more. To many to write about. My 'other' family, thanks for all the special times. I love you all so much, you have always been there for me and I want you to know how much that has meant to me over the years. Thanks