Growling turtles and toads playing 'possum

While driving home from school today we found this very large turtle crossing the road. We stopped to watch it, but another car was coming. So we brought the turtle home with us! We set it outside in the grass by the back door to wait for it to come back out of it's shell; and then left the back door open. Soon, I had to go pick up Toby. Apparently turtles can be very scary! When I came back 5 minutes later, the kids related how the turtle had climbed the step and come into the house. When they tried to move it back outside, it growled. (I didn't know turtles growled! I heard it too!) Anyway, when we were done playing with it, we took it out to the pond behind our house.
Then----while we were on the edge of the pond we found these:

mini toads!

They were smaller than Aspen's fingernail! We caught about 10 of them in just a couple minutes. They would roll over and play dead! I learned a lot today about toads and turtles. Who'd have known?

On the Menu Tonight: Rottweilers

For dinner the other night we had a "fend-for-yourself" night ( which just means that whatever is in the pantry or fridge, that's what we're having).
So Isaac asks: "Is this rottweiler already cooked?"
I, of course, wondered, "What????" He was holding a bratwurst.

They weren't born Texans, but they got here as fast as they could!

Hester and Spencer came for the weekend to establish residency in Texas (no state income tax!!) It was fun to visit for a few days before Jamaica!

Anyone Ever Had An Earworm?

Isaac came home from school telling me he had an earworm. He got it from his music teacher. Can anyone guess what he was talking about? (I'd never heard of this before.)

Funk Brothers and Buddy Miles

Nate and I celebrated our 12th anniversary on Friday (yea, 12! can you believe it?!) So Nate took me to a really nice dinner at the Driskell Hotel and then afterwards, we went to hear the Funk Brothers play. If you aren't familiar with them I know that you are familiar with all the #1 hits they played for famous names like Smokey Robinson, the Temptations, Stevie Wonder, etc. They were the magic behind all those great motown hits in the 70's. Anyway, it was a ton of fun. We were on the second row and it was a small theater. Then a special treat when out of the audience came Buddy Miles. He was a great drummer in the 70's. He had his own band and also played drums for Jimi Hendrix. He is also the voice singing I Heard it Through the Grapevine in the California Raisins commercial in the 80's. All in all, it was a spectacular show.

Which looks better? (Nate's project of the week)

Black pinstriping, or no black pinstriping?
Another option (not pictured here) would be red pinstriping.
Which do you think looks better? (Yes, I spray-painted my computer.)

Family Night Poetry

For family night this week we wrote poems about our favorite scripture stories. Here they are:

2000 Warriors
By Isaac, with help from Betsy

The strippling warriors went to fight
To protect their families.
They had the faith to do what's right.
They prayed upon their knees.
Their mothers taught them to follow the Lord,
They knew that it was true.
2000 sons, with shields and swords,
Won the fight and lived to share His word.


The Tower of Babel
by Toby

The people who built
the Babylon tow'r
were very vain and proud.
The Lord took their tongues
and tied them up and they could
not understand a spoken word.


The Lamoni Limmerick
by Nate

There once was a king named Lamoni.
Lamanites stole his sheep left and right.
Ammon whacked off their arms
but they did him no harm.
Servants testified "I saw it with my own eye."

ABINADI
by Nate for Aspen

A prophet called of God
Bearing testimony of their sins.
In hiding for a time
Disguised, he returned
Alma listened to his words.
Noah had him killed
In the flames, his final testimony.