The pictures, yes, I know (with updates!)

I promised pictures, so here they are. (Thanks Sandi for these great shots!)

Here's the girl getting some instructions on how to surf at Kalahari last week. She asked lots of questions and even got a demonstration.

It all paid off. She did great. The only thing she wasn't sure how to do was get off. Eventually she ended up on the side and just walked off, no wipe out.

Now the boy is getting his instructions.

He must be a good listener as well, because he also did great. His ride did end up as a wipe out, but most do. At least he didn't get hurt.

Here's the van all put back together and running fine.

For the family who came to the birthday brunch, here's the puzzle finally finished. There's a piece missing. Do any of you have any information about that maybe? This was a much more difficult puzzle then I like to do. It's one of those made up of all little pictures that form a big image.

The new baby trees are not very photogenic just yet. Actually they are almost impossible to see. But here's the maple, which looks like a stick stuck in the ground...

And here's the oak, which looks like a stick decorated with dead leaves stuck in the ground. Everything I've read says if we get them through the first summer, then we won't have to worry about them anymore. We'll have to wait and see.

So much can happen in a week

Five days since the last post! How ever have the three of you survived without know the cliffhanger ending to my car problems...the remote problems....the tree lawn? Fear not, the answers are here!



We forced the van back to the guy who put it back together and let him get a gander of the steering problems. His evaluation? Nothing that he could have done would have caused this impossible to steer situation and we should take it to Kia and have them check it out.



"So this is just a weird coincidence?", I said looking incredulous.



"Yeah, that's what I think", said the car guy, looking confidant.



Another fight to get the van back across town to Kia. A few hours later, the news was in. Amazingly enough, it was just a weird coincidence! What happened to the steering was not caused by the accident or by the repair. How about that?



The Man, in a burst of "getting things done", transplanted not one, but two trees from the side yard to the tree lawn. One is the little oak, which had massive roots and wasn't in the mood to get moved. The other is a little maple, which was much more obliging to get new digs. Now we'll have to wait and see how they do.



We picked up a new remote as well. The buttons are laid out weird and all the weight is in the wrong end. We're not happy with it, but it works.



Yesterday, Fearless Co-leader and I took all the girls to Kalahari for a giant day of water fun. It was a day filled with chlorine, very greasy pizza, screams and laughs. We couldn't have had a better time. My hat is off to other co-leader Tami. She fought through her fears and went down water slides when she really, really didn't want to, and then she went surfing! She put us all to shame with her bravery!

Pictures of all of this coming soon!