I took most of the day off to hang out with Bailey. We went to Barnes and Noble for storytime, then met some moms and kids at McDonald's for lunch.

There were THREE steps this high, so Bailey needed help getting up.

The first time he got to the stop, he stayed up there for a while. Then he discovered the slide.....

Then he needed help getting up to the top over and over and over and over....

Tractors, Dump Trucks and Rocks

Peter Schiff in 2006 & 2007 & Preteen Speech

I just saw the two videos below thought I'd share them.

I don't know much about Peter Schiff, but I would like to find out what he is saying now. He is laughed at in the video while warning about the coming housing crisis and credit crunch. The other analysts actually recommend buying Goldman Sachs, Merrill Lynch and Washington Mutual.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2I0QN-FYkpw

Another great video I saw today. I'd like just a pinch of this 12 year old's public speaking skills.
http://www.nmatv.com/video/1318/Preteen-pro-life-speech-goes-viral

Nice Afternoon

I came home from work a little earlier than usual since it was so nice outside. All of us, including the cat, were outside until the sun went down.

You can visually tell when Bailey is listening to something. He hears a dove in the distance, so pointing is what he usually does when he first hears something.

Still listening.....

Stinky is finally turning into a cat. This is the first time in his five years that I've ever seen him climb up a tree and get up in the branches. He started catching birds and mice about a year ago.

Bailey parking the tractor.

Funny Faces

Another cake

Well, so much for 1.5 to 2 years before the next cake. My neighbor asked me to make her Navy retirement cake, so I couldn't say no. I had edible art made at Sam's Club, so that saved me a lot of time, but it still took a long time and my kitchen was a big mess (the two reasons I don't need to do another cake anytime soon).

I had to do some major photo editing on the anchors, as they were tiny jpeg images, not suitable for enlarging. The big logo was great quality, so no editing there. I expected the edible art to print out the same size as the images I took in, but they were quite a bit smaller.... mental note if I ever need to have any more made. Also, icing colors turn darker after a while and I'm terrible at gauging what the final color will be. I added too much food coloring, so the gold and blue had strange textures.

Heres' some cake stats:

8 cake mixes

24 eggs

10 lbs of powdered sugar

1.25 cans of shortening

Size = 15" x 22" x about 4.5" tall

Weight = estimated to be 25 lbs (by Travis, who had to carry it)

Going for a Couple Rides

Riding the moose.

Riding the dump truck... and in the process of falling over.

Little Machinist

I came home from work to find Bailey and Travis making a part for the mill CNC project. Travis stepped out of the picture for these shots. Look at Bailey's ears in this picture! He looks like a little Yoda!

Bailey using calipers.

We should have taken more progress pictures. This is a motor and motor housing, all ready to be sealed up. Travis bought the motor, but he came up with how everything is wired, the housing design, strain reliefs and everything else. It's mind boggling to me.

Lightning

A storm was heading our way. I told Bailey that the bright flashes of light are called lightning. Here is was he was doing all night as the storms passed.

He loves Lightning McQueen!

Soup Face

Here's Bailey after drinking portobello mushroom soup from a mug. Too cute!

Getting Water

Bailey started getting his own water over a week ago. I wasn't sure if it was a good thing or a bad thing (mess). No messes yet, except that Austin tries it too. Oh well. It's just water. We like water messes.

Animals in my Car

Bailey was playing with Stinky and discovering the nooks and crannies in my car, not paying any attention to the Mommy with the camera. I said "Smile!" and this is what I got.

Today was a beautiful day - in the upper 70s in February! After I put shorts on Bailey this morning, he stared at his bare legs like he hadn't seen them before.

Calling for Stinky

I must snap to call Stinky more than I thought. Bailey attempts to snap to call Stinky and he does the same to call Travis and I also.