Shannon Ranch

Cane Creek

Thursday, May 26 –

Atlanta and Jordan took us to a new place on Cane Creek to swim.

Jordan saw a little turtle swim to the top for air. Stockton was able to dive and find it.

I stayed dry on the bank except for that moment when I slipped on the slippery rocks (with Alan in my arms) and completely fell on my back. No one was hurt, but Alan basically got dunked in freezing water. He was not happy about it at all. Later, after he played in the sand and puddles, Atlanta had to all but dunk him again to get him clean. Hopefully, he’ll forget his bad experiences at the creek moving forward…

Here’s a video I put together with these pictures and a little footage I took with my phone:

The Memphis Zoo

Tuesday, May 24 –

While on our trip to Tennessee, we took a day trip to Memphis to visit the zoo. We were impressed with the size and style of the zoo and the exhibits. It was so special to be with Marian and Alan as they saw many new animals in person for the first time.

I think we all agreed that Alan’s favorite animal was the elephant. Marian says she likes these wolves the most. Atlanta has been reading to her out of the Little House on the Prairie books and she’s keen on wolves right now. (In solidarity with little Laura Ingals and her special fears) After the zoo, we were very hot and tired so we found a place downtown to get something cool and refreshing.

When I say downtown, I mean downtown. It was the famous Beale Street that so many jazz and blues music stars made famous (including Elvis). Live music was already blaring out of several interesting looking establishments, but we stayed away from the clubs and finally found our intended destination, an old department store called, A. Schwabs, that had been operating since 1876. It had an old-fashioned soda fountain, lots of souvenirs and gifts, and other interesting things. They were just moving out a lot of ladders and lights and cameras as we arrived hot and tired. Apparently, they had just shot some kind of movie or TV show there that day. They told us that the store was open EXCEPT for the soda fountain due to the filming. I think they must have noticed all our faces falling in unison, because they quickly changed their minds and opened it all back up for us. Thank you, A. Schwabs!

If you’re wondering if the kids liked their treats, watch this video:

Laundry the Old-Fashioned Way

Stockton, Carolina and Marian stayed busy doing laundry with Atlanta’s hand washer and hanging the clothes out on the line. They got quite good at it and made it fun.

Marian even has her own clothes line.

New Recruits

What happens when toddlers break into their uncle Stockton’s airsoft duffle bag? I’m not sure they’re dangerous, but they’re definitely cute. Stockton calls them the “Delta Babies”.

Video

Must See Speech

While in Tennessee, we were fortunate enough to be able to hear this constitutional lawyer speak. I hope you’ll take the time to watch it and have your kids watch it with you. It’s practically equivalent to an entire government class. You’ll hear things you’ve been longing to hear for a long time with concise recommendations on what we as citizens can do to fix our broken system and return to our constitutional roots and God-given rights.

Click Here for Speech Video

Click Here for Speech Audio only

Click Here for reference handout referred to in speech

Click Here to visit her website

Playtime in Tennessee

Marian and Alan discover play dough.

Alan loves to play with tools while Marian cooks and guards the porch.

Video

Green Food, actually

Wednesday, April 13 –

Join Marian and Alan for a healthy picnic by the creek. Everything’s going well until Marian hears a bull frog and gets a little nervous.

Video

The Working Man

If your 12-month-old isn’t doing his share of the chores and your 24-month-old isn’t cooking, you may not be expecting enough out of your children. Atlanta and Jordan’s son, Alan, is pulling his weight.

Jennifer Ward Baby Shower

Saturday, February 27 –

How fortunate that Atlanta was in Texas when Jennifer’s shower rolled around. We drove over to Clarendon a little early to do some antique shopping. Unfortunately, we couldn’t find very much open in Memphis or Clarendon, but the shower was fun.