Pioneer Children did what?

We've recently had the opportunity to use our thigh muscles in support of our nephews. I'm not talking about our stand on immigration, people, so get that right out of your heads.
Sam's cousin, Jack Thorne has Down Syndrome and we attended the 12th annual Buddy Walk at Arrowhead Stadium. It's a lot of eating hot dogs and hamburgers and free fizzy yogurts with a number of local media outlets and businesses making sure you know that they support good causes, then some of the crowd takes a short jaunt around the two ballparks.
One week later, we went with the Varones to the FAAN (Food Allergy Awareness Network) walk. Cooper Varone's head explodes if you give him a nut. Understandably, the food at the FAAN walk wasn't nearly as good. Lots of soy products and treats that didn't have ingredients.
Interestingly, the FAAN walk was a fairly grueling 2-mile trek over numerous hills at a Kansas park. Maybe they figure that a coating of sweat is a good way to protect the kiddos from allergens.

The carnivorous Jack Thorne, doing to a patty what must be done to a patty.








Sam was fascinated by, but not trustful of this colorful and surely odorific, Jesus-loving clown. There were actually a number of clowns advocating Christianity. ZING!

There was quite a crowd at the Buddy Walk. If you look really really close, you can see Sue Thorne worrying about something or other.


This creepy frog lurked around the outhouses smearing hallucinogens from its glands onto unsuspecting toddlers and old people.


The Varones, all extremely aware in the allergy sense, and all willing to pimp themselves out to companies that produce anti-allergy products.




Jon and Lucy Tolman. Jon is not allergic to foods, but pollen is not his friend. Lucy was not aware of allergies, or anything else that happened while we were there.
Cooper, the boy who keeps pecan pie out of family gatherings but is so worth it.





Unrelated to helping kids with Down Syndrome or allergies, we put Sam on the little potty chair and managed to catch a tinkle. That was a couple days ago, but please oh please let this be the start of something beautiful.

Refracted Light, Dryers, and Ferral Babies

We had two couples over for a night of fun and fellowship. We ended up thoroughly defeating both of them in a game of Cranium. As some of you may be aware, Cranium involves a variety of activities, including "charades." If any of you can guess the object that Jesse is attempting to portrait before the answer is given away, you win the special prize...



It's nice to have Neidholdts over because they have a daughter Sam's age who is helping her learn how to act and dress like a girl.













These two videos are not from game night, but neither are most videos, so I can't think of any reason why that would justify any complaints on your part.

Life and Death

A few days ago, we decided to slap a coat of cheap white paint onto our travesty of a shed. Before the painting could start, we needed to take a broom to the exterior in order to remove dirt, cobwebs, and anything else that might have impeded adhesion. During this pre-paint cleansing, I discovered a small, green cocoon attached to the wall about 6 inches off the ground. I removed the delicate chrysalis and gingerly carried it inside. The Discovery Channel taught me long ago that butterflies exit their metamorphic chamber downward, assisted by gravity, so I made a hoop out of a twist-tie and secured it to the refrigerator with a magnet.

Two days later, we spent the night in Liberty because Becky's parents needed a ride to the airport at about a quarter past the butt-crack of dawn. When we returned to our home that afternoon, I discovered this:

This butterfly did not drop out of its cocoon into the bottle-wash. The sink is about 10 feet from the refrigerator. That means the little fellow emerged, dried his wings, took flight, and then dropped into the bottle-wash. Did he die, then fall? Did he fall, then drown? I cannot say. I think I heard somewhere that Monarch butterflies live in their adult form for about 24 hours, which is just enough time to mate. So perhaps this insectoid miracle lived out an entire, sexually-frustrated lifetime right there in our kitchen.

I'm also not sure whether the yellow water was due to bacterial contamination or pigment leaking from the butterfly's gorgeous wings. I actually suspect pigment, since the color was clustered around the insect. Bacteria would probably have migrated throughout the medium. We re-washed anyway.

Decendency

The manifestation of genetics can bring about a variety of emotions. On one hand, a physical resemblance can give a sense of immortality to a parent. If you find yourself being trampled by a heard of stampeding antelope tomorrow, you can be small-hoofed to death with the calming knowledge that your earlobes will be enjoyed for generations to come.
We came across some old-timey photo-stills showing that our girls are wearing at least some of our genes. Nyuk-Nyuk.


The older picture is Becky. The older baby is Lucy.

We pray every day that Sam won't develope her father's cardiac dysrhythmia or shoulder hair.

After sitting at a computer for a grueling 45 minutes, Jon is now a licensed nurse in the state of Missouri. Since the consequence of not passing the NCLEX is something like a six-month waiting period before retesting and possible re-evaluation of employment status, Becky is now a wife living in a state relief.


Chillin' in da bumbo, yo.

Hodge-Podge

We had number of pictures with no coherent theme. Maybe "Super-Cutsey Buttons" or "Evil in a Mask of Flesh." Anyway, here are some pictures.


Go ahead and try to tell me that Sam isn't a miniature version of that kid from "Christmas Story."

Cross-dressing

This is how we dress Sam to sneak her into the men's room with Jon.


This is how we dress Jon to sneak him into the ladie's room with Sam.


My best friend from grade school has found the love of her life and is getting married in March! She's also found employment in a 19th century brothel. We always knew you'd make something of yourself, Angela!

This is here because we couldn't post without a picture of Lucy.

Lucy's 5th Horcrux

Lucy's starting to act more like a little human. She'll smile and occasionally laugh if you have a good joke about Europeans that she hasn't already heard.

Sam has begun reprimanding her toys. The other day, after she was scolded for some mildly aggressive behavior, Sam brought several dolls one-by-one to her grandmother, stating "Dis doll hit me. She needs say sorry."

Other developments include counting to 16, excessive use of the word "scary", and retractable fangs.

Becky is working on Harry Potter 7. Jon cut his scalp with a razor.

That's all.

Dad rarely feels comfortable wearing this shirt anymore, but that doesn't mean it shouldn't be enjoyed.

Pre-employment Slacking

Well, Jon is done with school. He graduated Suma-times-got-his-homework-done from the accelerated BSN program at the Research College of Nursing. The graduates didn't get to wear silly robes or hats, but they did get a pin and a pretty yellow rose.
He'll be starting his nursing career in the Emergency Room at Centerpoint Medical Center in Independence, MO. It's a huge, brand spankin' new hospital that opened just a few months ago. Jon got hired for the 5 PM to 5 AM shift, so he ought to see plenty of the gunshot wounds and car wrecks that tend to occur in the wee hours.
Since the Tolman clan had a couple weeks between graduation and orientation at the hospital, we decided to loaf around in Colorado where the weather was tantalizingly more pleasant.

Sam was really upset after the ceremony. She had a hard time coming to grips with the dean's speech about the severe nursing shortage in America.

Lucy got blessed the next day, since Jon's folks were in town. She was pretty relaxed, considering how little she had to do to prepare.

Grandma Deanna got Sam a nice book with learning activities that use pictures of Disney princesses. I would prefer she learn how to fetch the remote control for Daddy.

Lucy started to crack up toward end of the 10-hour drive to Denver. For a couple minutes, we could swear she was crying backwards.

Sam didn't make it across Kansas without her own share of mental scarring. She spent a lot of time at her grandparents' house trying to feed and water an ugly porcelain cat.


Sam the veterinarian at the Denver Children's museum. She put that stethoscope on and used it correctly without any prompting.
Aunt Rachel's kids got out the water guns. They're older so Sam compensated with increased firepower. Notice that Dad is unarmed.

Sam with her cousins, Eva and Spencer Terry. That object Spencer is holding is a functional multi-user bong made from tongue depressors, juice bottles and a cereal box. He was very proud, but I'm surprised Rachel let him choose that project from all the options they had at the museum. I would have had him do the hand-painted remote explosive device.

First take note of all the other happy children, pretending to shop for groceries, learning to socialize and adding up their totals to hone their math skills. Then notice what our daughter is doing. I think it's a talent she picked up from her mother.

Nerd Alert

I am not officially a nerd, although I feel like one. Jon hasn't taken the test yet, but I think he's probably gonna score a bit higher than I did. No offense honey, I've always loved nerds!

Well here's her unfortunate husband's nerd score. It's not my fault I know the symbol for Manganese.

Ali's Spawn

Just a couple weeks ago, Lucy lost her status as newest grandchild when Allison (Tolman) Benefield gave birth to a remarkably attractive little girl named Annabelle Jane Benefield.

It's good to see that the little dear is just about as darling as her uncle.

Oh, Jon graduated and got a job, but we'll have more details about that a little later.

Peace.