No DNA Needed

Check out these picture of Joe when he was little! See any resemblance???

It's no wonder Magnus is a cutie!

TO FLORIDA TO SEE COUSIN BILLIE!

Joe had to fly to FL for the weekend, so Magnus & I decided to go too! We caught an airline down, but thankfully Joe's passengers invited us to join them on the Learjet for the trip home, once they found out that we had flown down there too. (That saved us a 4 1/2 hr layover in Pittsburg! And we definately prefer private Learjets & our hot "Capt. Joe"). Above are some pics of Magnus with his 3rd cousin Billie... a much-awaited visit! Ruth (Billie's mom) & I were pregnant at the same time & even shared the exact same due date! (Billie was actually born 1 week before Magnus though.) They were so adorable together! Cooing, smiling, holding hands & touching one anothers faces... They were fascinated! They're both 5 mo. old now (barely) & everything is so exciting. Billie is so sweet & quiet - she hardly says a peep, but wanted to touch Magnus contantly... while Magnus just squealed & chattered! It was so much fun! Another highlight of the trip was staying with Cliff & Ruth & eating an awesome steak dinner that Ruth cooked (eat your heart out, Outback!), eating Sunday dinner with Joe's Uncle Cliff & Aunt Mary, and visiting with my Uncle John & Aunt Jan.

I WANNA BE A COWBOY BABY

Magnus is ready for the rodeo in his little Wranglers & Ropers! Great Uncle Ken & Aunt Cookie sent him the little boots from Arizona, and I've decided that they're the cutest little boots EVER... especially when Cowboy Mag is wearing them! I even let him try out my saddle, but it was so wide for him that he had to more or less recline in it... which is better for bronc riding anyway! Note the proper way that he has his hand held in the air to keep the judges happy...

THE APPLE FELL CLOSE TO THE TREES!

As most of you know, Joe & I just LOVE dark chocolate... and I happen to have some Hershey's Dark Choc. Truffles in the house right now but they probably won't last long... Anyway, I was enjoying one (or was it two?) this morning, and Magnus always loves it when I blow "chocolate breath" into his face (big smiles!), so today I was a nice mommy and let him have a lick. He tried to take the whole thing into his mouth and started sucking on it like crazy before I could get it back! (Mmmm!!!!) The result was a baby that was thrilled with this wonderful new taste, a mommy that was surprised and a soggy truffle. Magnus kept licking his lips after I took it away, trying to get every last drop. That's my boy!!

Boy, we've missed you!!

Joe gets to come home tomorrow!!! It's been 2 1/2 weeks since he left us for flight training in Dallas. It was a sad goodbye & a lonely 2 weeks for all involved, but it's almost over! This is the picture that I have on my desktop, and every time Mag looks at it he starts to smile and coo softly. Magnus (2 months old in that picture, by the way) has missed riding the 4-wheeler with Joe, and going on the "battery check" rounds with him in the garage. (That's where he charges his R/C helicopter batteries.) Magnus especially misses Daddy's whiskered kisses that make him squeal & laugh - hurry home Daddy!!! We've missed you terribly!

Tippin' the Scales

Went to the animal hospital today (where I used to work) to talk to my buds & get some Revolution for my kitty, Oliver... (great stuff, by the way - if you have cat you should use it!) While there, I decided to get on their scales with Magnus & then weigh myself without him & it said he's exactly 20lbs! (When he was at the Dr. he kicked/screamed so much on their scale that we couldn't get a good reading.) People ask us all the time, "What are you feeding that kid?!" We just reply that it's a bit personal....

P.S. The cat is actually a barn cat that comes in for the occasional visit. He just turned 5 in May! Someday I'll tell you more about him...

Captain Magnus

Here are a couple more pictures of Magnus in his bomber jacket... just in case you weren't already convinced that he's pretty cute. ;-) In the 2nd picture he was chewing on the collar. I know you can't tell because of his smile, but he actually hated wearing that coat! It's a good things mommies can coax a smile out of their babies!

Magnadoodle

Okay, so I took this picture yesterday and just had to share with you guys! Am I partial, or is he just the cutest little dude? He is 4 months old and weighed 18 1/2 lbs at the doctor last week! He's 27" long... a tall drink of water (milk?) just like his daddy! Right now he's lying on the floor beside me squealing. =) I can't seem to get him to take more than a 30 min. nap here lately... and that's just long enough for me to lie down and get ALMOST asleep before he wakes back up! *yawn*

When Pigs Fly

Today was the weekly "clean the guinea pig's cage day". Chancellor loves this event, and tries to grab the garbage bag, take away the scoop as I'm scooping out shavings, and his favorite part comes at the end... jumping and rolling in the new shavings as I pour them out - like a kid in a pile of leaves! Today he was on the 2nd level and I had scoop in hand just below him when he decided to jump down. He landed on the scoop and went for a little magic carpet-like ride to the lower level! So pigs actually DO fly! He got covered with shavings when he tumbled down (he's not very graceful) and it was really funny. He didn't seem the least bit embarrassed, and acted like he'd planned it to happen that way. What a funny pig!

Xena's in Training

Our little Xena that we've had since a tiny foal at 1 month old is all grown up at 3 and ready to be trained. My neighbor lady Kathy (pictured) is helping with this process since I haven't the time now that Magnus has become my full-time job. This pic was taken during her first time ground driving (and using a bit), and she was doing so well! Since then she's had a couple more lessons and I think she'll be a great horse - she's so calm and smart. Although, she does have an attitude at times, and we're trying to overcome that part of her personality! Kathy has cancer and is going through treatments right now, so please help us pray for her. She is scheduled to have surgery on July 20th.