Can not stop watching this.

Wanted to save this here for prosperity.

Business in the front … nothing in the back.

I guess it really is true, the second kid gets to do everything before the first one did. For Reef, that meant that yesterday he got his first haircut. Even though it's almost six months before Park succumbed to the dreaded shears and squirt bottle, we can honestly say that we waited as long as we possibly could.

You see, Reef—like Park—was born with a full head of hair and—like Park—he lost most of it. Most of it … except for one tuft at the front of his head. It didn't fall out, it just kept growing … and growing … and growing until it was basically just some sort of weird, reverse baby comb over. However, like most bad comb overs, it wasn't very believable, a good stiff wind or a little accidental disheveling and it would flop down and cover his eyes, making him look like Tim Conway from some old Dorf on Golf sketch. To make matters worse, it started developing a nice little curl and he was more and more being referred to by strangers as "she."

That was the final straw.

Luckily Park needed a trim up too, so we got a two for one.

Here is mom and Reef before.

Mid cut.

 Of course big brother was there to "help."

And it's all fun and games until someone loses an ear.

Luckily everyone made it through unscathed.

Home on the range.

The last nine months in our new house have been really great, but the thing we've probably enjoyed the most is watching the seemingly endless parade of wildlife that passes by our back door each and every day. It's been fun for Carrie and I to both see it for ourselves and to see it through the eyes of Park (the dogs however are unimpressed and frankly couldn't care less).

So far at least one of us has seen the following.

• Cattle Egrets

• Blue Herons

• A Yellow-crowned Night Heron

• Ducks, Geese (even some babies this summer)

• An owl

• Woodpeckers

• Some sort of water snake

• Turtles

• A lizard

• A couple of huge frogs (we're talking 16-18" long with their legs extended)

• Crayfish

• Lots of fish

• Hawks

• An endless supply of creepy crawly things for Park to pick up and torture Carrie with 

• A bunch of birds we've never seen before and have yet to identify—even with the aid of the Peterson Field Guide to Birds

Today, we had our biggest visitor yet. We were all sitting in the front room when Carrie looked out the window and let out a screech (the sound, not Dustin Diamond). We all hopped up and saw this moseying through the lawn across the street, munching on a few shrubs along the way.

If it was lost, it didn't seem to mind, because honestly, it didn't appear to have a care in the world. Eventually I even went outside and followed it for a bit as it turned the corner and casually strolled down the street. 

It was pretty cool.

Can't wait to see what stops by to say hi next.

One Night in July

(Insert heat joke here.)

For a break from the 100-degree temperatures here in Kansas we decided to head to the 115-degree oasis of Phoenix last weekend (OK, truth be told it was only 105 while we were there). And while the whole "it's a dry heat" cliché got a little old, we actually found it to be surprisingly true. Of course a lot of that could be attributed to the fact that we spent nearly 75% of our time in a pool thanks to a certain four-year old who initially insisted he had no intention of dipping so much as a toe in the liquid refreshingness who later turned out to be quite the water bug. 

Here is a rundown of our adventure in pictures.

First off, this was Reef's maiden voyage on an airplane.

He did pretty good, despite the fact that the "no AC before take off" had him sweating off one or two of his extra chins.


Then there was this guy and his new-found love of the water.

Actually this guy didn't mind the water too much either.

The Rainforest Cafe on the other hand wasn't as big of a hit, this is the only smile we got from a child with very sensitive ears and an apprehension to crudely made animatronic elephants.

Now, Rustler's Rooste, with it's entry slide was a little more his speed.

And then there was this.

Four-Alarm Celebration

Park's fourth birthday has come and gone, but we hear there are requests to see photos from his big day so we're happy to share, even though it's a month late. And frankly, we're so surprised anyone reads this blog anymore since we've been neglecting it, so thanks to those who are sticking with us and still curious to see what's happening in our lives.

Since we've been adjusting to life with a little one, we took the easy route this year and had a small family celebration at our house. We were so lucky to have all the cousins, aunts, uncles and grandparents here. We were also lucky to have semi-cruddy weather turn into beautiful weather just in time for the party.

Park's birthday gift from us was something we've been wanting for years, and we hope it will got a lot of use for much, much longer. While the decision of what to get him was easy, hiding it from him until his birthday was another story. Park's interest in basketball has blossomed over the last year and he and Craig have been enjoying learning moves on the small plastic goal in our basement. We felt it was time to get something a little more realistic that wouldn't tip over when the kid dunked.

Luckily, Park bought the story that we were having a light pole installed in our driveway for a week so he could play outside at night. The morning of his birthday, he was surprised to find that the light pole was something much cooler than a light and much more fun to play with.

As for the party, we went with the four-alarm fire theme since Park is fascinated with all things "emergency." Firetrucks, emergency vehicles, firemen, policemen, you name it.

Park also likes BBQ food so it was only natural to go with Famous Dave's and have them deliver dinner in their fire truck.

Games included Pin the Tail on the Dalmatian, musical chairs, Simon Says and beat the crap out of a fire truck pinata.

It was a great day to turn four!

Good news.

I've been avoiding all of the coverage of the aftermath of the Moore tornado, because, well … I've just seen enough death and destruction lately. Today however I stumbled across a video that got my attention.

Stick with it until the 1:39 mark, you'll be glad you did.