Puppies for sale!

Actually, they aren't really for sale, they're too cute. I think we'll keep them.

Well, it took over two years, but it was finally time to give Addie a haircut. She didn't really need one, but she did have one chunk of long hair in the front and one long rat-tail-ish section in the back. It looked fine as long as it was syled - but if it wasn't in pigtails she looked like a ragamuffin.

We gave her licorice and had her sit on a star so she would stay still:













The end results. This was at the end of the day after only brushing it once in the morning!

Bowling

It's been a while since someone has put anything here. Our house has been bustling: the girls, for reasons unknown, have gone on strike against sleeping; visitors have been coming and going; Sean has been preparing for the end of the school year and his new job; and there's always the Burmese yak in our backyard and her crazy antics. In spite of this full schedule, we spent some family time tonight at the Fun Plex bowling lanes. Sean actually broke 100 (113 to be exact), and Addie beat out April.


***A little additional information from April...

The bowling alley is in the middle of some renovations. They are installing bumpers that can pop up and down. We got to play on one of the new lanes. This meant that, unlike last time, Addie got bumpers but Sean and I did not. The official scores were: Sean 113, Adeline 96, April 50. Please don't laugh at my form, it was the only way I could knock over any pins. On the plus side, it didn't matter if I knocked down five pins or zero pins, Addie would always clap and say, "Yay Mama!!"

Spinning

Yeah, we're tree huggers . . .

Well, now that all that travel nonsense is done with, we can finally get back to the pictures. It was such a beautiful evening we had to brave the mosquitoes and spend some time outside. Sean was teaching Addie the different parts of plants. She really liked the bark, so she gave it a hug.

Charlotte can't quite hug trees yet, she was content to sit on the grass and watch. Or maybe she was laughing at us, I'm not sure.


Although I do like trees, I do not like the bugs that come with Houston vegetation. I think I'll stick with hugging people.

Our summer plans

Well folks, the results are in. Pending Frontier Airlines is still in business, we will be traveling by plane this summer. I was actually very surprised at how close the voting was. 15 votes for road trip, 20 votes for air. It came down to a few factors:

1 - It will be less expensive to fly.
2 - The girls probably won't remember this trip.
3 - We would rather spend the time visiting our family than in the car.
4 - I refuse to drive that far.


Never fear, road-trip-junkies, we will be taking a road trip this summer it will just be smaller. We haven't decided where we are going yet. We (and by we I mean myself) would like to keep the drive time at or below 6 hours each way. We're thinking maybe New Orleans or possibly camping. Any suggestions from the roadies out there?

Road Trip Results, etc.

Alex, before I begin, can you put your tinfoil hat in the corner over there, please?

Now that matter is settled. Yes - I'm not a fan of guzzling gas. God knows I've been riding my bike to work in an effort to be a responsible person. I think that Americans need not be car-less, but car-wise. If you live five miles from your work (as 80% of Americans do), there is no need that you hop in your car and drive there. Everyone should have a bike. Our next president should make that a priority - to sponsor legislation that would improve bicycle friendly infrastructures.

A couple people have commented that I should bike tour to Montana. Nothing would make me happier. Now, if you think that convincing April to DRIVE to Montana would be hard, convincing her to BIKE there is going to be like trying to swallow a super-nova. April's idea of "camping" is a motel surrounded by some trees in some kind of proximity to a dirty road. Biking would be my first option, followed by car, followed by airplane. Anyway, everyone knows that the effects of the chemicals added to jet fuel and dispersed in contrails to control the masses is much more severe at high altitudes - that's why traveling business men are like they are - call them the prototype of the cyborg army that will be launched by the Illuminati in the next few years.

Begun the flamewar has. . .

Ladies and gentlemen - please help us settle this domestic spat. Please visit The Conaway Family Road Trip Survey to weigh in on this matter of pressing importance to the American people. Thank you.

RE: Road trip - my thoughts

Hey, look Addie. If you squint really hard out of the airplane window, you might be able to see Arches National Park. Oh, and the majestic Tetons in full summer bloom are gorgeous from a distance of five miles above. AND, hauling ourselves up to the airport, waiting in line in the midst of the full summer crowd, the cramped airplane and TWO SMALL CHILDREN (see, I can use that rhetorical device, too) feels like 65 hours in a car, and I would gladly pay $400 dollars to escape the hell that is called flying and airports.

Road trip - my thoughts

A 2 year old and a 6 month old... in a car... 3691 miles... 59 hours (as calculated by Mapquest, please adjust this figure to account for the two kids)... in a car... in a compact car... $3.50/gallon gas...

8 plane tickets = $240... we get to visit all of our family and the Rammels...

Which would you chose?

Roadtrip help. . .

The allure of the open road; discovering new places; the adventure of coming out of rest stops unmolested; 3,000 plus miles in an economy car with young children. Ahh, the Great American Road trip. It's what separates the red-blooded, flag tatooed members of our society from the pansy pinko commies. I'm afraid that my darling wife, April, has fallen into that later classification. Not only does she refuse to get an eagle with its wings spread clutching a banner which reads "In God We Trust" across her back a la tramp stamp, she thinks going on a road trip to see our family this summer is a crazy idea. Come on - I know somebody out there still has to love the U.S. of A. If we can't take car trips, we've let the terrorists win - Fox News even tells me so. Ask yourself, do you want to live in that America - the one where the terrorists and their "agenda" control life? I'm not even asking YOU to go on a road trip. We'll bring it back. By hell, the Conaway family will singly handedly bring back apple pie and baseball on the radio. We'll take the first step in saving this chosen land with our car trip. Who's behind me? Who loves this country? Who's brave enough to convince April?

P.S. - This is a shameless self promotion for you all to read my blog.

Cruising

We had preschool at our house this week. Addie always loves playing with the other kids, but today she took a particular liking to this little boy, Logan. She even let him ride on her bike! Well, she let him ride on the back of her bike. She had to be the one driving... she's a take-charge kinda girl like that.