When kids are quiet

Every parent knows: be wary of when your kids are quiet. Usually they are up to no good. For example:
I wonder who put the popcorn in the jewelry armoire?
Ahh, yes. That is why she was so quiet.
After a long quiet spell, to be met at the door this way can't be good.
Aaaaack! Oh, boy. It is at this point you forget how sweet they can be, and start having explicitly clear memories of the birthing pains.

How to embarrass your dog

1 Hat from a Dora The Explorer Doll: $10
1 family pet: $0
Embarrassing your dog: Priceless!

"Take..

It..

Off.."

"Maybe if I keep my cool.."
"I will haunt you!"

Cooking up some luck

For New Years, we have always put a dime in the black-eyed peas for good luck. I'm not sure where the tradition started, but it continues with us to this day. I'm not sure how much luck it actually brings us, as the ever-present "Beall luck" seems to be much more powerful.
Outside, Keighly, Ian, and Chandler check out the stump from a tree that Katrina blew over and the Mormons cleaned up.
Joey and Lori, always a happy couple!
Uncle Chuck and Aunt Jane were passing through so we exchanged belated Christmas gifts.
Moma Flo got a bird!
A push from Nanny and the kids are happy.

Behind the mask

For Christmas last year my brother Andrew gave me a Darth Vader mask. We all ended up having lots of fun with it.
Who is this masked man?
Darth-Chandler!
Darth-Emily!
"Does this thing get Blues Clues, or Dora the Explorer?"
The rare "Darth Vader playing a banjo" picture.

Bubbles!

B is for Bubble.
Bubbles are magical, the kids always love them. A short lived spherical morphing blob with a swirling rainbow textured skin that slowly creeps through the air. It seems unnatural, and is captivating to watch until: pop! It's gone.

Bubbles also help pass time until you can open presents for Christmas!
VERY nice bubble, Chandler! Angie photos.
Eventually Moma Flo came to see what all the fun was about.
As fun as bubbles are to create, Ian is determined to keep their lives as short as possible.
Awesome!
My 80+ year old grandmother, Mama Flo, tries this new-fangled 'bubble wand' the kids are so crazy about.
Take that, you whipper-snappers!




Of course, who can forget the biggest bubble Keighly wanded (is that the proper term?) at Uncle Andrew's birthday last year. Wow! Ian had been diligent on popping the bubbles as soon as there was the slightest curvature to the soap film in the wand. Uncle Andrew quickly gives him "the voice", a universally known natural stopping mechanism that all kids fear.

Simple fun

I accidently discovered something we have been having fun with for quite some time now. I have a large tree I need to cut down in the corner of the compound. I shot an arrow over a large fork and pulled a rope over hoping to pull it down. It didn't come down. With the rope still up, it didn't take long for the kids to start swinging on it (it was about 60 feet up to the fork). To make it safe (heh), I put one of our kiddie swings on the rope.
The concept is simple: someone sits in the swing; I pull as hard as I can; the person is lifted about 20 or 30 feet in the air! Fun! (More fun for the rider than the puller.. Oooo, nice 'stache!)
Ian rides while Janet stands under him for scale. Yeeha!
Keighly rides, too, although heavier people don't go as high. What is fun is to suspend someone as high as you can, then when they aren't suspecting it you let them fall (controlled, of course)! It's just like the Fair! Naturally, Janet is opposed to this and sees it as very dangerous.

Here is a movie from the rider's view and the puller's view (you need Flash to view it). This was literally taken a few minutes after we discovered the fun. We've since put the swing a little higher on the rope allowing a more dramatic ride!

Dynamic Duo

Our neighbors and friends Joe and Lynn Little's daughter Raegan has become a regular playmate for the kids. They wander the yards together, dig in the dirt together, and generally just have fun.

Thanksgiving '06

Yes, this is very late to post. Here is Janet's Aunt Mary, Janet, Amber, and Amanda ready for Thanksgiving!
Emily: coffee queen!
The main event: deep fried turkey!
Ian, Donovan, and Keighly enjoying the country life.
Janet's Aunt Mary and Uncle Charlie, and their daughter Leah.
The kids always enjoy riding the tractors when at the Sandifers!


At the Bealls, deserts are a-plenty!
My grandmother, Mama Flo, produces a beautiful turkey from the oven. Then she complains about it's seasoning, how it will not taste good, and how this is the last time she will cook for a holiday.
After an always-delicious meal, Keighly, Emily, Ian, and Chandler pose in front of the faux fireplace.
Back home, the leaves are colorful and the temps are just right.
A great wallpaper of colorful leaves carpet the yard. They quickly turn brown, so I was glad to snap this very serene pic.

Fuel friendly vehicle

There is an old oriental fellow who rides around Hattiesburg on a home-made motorized bike. It has a lawnmower engine on it that he engages with a lever. Once he pedals up to speed, he levers the engine's axle against the bike's drive wheel and away he goes! I didn't get a picture of him, but he wears a suit and a hard hat while he rides.

J.T. and Dave

Local celebrities JT and Dave from Supertalk visited Hattiesburg at Daniell Motors. I went out to visit and snapped these pics. Also pictured: Scary Gary eating some gumbo from Bops.

Lobsters!

Always fun for the kids at Wal-Mart.