Growing WarriorsJust your typical family…

Smile….., originally uploaded by deannajo.

think he’s had his picture taken before?

From the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo in Colorado Springs.

My friend Chelsea just sent me this link – cell phones are dangerous for kids!

Yes, I did say it…. I did actually say, “Well if three of your friends got their nose pierced, would you?” – I’m not proud of that, but it did come out of my mouth. And next thing you know, this flew out of my mouth – “And all of your friends can ride a bike but you have no interest in that” – yes, less proud of that one.

And the odd thing? After those two PROFOUND statements came out of my mouth, her argument was unfaltering steady.

Many of her friends – her homeschooled friends – friends that are almost ALWAYS with their parents – have cell phones. Its true. She just discovered that another friend got one for her 10th birthday. And lest you say that she isn’t 10 yet (she’s coming up on nine and a half), she would quickly point out that she has two 8yo friends with cell phones.

She quickly suggested that if we get her just this one thing for xmas, she would be delighted with receiving no other gifts (to which her 6yo sister chimed in with “ME TOO!”)

I ask her why..why does she need one, she can use my cell phone whenever she wants, and you know what else? We have a house phone! She really only has one friend she talks to on the phone – she is never really anyplace that I am not, where she would need to call me or something – when I pointed all this out, she said she wants to play games on the phone, she wants to carry one around with her, she wants to call her friends whenever/where ever she wants. I suggested she carry mine around. Nope, won’t cut it. I suggested she use the house phone to call her friends. Nope, not good enough. I suggested she play games on either her DS, her gamecube, her Wii, her gameboy advance, her sisters’ Leapsters, or any one of her billions of toys. Nope. Apparently nothing rocks game play like a cell phone.

Alas, I am ruining her childhood. After all, EVERYONE else already has one.

FamReunion08 010 (5), originally uploaded by jtfunk.

Here’s another teaser while we are traveling..me and Allison and Meredith at the Black Canyon of the Gunnison, taken by my lovely and inspiring Dr. Aunt JoAnn – Eric and Lydia were off exploring – once I upload my own pics, I promise a picture of the entire family.

Allison wants me to tell you that I am the one with hair in my face…

Obama 08, originally uploaded by Plentitude.

Here we are at a Barack Obama rally in Pueblo – photo by my good pal Gina.

So far on our trip we’ve met family we’ve never met before, seen a huge canyon, swam in the Glenwood hotsprings, went berry picking, went to a museum and a lake in Longmont, got a private tour of a castle, and went to a Obama rally (what better way to start off our presidential unit in our homeschool?)..tomorrow we go to the zoo.

I have taken probably 13gigs of photos, and once I get home (Friday) I will slowly go through them and post more…but for now, this one will have to do.