A boy and his dog...

All little boys should have a dog, they just go together.

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Timmy & Lassie, Travis & Yeller, Charlie Brown & Snoopy...there is so much a boy can learn from having a dog.

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At Reed's age they learn to be gentle - don't pull her ears, grabbing fists full of fur will get a growl, don't sit your granola bar on the floor to check out a toy, once you hand the dog your cookie it becomes theirs...

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But one of my favorite lessons that Reed has learned from Daisy is that no matter how hard you hold on to her tail, she cant pull you through the doggie door behind her - nor was she trying too!

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You may not be able to tell by her face in this picture, but I saw how she leaned into the hug...she loves her little boy. While Bogie steers completely clear of Reed, Daisy ALWAYS goes back for more...she knows that just because he's knocking your head with a block with one hand, doesn't mean he wont share his hot dog from the other!

Tres Rios Festival

Last Saturday We went to the Tres Rios festival here in Avondale. It is a Preserve that is about 4 miles south of us near the Phoenix International Raceway. Reed loved it! This kid is not afraid of any animals and he wanted to touch them all. Fish and Game brought quite a few birds and reptiles. They also had a section of the river netted off and filled with Bluegills of all sizes. The Bluegill fishing area was a popular spot for most of the kids. Although Reed didn't wet a line (mostly because I didn't feel like extracting a hook out of another kid), he enjoyed watching them catch them.

Some volunteers went out and gathered walking sticks for the kids and they had set up a station to wrap your stick with wire with the option of adding beads to the wire. (Seemed kind of girly to me, but Reed got his stick wrapped with wire and beads and we started off to the hiking path. I was holding him at the time and I proceeded to set him down so he could walk. Well, the stick got to the ground before Reed did and he pulled it toward his face as he was being lowered and stick met face right at the eye. Yep you guessed it....crying like you wouldn't believe. Me being me I told him to stop crying and suck it up. He told me WAAAA!!!!!! Barbi told me....Well, I can't repeat what Barbi told me, so 30 minutes later we hit the trail.

All in all it was a great day out with the family. The weather was just about perfect and the location is a place we like to spend a lot of time at. Barbi is home sick, but I just can't get enough of the Arizona outdoors. Talk to you all later......

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on you own understanding.” Prvrbs (3:5)

Randy

Bougainvillea

If it were up to me, this colorful flower would be growing ALL OVER our brick walls! All the way around the house!

Beautiful fuchsia everywhere!!But since Randy has to do the yard work ...

it means I have a decent sized bush in the front yard. I know they can be messy and they have thorns but they remind me of home!

Since my 2 favorites (roses & tulips) don't seem to do well in the desert, I'll be happy with my bougainvillea. Don't tell Randy but I trim it back less & less every year! And maybe this spring I can talk him into a Jacaranda!

Oooo ...

for colorful photo ops of course!

Daisy

Don't let Daisy fool you...this dog gets a lot of attention. She is Reed's best friend when he has food in his hand, she sleeps on the bed, she rough-houses with Randy & Reed, she cuddles with her brother Bogie, she gets all of Reed's leftovers, she knows Reed will get her a treat if she follows him to the pantry...


So why the long face? Its what she does, if you aren't talking to her then she's the saddest dog in the world - we remind her severals times a day...
"every one loves you Daisy, good girl"

Angel of Mine

I liked the last Willow Tree picture so much that I decided to try another, this one is called Angel of Mine. Randy got me this when I was pregnant with Reed.

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Blues are my favorite so I was really pleased with this picture. So sweet, almost like you can hear her humming to the baby - love it!

The preserve, rocks, and the little ear

Earlier this month we discovered B & M Preserve near the house (at the opposite base of the PIR mountain side). There's fishing, hiking, canoeing and plenty to explore! The Gila River runs through the middle of it.

Reed is really fond of spotting out all the birds but his favorite part of the preserve so far is an old dock we stumbled across. Hidden by the water reeds, it sits out about 3 feet out from the bank - a perfect spot for throwing rocks! We sat for about an hour listening to "ka-plunk" and then a giggle from Reed. The next time we go we will have to remember to bring a pail to help cut out scramble for rocks when his pile ran out!

These are some of my favorite pictures from that "adventure". There are also a few good shots of Reed's little ear, we call it his nubbie. Not many people have asked about that cute little ear. While some parents have issues discussing those sorts of things, we are confident that God made him perfectly Reed!

His little ear is what is called Microtia (his is a typical Grade 3). This deformity happens mostly in boys and mostly on the right side. It happens 1 out of 8000-10,000 births (much more then I thought!). Wikipedia is a good resource for more information if you are interested. The theory is that its causes by decreased blood supply to the ear in-utero.

From day 1, I believed he could hear on this side. At his 1 year appointment, the Ear Specialist finally agreed - though it didnt matter to us either way. It hasnt slowed his development at all and he actually talks more then most boys his age. He seems to locate sounds fine and has good balance (despite being related to clumsy me!).

When he gets to be 6-8 years old we will have some choices to make - prosthetic ear, ear implant (created from one of his ribs), or do nothing. We figure by then he will be able to have some input on what we will consider. The surgeries are extensive and ... well, his little nubbie is just SO fun to kiss because it tickles!

"I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well." Psalm 139:14

If you have any questions, please feel free to ask.

The link to the rest of the pictures in this set can be seen here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/klingenmeier/sets/72157613241716354/

And now Bathtime with the Bubbles...

What can I say? ... the boy LOVES baths. He loves the water, to splash, and its more fun with bubbles!

Last spring we would go to the pool at the YMCA about 2 times a week. Reed is the 1st baby I know that would dunk his own head in the water!

Every time he gets in the bath he asks us to blow him some bubbles! Last night we bought a gallon of bubble solution (after I used all my dish soap only to make the worst bubble solution ever!)

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Even the worst day can be mended with bubbles!

Willow Tree Angels

There are times when I am reminded that my model is a toddler, when he just refuses to look at the camera. After the frustration wears off and I see the pictures of other things chosen to practice on, I appreciate that I was forced to broaden my photography horizons. This is one of those pictures, its one of my new favorites. She's so beautiful ... peaceful ... graceful.
Just how I think an angel would be. Amen.

Desert Botanical Gardens

On Sunday February 15Th Barbie and I took Reed to the Botanical Gardens to see the Chihuly hand blown glass exhibit. This stuff is amazing and barbie took some Beautiful pictures of it. You can see all the photos here.

http://flickr.com/photos/klingenmeier/3283752306/in/set-72157613849966329/

The glass appears to be buried in the dirt as if it is growing right along with the other desert plants. Chihuly is the artists name that creates this stuff. I am sure a search in google will bring up everything about this guy. We had a fun time...I hope you enjoy the pictures.

“Everything else is worthless compared with the priceless gain of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord” Phil 3:8(LB)

God Bless,

9 years in the making

This is Reed. He's an interesting kid! At 17 months old, he manages to crack us up every day. He amazes us on how quickly he learns.

He is FULL of energy and loves to "talk". He has the cutest things to say! "MAM ... dither-dither dither dither ...*giggle* ah dither".

He's a good mix of both parents. He loves to play with the dogs, mostly playing what we call "rodeo Daisy" (poor Daisy). He also loves his best friend Hop, his stuffed Dr. Seuss character. When he's not playing with his Hot Wheels cars, he's looking at books. He can spot out a bird from a mile away!

We waited 9 years for this boy and not a day goes by that we dont think he was worth every moment!

The Beginning

My name is Randy and this photo is of myself, my wife Barbie, and our son Reed. We purchased a canon 40d a few months ago with the hope that it will last us for many years. Our goal is to learn photography as a family and use the photography to help keep us active and out of the house.

Barbie and I both love to photograph our son. I also enjoy photographing wildlife, and landscapes. Barbie likes shooting portraits, and flowers. We will both be contributing to this blog and I am sure you will be able to pick out who shot which photo. Our photography styles are different as are our writing styles.

We will write as often as we can. I hope you will enjoy our photos and our Commentary.



“ To everything there is a season, and a time for every purpose under heaven.” Eccl. 3:1(KJV)

God Bless,