City girls just seem to find out early...

Today was the first time I've been accused of perhaps coddling Ayla a bit...for being a girl. Probably won't be the last. But seriously, look at those eyelashes. Throw in a killer smile and a funny new cooing communication and yeah, Dad's not going to leave you in the auto-swing for too long.

See you in New Orleans

One thing we've been enjoying this year has been the awesome play of the Missouri Tigers. Currently ranked fifth in the country, Mizzou has an outside shot at a national championship bid, but is probably staring at a trip to the Orange or Cotton. Either way, pretty good stuff for long-suffering Mizzou fans.

Beckett's enjoying the run as well and speaks frequently of the time when he "was Jeremy Mack-a-lin." Maclin, for the record, will be your Heisman Trophy frontrunner for 2009...if he doesn't go pro first.

Above is Beckett's game face. Below, I don't know...it seems a little heavy-handed to strap shoulder pads on someone who'll blow out four candles at his next birthday party, but maybe that's just me. (and they fit!)

Halloween 2007

For the second year in a row Beckett was a lion. It's now a lion in knickers, but maybe that gives him more speed in the chase, who knows? Amber applied the all-important facial makeup for the costume. When she told him she was done, the awesomeness of being a lion with killer facepaint on Halloween overwhelmed him for a little bit and he leapt into her arms and gave her the biggest hug ever.


And then it was "go time."

Well, after a few obligatory pics. Oh, and Ayla was a ladybug. With a fried egg as a broach or something.

When night fell, Beckett hit the streets with his good buddy Molly from across the street.

After a couple of hours of trick-or-treating it's always time to take stock of your loot. I helped Beckett discover the wonderful world of Nerds candy.

We're from Kansas, good ol' Kansas

Mid-October brought a Mizzou bye-week (well, they had Iowa State at home) and a wonderful family trip to Amber's side of the family in western Kansas. And if there's a bad time to introduce a three month-old to her 101 year-old great-great grandmother, I don't know what it is. Granny B is spry and sharp and we had a very nice time visiting with her...though Beckett also loved the bird cages and fish tanks the place had to offer.


Lucky photos like this are why man invented cameras.

While in Pratt we stayed with Amber's cousin Travis. Travis was an excellent host, only once leaving to help friends "take care of" a deer that had been offed earlier that day. One of the best things about Travis is, he's the real deal. A competitive roper, he wakes up every morning actually needing to check on cattle and feed horses. He took Beckett and I on his morning rounds two days in a row. Beckett thought he'd died and gone to heaven and developed his first major man-crush. To compensate for my parsley-growing womanliness, I've taken to throwing out the occasional "thirty-ought-six" reference around Beckett, even though I'm not completely sure if it's weapon or a fertilizer ratio.

Homecoming 2007

Don and Judy came into town for Homecoming, which was fun as usual. The 2007 installment was notable for several anomalies: 1) extreme sobriety, 2) the lack of out-of-town visitors (we're coming after you for next year) and 3) the breastfeeding that went on in the Pi Phi house.