2013 School Pictures

                                                               The Kindergartener

                                                                    Miles the 5th Grader

Honestly,  I don't know where the time goes, it seems like yesterday I was posting Helen's first baby pictures.
I have some great looking kids. 

Johnny Appleseed Returns

This was Helen's project during Primary centers on Friday September 20, 2013.  I think she sports it very well.  Long live Johnny Appleseed.   

Cuteness Overload!

Warning!  The following contents have been proven to produce a cuteness overload, at least in proud Daddies!

Helen was sent home with her first pile of crap delighful homework from kindergarten today.  Let's see what she produced:

This was a picture of the family.  That's Dad on the left, then Helen, then Miles, then Mommy on the right.  Apparently Mommy is pregnant!  When asked if it was the dog on her lap, she said, "No, he was outside peeing when the picture was taken..."

Next up was spell the state where you live.  Helen must have listened to former Governor Schwartzenneger for pronunciation:

How about this for an assignment?

Heck, I couldn't keep up with that!

Here is the result:  I see a tree, a yellow sun, so the pink dinosaur on the left must be my daughter?

My daughter is a pink dinosaur...

USS Midway June 26,2013 San Diego CA

Hopefully this link works and everyone can see these photos. https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10200856518634224.1073741826.1202015986&type=1&l=bf91980a72

We had a great time in San Diego with my folks.  Miles had fun climbing aboard a real jet.

Poopy Pooch

Poopy Pooch

My baby is growing up

While we were camping this past weekend over Memorial Day, Helen the barely 5 year old decided she wasn't going to be out done by her big brother(who lost a baby tooth early Sunday morning), and lost her first baby tooth a couple of hours after Miles lost his tooth.  She's getting too big too fast.  Luckily, the tooth fairy was prepared and left each of them one dollar for their teeth.   I don't think the tooth fairy has ever had to visit while camping.    She was very excited, and couldn't believe the tooth fairy was going to come and visit her in our trailer where we were camped.  The next morning when she found the dollar, she was even more excited.  As Miles is almost finished losing his baby teeth, it is going to be fun watching Helen as she loses hers. 

Helen's 5th Birthday

                                                    

   Helen and her preschool friend Gavin Martin celebrating Helen's 5th birthday at Chuck E Cheese.  A good time was had by all, more pictures to follow later.
  

Just Like Mommy..

Her actual words, "Daddy look, I'm just like Mommy!"

DUCK!

As many of you know, we "adopted" a baby duck one month ago.  Actually we adopted 3, but only one made it.  Alpha duck is growing by leaps and bounds, and needed to move to an outdoor cage.

His new home includes a spacious condo with cedar shaving bedding, and his own private pool out back.  He moved right in. 

You might say, he took to his new pond like...well, like a duck takes to water!

(Okay, that was Sara's joke, not mine.)

Geocaching!

Helen and Daddy went for a treasure-hunting hike today.  2 miles, 800 feet elevation gain, 2 geocaches!  She is a trooper.

 Yes, she climbed that whole hill!

Heaven's Newest Angel

On Monday February 25, 2013, Heaven received another special Angel named Adam Rutz.  He was kind, loving, funny and a very special man to me as I was growing up.  I know that he and Sandy are watching over all of us.  Rest in peace Uncle Adam, you surely will be missed.  

Miles fell asleep while reading

I like chocolate

Test

Tom phone test

Snow day for Helen

Helen's school had fun last Friday when they trucked in some snow for the kids to play on. She had a blast.

Miles' new gun

Somebody got a kit for Christmas, and put it together for his son:

It is a discontinued Traditions kit, I found a wholesaler that had some in stock.  .45 caliber, just like the percussion one he has been shooting.  Length of pull was OK (13"), so I left the stock alone.  It fits him better than this picture shows.

The hardest part was chopping 5" off the end of the barrel.  This was new territory for me, and quite scary.  A new hacksaw blade, a straightedge, and I had this;

A lot of work with a file, emery cloth, and a round grind stone ended up with this:

 I then had to cut a new front sight dovetail, and I had a 1/2 pound lighter barrel.

The worst part of this kit is the 2-piece stock.  It fits in a smaller package that way.  The nice part of it?  I was able to cut the 5" off that split part to keep the dimensions of the rifle appropriate.  It came with a ugly brass insert.  I thought I could smooth the wood up enough to skip the joiner.  I was wrong.

 Ended up going with a wide brass band around the joint, kinda like a Harper's Ferry.  Ugly, but it works.

Oh yeah, that lock.  See the big hole in the plate?  The frizzen spring was stuck in that hole, cocked up at a 45 degree angle.  Looked wrong and didn't work.  I filed a notch in the bottom of the plate and the spring fit better. 

It came with a huge toeplate.  Since it is a boy's gun, I figure the more armor on it the better.

I had no idea how they wanted to do the rear ramrod thimble, so I modified it.  I like how it turned out.  And there is the ugly band again.

The kit came with a couple brass washers to hold the lock in.  It looked completely wrong for the period, so I got a sideplate from the Log Cabin Shop and cut it down to fit.  Wish I had gotten both screws centered...

And it came with this big ugly brass nosecap that screwed into the barrel!  Ugly and not correct.  So I went all out and made a poured pewter nosecap instead.  This was the second try...

The stain is Miles' choice.  A few more coats of linseed oil and it should be good to go.

Still to do: 

• Sight it in for a light load. 
• Virtually unbreakable ramrod on order
• bought an inlay or two, must decide if I am going to put them in or not
• work on the trigger pull.  It's about 6 pounds right now.

44" long, 5.4 pounds right now.  Time to see how it shoots...

A boy and his gun

Somebody got a new flintlock...

Telephone

Just love my daughter, she is sitting here playing telephone and she says I'm going to call my Daddy, and she dials 911. Too cute since anyone who knows us knows her Daddy is a firefighter.  Now all I have to do is to teach her she is only allowed to use 911 for a real emergency.   Smart kid though. 

Halloween fun Part 4

                                          Miles the Grimm Reaper getting ready to go to a party

                                          Helen the Lion is all ready for Trunk or Treat at her school

                                               Miles the ferocious Pirate at Trunk or Treat

                                                Helen and friends doing the monster mash

                        Helen and her friend Annabelle from school take a little break from Trunk or Treat

                                 It's Halloween Night and Helen the Tooth Fairy is ready to go get some treats

                                          The Tooth Fairy and the Grimm Reaper are ready to go trick or treating