Peace Truck

So Kieran had been asking Maranda the other day what the words on the bumperstickers on our truck said. She explained that one of them talked about peace, and that peace means no fighting. The topic came up again this morning and here is the story Kieran relayed to me:

"Dad, since our truck has peace words on it, when a white truck comes and wants to fight, after a while it will go away because our truck does not want to fight."

Okay, so far so good, Daddy is nodding approvingly at Kieran's application of an important concept.

"But then, the white truck will find a different truck and they can fight!"

Note the itallicized words were said with much exuberance... Oh well....we got half way there :)

Obama Rally in Leesburg

Hearing that Obama was coming to Leesburg, Virginia, I decided to take off work and go up for the rally (Leesburg is about 25 minutes away from our house). After 7 hours of standing and waiting, I managed to get a front row spot for the speech! It was a very good event, with his typical, yet powerful stump speech. I even got a hand shake for my efforts! :)

Here are some of my best shots.











My ugly mug with Obama in the background.


In this short clip of Obama's entrance, the guy next to me yells "we love you" at the end and Obama retorts "I love you back!"



This is a really good clip on the importance of our time in history and the critical issues facing our nation and our world. At the end I pan the crowd briefly.



A short, but very good clip on healthcare. Obama gets personal about his Grandmother and her death from cancer.

Baby Goat - 3 Days old

The baby goat is three days old and doing great! She has taken to the bottle feeding quite well and is already growing. She is adorable and is just experimenting with running and half jumps. Check out an adorable video of her following Kieran around, she really likes to play with him (but is a little critical of his speed).



The one interesting development is some jealousy from Kieran when mommy or daddy are feeding or taking care of the baby goat. Good preparation for baby Tristan in another 8 weeks!

Baby Goat Surprise!

In the strangest of outcomes, we are now owners of a baby goat. It is a story with mixed emotions, as the nanny goat that has been in our care all summer passed away shortly after delivering this adorable little creature. We are not sure yet what happened, possibly complications trying to deliver a second baby (twins are quite common).

We are not aware that our nanny was pregnant, as we assumed she had given birth this spring based on the milk in her udder. This morning Maranda discovered the baby and quickly tracked down some baby goat formula as well as some goat collostrum. So far we have had pretty good success with the bottle, although as any anxious parent of a newborn we are fretting that she isn't eating enough.

Check out an adorable clip of Kieran snuggling the goat this evening.

Not Necessarily!

So before bed time tonight Maranda asked Kieran if he wanted a piece of bread for a snack (we were worried that his bean burrito he voraciously consumed for dinner would not settle terribly well). Kieran said yes! As Daddy headed to the kitchen to get him his snack, I asked him if he wanted it toasted? He paused for a second, then responded with a long and dramatic "Not Necessarilyyyyy......" Wow, that is a first!!