She who made me an uncle

My oldest niece, Danielle, only has three days of high school left and graduates next weekend.

I will never forget the day she was born — New Year’s Eve 1991. Of all things, Dad and I went to the zoo that day. Just the two of us. The next day, at the fancy New Year’s brunch that Mom & Dad were invited to every year, he “celebrated” his first grandchild’s arrival so much that they had to leave early.

He died six months later.

She was the only grandchild he ever held.

Halloween!

Last Saturday afternoon, Jack and I went to Kansas City's historic Union Cemetery for a couple of pictures. He was AMAZING.

And, oh yeah, did I mention that my mom made this vampire costume for me when I was a kid?














Even vampires need a break.


Our last shot before carrying him back to the car. We had a blast!


Then Leslie's cousin Lyndsey came up to experience Halloween in the suburbs. She and Jack squeezed in a mean game of Mousetrap before trick-or-treating.

When Jackson was an infant, I carved a special "JACK" o'lantern with just his first name in big letters. And since my oldest sister already gave me a hard time this week about the youngest child (i.e., me) always complaining about being neglected and getting the shaft, I figured I'd better carve a personalized pumpkin for Landon, too.

So... his very own jack o'LANDON.


Someone call animal control!

(The full moon was just up to the left.)

It was a gorgeous night to be out 'n' about, talking to neighbors.

This is how he rolls.


P.S. Jack loved his red bowtie so much, that he insisted on wearing it to church the next morning. A huge thanks to the nice woman at Sir Knight Formal Wear in Gladstone for her help!

Niece-cation '09 (Part four — "Can't touch this")

Another thing that's becoming a tradition when Schuyler comes to stay with us, is me taking her and her friend around town for a fun little photo shoot. (It's so much more fun taking pictures of people who want their picture taken — and who better than two teenage girls!)

And if last year's photo shoot was dubbed "Ghetto glam," than this year's has to be "Can't touch this." Because at all three places we went, an official told us to get down, move away or be careful of hazardous materials!

First up: The Liberty Memorial, a national historic landmark and home of the United States' official World War I museum.


There are so many photos in this blog post, that I thought I better change 'em up with some special treatments. This one's called "neon glow."


Schuyler sportin' the model hair.

This effect is "glowing edges."

The coast was clear, so I carefully helped them stand up on the ledge. (Note that they're standing on the very front of it.) Because on the back of the ledge is a 60 feet drop. This is the only shot I got before an older gentleman came out a nearby door and told us to get down.

So we moved on...



BFFs.

Next up: The front lawn of The Nelson-Akins Museum of Art. Natually, I felt like I should do something "artistic," so this is my attempt at pointillism by Seurat.

Becky brushing up on her badminton.

At this point, we started hearing a loud beeping noise coming from a contraption near the landscaping ... followed up by a man in a suit walking toward us who warned, "Please don't touch the sculptures." That's two for two!



Our final stop was the south side of the Plaza. Kansas City's known as the "City of Fountains," and this one's especially dramatic.


Do you really expect them to be so close to the water and not get in?

Sure enough, a security guard came out and warned us of the strong chemicals used in the water and that they discourage people and animals from getting in. Oh well!

"But, officer, we were having so much fun!"



This was their last day in Kansas City and we headed back up to Nebraska that evening. I sure hope they had as much fun as we did having them here. Can't wait to do it again! We love you, Skye.