The Dominator (June 4)

This picture was actually taken on June 5 on the way to Iowa for my co-worker's wedding - it was much better than any photos taken on the 4th. We passed this tank-like vehicle, The Dominator, as we headed north. It was raining out, so it was hard to get a clear picture, but this is a storm chasing vehicle. As we got closer and passed it, we could see that the entire car was covered in armor and it had all kinds of reinforced windows and gear all over it. On the side of it, it said it had been "myth buster" tested for up to 250 MPH winds. We were a bit nervous to be following them north - did they know something we didn't know? We had a pretty big thunderstorm later that evening, but luckily no tornado weather.

Big Leaf (June 3)

Came across this giant leaf on my way from the office to the parking lot today. I should have put my hand in the picture to give some perspective, but it is probably larger than my hand with my fingers spread out as wide as they can go. When I came back from my errand, some of the kiddos playing at the playground had discovered the big leaf, too, and were playing with it.

Christmas Cactus (June 2)

Several years ago we took the kids to Walk About Acres where they got to do all kinds of things including plant a cactus cutting. We were told they were Christmas cacti, but I'm not 100% positive that's what they are really called. Those cuttings have since gone gangbusters and grown into full plants that just started blooming last year. They only produce one or two blooms a year that only last two or three days. This is the first day the bloom opened. It is not my best photo, but the color is amazingly deep and beautiful. There is no fragrance, but bloom gets to be 3-4 inches in diameter and are are gorgeous.

More Bowls (June 1)

My Dad made a couple more wood bowls for my father-in-law in exchange for Jake providing wood to my dad. These are the two latest creations. I love the organic shape of the one in the front that has the rough edge. These are just so cool. I am supposed to ferry these down to Jake and Diane, but wouldn't it be so sad if they never made the trip and wound up being used in my house? Just kidding, Dad! I'll take them to Jake next weekend...

Sunny Day (May 31)

It seems like we waited so long for the sun to finally come out this year. I snapped this happy little picture while out running errands. So good to see the sun shining again!

Best $10 Ever Spent (May 30)

Had to run to Westlakes to get a propane tank refill for the grill and came across a $10 wading pool. Ella was with me and we decided that we needed that pool. It was getting hot outside and we needed a place to cool off. Now, for three active kids, the size of this pool is not proportionate, but it doesn't matter. It was like winning the lottery for these little people. For the amount the kids played in the pool, just on that one day, I definitely got my $10 worth of use out of it.

MU Twinkle Toes (May 29)

Okay, so the crafting bug bit me this weekend and I decided to make two pairs of MU flip flops for the girls. These are being modeled by Ella Grace. I just took some various black and gold ribbons I bought at Jo-Anns and cut them into 5" long lengths and tied them onto a $2.50 pair of Old Navy flip flops. Cute and inexpensive. Since Old Navy has 1 million colors of flip flops and Jo-Anns has 1 million colors of ribbon - I can practically make any color combo for any occasion. This was so much fun, I bought green and purple to make the girls Derby Ridge Elementary flips. Maybe I should "retire" and make flips for everyone...except KU fans!

Ol' One Eye (May 28)

The kids enjoy torturing, I mean "loving" the many toads that enjoy living in our backyard. They have named all of them and claim to be able to tell each of them apart by various distinguishing characteristics. This poor soul's name is Toadenstein. If you look closely enough, he is missing an eye. I don't think my kids were responsible for that injury, but I wouldn't put it past them. I found Toadenstein hiding under the deck when I put the dog outside and tried to get him to run away, but the kids found him anyway and spent the day making a special toad condo for him to live in so he could raise a family. For Toadenstein's sake, I hope hope he made though that with other eyeball intact!

Dual Photos (May 27)

At the office wedding shower for Liz, Megan and I were snapping pictures of all the festivities when we turned and simultaneously snapped pictures of each other. I haven't yet seen her version of this one, but I'm sure that mine is better!

Future Coleslaw (May 26)

Another project of Natalie's this year in school was to raise a cabbage seed into a small plant that she was allowed to bring home. We found a space for it in the front garden and planted the spindly little seedling. Now, just a couple of weeks later, this thing has taken off! We might have a future coleslaw on our hands - if we could just keep the bugs out of it that is...

Homemade Instrument (May 25)

Natalie had a project at school for which she had to make a musical instrument. The class was studying how to make sound, the different pitches and how they are made. The assignment was to draw a plan for an instrument, write their expectations of the types of sounds it will make and then make the actual instrument. This is Natalie's "xylophone" created from a scrap piece of wood and some nails. She sketched out the design completely on her own and then took her dad to Westlakes to pick out the proper length of nails. Marty drilled some holes for her to pound the nails through and then he cut the nails off at various lengths as dictated by Natalie. In the box of various hardware in the garage, Nat also found the allen wrench "mallet" and attached the picture hanger "percussion" section of her instrument. Additionally on the back side, she added two small eye hooks to hold the mallet when it is not being used to create beautiful music. Finally, she had to decorate it and give it some style. We were so impressed with her project that it had to be featured on the photo of the day!

Hot Night (May 24)

The temperature is rising in mid-Missouri. Today was a hot one. I was ever so glad that we upgraded our air conditioner this winter when we replaced our furnace. It is also nice to have the ceiling fans running throughout the house to keep the air moving. We can stay cool without having to keep the thermostat so low. I was worn slick from the past weekend, so the most creative picture I could come up with was what I could see while laying on the couch. Nice...

Swing Dancing (May 23)

This photo was actually taken at the wedding on the 22nd - I forgot to take a picture on the 23rd. Shhhhh! Don't tell anyone. This is me and Marty "swing dancing" with our nephew, Braeden, and Ella. This was taken about 5 minutes before the "pop" of Ella's elbow caused the evening to abruptly end for the Wohlgemuth clan. Thankfully, Marty's sister could take Natalie and Max back to Grandma and Grandpa's house for us or else that would have been an even longer night!

Ella at the ER (May 22)

Here's Ella loungin' at the ER in Nevada, MO after we inflicted "nursemaid's elbow" on her at a family friend's wedding. Marty and I were each holding one of her hands and dancing and swinging her around when her elbow "popped." This is not the first time she's had trouble with this, so we knew what to do. Unfortunately we were a long way from home and had to go to the ER at 9:30 PM - way past a certain almost-four-year-old's bedtime. She was a real trooper, however, and only cried a couple of times. I took this picture with my phone as a way to try and entertain her while we waited for the doctor. She was less than amused.

Sibs (May 21)

What cute little people I have! Max and Ella were just chillin' out waiting for Natalie's softball game to start. They're such great kiddos.

Mystery Punch (May 20)

This was a very busy day for me. I am responsible for coordinating the annual Twilight Cruise event for the chamber and today was the big day. Each of the suites at Tiger Lounge at Faurot Field is sponsored by a business and restaurant partner. I took a few snaps at the event, but it hardly captures the experience. In this suite, my friends at The Rome provided some kind of mystery punch that was very tasty.

Warming up (May 19)

Here's yet another softball picture of Natalie. I can't help it. I am so proud of her. Here she is warming up. This was one of the first games the team played really well together and we could really see some progress. The best part is watching how much fun the kids are having. I'm glad she is enjoying this.

City Hall (May 18)

This is the new City Hall building in downtown Columbia. It turned out beautifully and makes me proud to be a part of this community.

Gateway to the City (May 17)

Here's my work friends Emily and Liz posing in front of the new sculpture in front of the new City Hall. We paused on our way to hear the big announcement that IBM is going to come to Columbia and bring 800 new jobs our way.

Maxcasso (May 16)

Max brought me home another cool abstract piece of artwork today. He does a great job of picking colors and making some pretty cool designs. It might just look like he splatters paint on the paper randomly, but I've seen him work on these types of pictures. He puts a lot of thought into coming up with his design and trying new techniques. Like in this case, he used the brush to splatter the paint and make drips. Now that I look this more closely, I think I have it hanging upside down!