When your hard drive emails you....

It usually isn't a good thing when your hard disk emails you... But last night I got the email: The right hard drive has failed. (I guess that's better than the WRONG hard drive failing.)

Fortunately, about a year ago I fortified our computer storage (I know...NERD!) so everything is backed up onsite & off.



If anyone is curious, I back everything up to: this, and use mozy for offsite.

I am glad it did its job, but my hard drive is a very terse emailer.

And no Kristen, I am not gloating.

Take me out to the ballgame...

Laura asked me to take her to the ballgame. Only 3 games left at the dome... I better hurry.

It's All Happening at the zoo...

It's been a little while since we went to the zoo, and since the weather has been so unseasonably warm, we made a trip.

Anna was excited to go to the zoo.


Laura playing in the fountains trying to keep dry, but not trying that hard.



Running through the fountains.


The bears were very active in the morning. They were wrestling and having a good ol time. I wonder how scary it would be to be this close without the huge pane of glass between us and the bears.

Grand Marais

The Gillespie family is on their annual Labor Day trip to Grand Marais, Minnesota. Laura and Anna are both enjoying their time in the hotel, a nice change of pace from the monotony of our daily life..

Sunrise over Lake Superior. Emily was thankful Anna woke up so early to allow her to see the sunrise over the lake.


A foggy morning in the harbor.


Laura staking out the rock throwing opportunities.


Laura's favorite game... Rock throwing.


Some big rocks, even daddy can't skip these.


Laura is having a great vacation.

Tomato Sauce, Blocks, and Forts

Today's lesson on food production: Tomato Sauce.

Steps:
1) Laura and I go out to the garden and pick a bag full of tomatoes.
2) Wash 'em and slice 'em.
3) Use the squisher to push them into the grinder.
4) Turn the grinder
5) Out comes tomato sauce.
6) Cook it up!

Here's a sink full of Burpee (tm) Big Mama tomatoes.


He's the "Crusher" as Laura like to call it.


Laura even turned the grinder wheel a couple of times for me.


Still grinding.


Out comes tomato sauce. This is where Laura got really interested.


The finished product, after a couple hours of cooking down.


Laura and Anna need plenty of distractions while daddy goes for 20 mile runs. First they went to the bakery, then they played with blocks and forts.

Anna loves the blocks.


A girl after my own heart.


Never to be outdone, Laura made a fort.


"This is Laura's area!"

Sisters

Not that there's any doubt, but they certainly are sisters.

Laura likes green eggs... but no ham?

Well, Laura does like ham, we just didn't have any in the house. Emily thought green eggs would be a special treat for Laura, and she really liked them. She asked for them this morning again, but mean old daddy only made cereal. Boring.

Watch this Sam I am.


I would like them in a bus! I like them without fuss!


The kids have been getting plenty of use our of the pools the past couple of weeks.

Laura was even well behaved since she knew she didn't want to miss out on pool time.


They even got the princess sprinkler out.


Laura and her cousin Sophia.


The Gillespie girls. I don't know about you, but I think they look like sisters.


Anna playing with a bottle. Very silly Anna.


Laura pretty much owns the nearby park. She can navigate just about everything except the monkey bars. She always asks me if she's old enough for the monkey bars, but I don't think she has the upper body strength quite yet.


Weee, down the slide we go.


Anna, not to be outdone, loves the swing.