I keep telling her that we will get a dog just as soon as we can afford a fence in the back yard, which will probably be a while yet.

But, today, I am proud to announce that we have a new pet way ahead of schedule!

Yes, friends, we have a pet dragonfly:

Ain’t she pretty?

We haven’t settled on a name yet, but I’m gunning for ‘Dorothy’. Doesn’t she look like a ‘Dorothy’?

We didn’t really go looking for her, and we don’t keep her in a cage or anything. But just about every night, when we go out front to play after dinner, there she is, perched on the car radio antenna:

So, I don’t know – maybe there’s a rule about how many days in a row she needs to come visit before we can officially call her our ‘pet’, but ‘Dorothy’ is quickly becoming part of the family!

(if you’re interested, you can click here to get higher-resolution versions of these photos off our flickr feed)

By the way: if you’re reading this on facebook, you should come check out our blog! (There’s a lot that doesn’t make it over to facebook)

Go ahead, do it: www.TheRieslands.com

Josiah’s new thing is hats.

He’ll come running up patting is head and making the ‘Eh! Eh!’ sound, which, roughly translated, means, “Father, it appears that my head is exposed and I would very much like a hat with which to cover it.“

Something like that…

Look at that little double-chin…

While waiting for something to compile at work today, I started playing with this picture in a photo editing program…

These are what I came up with:

And then a little more boldly:

Adding texture to photos doesn’t always make them look better, but I kind of like how these turned out.

If you do, and would like to use one for a desktop, you can download them in higher resolution here and here.

We loaded up 3 kayaks and a canoe and paddled 14 miles down the Cape Fear River, stopping half way at Raven Rock State Park to spend the night…

It was a GREAT trip.

The Cape Fear is perfect for a lazy trip with just enough excitement to keep you paying attention.

There are some beautiful little falls to play in, and the wildlife was stunning: we saw lots of different fish, snakes, and birds, including several bald eagles!

We spent the evening around the fire, talking about what God has been teaching us and particularly answering this question: if we take this trip in a year, and you look back on the time between now and then, what do you hope to see?

I’m REALLY grateful for the 48 hours I got to spend with some awesome dudes, and also for the huge sacrifice Steph (did I mention that she’s 8  months pregnant?) made by taking care of Josiah all by herself for the weekend.

The reason for this post is really just to proclaim God’s goodness to His children — everything about this trip is a demonstration of God’s provision. From free time to finances to friendships: God is a faithful Father!

Here’s to next year!

This seems like a good candidate.

You go first.

My little sister is the cat’s pajamas.

This past weekend, she threw us a baby shower for Jelly Bean (coming to a nursery near you in just 9 more weeks) that looked like it should have been featured on a cable reality show.

After weeks of planning and preparation, she came over Friday night and was up until the wee hours of the morning getting everything decorated.

These are just a few of the special details.

Thanks Katie!

Ray and I had a ton of fun trying on all the hats:

We even got Steph in on the fun!

Bubble solution (the good kind… yes it matters): $3

A new routine for after dinner:

…you know how it goes

]]> http://www.therieslands.com/2010/04/22/bubble-people/feed/ 2 http://www.therieslands.com/2010/04/14/josiah_and_his_first_sandbox/ http://www.therieslands.com/2010/04/14/josiah_and_his_first_sandbox/#comments Wed, 14 Apr 2010 13:10:32 +0000 Zack http://www.therieslands.com/?p=4473 We had a little family picnic at the RDU airport observation park after church Sunday.

There was a sandbox.

Josiah has never seen a sandbox before.

He had fun: