Working like a dog

 Gus was invited out to the farm to visit with Findlay the Labrador.  Last time these two pooches met up they produced a litter of 8 puppies.  Gus is black and Findlay is yellow which in May 2019 yielded 8 puppies: 4 yellow, 2 chocolate and 2 black.  Here is the punnett square to predict the outcome of this union: 

Source of information: https://mapleleafvet.com/genetics-of-labrador-coat-color/

Anyway, making puppies is hard work.  Gus was plain worn out after the activities of the last few days.  That plus he suffers from love-sick puppy syndrome.  Trust us - its really a thing.  

He worked like a dog and needed some rest after a visit to the farm. 

A photo Clara snapped after he came back from the farm the first time. 

Late evening ice cream run

There are moments that need to be preserved because someday you'll look back and ask, "Why did I ever do that?"

Tonight I took Lucy to Kroger at 8:40 pm to get some vanilla ice cream. I told her we'd get the ice cream but she'd have to wait till tomorrow to eat it. She came up with the solution to spoon it out for herself in the back of the truck.

And so here we are.

Gus came too.

The reason I took Lucy is because this was her first practice since her most recent bout with COVID. She did a really good job on the field and overcomes many obstacles in her way. When she got home she was really looking forward to some vanilla ice cream but her sisters had already gobbled it all up. Apparently chocolate wasn’t good enough so we went on a quick trip to Kroger to buy vanilla ice cream (and milk because you always buy milk when you’re in the grocery store regardless of whether you are out).

Sabrina and Molly Band Concert

Sabrina and Molly played in the Gray Middle School Spring Concert tonight.  They sounded wonderful and we're looking forward to many more concerts to come!

Mother and daughter

From time to time Facebook will post photos from a few years ago.  Each time this happens I snag the photo from Facebook to post here on the blog.  

About 12 years ago, we setup an impromptu photoshoot of Babo (Grandma) and Mom in the living room during our portrait photography stage.  We knew at the time that these images would be precious and every year they grow in significance.  

I'm pretty sure there was a zinger that Babo shared for the expressions in this image.

Everyone was dancin'

Christopher and some friends went to the Ryle HS Prom this evening.   After several planning mishaps, false starts and redirects, the friends finally got together for a couple of pictures and headed off to start the evening by grabbing dinner.  As of this writing we're still waiting to hear how the whole evening turned out. 

At almost the very same time, another couple was getting ready for the dance. Adam and Lucy went to the Father-Daughter Dance at her elementary school. Photos and details are below.

The theme for the Father-Daughter Dance was GLOW.  This meant you had no less than 100+ elementary age girls running around in the black lit gymnasium playing with glo-sticks and neon colored balloons while the DJ did his best to play songs that would get the dads to dance rather than stand around like a bunch of wall flowers.  And then there was the insurance guy who brought 200+ long blue glow necklaces that had to be assembled and passed out between songs.  Good times were had by all. 

Visiting with Babo

These photos popped up in my Facebook memories today.  It was from a visit in 2012 when we dropped by for brunch with Babo and an Easter Egg Hunt at her Elmcroft home.  Looking back on these images from 10 years ago, it is just a reminder of how quickly it goes.  

I'm sure they were talking about something Star Wars or maybe Easter Eggs.  The topic also could have been school but I'm not really sure. 

This photo was also kind of eye opening at how quickly life goes.  Babo would live another 5 years which would give Lucy enough time to learn to stop chewing on other people's fingers and start having actual conversations with her (and everyone else within earshot).  

You can almost hear her laughing through the photo. 

Aunt Heather helping with the Easter Egg hunt. 

Molly, almost 2 years old. 

Sabrina was 3 in this photo but Annette's age will remain a mystery. 

Clara, age 5. 

And another laugh from Babo. 

Walking the Clara

Tonight Clara wanted to go out so on the way to the grocery store we stopped in at a local park and challenge each other to snap some photos. Here are a few that I particularly enjoyed.

Blue Eyed Marys at Middle Creek

Annette and I went out on Saturday night. She had a margarita and I drank an amaretto sour just to see what it was like. We shared an Hawaiian fajita and then went on a little car ride afterward. We found ourselves at Middle Creek Park where the Blue Eyed Marys were blooming.

Easter Hoeben 2022

 We gathered members of the Hoeben Family over to celebrate Easter this afternoon.  Here's a photo of grandparents and grandchildren gathered on the couch.  Happy Easter!

Easter Vigil

Through a sequence of events that could only be divinely inspired, we ended up at Easter Vigil Mass last night.  Christopher played his low brass while we sang during the 2.5 hour mass that celebrated baptisms, confirmation and first communion for catechumens and candidates.  It was a lovely evening to spend together celebrating the resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ!

Happy Easter to you and yours!

Easter in Louisville

We traveled to Louisville to celebrate Easter with the Howards this afternoon.  We decorated hardboiled eggs, ate delicious food, competed in a game of Family Feud, walked up the street for coffee and posed for a family photograph.  It was a beautiful afternoon!