Takin' a Hike

"Wait for me, this bike does not want to go faster, I am going to have to pull it."

We went out "fourwheeling" to the west side of the Great Salt Lake. Joel was going to ride his motorcycle ahead of us in the trail, and he was going to let us know if there were any "exciting roads" ahead to drive. Of course he never told us when there was no outlet, just to 'laugh watching me try to turn around like Austin Powers'...like he said.

To top it all off, Joel was driving 65 mph on a middle-of-no-where narrow road, and this Cow decided to stop in front of us. I was kind of scared because she seemed overly protective of her calf. I was just thinking, 'if she attacks, I would have no choice but run', and that would have meant food for a month...and an insurance deductible on the truck, of course.

There he was, waiting for us. And he even dared to ask why we took so long...that monkey!

"Look...seeds, and they are different colors...and round"-Anna; "Those are not seeds, that's deer poop, Anna!"-Joel.

We decided to climb this 'little' mountain, the "Dinosaur scratch Mountain" like Anna called it...the scratch on the right side is as far as we got.

On the way up, Anthony and Daddy decided to stop; the ground was not very stable to carry a baby.

There we were on top of the world...Ok, half way on top of the world.

"This can be my bed if we spend the night here".

Anna was fast...or I may be getting older, too...naaah, Anna is a fast climber.

By the time we got to the right side of the scratch, Daddy and Anthony were already waiting for us at the bottom, they did not think we would make it that far. The "Dinosaur scratch mountain" looked little but, it wasn't.

Anna kept looking for Dinosaur bones, she is sure there are some fossils on this area. She says she just have to find them. And I am sure there are, I just don't want to dig them up, especially not after trying to break this huge rock just to help her make her discovery. We did not even make a dent in the rock!

But there I was trying with a bigger rock, being cheered by Anna. Anthony and Joel were just having fun with our determination. It may not be a dinosaur fossil there, but if that keeps Anna's imagination (and what imagination this young lady has) alive, I am up for the challenge...dreaming is free.

Mr. Anthony

I don't know why I call Anthony goofy...he is such a serious guy! I asked him to say cheese for the picture, this is what he came up with.

Drawing during breakfast is a way to get inspired for the day.

He is very good with puppies, too...if they are not after his food.

"Come on Anthony! Just a little piece." -Travis (the dog).

Let's rock and roll!

Run faster Horsey!

Anna's biggest fan. He dances and screams with each song Anna makes up during her perfomances.
She takes her job very seriously. You got to keep the fans happy, and Anthony can be very demanding.

He is walking, too. He had to find a faster way to escape from those hungry puppies.

Riding the horse all by himself!

Showing off a tattoo that Grandpa Dyer sent especially for him. He tried to eat it off his arm but...his neck was too short.

Cookie Monster and Elmo are no match for Anthony!

Peek-a-Boo!

"Ten mucho cuidado Anthony, son muy delicados." -Anna.

Snowy Days!

"Maybe we can put some chocolate on top and eat it!"- Anna.

"Let me go up the hill again."

On the other hand, Anthony was not so sure about the flavor of snow; he liked sliding better.

"Now, all you got to do Anthony is push with both of your feet...like this, like this."

After an hour or so, Anthony and I were tired, and decided to rest a few minutes. Anna kept begging for more, but when she realized I was not going to pull her again, she called Chief, after all, that's the perfect job for a big dog...

Anna called him, and he took off! Maybe that was something he did not want to do...taking care of her was enough, and that meant sit, watch and every once in a while take a short nap...babysitting is not enchiladas, you know.All that sleigh needed was some cookies and hot cocoa...Anthony would have been in snow heaven...raindeers would have been helpful, too.

At the end of the day, Anna was "Tired!"

Mommy Anna...

Since the puppies were born, Anna has been with them most of the time. She even has names for them. She says she named them, and I quote "Depending on theid pe-sonalities. One is T..avis (Travis) because he is is always ba..king and biting the otha puppies, he is a toublemaka! Haha! And the otha are Floudecent, Shiva, Chief, and Boss." Anna's 'best fend' Laurie, and Jeremy (a friend's son.) helped with the names and meanings...(I think.)

There they are in action, taking good care of the herd.

They don't mind being pampered. Anna's tattoo matched her outfit...groovy, like she said.

Anna reads to them, which does not seem to be their favorite thing, they always end up falling asleep. But Anna says they will learn...can't wait to see the results! If Martha speaks...

We just hope that Anna won't suffer once the puppies find new homes. :-(

A real Big Family!

Shiva has five puppies! Four of them were born February 28th; three boys, one girl. One more girl was born March 1st. They were very small, but they are growing like weeds!

Anna has been such a good puppy-sitter, she cried the first time she was able to hold one. Shiva got very protective and did not allow me or Joel to get close for the first couple of days after the puppies were born. She is better now. (Three days old.)
Anthony did not know what to do at first, he just touched them very gently and baby-talk to them. (New Born puppy.)
The proud mother of five.

It is funny to see how Shiva grabs them with her arms and pull them close to her face.

NOP! She was not giving birth. That's where that little guy likes to sleep, cozy and fluffy!

And, the same puppy (We have not named them, yet.) enjoys to sleep on his back, too.