Ready to sink my teeth in ...

Tonight I purchased a copy of "Twilight" by Stephenie Meyer. It's my book club's October read. (Check out the poster for the movie scheduled for release later this year. I've included a movie trailer below, too.) Not quite a thriller or a horror book, but the vampire element of this young adult romance novel certainly fits our October tradition of having a Halloween-appropriate selection. (Past October books have included "Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers" by Mary Roach and "Rebecca" by Daphne du Maurier.)

When I was buying "Twilight" at Target, I ran into one of my favorite youth group girls (she's a high school senior) who said it's a great book. Fortunately, I'll have lots of time soon to soak it up on vacation.

Colorado countdown

Brian and I are counting down the days until our Colorado vacation. Nicole's dad, a Colorado resident, e-mailed her this photo today of his recent trip to Rocky Mountain National Park. She was thoughtful enough to share it with me, as a sneak peek to our getaway. Hope it's this beautiful when we arrive and that we get to see some of the "Aspen Gold Rush"!

Cute Kaden

As promised, here are some of the photos we snapped the night I first met my adorable nephew last week. (Check out more sweet pictures on Jen's blog.)


The first time Mom met her first bloodline grandchild.


Me thinking, "The best things come in tiny packages."


(Maybe Kaden was thinking the same thing. That or, "Where's Mommy? I'm hungry!")


Three generations. One beautiful sight.

Puppy party in the park

I spent much of Saturday at Woofstock, the dog festival the benefits the Kansas Humane Society. Dakota & Lilly had their pet portrait taken, and Brian ran the one-mile run in 5:46 and came in fourth place. (Woo-hoo!) He was frustrated that a 10-year-old beat him -- and stole the 3rd-place prize. (Sadly, they didn't award anything for fourth place. Poor B.)

I ran into several friends and acquaintances and helped with The Eagle's photo booth. (Check out Denise's cute video and more on her blog and Dakota's appearance on Jaime's blog.)


Wichita celebrity pug Norton met Thunder Dog, the Wichita Thunder hockey team's mascot. He also got cozy with another pug named Tessie Belle. It could be puppy love:


















One of my favorite parts about Woofstock is seeing all the dogs, big and small. Here are two doggy dignitaries I met:

Paper pup

Every journalist needs a dog that'll fetch the morning paper from the end of the driveway. Lilly may just have it down by the time the first cold snap rolls around ...


No, Lilly. Don't play with the paper!


That's better. C'mon, Lilly. Bring it here!


Good girl, Lilly!

Beautiful baby boy

Before Kaden marked his first 24 hours since making his debut, Mom & I got to meet him tonight. We decided that he has his dad's curvy lips, his mom's button nose and long, delicate fingers (we're not sure where those came from). His paternal grandpa, Brent, is hoping he has the makings of a KU basketball player in him. If that's the case, he and I would have quite the face-off to see which one of us would be that little boy's No. 1 fan. (Am I sounding like the crazy aunt yet? Please say yes.)

I captured some beautiful photos tonight (nearly 100, in fact), including some three-generation portraits. Jen has requested that she be the first one to post Kaden's baby pics on the World Wide Web, so I will wait and share those soon. For now, I've posted a photo of Kaden's police bear. (His daddy is a police officer.)

It was a blessing tonight to be at the hospital to celebrate with Jen & Ryan and to see Mom hold her first bloodline grandchild. Ironically, the room in which we gathered was in the same hospital where Mom spent some very scary days just months ago. Mom continues to do great. She graduated from rehab this week and will continue to attend "maintenance" classes to keep her physically strong. She can walk farther on the treadmill and is improving her breathing.

Tonight, I counted my blessings on my nephew's 10 perfect little fingers.

Welcome, Kaden!

Kaden Hearon was born today at 8:28 p.m. He weighs eight pounds, 15 ounces and is 20 inches long. He has black hair. Mom, Dad & baby are doing fine. I can't wait to meet him!