SSSssssnake update!!

Just a quick update on the snake situation in our kitchen.

I finally got my nerve up (after I bought good leather gloves) to dig through the bottom cupboards looking for any possible way for snakes to get in. Unfortunately, I didn't find any holes, but fortunately we haven't seen any more snakes. Just to let you know, people that design cabinets need to use their head and put corner cabinets in that have a lazy-susan, or something other than the wasted space that is in my corner cabinet. First of all, if you store anything in there, it usually gets pushed to the very back corner over time, which means that you have to literally crawl into the cabinet. I guess it is good in a way, because you pray constantly while you are in there, that you won't meet up with a snake or any other creepy critter while you are in there. I would've been in bad shape if I would have met up with something, because I was kinda stuck and couldn't get out fast. Anyway, I am hoping it was just a fluke that there were two baby snakes, and that we won't find a snake nest in our house. (Uggg............I can't handle it and neither can Kirk).

Kelby -- The Youngest Tatertot

Kelby is the youngest.

He is 11 yrs. old and in 5th grade.

Kelby found out last fall that he loves soccer

and is really good at it.

When Kelby is on the soccer field he really

(I mean literally) uses his head a lot. Wish that concept would carry over to the classroom, but at least he is good at math.

Kelby is a happy go-lucky kid.

He still loves to go for car trips

(as long as he has his shades and earphones ).

He especially likes to go to the beach, and just like his grandma, can't resist the temptation to "just get our feet wet" (they come back wet to the knee).

I guess that's why we always have a

towel in the car now.

Kelby used to get called "little Levi"

before Levi let his hair grow out.

They do look alike in many ways.

Kelby wishes he could do the things

that his big brothers get to do, but is usually

content playing and running outside.

Nellysa -- The Tatertot Girl

Nellysa is 13 and in 8th grade. She is the only girl and has three brothers. This is a very tramatic thing for her -- to be the only girl. She is known to hold her own as well as any boy and she is pretty famous on the church basketball court.

Nellysa loves to play sports -- especially vollyball and basketball. She likes to be on the computer and has recently discovered e-mail. I am just afraid of when she takes over the phone. She's already begging for a cell phone. When I was 13, I didn't even know what a cell phone was......(and it wasn't too long ago when I was 13).

This is Nellysa' s "claim to fame" picture. This was taken the same day that she had her first ride on a friend's yacht. Big Day!!! Aren't you lucky that you know her??

Nellysa loves to go to the beach. She also loves to see her dad's ship. We often go and watch the ship go out and Nellysa & Kelby like to climb all over the rocks and comb the beach. She acts pretty tough, but she is still a girl at heart.

Snakes & snails ........

Well, our latest adventure seems to be of the reptile family. We found two baby garter snakes in our kitchen -- yes, the kitchen. Of course the cats are upstairs lounging.....they're not going downstairs, there are snakes! Today I get the adventure of tearing everything out of the bottom cabinets to see where they are coming in at. I'll start there......(then probably chicken out). The kids were scared of it until Levi put it in a little container. Then they wanted to know if we could keep it as a "pet". Ummm...........NO!!! I'll let you know what I find.

Annual Autumn Trip

We went to Yorktown today to see the leaves. It was a pretty day.

The kids humored me so I could take their pictures, but they could not wait to get back on the interstate so they could stop at Bass Pro Shop!

"Okay Mom, enough already!

Look! Craw fish! Where's my pole? Oh yea, leaves.

Finally! BASS PRO SHOP!

Levi -- The Git R' Done Tatertot

This is Levi. He is 16 and a Junior in H.S. Levi LOVES to fish. He can be sound asleep and if he hears the word "fish", he is wide awake and right there. When we go to stores, he goes directly to the fishing isle.

This summer, Levi was telling a friend of our family about the canoe that he and his best friend, Clint, were saving money to buy. She said "oh, I have a canoe that washed up in my yard after one of the hurricains. Nobody would ever claim it. Do you want it?" Hello, do fish swim???

After he got the canoe, he and Clint decided to take it out on the waterways around the city. They carried it down the street to the canal and went exploring. A few hours later, I drove into our neighborhood and this was the sight I saw........A big red canoe sitting on the sidewalk with two very weary fishermen sitting on it. I pulled up and asked them what they were doing, and they told me that they were just taking a little break and trying to get the energy to continue on home. Amazingly, Grandpa Bishop just happened to pull up in his truck (how did he ever know ??? Levi!!!) and they loaded the canoe in the back of the truck for a ride home.

Levi is in a school program called Landscape Design & Management. This has been an interest of Levi's for years. He has re-done our front yard....new grass, new flowerbeds, new shrubs, etc. He is having fun. He can get pretty creative with his landscaping.

Clancy - The oldest Tatertot

This is Clancy. He is now 18 and Graduated from high school with an advanced diploma. Clancy now works at Blockbuster and is trying to save money (yea, he saves his mom's money - and spends his :-)




Clancy loves track and ran cross country, the mile, the two mile, and a 4x8 relay (I think that is what it is called). He is a very good runner and still get up early to run with friends.



He went with sarah to the prom. Don't they look nice (I can be a proud mom).

Clancy just graduated to driving a '91 plymouth and not a mini-van. He is pretty glad to be out of the family vehicle.

As you can see from the picture, he is quite famous for his ability to fall asleep anywhere! He has even fallen asleep standing up (scary).

Oh, Clancy wants me to tell you that he loves to read and wants to own a bookstore some day.