Right by our apartment are some great inactive railroad tracks. So, we went to go "work on the railroad". What do you think? His Pops worked on the railroad once upon a time. I bet he'll love these :)

CAUGHT!

Our Days are pretty tough, huh? Here are some of the pics LJ & I took of our days here in Durham with our underwater disposable camera ;)

On our last full day in Durham, I dragged the boys we all decided to grab our passports and head on over to the Canadian side of the falls to see the Butterfly Conservatory. Lance's game had been rained out, and we had enough time, (or so I thought) before they closed. I LOVE stuff like that, and LJ & Lance just tolerated it because they love me! As we headed for the border, we hit some traffic. The traffic was pretty much bumper to bumper, 40 minutes, and we were past the point of "no return /I don't want to go to Canada anymore" so we just waited. We had so many different little interruptions, Lance finally yelled to no one in particular, "WE JUST WANT TO SEE SOME BUTTERFLIES!!" LOL

Well, we finally did. We got there, paid full price and and went in just an hour before they closed. In my book, totally worth it, but you'll have to ask LJ and Lance what they think. Lance looked a little bored, and LJ has recently developed a fear of ALL flying insects. Not a fan. He tolerated it, but there was no way he was letting those little guys land on him. I had to tell both of them more than once, "you CAN'T swat the butterflies!" The picture above was taken of LJ while he had NO idea that he had a butterfly on his hat. Lance, though, could probably have cared less if a butterfly landed on him, and at one point he had FIVE on him! So cool! I think they loved his shirt.

So, all-in-all, a great trip. My sweet little family totally indulged me, and I enjoyed every moment. I hope you enjoy the pics. It was pretty dark in there so a good picture without a flash was a challenge. I totally recommend this if you're ever near Niagara!!

Thank you, Durham Bulls! Otherwise, we would probably never have traveled to Buffalo, NY and seen such beautiful stuff!!

I had a little friend who traveled with me on my hip :)

The brown and white butterflies LOVED this little hanging plant. They were all over it.

Niagara Falls!!

We certainly are taking advantage of our location here on our road trip to Buffalo! It has been SO much fun! We are only 20 minutes from Niagara Falls, so we headed on over today to ride the famous "Maid of the Mist" boat near the falls. Totally worth the trip. In hindsight, I think a trip to Niagara Falls would be incomplete without it.

No, we didn't go all gussied up like this, but I had to include this one. It was before we got on the plane yesterday. We managed to get on Lance's Southwest flight! LJ was like the mascot to the team. They all huddle around him and tell him "Roll Tide" and give him high five's. The kid doesn't even know any different. He just soaks it up!

Here we are today with our tickets. It was a SUPER long line but ran like a well-oiled machine. I couldn't hear anyone speaking English but us. It was crazy. Tons of foreigners! Good for them, though. We should all come see the falls!

A big milestone - we made it to the elevator. next, we wait in the line down a few floors, actually in view of the boat!

Ponchos on! Lance said the people in line had "camera envy". Every Asian person there stared at it for a little while :)

I had to "take one for the team", so to speak. I couldn't really wear my poncho. They only give you one, and my camera was really my biggest protection priority. After the ride, I was soaking wet with mascara everywhere, but my camera was safe! You won't see any pics of me on this little jaunt.

This is one of my favorites because of the bird in front of the falls. They were everywhere! It was like it was their playground :)

Yes, indeed, he does!

Last night at the game, we couldn't find a stuffed mascot. LJ actually collects them. I think he has somewhere around 12 of them! He falls asleep with all of them every night, and I have to go in there and pull them out from under him. It's a party in there. Anyway, There wasn't one at the field, (they are the Bison(s?) ) but we found one in the gift Shop today. Best of both worlds - A "cuddle buddy" (as LJ calls them) that is the mascot of the field wearing a t-shirt of the "Maid of the Mist" A 2-for-1! :)

Are you ready for this???

Welcome to LJ's first baseball card! Here it is - just out from "Lower Deck"! The front is above, and the back is below. You may need to click on it to read his stats & bio. Cool, huh? I thought it might be cool to have if I ever take sports team pics. I'm going to try and print them off, so grandparents will be receiving some soon, signed ;) It took forever to make these in Photoshop because I had to create it, but now they're a cinch since that's done! Enjoy :)

For those of you that missed it...

This is the video the Bulls gave me of LJ running the bases vs. Wool E Bull. It'll change your life! LOL Remember to turn off the volume of the music so you can hear the audio!

We made it back to Durham! We are so excited to be together again, and we're refreshed after some great time at home. There's no place like home, but it's not quite the same without Dad around :) We got in after midnight Friday night.

We have been "church hopping" all year. If I had a nickel for every church we've tried during our times in Phoenix, LA, and now here, I'd have like 50 cents. But still, that is two pieces of gum, right? I could have used that during all of those church services! So, we decided to "screen a church" online before going. An interview, if you will...I am just tired of showing up at yet another church, another childcare room, convincing my son to go in so that I can confuse him and go to a different church again next week because I couldn't handle the snakes doctrine of this church. I jest, I jest. But seriously, God knows, (I've told him), I would like to just walk in and know I could handle a second visit. Internet services are fantastic for that.

So, we cozied up with our coffee and LJ did a little paper I made for him while we "went to church" on our computer. He now knows how to spell and write "God" (see above) and he drew God a picture. He says he's going to give it to Jesus when he gets to Heaven :) The online service was great - applicable, clear, and I think we will try it in person next week. :) Yay for interviewing before you go, right?

So, after "church", we went to lunch at Mellow Mushroom then had a playday at the ball field. I took SO many pics, but blogger is incredibly slow at uploading them. These are just a few. I hope you enjoy them! LJ & Lance had a great time together, and I thoroughly enjoyed watching it all through my lens. I'll update with more soon! Until then, have a great week! I hope it's wonderful!

I LOVE this one - I feel like it has a vintage painting feel. The tobacco tower and the big bull in the background will always remind us of where we were during this time.

High Five's in the batting cage . So cute :)

Diving catch! That poor tongue - I can't believe he still has it, and I am SHOCKED we haven't seen the doctor for stitches yet. It's a matter of time...:)