work, work, all day long.

following a trip to this zoo this afternoon, the kids and i met up with mr. dada and his line crew.  for the better part of 2 years, he has been working on base, preventing us from seeing him live and in action.  this afternoon however, he was working across the highway, allowing us full access to excavators, line trucks and all the mud you could ask for.  in addition to looking at animals all afternoon, then riding in equipment WITH jack's #1, i think the little dude's head was gonna explode if he had any more excitement in his little life.

i think i'm in trouble.  no, i know i'm in trouble.  i have this boy.  he's so sweet and cute.  he has doe eyes that melt me in a blink.  when he wraps his skinny little arms around my neck, my knees just about buckle and my heart skips a beat.  but me being me and my genetics and my un-ability to control what characteristics get passed on and which ones (i wish) would get looked over... ah, it's hopeless.  as rough and tumble and handsome as ben's little boy is, he got some of my traits as well.  he's particular.  loathes dirty hands, shirts, pants, stickiness, etc.  he's not the best eater.  doesn't like surprises.  finicky.  ok, so maybe a tad neurotic.  he can be shy.  all these things that i've struggled with and truly forced myself to not be, but ultimately, i am.  who am i kidding?  i think i love him even more because he's all these things.  such a funny little guy.  out here with his dada, complaining about the mud on his chuck taylor's.  ok, so maybe he's not going to be 4th generation lineman...    

and then, there's dylan.  you wake the child from a deep sleep and within seconds, she's a giggling fool.  clapping.  shrieking in excitement, as i imagine, because she's alive.  she smiles at anyone that will make eye contact.  besides being a great sleeper like her brother, these two are opposite in most every way.  eat with her hands and make a mess?  absolutely.  play in the dirt, attempt to eat sticks and rocks?  any chance she gets.  below, you will see it took her no time this afternoon to get her mitts filthy.  as in, under a minute.  yep, that's dada's girl...         

  

 working her first pair of kline's

 filth.

 my boys, setting a pole

 dirtball.

 just like her dada to catch a quick catnap

 new line

 isn't she purrrdy?

 lovely little bluebells

 more of the new line

 see, just below volvo, the mud line?  

that's how deep this beast was sunk

 of course, they had to attempt to get stuck...