Chimp Haven

Back in November, Robb, Emma and I went to the Chimp Haven, The National Chimpanzee Sanctuary here in Shreveport. It is a non-profit organization whose mission is to provide lifetime care for chimpanzees who have been retired from medical research, the entertainment industry, and pets that are no longer wanted. They care for over 100 chimps, providing exceptional medical care and NO RESEARCH! Their primary goal is to give the chimps the chance to live out their life in peace and comfort. They are only open to the public one weekend a month during warm weather. It was a great day - we enjoyed some quality family time together outside, and learned about some amazing animals in the process. In my opinion, this is one of the few things that Bill Clinton did right.



Emma and Daddy - You are separated from the chimps by a moat.

 



One of the older chimps.

 


This building houses many items that have been confiscated from illegal poachers.




Digging for termites .... Yummy!




One of my favorite pictures!




Having fun!




Petting an alligator.






Digging for ..... Tootsie Rolls! :)





Louisiana Snow

Brrrr! It has been coooold here in Louisiana this winter. Believe it or not, we have had 2 snow days this year! So much for global warming!
Robb, Emma and I really enjoyed our snow day Friday. We were incredibly lazy and chilled out at home. Today we got out and about a bit having lunch and Newks and doing our grocery shopping for the week. It was incredibly busy. Snow and super bowl weekend make for a busy grocery store!

Fallon loved the snow!

Emma tried to make a snow angel, but the snow was too hard.

Throwing Snowballs!

Icicles on the Weeping Willow

Making footprints in the snow

Anyone want to go swimming?

Snow Smiles!

Field Trip to the SciPort

Two weeks ago, Emma's class took a their third field trip to the Sci Port, Louisiana's Science Center. On the first trip they learned about patterns in nature, like the stripes on a snake or a turtle shell. The second trip focused on music, movement and instruments - they sang, danced and played rhythm instruments. This trip was all about physical fitness. The class listened to a book about stretching, danced with Alvin and the Chipmunks, and talked about healthy eating. After the lesson, the class had fun in the cooperative play area and then got a chance to check out the rest of the hands-on science center. It was a great trip!

World of Wheels

Tonight Robb, E-Rye and I attended the World of Wheels car show here in S'port. We met up with Jerry, Angela and their son, Justin. It was really nice to spend some time with new friends. There were all kinds of cars there - hot rods, dragsters, classics, customs.  We had a great time, but I have to admit that we have been spoiled by the Concourse d'Elegance at Sean's course on Amelia Island. There is just something about being out on the 18th hole on the island in the spring with all those amazing cars - not much is going to compete with it. 

               This show did have a few things that we've never seen on Amelia Island - Clawed the Crawdad for one. He is the mascot for the Bossier-Shreveport Mudbugs, our minor league hockey team. We have been to one of their games, and can't wait to go back.

Emma had a good time posing for pictures. She especially liked the Nascar style go-carts.   

                                                                                                                                                                          

I was very impressed that she was brave enough to stand next to "The Beast." All the other kids we saw were walking way around this car, but Emma reached in and touched the skeleton!

My favorite car of the night was the General Lee. "The Dukes of Hazzard" is one of my all-time favorite shows EVER! When I was little I wanted to own this car ..... still do!

We also had plans to meet Mankind himself, Mick Foley. Unfortunately, an ill-timed dinner break on his part and an overly tired 4 year old worked against us. I did get a pretty decent picture of Mick and Socko from a distance. All in all, it was a great night out with my 2 favorite people.

Back in the Saddle

Well folks, you are in luck! It looks like I will finally be updating this blog so the grandparents can get their weekly dose of Emma. My current class, Web 2.0, requires that I write a weekly blog, and since I started this one a few years ago, I figured I would get back in the habit. Plus, now that we live half way across the country from our family and friends, it is a great way to keep you informed of just how quickly our little E-Rye is growing.

For those of you that are just beginning to follow this blog, I'll give you a little background. E-Rye is the nickname of our daughter, Emma Ryan. She is 4 years old, and loves baby dolls, puppies and ballet. We worked long and hard for her, and she is our pride and joy.

By the way, "we" is me, Shannon, and my husband, Robb. We met in Statesboro, GA at Georgia Southern University in 1996, and got married in Savannah, GA in 1998. He has put up with my poor housekeeping skills and I have put up with his slightly scary driving for almost 13 years now, and I hope we have at least 50 more years together.



Billy the Exterminator -
Check out his show!



We spent most of our years together either in Statesboro or Savannah, but last August we began a new adventure in Shreveport, LA. It is strange being so far away from our families on the east coast, but we are making adjustments. We have found some great places to shop, and met some interesting people out here, but we are still trying to find someplace to eat that comes close to El Sombrero, our favorite Mexican restaurant back home in the 'Boro.



Anyway, hopefully all you newbies are slightly more informed about the Back family. The rest of the posts will be spent keeping our family back east (and a few on the west coast) up to date with the Adventures of E-Rye.

christmas card 2010

Love Hope Faith Religious

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Pumpkin Patch

Last Friday we all went to Country Fun Farms to celebrate Emma's very first Progress Report. She received "Satisfactory" on everything that the teacher tested. Mommy and Daddy were very proud of her! The farm was lots of fun. There was a bouncy pit, a pumpkin cannon, duck races, pig races, horse swings, barn swings, a zip line, a hay ride, a pumpkin patch and a corn maze. We all had a really good time, but by the time we made it to the corn maze it was dark and the haunted maze had begun. Even though we weren't in the haunted section, we could hear the screams and moans, and Emma wanted nothing to do with the corn maze. Too bad, because it was in the shape of the Vexcon logo (if you don't know, that is Billy the Exterminator's logo!). We made lots of great memories and hope to go back next year.





















The jumpy pit!
















The Pumpkin Cannon - although it looks like she is shooting out a person if you look close!
















Duck Races
















YeeHaw!





















If I only had a brain....






















Emma's Pumpkin
















The hay ride back
















Emma and Daddy's Pumpkin

Mommy's Pumpkin