tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-54863048855886662402024-03-18T20:08:18.509-07:00Ryan's HopeRyan was born with a congenital heart defect (CHD) know as Transposition of the Great Arteries or TGA for short. The defect was successfully corrected with open heart surgery performed by Dr. Gary Lofland at Children’s Mercy Hospital when Ryan was 12 days old. Use the links in the Ryan's Heart Story section below to read posts related Ryan's diagnosis, surgery and continued recovery.Brandihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04072458610128843746noreply@blogger.comBlogger130125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5486304885588666240.post-30622259339199921992012-08-26T07:13:00.001-07:002012-08-26T07:13:31.657-07:00stratman923 shared an Instagram photo with you <div style="padding: 20px; -webkit-border-radius: 5px; -moz-border-radius: 5px; border-radius:5px; width:550; margin:0px auto; font-size:18px; font-family:'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial"> Hi there, <p><span style="font-weight:bold">stratman923</span> just shared an <a style="text-decoration:none; color: #2f79c2" href="http://instagram.com/">Instagram</a> photo with you:</p> <div style='margin:0px auto; width: 480px; text-align:center'> <img style='margin-bottom: 0.4em; box-shadow: 0 0 10px #888; -webkit-box-shadow: 0 0 10px #888; -moz-box-shadow: 0 0 10px #888;' src="http://distilleryimage2.instagram.com/d66990deef8711e1a58222000a1e8815_6.jpg"/><br/><a style="color:#2f79c2; text-decoration:none; font-style:italic; font-size:0.6em" href="http://instagr.am/p/Oy05oVmprS/">view full image</a> <p style="font-size:0.8em">"Grant built a Lego baseball stadium, complete with people tailgating outside." <br/></p> </div> Thanks,<br/> The Instagram Team </div> Brandihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04072458610128843746noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5486304885588666240.post-64859370057220644082012-03-25T08:19:00.001-07:002012-03-25T08:19:24.924-07:00stratman923 shared an Instagram photo with you <div style="padding: 20px; -webkit-border-radius: 5px; -moz-border-radius: 5px; border-radius:5px; width:550; margin:0px auto; font-size:18px; font-family:'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial"> Hi there, <p><span style="font-weight:bold">stratman923</span> just shared an <a style="text-decoration:none; color: #2f79c2" href="http://instagram.com/">Instagram</a> photo with you:</p> <div style='margin:0px auto; width: 480px; text-align:center'> <img style='margin-bottom: 0.4em; box-shadow: 0 0 10px #888; -webkit-box-shadow: 0 0 10px #888; -moz-box-shadow: 0 0 10px #888;' src="http://distilleryimage0.instagram.com/dfc2c2e0768d11e19e4a12313813ffc0_6.jpg"/><br/><a style="color:#2f79c2; text-decoration:none; font-style:italic; font-size:0.6em" href="http://instagr.am/p/ImaTnCGpjU/">view full image</a> <p style="font-size:0.8em"></p> </div> Thanks,<br/> The Instagram Team </div> Brandihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04072458610128843746noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5486304885588666240.post-78557217820425735462012-03-24T06:45:00.001-07:002012-03-24T06:45:09.804-07:00stratman923 shared an Instagram photo with you <div style="padding: 20px; -webkit-border-radius: 5px; -moz-border-radius: 5px; border-radius:5px; width:550; margin:0px auto; font-size:18px; font-family:'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial"> Hi there, <p><span style="font-weight:bold">stratman923</span> just shared an <a style="text-decoration:none; color: #2f79c2" href="http://instagram.com/">Instagram</a> photo with you:</p> <div style='margin:0px auto; width: 480px; text-align:center'> <img style='margin-bottom: 0.4em; box-shadow: 0 0 10px #888; -webkit-box-shadow: 0 0 10px #888; -moz-box-shadow: 0 0 10px #888;' src="http://distilleryimage4.instagram.com/2c523fbe75b711e1abb01231381b65e3_6.jpg"/><br/><a style="color:#2f79c2; text-decoration:none; font-style:italic; font-size:0.6em" href="http://instagr.am/p/IjqbGLmptM/">view full image</a> <p style="font-size:0.8em"></p> </div> Thanks,<br/> The Instagram Team </div> Brandihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04072458610128843746noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5486304885588666240.post-76924338278298950642012-02-24T21:54:00.002-08:002012-02-24T22:05:53.520-08:00First instagram<div></div><div><a href="http://instagr.am/p/HarNWYGpvV/"><img src="http://distilleryimage1.instagram.com/01b28b305f7111e19e4a12313813ffc0_5.jpg"></a><br />(<a href="http://instagr.am/p/HarNWYGpvV/">see full image</a>)</div> I have a new toy! An ipod touch to be exact, from Jason, for Valentine's day. Well not exactly. He knew I wanted one, I had been saving Target bonus cards for 12 years and was still a ways away, even when I threw in the cash my grandparents gave us/me for Christmas. Every Sunday, I eagerly browsed the Target ad, hoping there would be something we need that would come with the gift card if I purchased an amount equivalent to a 3 year supply (e.g. 3 supersized detergents). The best deals were on diapers and with Ryan no longer needing, it looked to be quite some time before I had enough to buy the $200 goody. Just before Valentine's day, they were adverstised with, what else, a gift card. I just had the feeling that Jason was going to buy it for me, so I pre-empted and said I would really like to use up my hoarded gift cards, so he agreed (he also agreed to pick out a coat on clearance for me to give to him, oh the excitement of being a valentine when you have been married almost 12 years). So of to Target I went and have since spent way to much time researching, setting up and playing with my first apple product.<br /><br />The instagram shows Kyle's nightly struggle to fall asleep, something so frustrating for me since I remember having the exact problem as a kid. Actually one reason I wanted the Ipod was so he could listen to music to relax, not that I think it will be a magic bullet, but anything will help at this point.Brandihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04072458610128843746noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5486304885588666240.post-77475851974759976202012-02-23T07:20:00.001-08:002012-02-23T11:53:04.363-08:00Brothers<p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHMiXfttyB0tL_wZYpmUbWUkEqa_Qi5Yc4v9iE2EyfSCsd05VuYrPMoab0wKcmsxDqwxlXcd6T-srQ5c3qDiS96c7TxPOGar0ujteyPl9lGqV45wSAYGGotfRsn7mwzhx12L0zFWuWxlo/s1600/IMG_20120221_173936-759405.jpg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHMiXfttyB0tL_wZYpmUbWUkEqa_Qi5Yc4v9iE2EyfSCsd05VuYrPMoab0wKcmsxDqwxlXcd6T-srQ5c3qDiS96c7TxPOGar0ujteyPl9lGqV45wSAYGGotfRsn7mwzhx12L0zFWuWxlo/s320/IMG_20120221_173936-759405.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5712352716808032274" /></a></p>Not the best pic, but I was standing on mom's porch and noticed kyle giving grant a lesson in shooting a basketball. So very sweet. I have tried to show him several times to no avail, but he was listening intently to kyle. Kyle really had a breakout season and I guess grant was paying attention more then I realized. I can't wait to see grant and eventually ryan (who can already dribble better then most 9 year olds) follow in his foot steps.Brandihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04072458610128843746noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5486304885588666240.post-18492497302970371062012-02-20T17:17:00.000-08:002012-02-20T17:19:13.705-08:00Soccer Star<p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-o94BUKF4DGunvX9PgRO3bfQSnG5M09lIAlN029DQZ6VeIhGt_s3rmDRKLNl-96k2-Yrg0YQ5Xfm3FJzA0Acz183Vvn5fQbciqI5OIIaxMSelItYJeGL8Pvti8KmYB-twT0tsChAsB10/s1600/IMG_20120217_102815-753706.jpg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-o94BUKF4DGunvX9PgRO3bfQSnG5M09lIAlN029DQZ6VeIhGt_s3rmDRKLNl-96k2-Yrg0YQ5Xfm3FJzA0Acz183Vvn5fQbciqI5OIIaxMSelItYJeGL8Pvti8KmYB-twT0tsChAsB10/s320/IMG_20120217_102815-753706.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5711392337422603218" /></a></p><p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyZl4WCSLGKHyOoByATp34M2QJ2iv3UkkryrKyJV4cMqhyDGCry9WZ2U1refRL1JDyCSDvF6ajJSKeo-8emFPEN1lI8qhyikpe6omWF7EVmlz08glPC506lngVBucWmcDS4RBJ8GbGkkY/s1600/IMG_20120217_105501-754905.jpg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyZl4WCSLGKHyOoByATp34M2QJ2iv3UkkryrKyJV4cMqhyDGCry9WZ2U1refRL1JDyCSDvF6ajJSKeo-8emFPEN1lI8qhyikpe6omWF7EVmlz08glPC506lngVBucWmcDS4RBJ8GbGkkY/s320/IMG_20120217_105501-754905.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5711392344109631282" /></a></p>I am generally opposed to organized sports for 3 year olds, but I saw sad eyes from ryan one to many times when after telling kyle and grant they had some type of practice he looked up to me and said "and what do I have to do?" You could just tell he knew I was going to say nothing. So when I got an email about this class, I thought I would give it a try, if nothing ellse so I could say, you have soccer on Friday. It turned out to be a lot of fun and he has for the most part had a good time. I say for the most part because the coach always takes them on a pretend adventure, and his overactive imagination has kept him from really enjoying some of the more perilous ones (such as bears and alligtor traps, I asked him at one point if he saw any bears and he said "that guy said roar,), so I have had to stay pretty close instead of playing with my phone or talking to other moms, but in the end I am glad we did it. Hard to believe he will be signing up for the real thing come fall.<p>Sent from my Virgin Mobile Android-Powered DeviceBrandihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04072458610128843746noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5486304885588666240.post-79099450578474596562012-02-15T19:18:00.001-08:002012-02-17T23:04:52.043-08:00Ryan's First Trip to the Dentist<p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8FuzJ8KCgq6i855fVWNAcko2df73jJeJijsmoutv0fL-5nrLasxVD72hWmYfUbX989VEXqBXRljACYNKtIfO4roFXZZVtndrwhSvraWlrQnxMYeHie3Ff43S-lLqBioLwoiUSbNGDGqc/s1600/IMG_20120215_155113-793302.jpg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8FuzJ8KCgq6i855fVWNAcko2df73jJeJijsmoutv0fL-5nrLasxVD72hWmYfUbX989VEXqBXRljACYNKtIfO4roFXZZVtndrwhSvraWlrQnxMYeHie3Ff43S-lLqBioLwoiUSbNGDGqc/s320/IMG_20120215_155113-793302.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5709567580538435746" /></a></p><p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpy0Q6aa5ctqBNsJ_VZNr0ZmnmVcSUCk02c8Rs5A396HgcUO-hgwjplcyt2hh-jB7oUM6jnYUr-Jpts_GEJHXY7xn41zLsngqd4kjAkuPWVVmiXTbBRwGuIY55-mCTxp158JVgzSkS86E/s1600/IMG_20120215_153942-795190.jpg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpy0Q6aa5ctqBNsJ_VZNr0ZmnmVcSUCk02c8Rs5A396HgcUO-hgwjplcyt2hh-jB7oUM6jnYUr-Jpts_GEJHXY7xn41zLsngqd4kjAkuPWVVmiXTbBRwGuIY55-mCTxp158JVgzSkS86E/s320/IMG_20120215_153942-795190.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5709567583014446994" /></a></p> He did such a great job! It took the others at least a year before they would even sit in the chair let alone have someone look at their teeth, but Ryan hoped right up and went the whole nine yards, polish, suction, everything. It had been a long day, to, starting with a trip to my office to change out my computer. As I was getting ready, he came in and said, "Mom, why you wearing those church pants". Guess I should swap out the workout pants a little more then once a week.Brandihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04072458610128843746noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5486304885588666240.post-19742601915365003812012-02-13T20:06:00.000-08:002012-02-13T20:07:05.112-08:00The First Snow Day<p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjI9t6Y4C6wgdPIfIWO5IKfwwbQepfSa22A57AOccmg5j2ldBOxoNVi68ENY5QBAr7Fp0idfuRKiidLdX_XLoZUHsdjeJ3oDJ89zb5uLUwVMKH69Rgmb28b3AocV3jTPymjYAoj1Lpn9Us/s1600/IMG_20120213_133225-725113.jpg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjI9t6Y4C6wgdPIfIWO5IKfwwbQepfSa22A57AOccmg5j2ldBOxoNVi68ENY5QBAr7Fp0idfuRKiidLdX_XLoZUHsdjeJ3oDJ89zb5uLUwVMKH69Rgmb28b3AocV3jTPymjYAoj1Lpn9Us/s320/IMG_20120213_133225-725113.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5708837995498980082" /></a></p><p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhz8Cf05CK-9VBoPaxn9KdvqzwulVkdKECTChWIaYtcENxbNdnVWiuiHw95Y6_ImpZ7M7Jp7SEcw1LoQYLRdx6qI_lGu6V8tUrr2UUeoaqtOttOtmqJjwn_iIkTymJMSCKkaTx7v4W0P1s/s1600/IMG_20120213_121539-726826.jpg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhz8Cf05CK-9VBoPaxn9KdvqzwulVkdKECTChWIaYtcENxbNdnVWiuiHw95Y6_ImpZ7M7Jp7SEcw1LoQYLRdx6qI_lGu6V8tUrr2UUeoaqtOttOtmqJjwn_iIkTymJMSCKkaTx7v4W0P1s/s320/IMG_20120213_121539-726826.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5708838007731956018" /></a></p>...on the 13th day of February. Ryan was so excited, asking right away if<br>we could go to Popcorn Hill (aka Hawthorn Hill). He was actually supposed<br>to go to preschool today, but how do you tell a 3 year old his brothers get<br>to go sledding and he can't. I was actually supposed to work also, but I<br>felt the need to cram a winter's worth of fun into this one fleeting day.<br>Snow days always make me wish I was a stay at home mom or teacher. In<br>between emails, I did manage to help complete construction of the 7 ft snow<br>man. We could barely roll what was to be the middle, so adjustments were<br>made. I was so proud of how well it turned out and took a hundred pics. As<br>usual the boys were not amused. After a quick lunch, it was of to popcorn<br>hill for sledding, though kyle choose to stay here with mom and look through<br>old baseball cards. I was pretty annoyed, but I probably need to get used<br>to that, given how fast he is growing up. He is actually going to a girls<br>bday party on Friday, but that will need an entirely separate post.Brandihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04072458610128843746noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5486304885588666240.post-19448923084619088792011-08-17T20:54:00.000-07:002011-08-17T20:56:03.504-07:00First Day of School - 2011<p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYyJIYA638e1yd0wr4DpKxRRN0Z_cLIsKp6YykjGitVnKSBFDpDLjPAM9p4IuKN2QWdC6Mp91SRLsia5AQIbzUnKfhp6X4OwYqcY54TuiRh-Vd00fYqo-Z5ZK09ybEKTmyU0JAnoKKbfQ/s1600/20110817_3663-763505.JPG"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYyJIYA638e1yd0wr4DpKxRRN0Z_cLIsKp6YykjGitVnKSBFDpDLjPAM9p4IuKN2QWdC6Mp91SRLsia5AQIbzUnKfhp6X4OwYqcY54TuiRh-Vd00fYqo-Z5ZK09ybEKTmyU0JAnoKKbfQ/s320/20110817_3663-763505.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5642039825238200130" /></a></p><p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDhu0yWRVh86XiMh8B5DhOzw9olaDfzFZQIXYoytP7r8nMvxKq7s34-hLewYQrXfr6O7h5eHm_B2GHqWLLw6ofuKW22d1SjrbN8MtHfwz3yGcoSc4jJI-yEeHeyks1kCjZg_hrHS-PGbc/s1600/20110817_3609-765752.JPG"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDhu0yWRVh86XiMh8B5DhOzw9olaDfzFZQIXYoytP7r8nMvxKq7s34-hLewYQrXfr6O7h5eHm_B2GHqWLLw6ofuKW22d1SjrbN8MtHfwz3yGcoSc4jJI-yEeHeyks1kCjZg_hrHS-PGbc/s320/20110817_3609-765752.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5642039836196448162" /></a></p><p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxyRmpuA7QmkZZm8hcTEIAr9p7pQ8ZsRaptoipGmbgt1sNYKjRjWppYsq0CDY660g6IlrRwKdpq6QZ_XV3kdWiOszDs34cVvXyC5tvo2lgRyeMI5vMYXbhIv_zCiwSZKtr8l-6ZNfogCg/s1600/20110817_3626-767740.JPG"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxyRmpuA7QmkZZm8hcTEIAr9p7pQ8ZsRaptoipGmbgt1sNYKjRjWppYsq0CDY660g6IlrRwKdpq6QZ_XV3kdWiOszDs34cVvXyC5tvo2lgRyeMI5vMYXbhIv_zCiwSZKtr8l-6ZNfogCg/s320/20110817_3626-767740.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5642039843856336210" /></a></p><p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWV8O0YwiuaGIyJFk8Z_mmflVicmnb5_Kk0wFBHLFPKc27fpzxHp1zNIgJvPzC57munhgDAh9huIKjDV1cC7MLelFWvFgM-_JcvcwEtmdIKqVIwDdSBA424WB2RTYeqM_CbmDVbFEiDwY/s1600/20110817_3637-770151.JPG"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWV8O0YwiuaGIyJFk8Z_mmflVicmnb5_Kk0wFBHLFPKc27fpzxHp1zNIgJvPzC57munhgDAh9huIKjDV1cC7MLelFWvFgM-_JcvcwEtmdIKqVIwDdSBA424WB2RTYeqM_CbmDVbFEiDwY/s320/20110817_3637-770151.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5642039859345017410" /></a></p><p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRbZC1O5Qskc-IbYfhMikM994jP0wof8YhrKRsKrVD0EuXRYVqqkgpwBsBQNIp5Bo6MsVWRYmTAnRQVCbwsVSpmuJi_gwfLkAKdL6tcP_RwOa_9hulPdBqji1r-vHcktzzM-fmwWI1rjo/s1600/20110817_3638-771931.JPG"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRbZC1O5Qskc-IbYfhMikM994jP0wof8YhrKRsKrVD0EuXRYVqqkgpwBsBQNIp5Bo6MsVWRYmTAnRQVCbwsVSpmuJi_gwfLkAKdL6tcP_RwOa_9hulPdBqji1r-vHcktzzM-fmwWI1rjo/s320/20110817_3638-771931.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5642039865874284930" /></a></p><p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAxF1S_3v7FVHqeB44Vu2u2HBOM2f7PdDLwnUcDSmaTtt2Qu3FvcS8oR_JdB6HiVvFEIu0mP3FzETE39l7ANStLatlv3pyoqbGgbbL9GUDKS4BnYxxYjSHwopBy5ize6BQMa5GehYtQT8/s1600/20110817_3644-773857.JPG"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAxF1S_3v7FVHqeB44Vu2u2HBOM2f7PdDLwnUcDSmaTtt2Qu3FvcS8oR_JdB6HiVvFEIu0mP3FzETE39l7ANStLatlv3pyoqbGgbbL9GUDKS4BnYxxYjSHwopBy5ize6BQMa5GehYtQT8/s320/20110817_3644-773857.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5642039870522454818" /></a></p><p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZbbMvQcVL0U9HM9vnpD-pAHWGZNfbGkJgtgBi-ofbxNKyxM9unfhb98mnddggKYOGnV7p4OgfV2UnmF0V4zwyhNkzSQHkmGE7_XeT8-fxPVa2z4y8Uy_VW5iMiN2g-2D-OWRBdNO3NM8/s1600/20110817_3660-775851.JPG"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZbbMvQcVL0U9HM9vnpD-pAHWGZNfbGkJgtgBi-ofbxNKyxM9unfhb98mnddggKYOGnV7p4OgfV2UnmF0V4zwyhNkzSQHkmGE7_XeT8-fxPVa2z4y8Uy_VW5iMiN2g-2D-OWRBdNO3NM8/s320/20110817_3660-775851.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5642039878977200802" /></a></p><div class=Section1> <p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt; font-family:Arial'>So it is the start of my blogging fiscal year and I think I can officially declare my efforts from the past year a failure since I didn’t even complete my blog posts of Christmas. So I think I will have to combine 2 years into one book. It will still be horribly out of order because I will go back and catch up, but maybe I can change at print time. Anyhow, I want to get this year off to a better start and low and behold I am actually posting on the first day of school, pictures and all. We can start with Kyle since school is really not so new to him as a third grader. He got the cool teacher and has several friends in his class, but that wasn’t really enough to get him excited about the new year. I am still amazed I got him to wear those plaid shorts instead of his preferred athletic gear. He of course had a terrible time getting to sleep. He always has a terrible time getting to sleep. So frustrating and so like his mother. I think I am going to try to wake him up at school time even through the weekend for awhile to see if that helps. I don’t think it will, but it is about the only thing I haven’t tried. We (well me) have been a little stressed about finding him a competitive baseball team to play with next spring. This is the age where they seem to be dividing up, and while I think everyone could just wait a few more years, since they are splitting I feel like I need to find a team that is going to be as passionate as he is about baseball. I kept my eye out for tryouts and even emailed people I knew in the baseball community and nothing seemed to work out. There was a tryout we had planned to attend on his birthday, but we had just got back from vacation, he was running a fever and had a headache and I had put his glove in a bag I left at the lake. It was obviously not meant to be and we all but gave up, only to get an email a few days later from a coach wanting Kyle to be a part of his team. It only meant giving up spring soccer which he was more the ready to do. <o:p></o:p></span></font></p> <p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt; font-family:Arial'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p> <p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt; font-family:Arial'>As you can see from the pictures, Grant was to the moon excited. I did the crazy put him on the bus then drive like crazy to school, try to find a parking spot and be there to meet him drill and it actually worked this time (when Kyle was in Kindergarten, I didn’t make it in time, but was able to see him safely in his classroom). He walked straight to his classroom, made the rounds saying hi to his few friends, then found his seat and asked if he could look at the books in the middle of the table. I really didn’t think it would bother me to leave him, but once I saw him setting at that desk, I almost lost it, I mean, really lost it. I gave him a quick hug and smiled like a lunatic as I darted out of that room. He apparently had a great day. He said his favorite thing was going outside to play. There is one pic of him riding his bike without training wheels, a skill he mastered just last night. Again, he was so ready, I barely had to run two steps behind him before letting go to see him successfully ride away. Kind of crazy when you think about it. Here’s to a great new school year.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p> </div> Brandihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04072458610128843746noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5486304885588666240.post-86876483742821575862011-08-16T12:22:00.001-07:002011-08-17T20:59:50.237-07:00Kyle's Birthday - #9<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhG1gNdLXC1w1QeMesRkHJHZGg_RCetnNK3bgjRZ-X62yIszDVVtGXfx-kvbc1ewT91qOsjXjRasOVgJ-knzOHLpKtY1OXua6nBeVLhFts6BTzMjdCbrSFrxy2AGpo3g5_mrW1aBV3Q880/s1600/20110806_3604.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhG1gNdLXC1w1QeMesRkHJHZGg_RCetnNK3bgjRZ-X62yIszDVVtGXfx-kvbc1ewT91qOsjXjRasOVgJ-knzOHLpKtY1OXua6nBeVLhFts6BTzMjdCbrSFrxy2AGpo3g5_mrW1aBV3Q880/s320/20110806_3604.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5642040737917247170" /></a>
<br />Kyle's birthday came on the heels of an amazing vacation,</b><span class="Body"> but like any vacation we were exhausted when we got home. I had thankfully shopped prior to vacation and planned the party for Sunday, the day after his birthday. He choose Subway for lunch as opposed to the typical McDonald's birthday venue. Since I couldn't decide on a lego set, I got him a gift card for Target to pick out his own. Unsurprisingly, he opted for additional baseball cards in lieu of a lego set. And so the next obssession has begun. Pics of his party will be hopefully in a future postBrandihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04072458610128843746noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5486304885588666240.post-76095649882882640242011-07-12T21:53:00.001-07:002011-07-13T04:39:13.999-07:00Grant's List, Santa Breakfast and the Gingerbread House<p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7jO3FJ0WQ6uem5_88Dg29B3QUSMfP8pmVAovkhGpUfB1KGXa4h7IIl0yRraQPlWjeYOOmtMOr8HHuX7LikX2b-IgpAIzNylQZt1wKgX0tbCn28e65evZNjdP2G4-z7iRNQOBN-otk7tY/s1600/20101224_2529-732227.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5628695664779234770" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7jO3FJ0WQ6uem5_88Dg29B3QUSMfP8pmVAovkhGpUfB1KGXa4h7IIl0yRraQPlWjeYOOmtMOr8HHuX7LikX2b-IgpAIzNylQZt1wKgX0tbCn28e65evZNjdP2G4-z7iRNQOBN-otk7tY/s320/20101224_2529-732227.JPG" /></a></p><br /><p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgL-lINLz_mzqN7ZjQMcIbQzXrnmaMwyi0YFArQjqqoA_npwDGfZGcFDxeinGh-A1WfyL_f1bD56MNLZyls7dNmTuDU8P__PDNrl_z6Zp7_xyxqd10jW3odAhpNdHPpaneKsJaul-Fwpcw/s1600/20101202_2374-735004.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5628695668142859074" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgL-lINLz_mzqN7ZjQMcIbQzXrnmaMwyi0YFArQjqqoA_npwDGfZGcFDxeinGh-A1WfyL_f1bD56MNLZyls7dNmTuDU8P__PDNrl_z6Zp7_xyxqd10jW3odAhpNdHPpaneKsJaul-Fwpcw/s320/20101202_2374-735004.JPG" /></a></p><br /><p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgW5vgrfaYPRqbzHrrNWeGM78Ug-rDnIhL206nNAZuLzFCqgqMytzC-cSkhAzyfz0w9TKVonczsds884vKa7uGPN7aEi2JfVpznRuLpZ4FLDEbIOR12-DVasJyeDtJefpyJx7FckKePxJ4/s1600/20101204_2391-737564.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5628695683711383922" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgW5vgrfaYPRqbzHrrNWeGM78Ug-rDnIhL206nNAZuLzFCqgqMytzC-cSkhAzyfz0w9TKVonczsds884vKa7uGPN7aEi2JfVpznRuLpZ4FLDEbIOR12-DVasJyeDtJefpyJx7FckKePxJ4/s320/20101204_2391-737564.JPG" /></a></p><br /><p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhikCveFTWi9RmVegrMxqgtT0CExZ31ucTo1E9LZOog77OmhVj451uKPa-Z1D8YlevyehqrrBeTrYg3hhls7iJctTlrfSJXETUGx1LoX2JvtDQ6SHCgmurUKhcmfPkgm7C6AMHw2MsiW0Y/s1600/20101204_2430-739572.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5628695691143179602" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhikCveFTWi9RmVegrMxqgtT0CExZ31ucTo1E9LZOog77OmhVj451uKPa-Z1D8YlevyehqrrBeTrYg3hhls7iJctTlrfSJXETUGx1LoX2JvtDQ6SHCgmurUKhcmfPkgm7C6AMHw2MsiW0Y/s320/20101204_2430-739572.JPG" /></a></p><br /><p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJAmScGe4buZ6baio8hZoD9UiEZnn1in4DyRpmTMClIoBfoXE6eedvsRjZtdYAxjHEd7gc8v-kTtMmWHrmfCchaReLqMjvP0NvykP6YZskHbF4QASAdZEiqkYgL0A2NgUB0kXAawjS67I/s1600/20101223_2516-741332.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5628695697981994146" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJAmScGe4buZ6baio8hZoD9UiEZnn1in4DyRpmTMClIoBfoXE6eedvsRjZtdYAxjHEd7gc8v-kTtMmWHrmfCchaReLqMjvP0NvykP6YZskHbF4QASAdZEiqkYgL0A2NgUB0kXAawjS67I/s320/20101223_2516-741332.JPG" /></a></p><br /><div class="Section1"><br /><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Arial;font-size:85%;"><span style="font-family:Arial;font-size:10;">More pre-Christmas merriement. Mom always takes the kids to Macy’s to put letters to Santa into the special mailbox. As you can see, Grant opted for the graphic letter, drawing pictures of a monkey, helicopter, monster truck, robot and some other things that I wish I could remember. It was hard to remember anything in the midst of planning the Santa breakfast for what will be my last time. It went off well, but it is just time for a new generation to take over. We will see. Since it may be the last year ever, I wanted a picture of all of my kids in the nativity scene. Grant was less then thrilled to oblige, but I still love the picture. Also pictured is Gingerbread House 3.0. I bought a mold this year and I think it was less successful then my hand drawn and cut out version (with the massive chimney) from last year and the gingerbread tasted terrible. We have added candy procurement during our annual trip to <?xml:namespace prefix = st1 /><st1:place st="on"><st1:placename st="on">Crown</st1:placename> <st1:placetype st="on">Center</st1:placetype></st1:place> to the tradition, which is fun because of the selection at the big candy store. Kyle is getting more and more into it and Grant and Ryan still enjoy eating the candy involved. At some point, we trecked to Ashlie’s house for Christmas with the cousins. It will be our turn to host next year and I was excited to score some cool plates at Pottery Barn after the holiday on clearance. More to come soon, my time is running out.<?xml:namespace prefix = o /><o:p></o:p></span></span></p></div>Brandihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04072458610128843746noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5486304885588666240.post-15260343564146052212011-05-28T21:40:00.001-07:002011-05-28T21:40:53.531-07:00Christmas in May<p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiMS-plYd5MDrEzDhmESBlCSQ99N1e4Xsk0onX00dXXMHWdITl7uiAb69phOwzuK0G7YxMNniDCODgfNDP5GInd1Tn1w5D6GCLryzkcJwGk7ki4r4zbDqhjOKF-kC5HjavEc1Um95SaTU/s1600/IMG_0514-753532.JPG"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiMS-plYd5MDrEzDhmESBlCSQ99N1e4Xsk0onX00dXXMHWdITl7uiAb69phOwzuK0G7YxMNniDCODgfNDP5GInd1Tn1w5D6GCLryzkcJwGk7ki4r4zbDqhjOKF-kC5HjavEc1Um95SaTU/s320/IMG_0514-753532.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5611993478082341234" /></a></p><p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqBOMbiiCZwi9qmGlzbwAhJsbBLoctj9fODBr3hhnSNTDpRoK8Tro2M8s8V1UQWuKfJ1qNDRA047KrrVSf7_AfLZcNgamiKta-Ch_7oo35mrT39BlNt-LdhW9oTd1gGX9Fs3y77EKbZ2I/s1600/DSCF4442-754562.JPG"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqBOMbiiCZwi9qmGlzbwAhJsbBLoctj9fODBr3hhnSNTDpRoK8Tro2M8s8V1UQWuKfJ1qNDRA047KrrVSf7_AfLZcNgamiKta-Ch_7oo35mrT39BlNt-LdhW9oTd1gGX9Fs3y77EKbZ2I/s320/DSCF4442-754562.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5611993480641207586" /></a></p><p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4MGG9dkTkKm0BkRrVYJNGb8dYnNyFtptxsttMg_wBb0s-TJvYQRmfLg_Dl1FJuZe_ixLAepgjXv0QkbCPcKCwemNTc9wPp8xp9jllo5tdmLCDRj4WTQqEr0rz4oq-JdnnSuxH3FtLezE/s1600/DSCF4445-755319.JPG"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4MGG9dkTkKm0BkRrVYJNGb8dYnNyFtptxsttMg_wBb0s-TJvYQRmfLg_Dl1FJuZe_ixLAepgjXv0QkbCPcKCwemNTc9wPp8xp9jllo5tdmLCDRj4WTQqEr0rz4oq-JdnnSuxH3FtLezE/s320/DSCF4445-755319.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5611993485825769042" /></a></p><p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiW8KwsXcnmvm-t-QvB0Cb9ZtQyb3oM_0OTuiw3civpZKkrhl8M0BiqaWDsc9tlQs0sHZRLV60oQhP-GCDB-unC3Lli8BODh9mbh7gWpcZ4bnYhaG-pgLtZHGAkLj-wAi4aSUCzSqgQ26U/s1600/IMG_0456-756205.JPG"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiW8KwsXcnmvm-t-QvB0Cb9ZtQyb3oM_0OTuiw3civpZKkrhl8M0BiqaWDsc9tlQs0sHZRLV60oQhP-GCDB-unC3Lli8BODh9mbh7gWpcZ4bnYhaG-pgLtZHGAkLj-wAi4aSUCzSqgQ26U/s320/IMG_0456-756205.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5611993490191275858" /></a></p><p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkGFJ-LbQt6moEhUFZiJTQmh9wMZn7BhwYP5O-BBKmFwgVik8pBIkO8fkralncPpYD-2bWWEGqQNJLUK79OUFhROMCABZBbL_WkYF3GWQptPFoiyUGEfbbiPPscqWbaS_nprLPurNe9Y8/s1600/IMG_0475-756992.JPG"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkGFJ-LbQt6moEhUFZiJTQmh9wMZn7BhwYP5O-BBKmFwgVik8pBIkO8fkralncPpYD-2bWWEGqQNJLUK79OUFhROMCABZBbL_WkYF3GWQptPFoiyUGEfbbiPPscqWbaS_nprLPurNe9Y8/s320/IMG_0475-756992.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5611993495333516530" /></a></p><p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrYsdobcaXLLZwYm_35MTtOq77PvD9Xn74YI7nswfCOO5GBVzN33HzA9mBYpfENoDcytPexDXZh68fWeI29KblTxGGwrgpPof9RY2cDGehB3ZB4uvSuRcuV9dpXusoUnW02QPf-sbo6ms/s1600/IMG_0477-758680.JPG"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrYsdobcaXLLZwYm_35MTtOq77PvD9Xn74YI7nswfCOO5GBVzN33HzA9mBYpfENoDcytPexDXZh68fWeI29KblTxGGwrgpPof9RY2cDGehB3ZB4uvSuRcuV9dpXusoUnW02QPf-sbo6ms/s320/IMG_0477-758680.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5611993499157113650" /></a></p><p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJATCDZLWw3iIi4DYocqN3WFHttGyxcPR6hDk_6PeYD9-DimaxKDGNfQbVCUKwOab4JrDTKOqNncB0uDk4EwhHo8fVReZExqoq-bJlFDrxT7xSXQMNRfyZ8Mu5WyBhq_7eRJjxYhD5FWk/s1600/IMG_0505-759398.JPG"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJATCDZLWw3iIi4DYocqN3WFHttGyxcPR6hDk_6PeYD9-DimaxKDGNfQbVCUKwOab4JrDTKOqNncB0uDk4EwhHo8fVReZExqoq-bJlFDrxT7xSXQMNRfyZ8Mu5WyBhq_7eRJjxYhD5FWk/s320/IMG_0505-759398.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5611993503810609698" /></a></p><div class=Section1> <p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size: 12.0pt'>I’ve given up any semblance to a real time blog and am now just planning to frantically throw together posts from this fiscal year and vow to be better next year. You may wonder why I bother. I bother because there are just so many precious (and not so precious) memories floating around in my head and I am desperate to capture them before they fade away. Each post, no matter how untimely, is like a small victory in what feels like the losing battle of trying to hold on to what I know will not last, this time that the kids are young and still need and want me. At some point this year, I am thinking early spring, we made the transition from Ryan in the nursery and Kyle and Grant sharing a room, to Ryan and Grant sharing a room and Kyle in a room of his own. At first, I would still tuck him in and sing his favorite lullaby, Away in the Manager (yes, you read that right, his favorite lullaby for years has been Away in the Manger, not just a Christmas time, all year long). But as things got hectic, trying to get Ryan to sleep in the big bed, without his binky and the other six million things that go on when the lights are supposed to be out, we just somehow stopped the tuck in/lullaby. And just like that, he needs me a little less. So that is why I bother, because at some point, they will not need me at all and I will at least have these thoughts, these memories that I should have cherished more as they happened. So, I think I left off with Christmas, pics included in this post (there will be a follow up, just not sure when) are of the annual Crown Center Trip, picking out the tree and one of my favorites, Santa coming to preschool reading. Crown Center went as usual, though had a slightly bumpy start. Since I live to avoid crowds, we always go early in the month and during the week. Really wanting to get the jump, I even pulled Kyle out of school 30 minutes early, so we could pick up Grant from preschool at 3, then head straight for <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:PlaceName w:st="on">Crown</st1:PlaceName> <st1:PlaceType w:st="on">Center</st1:PlaceType></st1:place>. It was all going well until the van wouldn’t start in the driveway of preschool. We finally got it jumped, but didn’t trust it, so we went home, piled into the CRV and headed that way. It made us appreciate for sure how much room we have in the van. It was a fun visit and as you can see, Ryan was thrilled with the choo choo that brought our food at Fritz’s. There is also a picture of venturing to the Christmas Tree farm. In the past, we have ventured as far as Lowe’s, but this year, revisited the actual patch to cut down a live tree. It was nice to enjoy the time outside. The other two pictures are of one of my favorite Christmas memories. Santa paid a surprise visit to preschool reading club. Grant was excited to remind Santa of his request for a stuffed monkey (more on that next post) that he was first to go up. On his way back, his friend Bren grabbed his hand and asked him to go back up with him. Our friend and neighbor Ava thought having Grant was a great idea, so she grabbed his hand as well. Grant was just so sweet about it, wanting to make things easier for his friends who were still a little nervous around the big guy. Ok, more to follow, hopefully before July.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p> </div> Brandihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04072458610128843746noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5486304885588666240.post-21970542195487181562011-03-09T20:49:00.001-08:002011-03-09T20:49:51.536-08:00Basketball<p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtiU5yOj2B-3EYmrzoFVgMeWcTfsLnuHLFdrydTaI0hcyCgS6MCOYbW-NcMxH3RVVzhqHqBdo0_23UreSVhCDtvMVAlGROBiwbzL3f2NQUtfmJBMtxGA5VPdtUb7qT6D3nuzJ3bb7mY7s/s1600/20110205_2758-791537.JPG"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtiU5yOj2B-3EYmrzoFVgMeWcTfsLnuHLFdrydTaI0hcyCgS6MCOYbW-NcMxH3RVVzhqHqBdo0_23UreSVhCDtvMVAlGROBiwbzL3f2NQUtfmJBMtxGA5VPdtUb7qT6D3nuzJ3bb7mY7s/s320/20110205_2758-791537.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5582308974088462754" /></a></p><p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9x-VW8h56rSc6FMvurBsf8AXhTKxVugwJJNco4uzOf1wbwCNeyz4MKQlcV_LGGYRxYJk18oz94BD0DyeHeekstgCiVkO_XNBGKIpeeNOeNhV4u_w43xYrcTG5ioUrgYUQrzN_uxV9qbY/s1600/20110205_2737-794177.JPG"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9x-VW8h56rSc6FMvurBsf8AXhTKxVugwJJNco4uzOf1wbwCNeyz4MKQlcV_LGGYRxYJk18oz94BD0DyeHeekstgCiVkO_XNBGKIpeeNOeNhV4u_w43xYrcTG5ioUrgYUQrzN_uxV9qbY/s320/20110205_2737-794177.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5582308988314572258" /></a></p><p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqBS41j9_wJ_fM6lm45ZdAtnHkQSuoNv2_GtjcfB58LW12PgBdxpO5CPKLhGjuvuRAkoktkjR9TE-DoLav34_yOtiNQRs-OvNDRyF7c8wNraNX0YIdrEreScO4nQ5YFj4pXiXLYUFsc2M/s1600/20110205_2742-796703.JPG"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqBS41j9_wJ_fM6lm45ZdAtnHkQSuoNv2_GtjcfB58LW12PgBdxpO5CPKLhGjuvuRAkoktkjR9TE-DoLav34_yOtiNQRs-OvNDRyF7c8wNraNX0YIdrEreScO4nQ5YFj4pXiXLYUFsc2M/s320/20110205_2742-796703.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5582308995285237282" /></a></p><p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFjjPiuKMDFu1twdfqs9xP0QGvtzk_RlFJrun5K01I_LFEj_2N8Nd1pxIkx39T4iWJEJSibhQFvT3gcQmfiQ4ZxvJ2OCaI23-amYMLCDndgVGfR2pcn8M3mDFO4JbxhFGLqTA-xg5RV5Y/s1600/20110205_2746-798368.JPG"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFjjPiuKMDFu1twdfqs9xP0QGvtzk_RlFJrun5K01I_LFEj_2N8Nd1pxIkx39T4iWJEJSibhQFvT3gcQmfiQ4ZxvJ2OCaI23-amYMLCDndgVGfR2pcn8M3mDFO4JbxhFGLqTA-xg5RV5Y/s320/20110205_2746-798368.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5582309003775793202" /></a></p><p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8AwACcUGc62dt5Se5o88Erb2H9ko9P5W5nQoUhvsB0Wbh1_KlPKDKtglUbABYc4PKacaPeWu1NEDvQVRpg141RGhz1EwW1akzb01XQV_cXHKjXQ-bp8RhNp9DBotiqn6GuQSjgzxV_T8/s1600/20110205_2757-799619.JPG"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8AwACcUGc62dt5Se5o88Erb2H9ko9P5W5nQoUhvsB0Wbh1_KlPKDKtglUbABYc4PKacaPeWu1NEDvQVRpg141RGhz1EwW1akzb01XQV_cXHKjXQ-bp8RhNp9DBotiqn6GuQSjgzxV_T8/s320/20110205_2757-799619.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5582309009404921010" /></a></p><div class=Section1> <p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt; font-family:Arial'>I don’t really have much to say about Kyle’s second season of basketball, I had just posted these pics on facebook, so they were easy to grab. He of course really loved every minute of it. His coach told me once he couldn’t believe how calm he could stay while handling the ball under pressure. He made some incredible passes this year, even at time giving up a shot he could have taken to get the ball to a team mate. I was very proud of that. He also mastered the lay up, which I know I was still struggling with in 6<sup>th</sup> grade. Andy and of course my mom were great basketball players, so maybe that talent skips a generation? It was a hard season for me because practice was twice a week and it was hard to keep the little guys entertained in the gym without bothering anyone. I did have a carpool, so we ended up only going once a week, but it was the longest hour of the week it seemed. I am so glad to be back in soccer season where we can play on the playground while Kyle (or Grant) is at practice.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p> </div> Brandihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04072458610128843746noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5486304885588666240.post-90647553089894282642011-03-09T20:43:00.000-08:002011-03-09T20:44:27.078-08:00a better birthday for Grant...<p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisGei1Z_NfbK_xPR2Mh5Ee8uZnzSVvCwVqU5OKATuRGrpi75NfPH9SUTGXG06KQjnAapNA2apFT0PvYzVSjpKNroMyz-wr1bDHFr1zdTkxb0r89skBMz9mlsiCthzzJRsucPS8Z7X2PvE/s1600/IMG_0081-767079.JPG"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisGei1Z_NfbK_xPR2Mh5Ee8uZnzSVvCwVqU5OKATuRGrpi75NfPH9SUTGXG06KQjnAapNA2apFT0PvYzVSjpKNroMyz-wr1bDHFr1zdTkxb0r89skBMz9mlsiCthzzJRsucPS8Z7X2PvE/s320/IMG_0081-767079.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5582307580377666162" /></a></p><p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2IePBheo8ZWEAFpaAVz_qLhUjzGRpImqyJaBJ_iP2YVc3JwzF8KQ0hsnDUG1AB4jsm_EybkRn_d6EN67MAYPdbaP2FIBTwMPTfUiOsfpV1C6rRlgXViJs_cwuvVgtC4LhsTE1KPIReHo/s1600/IMG_0063_1-768742.JPG"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2IePBheo8ZWEAFpaAVz_qLhUjzGRpImqyJaBJ_iP2YVc3JwzF8KQ0hsnDUG1AB4jsm_EybkRn_d6EN67MAYPdbaP2FIBTwMPTfUiOsfpV1C6rRlgXViJs_cwuvVgtC4LhsTE1KPIReHo/s320/IMG_0063_1-768742.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5582307591135388370" /></a></p><p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOZW7okrZV6WO6Ri38L4pL-Aw5vqL6DeRicMYn5fV5N9tKEGLBQ116-J1ceR6IAyKpF6z1boI8Z3JuhKF9TP5NcQXha3T4Z6tJgkRy4lUpya6LL343PKPi9VtYnkBkpoUHSMGPRUs536o/s1600/IMG_0065_1-773696.JPG"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOZW7okrZV6WO6Ri38L4pL-Aw5vqL6DeRicMYn5fV5N9tKEGLBQ116-J1ceR6IAyKpF6z1boI8Z3JuhKF9TP5NcQXha3T4Z6tJgkRy4lUpya6LL343PKPi9VtYnkBkpoUHSMGPRUs536o/s320/IMG_0065_1-773696.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5582307610843608354" /></a></p><p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhepw16ZwEXUZGr96MJch6uaGx0UU93Ej_3WpmrO5DeTXZFZamY8tWpK51mOX_nlpfNq1bW_pmvOdestx93UZjdwbeg9D6s6PZN2rd3RY6MG9Hw8JVQi5jvPdZEZ8am9IxZQzoPT0HU9ZA/s1600/IMG_0068_1-774896.JPG"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhepw16ZwEXUZGr96MJch6uaGx0UU93Ej_3WpmrO5DeTXZFZamY8tWpK51mOX_nlpfNq1bW_pmvOdestx93UZjdwbeg9D6s6PZN2rd3RY6MG9Hw8JVQi5jvPdZEZ8am9IxZQzoPT0HU9ZA/s320/IMG_0068_1-774896.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5582307618140967282" /></a></p><p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdrqS2hzvVUCf_yFalcU3MD0uwcwmtzhusGaHKxCmuNMG2X_uHHyUmGCFmlBqUo0ncn_o8OPxejNSgTZl_iWqzrm-BMji0-BuxZsCNJl1IrM6E3A6afg_nx8boLUNwx6SOsyoc6TaNWc0/s1600/IMG_0070_1-778474.JPG"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdrqS2hzvVUCf_yFalcU3MD0uwcwmtzhusGaHKxCmuNMG2X_uHHyUmGCFmlBqUo0ncn_o8OPxejNSgTZl_iWqzrm-BMji0-BuxZsCNJl1IrM6E3A6afg_nx8boLUNwx6SOsyoc6TaNWc0/s320/IMG_0070_1-778474.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5582307630471510962" /></a></p><div class=Section1> <p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt; font-family:Arial'>I just ordered and received my blog books for the first two years I kept the blog, so of course getting back on track is on my mind. The first book started when Ryan was born and continued through the next summer. It was 88 pages, the second was, wait for it, 32. At the rate I am going, volume 3 will actually be 3 pages. One of the things I missed this year was Grant’s birthday. Skimming through last year’s book, I saw the sad post about the waterslide party we attempted to throw in sub-60 degree weather. Well as you can see, things worked out much better this year and we had a great time. When I asked who he wanted to invite, he said, “my preschool friends, Sklylar and Chloe and Shannon”. When I asked if he wanted anyone else, hoping he would name the boys, he said “oh, yeah, Maddie and Ava”. Quite the ladies man. Kyle has never in his life had a girl other then Lilly at his party. We ended up inviting most of his class and a few boys did make it over and it was a great time. He was such a gracious little host, wanting to make sure his friends had pizza and drinks. As obvious by the pictures, he picked Sponge Bob for a theme and I had fun making the cupcakes and decorating. By the third birthday of the year, it is pretty hard to muster up excitement, but I think everything turned out for the best. I may be in trouble this year, since Jason just celebrated his 40<sup>th</sup> birthday and we had a somewhat big party. We ordered Mexican food from his favorite place in downtown LS and invited several friends from the neighborhood and college as well as our families. Although we requested no gifts, almost everyone brought him beer of some sort. I had mom make his favorite “earthquake” cake and we all had a really good time, even if we were done celebrating by 10.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p> </div> Brandihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04072458610128843746noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5486304885588666240.post-27266098072346142222011-01-24T21:30:00.001-08:002011-01-24T21:30:39.653-08:00Why was the chicken afraid of guys?<p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXio-UKqeBw6E81sDdMHpqFufU202Bpx3UiqVKWUbgntuu5oZupkY_OLh09psKI3AiarFv35Oi-Ez_fNCHWmHsq2X2q0RD8_WHTwsB98NBjBW7_QVzhs1qwC4Ne329vUspMbUh7FP-jvk/s1600/20110106_2688-739654.JPG"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXio-UKqeBw6E81sDdMHpqFufU202Bpx3UiqVKWUbgntuu5oZupkY_OLh09psKI3AiarFv35Oi-Ez_fNCHWmHsq2X2q0RD8_WHTwsB98NBjBW7_QVzhs1qwC4Ne329vUspMbUh7FP-jvk/s320/20110106_2688-739654.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5565991741093228034" /></a></p><p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-qiDGIFv-uDu-N8mE1zbkLis5-wANB3dzOIkQjBOyepNkDGp2_veDUuldD2ZoIuIHW9tyyX1qPXEQ2o9Onfkjcw1p1xWCK-0EmbqiM9ahTxEeLpm_D_BaabQv_ZI1QZX4NC2Qkra0KNU/s1600/20110103_2682-740619.JPG"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-qiDGIFv-uDu-N8mE1zbkLis5-wANB3dzOIkQjBOyepNkDGp2_veDUuldD2ZoIuIHW9tyyX1qPXEQ2o9Onfkjcw1p1xWCK-0EmbqiM9ahTxEeLpm_D_BaabQv_ZI1QZX4NC2Qkra0KNU/s320/20110103_2682-740619.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5565991745479109250" /></a></p><p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgo_z4HU-Nm7_7Yf0NJQ5uowl3Tzo3pyU76H2yV0VplQc8x9vuiR-z8_JMCNRqI1PnVweKgRyCNA_bKWZA_57WndVvbbT5IVYyfkgHRWrUS7L6eE4ChsYuX5EKKJj7_TBIz-QBn62lonn8/s1600/20110106_2687-741344.JPG"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgo_z4HU-Nm7_7Yf0NJQ5uowl3Tzo3pyU76H2yV0VplQc8x9vuiR-z8_JMCNRqI1PnVweKgRyCNA_bKWZA_57WndVvbbT5IVYyfkgHRWrUS7L6eE4ChsYuX5EKKJj7_TBIz-QBn62lonn8/s320/20110106_2687-741344.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5565991748160867922" /></a></p><div class=Section1> <p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt; font-family:Arial'>Because he was afraaaaaaid of them! Get it? Yeah, me neither, even after hearing it approximately a hundred times over the past week or so. Yes, Ryan has discovered the fine are of joke telling, like his brothers before him. I wish I was better with video, because Kyle swears he never did this. Grant was into the knock knock, who’s there, poopy pants as opposed to Kyle and Ryan’s non-sensical questions. I am trying to get back to real time blogging, although I still need to get some of our Christmas 2010 memories down before they dissolve away. The pictures of ice cream and Kyle with his certificate are from his first reconciliation. I wish I had better things to say other then I showed up, but that’s really about it. Of all of my issues with the church, reconciliation is one I find most, I don’t know, weird I guess. I was able to go through the motions for Jason and Kyle’s benefit and I am glad that we were there as a family. Other then that, not much going on besides basketball on Saturdays and snow day after snow day. In the past two weeks, they have attended a total of 2 days, I think. 2 were scheduled and the rest due to snow or cold. We have been watching way to much tv and playing way to much computer and I really need to work on getting out of that rut. The forcast this week is better, so hopefully we can all regroup and start heading in a better direction.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p> </div> Brandihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04072458610128843746noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5486304885588666240.post-13033088031718171782011-01-15T21:35:00.001-08:002011-01-15T21:35:51.175-08:00the big boys go to Bennett<p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHG408I7QZepmpwfV8shNTM7Oj_m394bLw7__xPWZYm7uNmA2UEsATKyC2GKzRWQMUyIBNzfYawDdhEXF1a-EwKdn8f0C399akTzfzubMIZjpKP555C1NpCJ9sjW9HJ41WjRjNjVEYLrU/s1600/IMG_0350-751176.JPG"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHG408I7QZepmpwfV8shNTM7Oj_m394bLw7__xPWZYm7uNmA2UEsATKyC2GKzRWQMUyIBNzfYawDdhEXF1a-EwKdn8f0C399akTzfzubMIZjpKP555C1NpCJ9sjW9HJ41WjRjNjVEYLrU/s320/IMG_0350-751176.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5562653312029575970" /></a></p><p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXlveIPYWor7cdD-JvYdPui3JCaU0oFce3xX623pOR5pDL9GTJkrgYeRRAASj2XkM2LMPFKKeMlcruVxu13KWGJe_WE30vp_Hq_-AYklUx9bCykYxN2EuHmvUgyDj5AmdGvfgMmas_9Vc/s1600/20101023_2092-752287.JPG"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXlveIPYWor7cdD-JvYdPui3JCaU0oFce3xX623pOR5pDL9GTJkrgYeRRAASj2XkM2LMPFKKeMlcruVxu13KWGJe_WE30vp_Hq_-AYklUx9bCykYxN2EuHmvUgyDj5AmdGvfgMmas_9Vc/s320/20101023_2092-752287.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5562653317381135986" /></a></p><p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFQRF5xTZjJiAD9M8qed7KpcWYWie9qCQv1SGHRZVXr2lsNbHBadx8sUQtF43ohla2p_WbGd41JYEr4l9Micm17m53xILcB-GUisVUOM13ueAuObWORg9jsiJX4kjuGzWC7x61pQIL-98/s1600/IMG_0340-753861.JPG"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFQRF5xTZjJiAD9M8qed7KpcWYWie9qCQv1SGHRZVXr2lsNbHBadx8sUQtF43ohla2p_WbGd41JYEr4l9Micm17m53xILcB-GUisVUOM13ueAuObWORg9jsiJX4kjuGzWC7x61pQIL-98/s320/IMG_0340-753861.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5562653326789875234" /></a></p><p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAvjXfKsO0Otb0Iw5hMDBL_Nb2UibI_t3N7B6Kkzh03yBr1RxI8TbWM3P6CL8bmbMqfMjcQ2H87VjT6lMOcSSm0CZPqeScC8jYfeHY3F_iJgX4ntyYB8CBdZVL8YQYrqUZAtPNUVjqW4k/s1600/IMG_0347-754942.JPG"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAvjXfKsO0Otb0Iw5hMDBL_Nb2UibI_t3N7B6Kkzh03yBr1RxI8TbWM3P6CL8bmbMqfMjcQ2H87VjT6lMOcSSm0CZPqeScC8jYfeHY3F_iJgX4ntyYB8CBdZVL8YQYrqUZAtPNUVjqW4k/s320/IMG_0347-754942.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5562653333105628290" /></a></p><div class=Section1> <p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt; font-family:Arial'>October also brought the second annual trip to Bennett for Jason, Pipa Andy and the big boys. I don’t have much to report since I stayed behind with Ryan and had Lilly spend the night, but at least they took the camera this year and seemed to make it back in one piece. I had Lilly spend the night and the irish twins were lots of fun, decorating cookies and dressing up. I was all excited to watch High School Musical without the boys to out vote me, but Lilly insisted on Star Wars. We compromised on <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Madagascar</st1:place></st1:country-region> and all was well until I drifted off only to wake up at 11 with her crying that she wanted her mom. She settled on grandma, who showed up almost immediately in her pjs and all was well. I did at least get to French braid her hair the next morning for a trip to Wonderscope.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p> </div> Brandihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04072458610128843746noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5486304885588666240.post-53906923753206366082011-01-15T21:28:00.000-08:002011-01-15T21:29:09.390-08:00a volcanos victory<p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZ5usBJmEPvcrXs5570hUczbDfeyOGwnyB2phqpZHH2iUTqeYRGs6F7FK9tJ3i8N6e5flTHzQA9XHkWoLOx0bKKXBV_bq6G2xSbZdOX0D7bWKVLwe3PRrkHm6rQeyhNioffjtSqy2-c1Y/s1600/20101025_2111-749391.JPG"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZ5usBJmEPvcrXs5570hUczbDfeyOGwnyB2phqpZHH2iUTqeYRGs6F7FK9tJ3i8N6e5flTHzQA9XHkWoLOx0bKKXBV_bq6G2xSbZdOX0D7bWKVLwe3PRrkHm6rQeyhNioffjtSqy2-c1Y/s320/20101025_2111-749391.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5562651588748612178" /></a></p><p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVueU1J_DWzpKh40CoWeLdHDREV9EGqv4RqKb7ai93lZzwPSiuCEYbHyzizgM_83rXVVqjvY6LEvHLi-SDVh4dsY6BeAvzEgw909KV9ObzKjkPCL65c5Pduf8pTpj_jFsIBj3rWBJdhK4/s1600/20101025_2101-750297.JPG"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVueU1J_DWzpKh40CoWeLdHDREV9EGqv4RqKb7ai93lZzwPSiuCEYbHyzizgM_83rXVVqjvY6LEvHLi-SDVh4dsY6BeAvzEgw909KV9ObzKjkPCL65c5Pduf8pTpj_jFsIBj3rWBJdhK4/s320/20101025_2101-750297.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5562651589733436466" /></a></p><p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQFGGQB4JYi80cZqtDL100pUv_wq7Te2FTn2xOq91mCd3inzFDsr8g7cbJAkM6BH6bAgvn6u0cXsWRsi3YpSYiG0M_m6mKSZSnCz8PMvMkv7Ijmc-sAvD0c64nEYgfpUwV1E6kdluPiFM/s1600/20101025_2102-751347.JPG"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQFGGQB4JYi80cZqtDL100pUv_wq7Te2FTn2xOq91mCd3inzFDsr8g7cbJAkM6BH6bAgvn6u0cXsWRsi3YpSYiG0M_m6mKSZSnCz8PMvMkv7Ijmc-sAvD0c64nEYgfpUwV1E6kdluPiFM/s320/20101025_2102-751347.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5562651597816117554" /></a></p><div class=Section1> <p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt; font-family:Arial'>This didn’t make my earlier post on soccer, but I had to include documentation of Kyle’s team’s third place finish in the post season tournament. There were I think 12 teams in his division and we ended the season in 6<sup>th</sup>, claiming an unlucky bottom seed in the top bracket of the tournament (they split the tournament into two). Our first game was against the top speed the boys played so very tough, hanging in a scoreless game until well into the 2<sup>nd</sup> half and then scoring to everyone’s extreme delight (the usually mild mannered coach threw his clipboard in the air). But the elation was very short lived as the well disciplined other team marched down the field to score on the very next play and then again a few minutes later. I was so upset, way more then I should have been over a kids game. I really don’t know how I am going to handle things when they get older and the stakes are higher. They lost the 2<sup>nd</sup> game to the 2 seed later that afternoon (again 2-1 and well played), but came back the next morning to win in an 1-0 shut out, giving them enough points to claim 3<sup>rd</sup> place. I was obviously so proud of them. We celebrated with chili dinner at our house with a fire and smores and showing a movie one of the dad’s had made. Very fun time and I was proud to host. Most of these boys have been together since they were 4 and I know they are getting to the age they will start to do other things, so I was glad we had the time with them and the special party.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p> </div> Brandihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04072458610128843746noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5486304885588666240.post-633105566213959442011-01-15T21:19:00.000-08:002011-01-15T21:20:11.874-08:00have a fire tonight?<p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihZY-1QpjTar9VSY_qgoHWBroYCSdityaCTvplk2OI-i8Sj7YkpCU9PsKsvf_sifDP3xCR3kbU7RCnAqMh90T5YnIHMl3YL7coM8zTOCRiEryYbvYOSSAYGBPOF2oBqQHRloS1R_zfjDY/s1600/20101031_2172-711875.JPG"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihZY-1QpjTar9VSY_qgoHWBroYCSdityaCTvplk2OI-i8Sj7YkpCU9PsKsvf_sifDP3xCR3kbU7RCnAqMh90T5YnIHMl3YL7coM8zTOCRiEryYbvYOSSAYGBPOF2oBqQHRloS1R_zfjDY/s320/20101031_2172-711875.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5562649281334330914" /></a></p><p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBkCYuuVLKEBZuuDf10fAjHCT0CjvVHlmlXFH6v2W95A6rFN-NU27_XbF90bm1Z9NbMJ2SKHk1M00rAu61nMdD3tSbJCEwKm9NrLhyyvHf_lGACFtGU_mGc-c1n5XyDnWsIVl43aNdjfw/s1600/20101031_2136-713581.JPG"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBkCYuuVLKEBZuuDf10fAjHCT0CjvVHlmlXFH6v2W95A6rFN-NU27_XbF90bm1Z9NbMJ2SKHk1M00rAu61nMdD3tSbJCEwKm9NrLhyyvHf_lGACFtGU_mGc-c1n5XyDnWsIVl43aNdjfw/s320/20101031_2136-713581.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5562649288469401858" /></a></p><p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKQ1TlYGahnLGeyBslZCDKJKF1v1v5ng08-eKBwa-i81kVt31GBzU25gVzlPXfovWTq8qMXZAJfDebdJiet5I5glm6S7UHvfJ0t0UE9Q400bUf87_VrpvtAYEuHRsUqIxU_1pCy8x6is8/s1600/20101031_2148-715225.JPG"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKQ1TlYGahnLGeyBslZCDKJKF1v1v5ng08-eKBwa-i81kVt31GBzU25gVzlPXfovWTq8qMXZAJfDebdJiet5I5glm6S7UHvfJ0t0UE9Q400bUf87_VrpvtAYEuHRsUqIxU_1pCy8x6is8/s320/20101031_2148-715225.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5562649293187419778" /></a></p><p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiz82avAXSjxI7QCZ1HsHHkPCcMShVFp-nl6LA3jtOrBd7npZAY3Z_KX_P1S5MA9nA4Szq6JSEL7SliPT9VnJZ95X_LW3wkNACtDvgzwVSjvrJ5oo8x9u7fQ5KqWvOw1Ux37zM_j5EnmRg/s1600/20101031_2170-716287.JPG"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiz82avAXSjxI7QCZ1HsHHkPCcMShVFp-nl6LA3jtOrBd7npZAY3Z_KX_P1S5MA9nA4Szq6JSEL7SliPT9VnJZ95X_LW3wkNACtDvgzwVSjvrJ5oo8x9u7fQ5KqWvOw1Ux37zM_j5EnmRg/s320/20101031_2170-716287.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5562649303210997090" /></a></p><div class=Section1> <p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt; font-family:Arial'>Is a question asked routinely by Ryan. The full version is “dark outside, have a fire tonight” and lately followed by him saying “don’t think so” (insert heartbreak). But he defiantly shares his father’s love of watching fires and thanks to a bevy of wood provided by Pipa Andy, we obliged quite a few times this fall. The pic above is of course our pre-trick or treating cookout fire, accompanied by the obligatory pumpkin and kids in costumes shots. Ryan was all about trick or treating this year, not to happy to be dropped off with mom after doing the block with Dad. Kyle and Grant kicked it into high gear, collecting will north of 100 pieces each. The Great Pumpkin really hit the motherload after they picked out their favorites. Ryan has played costume sidekick the past few years and I am not sure how long that would continue. I really wanted to make the Thing 1 and 2 costumes so I could at least say one time that I made my kids costumes, but could not for the life of me find red sweats. Kyle is done with character costumes, wanting to be something scary like a teenager would be, and settling on the evil jester.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p> </div> Brandihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04072458610128843746noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5486304885588666240.post-36370616645478045782011-01-15T21:08:00.001-08:002011-01-15T21:08:53.741-08:00has it really been 10 years?<p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsIcAyVcdzcX4WErYkVvzB3E5VErdbbDyHWhrNC8EfsAWvyffjndWGTGutX6qgAObxlr-e4b3AatsQHX1IIhEXLd-1Ao8Zpxvp-F13_U1V41zGIQ44pJPS9AamSMQ-q6PMlDTPq2Ed2uE/s1600/IMG_0167-733742.JPG"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsIcAyVcdzcX4WErYkVvzB3E5VErdbbDyHWhrNC8EfsAWvyffjndWGTGutX6qgAObxlr-e4b3AatsQHX1IIhEXLd-1Ao8Zpxvp-F13_U1V41zGIQ44pJPS9AamSMQ-q6PMlDTPq2Ed2uE/s320/IMG_0167-733742.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5562646370419510066" /></a></p><p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGQpV3pARl9ZkBwgxf-_ArVuH2Jq-veEfZpVzXWrSZgp2gH0Z8ouYp8fQSSwH7KpbUAqbEXdTacwk0E0EzgShgMxE6AVSo6_5tSGJAd33jS7caPraLeckZOdzpPbbji1H6njR8bLWhELc/s1600/IMG_0137-736181.JPG"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGQpV3pARl9ZkBwgxf-_ArVuH2Jq-veEfZpVzXWrSZgp2gH0Z8ouYp8fQSSwH7KpbUAqbEXdTacwk0E0EzgShgMxE6AVSo6_5tSGJAd33jS7caPraLeckZOdzpPbbji1H6njR8bLWhELc/s320/IMG_0137-736181.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5562646379220679442" /></a></p><p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEievU_SCzZcd9BUvWwnbJzpV0GTgURVOcDk2a9Cp7YJjzYjHMgl90Lmq2xplZIG24LoflR2bkCKV_iQ4qhujdsS9moeCtaPcXtRt0vwY-4Ypx0zYZV8oyWIBKyNIV1HB_19HrTi8Mnupi8/s1600/IMG_0142-736887.JPG"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEievU_SCzZcd9BUvWwnbJzpV0GTgURVOcDk2a9Cp7YJjzYjHMgl90Lmq2xplZIG24LoflR2bkCKV_iQ4qhujdsS9moeCtaPcXtRt0vwY-4Ypx0zYZV8oyWIBKyNIV1HB_19HrTi8Mnupi8/s320/IMG_0142-736887.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5562646383057150178" /></a></p><p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhE1nS_kmBczTaDexusWeNANe8ZVg2jt3zi5lomtSeLc6cXaDE0YT3m9bIHdlHhRks0o8fOytpsKcnHZjLXyE0mm9mvIIuqlxT5bhtbFp6pQ1eorDim8_1VThvmBlmSxyS_RFHt5w8zc2c/s1600/IMG_0145-737713.JPG"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhE1nS_kmBczTaDexusWeNANe8ZVg2jt3zi5lomtSeLc6cXaDE0YT3m9bIHdlHhRks0o8fOytpsKcnHZjLXyE0mm9mvIIuqlxT5bhtbFp6pQ1eorDim8_1VThvmBlmSxyS_RFHt5w8zc2c/s320/IMG_0145-737713.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5562646381276063746" /></a></p><p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiL6nvmlXAe1amNyAPp4j88aaBx7zGYU3uq8yWR-Nf9Jp20WjBPiF_iqn1pOOM8L59evfT91aSc8MiJYJCYGttG2DkUpJ_4JtRjR82LDxbqMZTpYON_VpIGhOYhjL19NY2RDm5Y0vmmEys/s1600/IMG_0146-738608.JPG"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiL6nvmlXAe1amNyAPp4j88aaBx7zGYU3uq8yWR-Nf9Jp20WjBPiF_iqn1pOOM8L59evfT91aSc8MiJYJCYGttG2DkUpJ_4JtRjR82LDxbqMZTpYON_VpIGhOYhjL19NY2RDm5Y0vmmEys/s320/IMG_0146-738608.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5562646386165358818" /></a></p><p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiP3yA0HO25iCjkgitl6JLeS9lg5CKzeBM2k4rcMIiMv2VDyLxCWJDHjJg2quN8E9e2lxUbyvEd5gICktkFcxJzBERyODXO0BXmJHy7CccK5EgF6a-DKwk5ZQMnXCGFidOnV76m2n4HvsI/s1600/IMG_0148-739556.JPG"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiP3yA0HO25iCjkgitl6JLeS9lg5CKzeBM2k4rcMIiMv2VDyLxCWJDHjJg2quN8E9e2lxUbyvEd5gICktkFcxJzBERyODXO0BXmJHy7CccK5EgF6a-DKwk5ZQMnXCGFidOnV76m2n4HvsI/s320/IMG_0148-739556.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5562646391596591058" /></a></p><div class=Section1> <p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt; font-family:Arial'>Well, it turns out that it has and we decided to celebrate with a trip to Vegas, sans kids of course. It was a good trip, we left early Tuesday morning and came back Thursday afternoon (our actual anniversary), which was just enough time. Not being big gamblers, we actually got a little bored at times, which lead us to <font color=navy><span style='color:navy'>shell out money to see</span></font> the aquarium exhibit at Mandalay Bay as shown in the pic of Jason with the jelly fish. But don’t get me wrong, it was soo nice to get away. My wardrobe was made up almost entirely from things borrowed from Ashlie’s closet it was fun to not feel like ourselves for a few days. We had some amazing food and saw the Viva Elvis show by Cirque, which was really, really cool. I enjoyed gourmet cupcakes, sleeping in, watching cable and getting completely lost in a great book. Our good friend Gail sent us the champagne, which made us feel very upscale. As I mentioned, we were not big gamblers, I lost probably $50 (16 on Deal or No Deal) and Jason the same. I did however end up even when on the way out to meet Jason to catch a cab to the airport, I saw a slot machine my friend had recommended. I put in $5 and walked away with $56 after winning 50 free spins on my second or third try. I was so excited when I went out to meet Jason, he probably thought I won $500. The kids did great with grandma and pipa. Mom said on their way back home the first day, Grant said “Grandma, it’s great to have no parents tonight!”.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p> <p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt; font-family:Arial'> <o:p></o:p></span></font></p> </div> Brandihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04072458610128843746noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5486304885588666240.post-72789331627477009512010-12-20T22:17:00.001-08:002010-12-20T22:17:56.415-08:00Soccer and Sleepovers<p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUS8eXe_AR7tXWAKgegbp7LRB5CB3xZrPKqcncDytRSAtp0RJ4HWXPyFII-eXi8eAnNHSavk2LkoJ67Y6qQGzyiSxKCtcBB8LmZdT_IjwIlQNtIvZb17FEOOHmwHAjiyVA_IgvpkTxTrk/s1600/IMG_0315-776416.JPG"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUS8eXe_AR7tXWAKgegbp7LRB5CB3xZrPKqcncDytRSAtp0RJ4HWXPyFII-eXi8eAnNHSavk2LkoJ67Y6qQGzyiSxKCtcBB8LmZdT_IjwIlQNtIvZb17FEOOHmwHAjiyVA_IgvpkTxTrk/s320/IMG_0315-776416.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5553015945141053618" /></a></p><p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLNXunMKakMJe0ckjUNWe9FngpsX2-Hx9U09apBCMPa8RXDUyM6K_DNhpn6Oz_1KawHiA8X_ybYdabBDNQQt3dP_s5BVLYh1FNgzKcV6OMEAGgyHaYqFNr1CmuISZM_VjJmB-B5jMdxGY/s1600/IMG_0305-777091.JPG"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLNXunMKakMJe0ckjUNWe9FngpsX2-Hx9U09apBCMPa8RXDUyM6K_DNhpn6Oz_1KawHiA8X_ybYdabBDNQQt3dP_s5BVLYh1FNgzKcV6OMEAGgyHaYqFNr1CmuISZM_VjJmB-B5jMdxGY/s320/IMG_0305-777091.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5553015950017866546" /></a></p><p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZpN41MJTUMYqE9J2eXSSSnkeZIjfv48XgfEaphwptWuyBxXm0X_3HJACDdCyoX_ARV_Yu5iceWd1UMW9b2va2mDX2EP2BoiSkDeUsFpx0WZWdpf8DYFrAXWfatUMuVOTYttd0iccYzGk/s1600/IMG_0306-779108.JPG"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZpN41MJTUMYqE9J2eXSSSnkeZIjfv48XgfEaphwptWuyBxXm0X_3HJACDdCyoX_ARV_Yu5iceWd1UMW9b2va2mDX2EP2BoiSkDeUsFpx0WZWdpf8DYFrAXWfatUMuVOTYttd0iccYzGk/s320/IMG_0306-779108.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5553015955125647362" /></a></p><p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAtEhMDrKw2qvOmNVGTPi2GW8NU8x5iZr6zm0hHP_-QEJK-roAU1-dmnksUNinu_UDXmecOBh6ApUX8LUSiVXrmA_-j2eG16qTPyv5rgNWL17Du7S9eMRWSoHP3e4a4d10OCdCv4toinE/s1600/IMG_0313-779848.JPG"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAtEhMDrKw2qvOmNVGTPi2GW8NU8x5iZr6zm0hHP_-QEJK-roAU1-dmnksUNinu_UDXmecOBh6ApUX8LUSiVXrmA_-j2eG16qTPyv5rgNWL17Du7S9eMRWSoHP3e4a4d10OCdCv4toinE/s320/IMG_0313-779848.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5553015962490121730" /></a></p><div class=Section1> <p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt; font-family:Arial'>More catching up from fall, which brought Grant’s first season of soccer. Although he was adamantly opposed to the idea prior to the first practice, he actually grew to like it fairly quickly. He played almost exclusively on the more aggressive side of the 3 v 3 field and if I remember right, scored in every game. Almost as much as he liked to score, he liked to push, so we have a few things to work on, but overall we are so pleased to see him in the sport I have grown to love. Kyle liked helping out before the game when he could and although it took some adjustment his role as a spectator and not the star of the show. He continued to play with his team from previous season, making this I think his 7<sup>th</sup> with many of the same boys. Ryan tagged along as usual and was very proud to attend his first sleepover with the boys and Pipa Smith and Grandma Deb’s house. He was so excited (as shown in the pic) to pack his bag and climb up into the big SUV. As we packed, we would ask if he wanted something and he would say “Yes, put it in the bag”. So vocal, it makes me wonder what the other two were thinking about at his age but just not saying.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p> </div> Brandihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04072458610128843746noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5486304885588666240.post-4830120669171967192010-12-18T21:53:00.000-08:002010-12-18T21:55:02.670-08:00Back To School Pics<p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLkKpSCt37Q5HV5FEmAGV1Nz-Zlm9JzpGL1laWNuIlOj3Nh6E_Y0eA4bat1tOW1SvHTxywVOPbT5DJnAMw-Y7XddQjTRqwEXxQSecB5TA0bwmleqljrzERgnjB5GQ6kT4jtSRZXPcCth8/s1600/20100818_1966-702671.JPG"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLkKpSCt37Q5HV5FEmAGV1Nz-Zlm9JzpGL1laWNuIlOj3Nh6E_Y0eA4bat1tOW1SvHTxywVOPbT5DJnAMw-Y7XddQjTRqwEXxQSecB5TA0bwmleqljrzERgnjB5GQ6kT4jtSRZXPcCth8/s320/20100818_1966-702671.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5552267875201882034" /></a></p><p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQMbl4fq37tSdfisob5Twi-ufovJUob_gUzC5yURPsp4-tLluiS5uw0doWFJ0YgY9vD_eaeIRWVYi_vlrI_aDJUs1y5ITco5gMDTobp6qTi92hMFLC8BHBawRnhYE8ZJeIB4bATW-oPTI/s1600/20100818_1937-703438.JPG"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQMbl4fq37tSdfisob5Twi-ufovJUob_gUzC5yURPsp4-tLluiS5uw0doWFJ0YgY9vD_eaeIRWVYi_vlrI_aDJUs1y5ITco5gMDTobp6qTi92hMFLC8BHBawRnhYE8ZJeIB4bATW-oPTI/s320/20100818_1937-703438.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5552267875470431874" /></a></p><p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjX2KbuM5NkImEH3jV-uV5FxSgQrJZn8jMPKDGC2bl56lkkijd7lCnGHu1Jn-eb1IybvGCdECXjDcfMHnEXMSEZZ9E_Hb_gHXOWLFjpL-NP3HZUGR-UjQptqRL_m5wSrZX4nrkSecUimds/s1600/20100818_1945-704084.JPG"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjX2KbuM5NkImEH3jV-uV5FxSgQrJZn8jMPKDGC2bl56lkkijd7lCnGHu1Jn-eb1IybvGCdECXjDcfMHnEXMSEZZ9E_Hb_gHXOWLFjpL-NP3HZUGR-UjQptqRL_m5wSrZX4nrkSecUimds/s320/20100818_1945-704084.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5552267880430686578" /></a></p><p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPJ-B1niWCFS_A4gkxMHB-T_MxRRsrhcodQRtLmNmf-E2n_GIdyjvi0DihNQdLCQd-xhKAHEAwIxe4l8VoCbVa3OjtyrHGvf_Dr0OUxPtozTB-rSBvkKEE2nW8gmcrS6T_Zjb24wiz-X4/s1600/20100818_1950-704818.JPG"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPJ-B1niWCFS_A4gkxMHB-T_MxRRsrhcodQRtLmNmf-E2n_GIdyjvi0DihNQdLCQd-xhKAHEAwIxe4l8VoCbVa3OjtyrHGvf_Dr0OUxPtozTB-rSBvkKEE2nW8gmcrS6T_Zjb24wiz-X4/s320/20100818_1950-704818.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5552267885816230482" /></a></p><div class=Section1> <p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt; font-family:Arial'>I think I covered back to school in my previous post about of all things Christmas cards (which I actually did because I Shutterfly was giving away 50 free cards if you blogged about their cards, but after I did it, I decided the rest of the hoops weren’t worth jumping through), at least it got me back to blogging, which I really miss, again this sounds so cliché, but it seems like time is slipping away from me as the boys get bigger. Case in point the green back pack. This almost broke my heart, we were at Target at probably late July and they were putting out backpacks and I told Kyle, “Oh, let’s go pick one out so you have all of them to pick from and you can get one you really like. He was game, but came back not with Spiderman or Star Wars, but this plain green one, apparently to big for a character back pack. Speaking of heart break, is the pic of Ryan waving goodbye to the school bus not the most precious thing ever?<o:p></o:p></span></font></p> </div> Brandihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04072458610128843746noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5486304885588666240.post-65957725608667317322010-11-24T11:49:00.000-08:002010-11-24T11:50:09.551-08:00From Swimming to Christmas Cards<p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCm3t6gsXNdFLT49MGS9iqPb0JDXJ6eYvJW-j9gXCHye3L5qnr-I5vqJxzVjYEP-IwxFFxIz-BJMxjE1ocPsihRZxPvFiK9-Hr9MBRPl_we8yGgvoDH9C8YRmdpb-WmEp8nw_UG1l-lHc/s1600/20101103_2199-709552.JPG"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCm3t6gsXNdFLT49MGS9iqPb0JDXJ6eYvJW-j9gXCHye3L5qnr-I5vqJxzVjYEP-IwxFFxIz-BJMxjE1ocPsihRZxPvFiK9-Hr9MBRPl_we8yGgvoDH9C8YRmdpb-WmEp8nw_UG1l-lHc/s320/20101103_2199-709552.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5543205957033637330" /></a></p><p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVZRMMsy21CpS6kHKxL2yunbP5rdNRyDnQWWGDJLWxH03pHg6FWrfWnw5d92yyoiDQ7DjB8ldfnjyqQ88UaeaXZcgzfHx4a2xnfj5yPqwNei-43_nQBfOUz9HLQTsioAZmTGzcbFwOEnQ/s1600/20101103_2208-711471.JPG"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVZRMMsy21CpS6kHKxL2yunbP5rdNRyDnQWWGDJLWxH03pHg6FWrfWnw5d92yyoiDQ7DjB8ldfnjyqQ88UaeaXZcgzfHx4a2xnfj5yPqwNei-43_nQBfOUz9HLQTsioAZmTGzcbFwOEnQ/s320/20101103_2208-711471.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5543205960305036610" /></a></p><p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgd7-alQLTUYmDXsBZyK5IzgQCrZYQSVB0k3XbvOcuxBjDu1gfFJDxJuQ9VXwVCZeQi3X5exd0KWY3Aoav4UvkeyizVnS8SJfjjIqB0xwczuvFHAM9B9dPa2LSzZxmEbfldLA-GOXAIQDc/s1600/20101106_2266-714372.JPG"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgd7-alQLTUYmDXsBZyK5IzgQCrZYQSVB0k3XbvOcuxBjDu1gfFJDxJuQ9VXwVCZeQi3X5exd0KWY3Aoav4UvkeyizVnS8SJfjjIqB0xwczuvFHAM9B9dPa2LSzZxmEbfldLA-GOXAIQDc/s320/20101106_2266-714372.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5543205971306087426" /></a></p><div class=Section1> <p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt; font-family:Arial'>that seems about right. Missing of course was the start of school and and new blogging year (my third, who would have thought). Fairly uneventful, Kyle doesn’t hate school, but he doesn’t necessarily like it either. He teacher is young, but good and his life still revolves around sports. His “uniform” consists of track pants and a hand me down Cardinals or baseball shirt from the kids up the street. They are doing more math this year, which he likes, at times filling up an entire sheet of paper with different math facts and problems. Grant is in his third year at ABC preschool and was so ready for kindergarten, but with an August birthday will have to wait one more year. It is fun that he is attending with Lilly this year, although she had a rough start and I don’t think her older cousin was much help. He does enjoy his extended day on Wednesday which is all boys. I would just hate to see the bathroom after that class. Speaking of bathroom, Ryan made an early effort towards potty training, amazing, given that his brothers were past the three year mark before we could convince them to even try, but in the end, he just wasn’t ready. Other then that, he continues talking up a storm and following his brothers. He has taken to calling Kyle “Bubby” and Grant “my best frien”. He is so easy going in most respects, but for some reason the thought of standing still for a second to take a picture for our Christmas cards was completely out of the question as evidenced by attached pictures. I tried once by myself in the park and lighting was perfect, but he was having none of it. The second attempt was completely last minute, on our way to church, funky light and the boys in bright white socks, but with Jason’s help, I was able to get a few that I could photoshop together and our cards actually ended up being beautiful. I was trying to find a way to link to the end product on Shutterfly, but couldn’t figure it how. I guess I always love the end product, since I don’t really have professional pics done anymore, it is the one formal pic I have of them from year to year and always the cover of my photobooks (not that I am at all caught up on photobooks, but I will be at some point).<o:p></o:p></span></font></p> </div> Brandihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04072458610128843746noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5486304885588666240.post-72683272053311614142010-10-27T21:35:00.001-07:002010-10-27T21:35:09.644-07:00One more thing<p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGnlVWyQk-6xxKtrDMIAMoy25Sc1E9IM7WmslV0CGSA5x79MUF72uJWV_nU_DQ_lhJ6Pwmo3ahIVWN5tF7Imt7JKtefVHYi6lrD7ZFSC25HvnieyjSMnZT-UD-ew-VJNqgG9F3P2OVxLI/s1600/20100801_1770+copy-709645.jpg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGnlVWyQk-6xxKtrDMIAMoy25Sc1E9IM7WmslV0CGSA5x79MUF72uJWV_nU_DQ_lhJ6Pwmo3ahIVWN5tF7Imt7JKtefVHYi6lrD7ZFSC25HvnieyjSMnZT-UD-ew-VJNqgG9F3P2OVxLI/s320/20100801_1770+copy-709645.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5532950862999263554" /></a></p><div class=Section1> <p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt; font-family:Arial'>No pictures (apparently forgot my camera all 8 times) but Grant joined Kyle in swim lessons this summer (the attached picture is just a favorite pre-swimming pic from later in the summer). He went from complete refusal to even attempt entering the pool without his swim vest on Day 1 to a confident little swimmer by the end of the session. He just seems to will himself across the pool. A little heart wrenching for me, but the kid doesn’t panic and always seems to get from point a to b one way or another. He even jumped off the big diving boards and the “fancy” pool. Kyle had a great set of lessons as well and I’m sure could swim circles around me if I gave him the chance. <o:p></o:p></span></font></p> </div> Brandihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04072458610128843746noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5486304885588666240.post-87866854389142289312010-10-19T21:46:00.002-07:002010-10-19T21:47:18.539-07:00Slumber Party Pics<p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0N5km94hcrV1PWMxB3FpAnNJp9J3BAO_LsbNSbS8LeF3f8W0IsxX09JyGHgig9H3Z1od0qZAsO_CXbugz4uzM9BT3UDE9q9GJMyGiMAvkKmrajrNED6k3xu0lvOWC-2EpQPZndwysMn0/s1600/20100807_1922-738540.JPG"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0N5km94hcrV1PWMxB3FpAnNJp9J3BAO_LsbNSbS8LeF3f8W0IsxX09JyGHgig9H3Z1od0qZAsO_CXbugz4uzM9BT3UDE9q9GJMyGiMAvkKmrajrNED6k3xu0lvOWC-2EpQPZndwysMn0/s320/20100807_1922-738540.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5529985312709794434" /></a></p><p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9KQUCIMNtN23_-w9KPhaSHVkCOVNoaS5l3PpDOl9JwtcSfVlxSAPhoAdZRe15UR6LbBzO2RY0jAIZvXIRF1zSVr4K-BsU88YQNcPw28yIO2l8ryDZjrg1spY1HSlnrQbJuq06MGZR32Q/s1600/20100806_1854-739653.JPG"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9KQUCIMNtN23_-w9KPhaSHVkCOVNoaS5l3PpDOl9JwtcSfVlxSAPhoAdZRe15UR6LbBzO2RY0jAIZvXIRF1zSVr4K-BsU88YQNcPw28yIO2l8ryDZjrg1spY1HSlnrQbJuq06MGZR32Q/s320/20100806_1854-739653.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5529985317922453186" /></a></p><p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxNcRvsrDHT2tdIEXrbPrxYN-2PVShw3TvesTGHgj2-7ylwV7wKTtZlDMvr08KUrfxYXRKf2cMPEad4hBNNYcpzPirmqETqzbYgZJOFOvUd1sfjF1mBxHgqbnC_c7rMNkhrgcG1vhchdI/s1600/20100806_1860-740994.JPG"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxNcRvsrDHT2tdIEXrbPrxYN-2PVShw3TvesTGHgj2-7ylwV7wKTtZlDMvr08KUrfxYXRKf2cMPEad4hBNNYcpzPirmqETqzbYgZJOFOvUd1sfjF1mBxHgqbnC_c7rMNkhrgcG1vhchdI/s320/20100806_1860-740994.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5529985320790512770" /></a></p><p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMGh0cOarg8Ye-28P4-e7YqHJZPQ1cGouRS93z_ExF794nOXZ-D2K7UQdTtkXUNbz5Z1uRohyphenhyphenclUhLUozOCdnFBkzoQdCKk4aT5Sq3_d4SwBUKzxSsyQZp-xO7ZQZvMfSvbA2S7ux5aPY/s1600/20100806_1862-742085.JPG"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMGh0cOarg8Ye-28P4-e7YqHJZPQ1cGouRS93z_ExF794nOXZ-D2K7UQdTtkXUNbz5Z1uRohyphenhyphenclUhLUozOCdnFBkzoQdCKk4aT5Sq3_d4SwBUKzxSsyQZp-xO7ZQZvMfSvbA2S7ux5aPY/s320/20100806_1862-742085.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5529985324195333922" /></a></p><p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJa3ato-GXcSLgt35pBnpexnN7UOtYZ8ZB9bqSbnMadsDV76UtP4HhXaEYphrz9Kw1zT2L-eshHM7TR7V3NncE8ZE9pI1oFRyMEC35jgndexs2niD3L5QCq9_f3c79UUE1LIdZCPqAJrk/s1600/20100806_1869-747964.JPG"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJa3ato-GXcSLgt35pBnpexnN7UOtYZ8ZB9bqSbnMadsDV76UtP4HhXaEYphrz9Kw1zT2L-eshHM7TR7V3NncE8ZE9pI1oFRyMEC35jgndexs2niD3L5QCq9_f3c79UUE1LIdZCPqAJrk/s320/20100806_1869-747964.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5529985350537290962" /></a></p><p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVGuMtUrNEtBjCw4gfBlt1uz3quV3x5tL1jWKZ5SFqDKfYBMogmWwTO9iz9jBOBoQ9RbE8A2a8r4SPSLU4L9D1cH5cvW3Srd-4X-DPEYkNnOvauWcCPcnbxaw7Eg0TyK-z6YealiOLmek/s1600/20100806_1872-749066.JPG"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVGuMtUrNEtBjCw4gfBlt1uz3quV3x5tL1jWKZ5SFqDKfYBMogmWwTO9iz9jBOBoQ9RbE8A2a8r4SPSLU4L9D1cH5cvW3Srd-4X-DPEYkNnOvauWcCPcnbxaw7Eg0TyK-z6YealiOLmek/s320/20100806_1872-749066.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5529985353279717778" /></a></p><p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhguFAyMW3ljzfc2XhANYUjQf8T_2vEbDwWLt8uFKvpYcZVHAMLbybNoaXr8OwdU992jQZ40E6fJf3joZt-EF1QfXSYTUw-8jWeXJUNsLU9Gug1GVH0O_Z8DqhfWU-rAHh8ZK2yK6zpL1k/s1600/20100806_1894-750427.JPG"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhguFAyMW3ljzfc2XhANYUjQf8T_2vEbDwWLt8uFKvpYcZVHAMLbybNoaXr8OwdU992jQZ40E6fJf3joZt-EF1QfXSYTUw-8jWeXJUNsLU9Gug1GVH0O_Z8DqhfWU-rAHh8ZK2yK6zpL1k/s320/20100806_1894-750427.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5529985361052186514" /></a></p><div class=Section1> <p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt; font-family:Arial'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p> </div> Brandihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04072458610128843746noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5486304885588666240.post-26261114455581518362010-10-19T21:46:00.001-07:002010-10-19T21:46:30.446-07:00Summer Time Wrap Up<p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGpg2fEfi9PKD7fcvOJJ8gFnwAcs4Xx9oWIAsolwxvWLebMDGVFa4RLTllg1eAVmkcKdGblytgN3kPoEY1JrbuJzgx3bUtLS8ETunefBMQd0PuZW8km2_4CEUlLGJ2ISU_Ufm2UZkQyf8/s1600/IMG_0518-790447.JPG"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGpg2fEfi9PKD7fcvOJJ8gFnwAcs4Xx9oWIAsolwxvWLebMDGVFa4RLTllg1eAVmkcKdGblytgN3kPoEY1JrbuJzgx3bUtLS8ETunefBMQd0PuZW8km2_4CEUlLGJ2ISU_Ufm2UZkQyf8/s320/IMG_0518-790447.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5529985103296516082" /></a></p><p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQomBam27u0r5AZDVjZzat6_m3nVhqm3gK_Ttm-DhHKoS_xSIZ23Q9lcCLsJ9f1sUv6fWuHO0nr0f9LNYqs8x68AxCOlRbXWyZcbcNZMNB9FZjhJz5K-kKZVGQXC87wlcyCPqbBzdUDus/s1600/IMG_0480-791551.JPG"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQomBam27u0r5AZDVjZzat6_m3nVhqm3gK_Ttm-DhHKoS_xSIZ23Q9lcCLsJ9f1sUv6fWuHO0nr0f9LNYqs8x68AxCOlRbXWyZcbcNZMNB9FZjhJz5K-kKZVGQXC87wlcyCPqbBzdUDus/s320/IMG_0480-791551.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5529985106056115906" /></a></p><p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikMDRpfGzROkxo5vjTQoISGiXMCxBRzf4uLm3i7_5Q2mdNOi66U4PxU-YVUtf-TrvMmSh5T-lrAqUoz-WIC55COXXsbMYVDlDnJIEjy1hn11EWla9fPTSZDPfvZi40ekQdf7u1B7ClCCY/s1600/IMG_0482-792130.JPG"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikMDRpfGzROkxo5vjTQoISGiXMCxBRzf4uLm3i7_5Q2mdNOi66U4PxU-YVUtf-TrvMmSh5T-lrAqUoz-WIC55COXXsbMYVDlDnJIEjy1hn11EWla9fPTSZDPfvZi40ekQdf7u1B7ClCCY/s320/IMG_0482-792130.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5529985109926238962" /></a></p><p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIDibuyruEpyv4l7u7Lbm1ix_QRE0B765nCP7JY_Jg99TnT2GeH-d57ShpKlFJtatLzILXsl8hzVtBw3ZfzaMYIS4C46eruoIsrvwEz8ue2ntYEHGDD20q4qzpt4CJarkXd3c_61u2etA/s1600/IMG_0500-796971.JPG"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIDibuyruEpyv4l7u7Lbm1ix_QRE0B765nCP7JY_Jg99TnT2GeH-d57ShpKlFJtatLzILXsl8hzVtBw3ZfzaMYIS4C46eruoIsrvwEz8ue2ntYEHGDD20q4qzpt4CJarkXd3c_61u2etA/s320/IMG_0500-796971.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5529985130721564402" /></a></p><p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjF4Mz8yPxU7ACxHDZFuFUK8EC_GPqXjVgAImUTG37w9tqF_6puieeA09CxY9bpFgg9ULUj1oe6jPjoNc4fI6DojQJU2z1HBbu69eq-ZH166TfBPLmr0CFkxHuHivP7QQ1hNHlBEMVToiI/s1600/IMG_0513-797601.JPG"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjF4Mz8yPxU7ACxHDZFuFUK8EC_GPqXjVgAImUTG37w9tqF_6puieeA09CxY9bpFgg9ULUj1oe6jPjoNc4fI6DojQJU2z1HBbu69eq-ZH166TfBPLmr0CFkxHuHivP7QQ1hNHlBEMVToiI/s320/IMG_0513-797601.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5529985130806002354" /></a></p><div class=Section1> <p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt; font-family:Arial'>Since fall is in full swing, I thought a summer time wrap up was in order so I can close out the blogging year and get into book form. July was less eventful, but did include basketball camp for Kyle and a big lake trip with my dad and step-mom. It was really so much fun to spend time with them and the trip brought back lots of memories of going to the lake as a kid. I am glad the boys got that experience. The events of the day usually consisted of swimming, tubing, more swimming, eating, then tubing, tubing and more tubing, the swimming. There are no pictures of the accommodations and we can just that there was good reason for that. The boys of course didn’t care and liked having sleepovers with pipa and grandma deb and going without a shower for two days didn’t kill me. I really hope the lake will be an annual or at least semi-annual thing, just maybe a different venue next year. Upon our return, we immediately started to prepare for what I guess must be a rite of passage for all parents, Kyle’s first sleepover party. I will post the pictures in a separate post because there are some memorable ones. It was complete chaos, but the boys had fun, I think. Mom brought over Lilly and had planned to take Grant and Ryan home with her which ended up being a good plan. I think she just ended up grabbing all of the kids and running like a refuge, I don’t even remember saying goodbye. The make your own Sundae bar was a big hit, especially the sour skittles and I was surprised how much fun they had with the craft (pictured). I grossly underestimated the ease with which they would fall asleep, but after some encouragement from me, the last set of eyes were closed at 2 am. Sounds so cliché, but I can not believe my baby is 8. He is turning into such a great kid, I can barely contain my pride sometimes.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p> </div> Brandihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04072458610128843746noreply@blogger.com0