Hannah's Pics

Okay, Hannah didn't take this picture....I did. It's Hannah with her cousins Clara and Reva.

Here is a picture of Carson and Jake doing something.....probably playing with the snakes. Notice how this isn't a very good picture. It was probably taken as the girls were 'retreating.'

This is a picture of Jake sitting outside the cabin.

A photo of the outside of the cabin as seen from the road.

This must be a photo from Hannah's view on the porch. This is what the world looks like to a 3 year old.

A Weekend at Mahoney

This past weekend, we needed to do something besides sit around the house. Carson was the 'Star of the Week' two weeks ago and at the end of that week, he was given the task of taking 'Buddy Bear' home for the weekend. Everyone in his class gets their turn to take Buddy Bear home and then write in Buddy's journal about what they did. Tara figured that 'sitting around the house' or 'fighting with my sister' wouldn't be a very interesting thing to write in the journal. Initially, we had planned to go back to Columbus and visit Grandpa Steve but they were sick that weekend and we needed to make other plans ASAP. That is when Tara came up with the idea of renting a cabin at Mahoney State Park.

We were able to check in Saturday afternoon, after the kids played at the outside playground area, and invited their cousins from Omaha to join as well. Needless to say, we had a full house Saturday night with Carson, Hannah, and their three cousins Jake, Clara and Reva partying until late.

The kids had a great time. Jake and Carson rode their bikes, walked in the woods and found deer, played with snakes.....scared the girls with the snakes. Hannah, Clara, and Reva liked playing at the outdoor play center, watching movies, and playing with babies......and the snacks, not the snakes.

So during that weekend, Carson was able to spend the night at Nana and Papa's, party in a cabin, and see his cousins. And write a bunch in Buddy Bear's journal.

Another WINGS Award

Carson 'won' his second WINGS award this past week in computer class....for being a great student. We are so proud of him.

We had parent-teacher conferences again a few days ago. As we expected, Carson is still doing very well in class. His reading, writing, and math skills are way ahead so she keeps challenging him. He still wants to lead everything and sometimes tries to challenge his teacher's authority, which lands him in the 'safe seat'....something like a 're-set button' for kids.

Yesterday, we learned that Caron will be the STAR OF THE WEEK all of next week. Basically, it's an opportunity for him to bring show-and-tell items to school, make a poster and bring photos of our family, and lead the class wherever they travel to during the day (i.e. recess, lunch room, computer class, P.E.) He sure is excited about it.

Keep up the good work Carson. We are proud of you.

It Just Falls Out

As I was driving to work today, Tara called me on the cell phone and told me about a conversation she was having with the kids on their way to daycare. Somehow the conversation turned to Aunt Lindsay and her pregnancy.

Tara said an innocent comment like, "Lindsay's tummy is getting bigger."

Hannah has things figured out considering she has about 30 'babies' scattered between her room, the toy room, and the basement. Without missing a beat, she says "and when it gets too big, it just falls out."

Sorry Lindsay. The gig is up. We don't want to hear about how tough or long the labor was. We know the true story.....it just falls out.

Band Director Carson

Here is a clip of Carson being Carson at the Band Supper in Elmwood last night. I believe it may be the first time he's paid attention to the band director and was trying out his moves.....

Is it Halloween Already?

Tara and I went to a marriage retreat this past weekend and left the kids among the grandparents from Friday evening until Sunday afternoon. We told the kids that we were going on a 'retreat.' During the weekend, Tara and I were to focus on our marriage and each other rather than worry about the kids, the house, our jobs, etc.

Nevertheless, we broke the rules and called to check on Carson and Hannah sometime Saturday evening. Hannah apparently went up to Joann, Tara's mom, and told her that we went 'trick-o-treating'. That's pretty close to 'retreat.'

We were worried that Hannah would want to see a giant bag of candy when we walked through the door.....but she didn't. She just wanted a bunch of hugs.

In Loving Memory

This post is in loving memory of Sidney. He had a short life but lived it to the fullest and brought us a bunch of memories. His departure leaves a big void in our family; one that we'll feel for some time.

We adopted Sidney when our Golden Retriever, Bailey, died three years ago. Sidney was from a breeder (read: puppy mill) and ended up with a birth defect; kidneys that didn't work very well. Our vet thought that, given similar situations he's witnessed in the past, Sidney wouldn't live more than a few months. He managed to prove everyone wrong living three years.

Sidney and Bailey were fantastic dogs however both died early in their young lives and both were from breeders who turned dogs over as quickly as they could. Starting with Ginger, we now adopt all of our animals from the Capital Humane Society as well as donate to this organization....and urge the rest of you to consider this as well.

Rest in peace Sidney. We'll miss you.