Blue Sharks pool party

Tonight we celebrated the end of the baseball season with a pool party. The pool was filled with lots of boys (and a few sisters).

Casey being thrown by Coach Mike
(This was a big hit with the boys)

For my boys, the best part of the party was the trampoline in the Benter's backyard. I don't think they've ever really tried one out, so this was a big deal.

The kids even ate on the trampoline

What a great party! Bouncing and swimming!

Coach Mike presented the boys with their medals and we took one more team photo.

Go Blue Sharks!

Kindergarten farewell party

Today I took Casey back to his daycare center for a party celebrating the kids who will be going to Kindergarten in the fall.

He got to see all his friends and they even had his favorite
food, pizza.

Casey, Cassie, and Jack get some help from Ethan on the tire swing
(This was Casey's favorite thing on the playground.)


Yum! Pizza!


Reese and Casey


Casey with his teachers Miss Gail (l) and Miss Michelle (r)

Vacation Bible School

Tonight was the last night of vacation bible school. Brett and Casey, along with many of their friends, attended VBS at Good Shepherd Church all this week.

They had a great dinner each night, fun and games and yummy treats.

Brett, Carson and Casey eating dinner

Tonight the kids put on a program where they sang all the songs they learned this week. The boys did a great job singing, despite Casey's bout of stage fright.

Casey knew all the words.
(The kids are looking up because the words to the
songs were projected on the wall above them.)


Brett singing.

Boy Scout picnic

Brett and his bottle rocket

Today Pack 709 met at Sedgwick County Park to make and launch bottle rockets. Having never done this, I had no idea how cool they are. Brett's and Casey's travelled at least 40-50 feet in the air.

Brett and Casey both made rockets, and after hot dogs in the picnic shelter, we played with water balloons and shot off the rockets.

Casey drew a rocket on his rocket

The Carvers work on a rocket

Dan and Casey put the finishing touches on Casey's rocket


Casey launching a water balloon.



Brett let's 'er rip

Brett and Jack admiring their work

Casey launching his bottle rocket

Brett launching his rocket

Bonnie Bing roast

Tonight Dan and I went to a roast in celebration of Bonnie Bing, the Wichita Eagle's society and fashion columnist, who is celebrating her 60th year.

It was a great night. A real "who's who" of Wichita came out to celebrate Bonnie.

Me and Dan


Peggy Smith, who works with Dan on the Business team


My friend, Teresa Veazey


The guest of honor escorted by her husband Dick

The highlight of the evening was a fashion show spanning the decades of Bonnie's life. Here are some of the notables who modeled:

TV personality Sierra Scott (The 50s)


Wayne Bryan of Music Theater of Wichita (The 50s)


Former Wichita mayor Bob Knight (The 60s)


Wichita Eagle aviation reporter Molly McMillan (The 60s)


Wichita Eagle managing editor Theresa Johnson (The 70s)



Shirley Beggs, wife of WSU president Don Beggs (The 70s)


Current Wichita mayor Carl Brewer (The 70s)
with emcee Ted Woodward of KNSS radio


Sedgwick County commissioner Tim Norton (The 80s)



Jane Knight, former first lady of Wichita (The 90s)


(On the right) WSU president Don Beggs (2007)

What??!!

For those of you who don't know, I love to read with celebrity gossip (People and US magazines are among my favorite reads).

I saw this item on People's Web site tonight and had to post it here.


New dad Jeff Gordon: I sleep at the racetrack

WEDNESDAY JULY 18, 2007 04:00 PM EDT

By Mike Fleeman

Jeff Gordon races cars at nearly 200 m.p.h., but his new daughter Ella Sofia doesn't seem to have inherited the same need for speed – at least when it comes to falling asleep.

"I'm getting sleep when I go to the racetrack these days, not at home," Gordon, 35, told reporters Tuesday.

Gordon, gearing up for this weekend's USG Sheetrock 400 at Chicagoland Speedway, says he and his model-actress wife Ingrid Vandebosch had been assisted by a baby nurse since their daughter was born June 20.

The nurse, says Gordon, is "teaching us some things, which has been very nice to have an introduction into it all. But she wasn't with us last night, so it was fun and exciting and also a huge learning curve to go through, you know, and having to do everything on our own."

Overall, he says, it was "great night" going it without the human safety net.

"We were giving [the baby] a bath, and you know, changing diapers and burping and feeding and all of the normal things that we do," he says. "But we just didn't have that, I guess, security blanket that's been there for the last several days that we could bounce off of."

"It went well," he adds, "and definitely less sleep."





What??!! He and his wife, who doesn't work and just travels around with him, haven't bathed, dressed, or burped their MONTH OLD baby by themselves yet? Are you kidding?

Why have kids?

Last game of the season

Brett at bat

Great season guys!

Tonight we FINALLY played our last game of the baseball season. We should've been finished a week ago, but with all the rain a few of our games had to be rescheduled.

Brett made a hit in his only at bat, but was stranded at second base.

It was a great season!

Fun at the pool

Brett

Casey

Lauryn

Today I took Lauryn, Brett and Casey to the pool while Dan and Kathryn went and played softball (suckers!).

It was really hot today and the water was great.

Lauryn mostly stuck to the steps, while Brett and Casey had a jumping contest.

Ratatouille

I took the boys to see Ratatouille Saturday afternoon after Brett's baseball game. The boys really liked the movie and I did too, which isn't always the case with some of the kids' movies.

Vacation

We just got back from our week-long vacation in Branson. Yes, I know some people think Branson is for "old people," but we love it.

We left last Saturday. It should have taken us five hours to get there, but due to all the rain Kansas had that week, many of the major roads we take were closed due to high water. It ended up taking us seven hours instead.

We spent the night in Springfield where Dan went to college. We had lunch with his childhood friend, Sean, and made our pilgrimage to Bass Pro Shop, a must-do when we are in the area.

Me, Dan and the boys with Sean, his wife Kelly,
and daughter Hayden


Brett and Casey make a friend at Bass Pro Shop

On Sunday, we left Springfield for Branson. We stayed at the Grand Crowne resort at Thousand Hills.

The view of our resort from our balcony

We invited our neighbors, the Averys and the Donaldsons, to join us for an "out-of-state tiki party." They joined us Tuesday afternoon.

That night, we took the kids miniature golfing at a neat dinosaur course near our resort. Brett really wanted to play this particular course--probably because of the volcano erupting "blue" water and fire every few minutes.

Don, Mike, Josh, Carson and Tanner inside the volcano

Brett's favorite part

On Wednesday, we all went to Silver Dollar City. It was darn hot, but we had a good time. Thank God for the water rides.

Derrick, Alyssa, Missy and Tanner on Thunderation


The Averys on the water toboggan


Brett in the treehouse


Casey, me and Suzanne on the merry-go-round



Dan, Brett and Tanner on the hot air balloon ride

Later that night, we went back to our resort for a Fourth of July party. They had everything--karaoke, watermelon, inflatables for the kids and fireworks. We had a great time--until the sudden downpour. They managed to cover the fireworks and they set them off after the storm passed.

Here we are crowded on our balcony after the rain storm
watching the fireworks.

The next day we took the kids to White Water, the water park in Branson. Our kids mostly stuck to the wave pool and kiddie area, but they did ride the tube rides a few times. The bigger kids went on the really crazy water rides.

Casey

Me and Brett on the tube slide.


Casey and Brett


Dan and Don on the giant body slide



Brett at the playground

We also had a chance to go to Branson Landing, which for you Wichitans, is what WaterWalk should be. They have a ton of great shops, restaurants, waterfront condos and a water and fire show overlooking Lake Taneycomo.

We rode the Ducks with the Averys and Tanner and the kids got to drive the Duck while we were on the lake. Not so fond of the quackers they give you to use on the ride though.

Josh and Carson with their quackers

Suzanne and her quacker


Brett


Casey


A view of Branson Landing from Lake Taneycomo



Me and Brett on the Duck. Mike, Beckie and Suzanne are in the back.


A view of the Branson Landing condos and the Hilton Hotel.



The water and fire show at Branson Landing

Brett piloting the Duck



Captain Casey


Suzanne, Casey, Tanner, Brett and Carson
(Josh wasn't into having his photo taken)


Derrick and Alyssa, who was very happy to visit the Pac-Sun shop



The official photo of the out-of-state tiki party
Me, Dan, Don, Missy, Beckie and Mike