Loving Life

First Day of School

2009-08-17T22:30:00.006-05:00

Today was the boys' first day of school. Casey will be in second grade and Brett will be in fourth grade.

It was a rough morning--it started pouring right before the bus came.

I managed to get a few photos of them before the rain.

Casey and Brett

Brett

Casey

Bus stop friends
Josh, Casey, Suzanne, Carson and Brett

Water balloon fight

2009-08-17T22:22:00.008-05:00

This summer, the boys have been playing with water balloons with some of their neighborhood friends.

To celebrate the end of summer, we decided to let them have a water balloon fight.

Blowing up and tying all the balloons wasn't much fun, but throwing the water balloons was a blast!

Casey throwing a water balloon at Brett

Suzanne getting Dan

Brett throwing one at Josh

Josh getting Brett back

Carson and Josh

Suzanne, Carson, Brett, Josh and Casey

Birthday brothers

2009-08-17T22:18:00.004-05:00

Casey's eighth birthday was last Saturday, the 15th, so we bought him a Nintendo DSi, which was one of the things he really wanted. Since Brett's 10th birthday is Tuesday, Aug. 18, we bought him one as well and let them both open them.

I can't believe how old they are!

Brett and Casey, birthday brothers

The boys and their new toys

Fun on the lake

2009-07-20T21:31:00.020-05:00

We met up with our friends, Todd and Trisha and their kids, and spent Friday on Table Rock Lake on their boat.

It was a blast! We explored the lake, swam, rode in a tube, fished--you name it. The kids even got to jump off some cliffs into the lake.

Walking to the marina

Todd and Kara

Brett

Leaving the dock

The kids in the front of the boat

Brett and Dan

Brett jumping in the lake

Brett

Casey

Casey swimming

Casey jumping off the rocks

Brett jumping

Riley and Brett in the tube
(Brett's hands are in the air)

We anchored just off a small island in the lake and let the kids fish and throw rocks.

Casey and Brett

Kara with one of the two fish she caught

Getting the fish off the hook

Todd showing Casey a crawfish he found

Casey and his new friend

Branson Landing

2009-07-20T21:24:00.009-05:00

We spent one afternoon having lunch and walking around Branson Landing, a shopping area on the banks of Lake Taneycomo.

For you Wichitans, this is what our WaterWalk should be!

We had a great lunch at White River Fish House

Dan and the boys

Me and Casey

Shopping at Bass Pro Shop

Inside Bass Pro Shop

Branson Landing

The bank of Lake Taneycomo

Pirate mini golf

2009-07-20T21:19:00.005-05:00

Brett had been begging us all week to take him mini-golfing. We picked a pirate-themed course and took the boys one night. I have to say it was hot out, but the course was really neat.

The boys in the stockade...where they belong!

Casey taking his turn

There were waterfalls throughout the course

Brett lining up his shot

White Water

2009-07-20T21:15:00.004-05:00

We took the boys to White Water, a water park, on Tuesday. One of the rides was a three-story water slide that Casey went down twice. He was the only one!

Casey coming down the slide on the right

He made it!

Silver Dollar City

2009-07-20T20:58:00.016-05:00

On Monday, we took the boys to Silver Dollar City, an old-fashioned amusement park in Branson. The boys rode some of the rides, even a runaway train rollercoaster.

Casey

Brett and Casey

Dan and Brett playing checkers

Casey in jail...where he belongs!

Crossing the swinging bridge

Casey after surviving Thunderation,
the runaway train ride

Brett and Casey on a much tamer rollercoaster

Casey on a pirate ship ride

Dan and the boys on the log flume

Brett and Dan in the Old Mine

Casey

Dan and Brett on the water toboggan
(It was like a waterpark ride)

Brett and Dan after the water toboggan

Dan and Brett in the fun house's slanting room

Branson vacation

2009-07-20T20:35:00.018-05:00

We spent last week in Branson, Missouri with the boys for our vacation. We had a blast. There's always lots to do there.

Since we did so much, I will break up my posts so you don't get overwhelmed with vacation photos!

On Sunday, we drove to Springdale, Arkansas to see the Arkansas Naturals, the minor league team that used to be the Wichita Wranglers.

The stadium was great and the boys had fun at the game. Especially when we arrived and realized they were celebrating Nickelodeon Family Fun Day.

Brett and Casey at the gates of the ballpark

Getting autographs before the game

The field

The playground in the outfield

Casey with barbecue pork nachos
(They were surprisingly good!)

When we got to the ballpark, we were approached by someone from guest services who asked us if the boys would like to participate in a few of the contests for kids between innings.

Brett got to race the Naturals' mascot, Strike, to home plate. He won of course.

The announcer with Brett prior to his race

Casey was selected to have his photo taken with the groundskeeper's dog. They announced his name and showed him on the scoreboard.

Casey at his photo op

Since it was Nickelodeon Family Fun Day, of course, SpongeBob was there. They boys had to have a photo with their idol.

The boys and SpongeBob

The boys and Strike, the Naturals' mascot

After the game, we drove to Bentonville, Arkansas, the home of Wal-Mart. I really wanted to see the headquarters since we were so close. It's really no big deal, but I was glad I saw it.

Wal-Mart headquarters

On the way back to Branson, we stopped at Roaring River State Park with the boys. It was really neat. It has a natural spring and a trout hatchery.

Roaring River

Brett and Casey on one of the staircases

The boys on one of the trails

The hatchery

Dan and the boys

Fourth of July

2009-07-05T16:05:00.016-05:00

We celebrated the Fourth of July with a barbecue with our friends Joe and Melissa. Later that night, we joined our neighbors and shot off fireworks.

Melissa getting ready to light a firework

Dan enjoying a fountain

Julie and Missy

Captain Don helping the boys

The Tiki Mon

Melissa enjoying her handiwork

Joe and Melissa

Brett and Missy

Dan and me

Melissa and me

Me and Casey

Casey and Jack

Fourth of July parade and brunch

2009-07-04T17:46:00.012-05:00

This morning, we went to our friends', the Knadlers, and watched the Crown Heights Fourth of July parade and then joined them and some other friends for brunch.

Watching the parade go by

An antique car in the parade

Casey and Brett

Casey

Brunch!

Lexy

Dave taught Brett how to play bocce ball

Brett's turn

Lexy and Kyle

Amy and Noah

Third of July party

2009-07-04T17:27:00.005-05:00

We got together with a few of our neighbors on Friday night to have a cookout and let the kids shoot off some of their fireworks.

We were hosted by our friends, the Carvers.

Rick helping Casey light a punk

Mike with his big box of fireworks

This is a cool one.

Brett, Josh and Suzanne

Suzanne and Jack

Casey and Brett

Father's Day

2009-07-04T16:21:00.011-05:00

We went to Kansas City for Father's Day weekend to see Nana Harla and Papa Frank and to go to a Royals game.

The boys had a blast swimming with Nana Harla. They even played "Monkey in the Middle."

Monkey in the Middle with Nana Harla

Brett and Casey playing catch

Brett

Casey

On Saturday afternoon, we took Brett and Papa Frank to the Royals game. There was a rain delay for about 90 minutes, but we passed the time by walking around all the new attractions. Brett even got a chance to take batting practice at the Little K, the mini baseball diamond for kids.

Brett on deck

We got special seats for this game. Before the stadium was renovated, you couldn't sit out near the fountains in the outfield. They have added a seating section out there now, so we gave that a try.

The Dri-Duck seats near the fountains

We were next to the fountains, but unfortunately
you couldn't see the four-story score board

The view from our seats

Brett watching the game with Papa Frank

Three generations of Royals fans

Baseball

2009-06-06T23:33:00.005-05:00

Brett is playing kid-pitch baseball this summer. His team has hunter green shirts and they have selected "The Fighting Irish" as their team name. (No idea why! :) )

It's been tough-going--since this is the first year of kid-pitch the pitchers are learning to throw and the kids are learning to hit pitches thrown by a pitcher instead of from a pitching machine.

We haven't won yet, but we've managed to get some hits and stay in the game.

Brett, as usual, is just happy to be playing.

Brett in his uniform before his first game.

I love this photo.

Brett at bat.

Memorial Day weekend camping trip

2009-05-25T15:12:00.028-05:00

For the third year in a row, we went camping over the Memorial Day weekend with friends. The weather was perfect this year, not too hot during the day, not too chilly at night, and NO rain!

We go to Fall River, which is about an hour and a half from Wichita. We rent a large campsite and have a large picnic shelter with electricity, so it's hardly roughing it. I tell people the roughest part is sleeping in a tent--we even have an air mattress!

We loaded the car and packed it to the gills!

Brett helping with the tent.

Home sweet home.

Brett's favorite camping activity:
watching videos on the portable DVD player.

Friday night dinner.
Casey helped Kurt man the grill.

The kids roasted s'mores at the campfire.
Lauryn and Casey decided they needed
their sunglasses because the fire was so bright.

On Saturday, we took the kids for a walk to see the dam at Fall River. Since it's rained so much in the last month, they were letting water out of the dam. We camp at the Dam Site campground right near the dam, so we were lulled to sleep at night by the "white noise" of the water pouring out of the dam.

This is the bridge we have to cross
to get to our campsite.

Brett and Casey.

The dam. Last year we were able
to fish on the banks of the river
where that tree stands.

Jeff, Dan, Terry and Kurt.

We bring plenty of activities since we have lots of time just sitting around the campsite.

The guys played frisbee golf in the
field behind the campsite.

Dan's turn.

The boys learned how to play croquet this time, since Jeff, master of the campsite games, brought his croquet set.

Brett.

Jeff.

We also took the boys' fishing poles so they could try to catch some fish. They really just have fun casting out.

Brett.

Casey.

We took Terry and Doug, our
master fishermen, along to
help the boys.

Saturday night's dinner was a fish and vegetable fry. Terry deep-fried broccoli and cauliflower and some of the striper he'd caught on a previous fishing trip.

Terry manning the fryer.

The fried veggies were awesome.

We eat like kings on these camping trips. On Sunday night, we had a huge meal. Doug and Cindy had smoked ribs and brought them, Terry made guacamole and we had steak and chicken fajitas.

Jeff manning the margarita machine.

Doug and Cindy cutting up the ribs.

Terry tasting his guacamole.

Amy was in charge of grilling the
chicken and steak for the fajitas.

On Monday morning, the tradition is for the guys to make the girls breakfast. We had scrambled eggs, sausage and bacon.

Brett helping to crack the eggs.

The guys cooking breakfast.

It's also a tradition for us to take a group photo on Monday morning before we head home. Only the people who didn't shower during the entire weekend get to be in the photo. What a prize, huh? :)

Our group; a little smelly, but happy.

Casey's spring party

2009-05-22T08:00:00.011-05:00

Yesterday, Casey had his first-grade spring party. We did a summertime theme.

One mom brought surfboard cookies

For the craft, we bought the kids
foam sunglasses they could decorate

Decorating the sunglasses

Casey's friend Nate
(Why do I think of Elton John when
I see them wearing their glasses?)

Eliora

Casey and his glasses

One final class photo

Casey has been in a looping class for kindergarten and first grade, so he's been with the same teacher and classmates for two years. As a thank you, I made a scrapbook with photos from the past two years for the teacher.

Mrs. Daray opening her scrapbook

She showed the kids the pages as she read it

As a keepsake for the kids, I printed their first grade class photo and pasted it on a sheet of paper, then had them each sign one for their classmates. It took a lot of time and organization to make sure everyone had signed, but it was worth it.

Class keepsake

Diorama

2009-05-19T20:09:00.008-05:00

Brett had an assignment to choose an animal from a list of about fifty and then create a diorama of the animal's habitat that included the animal's predator and prey.

He chose the Komodo dragon. Needless to say, this isn't an animal we're intimately familiar with, so we took Brett to the zoo to see the one there and also did some research in books from the library.

We bought a box at UPS and I used some scrapbook paper I had for the background. The most expensive item in the diorama was the dragon. It cost $10.50 at the zoo!

I think it turned out pretty well considering we'd never done this before.

Brett painting the wild boar,
which is the Komodo's prey

The diorama with the wild dog,
the Komodo's predator

Brett painting "blood" on the
wild boar

The Komodo feasting on the wild boar
while the wild dog looks on

Brett and his finished diorama.

Brett's score sheet for the diorama.

Royals game

2009-05-19T19:57:00.015-05:00

On Sunday, we took the boys to Kansas City to see their first Royals game in the newly refurbished stadium. We met Dan's brother, Mike, and our nieces Sophie, Lily and Maggie.

The stadium is awesome. There was lots for the kids to do and, of course, lots of great food.

It was a great day.

Brett with the scoreboard behind him
(Not sure what's up with the "peace" sign!)

Dan, Casey and Brett watching the
Royals practice before the game

Maggie, Casey and Lily

The four of us in front of the
fountains in the outfield

Brett standing in front of the statue
of George Brett, who he was named after

The kids each got a Build-a-Bear
Royals lion at the game

Brett, his peace sign, and
the Statue of Liberty

The scoreboard and fountains
in the outfield

Watching the game with Uncle Mike

Dan and the boys on the field before
the kids got to run the bases after the game

Brett standing on home plate

The boys on the field after the game

Casey and the foam finger
he HAD to have

Baby shower

2009-05-16T21:40:00.007-05:00

Tonight, I went to a baby shower for my friend Kendra. It was hosted by my friend, Amy, and was really swanky and sweet. Amy really knows how to throw a party.

Kendra is expecting her third boy in July.

The place settings

Kendra and the onesie I bought her:
"Worth the wait"

Amy and Kendra holding the clothesline
of baby clothes Amy made

The bridesmaids
We all met because we were in Amy's wedding
and have become friends with each other

Amy and Natalie

Walkfest

2009-05-16T21:33:00.007-05:00

This morning we all got up at the crack of dawn and headed to Central Riverside Park for the Walkfest. It's a fun event, with hundreds of people walking a 2.5 or 5-mile course. Since we sponsor the event, I coordinate the volunteers, so I talked Dan into helping.

The boys had a blast--mostly because they got to ride in a golf cart most of the time!

It would have been a perfect day--except for the cold morning!

The crowd prior to the start of the walk

The start of the walk

Dan, the boys, and a new friend

Brett

Casey

Great Wolf Lodge

2009-04-19T18:31:00.014-05:00

We took the kids up to Great Wolf Lodge for a mini vacation since they had a long weekend. We'd never been and it was a great place.

Several of our neighbors went as well as our friends, the Dillons.

The hotel is built like a large log cabin and there's a three-story indoor waterpark with lots of fun water slides and a lazy river.

Great Wolf Lodge

The lobby of the hotel

The indoor water park

Every fifteen minutes a large bucket of
water dumps on a play area.

Brett and Casey on a water slide.

Casey in the lazy river with Tanner.

Mike and Suzanne on the water slide.

Brett and Jack.

Casey and Josh.

Logan.

Tanner, Casey and Josh.

Brett and Jack on a water slide.

The kids in the pool:
Suzanne, Brett, Scott, Tanner and Carson.

Decorating Easter eggs

2009-04-10T21:39:00.006-05:00

Tonight I let the boys decorate Easter eggs in anticipation of the big holiday. We had Spiderman and Transformer kits, and the boys went to town with the stickers after they dyed the eggs.

Brett dyeing his egg.

Casey dyeing an egg.

Working hard.

Casey's Spiderman egg.

Brett's Transformers egg.

Snowman

2009-03-28T18:45:00.006-05:00

The boys got Dan to help them make a snowman this afternoon. I think it's the first one they've ever gotten to make since it doesn't snow here that much.

I think they did a pretty good job.

Getting the body ready.

Casey holding the head.

Putting the scarf on.

Adding the arms.

The boys and their new friend.

The snowman.

Snow day

2009-03-28T14:09:00.003-05:00

Although we didn't get the "snowmageddeon" they predicted, we did get several inches of ice and snow on Friday night.

This morning, the boys braved the elements and went outside to play while Dan attempted to shovel the driveway.

Casey and his snowball.

Brett and his sled.

My boys.

Valentine's class parties

2009-02-13T16:18:00.011-06:00

This afternoon was filled with Valentine's parties in the boys' classes.

In Brett's class, the kids had made boxes to hold their Valentines that were simple machines. Brett's was very simple compared to what some of the other kids did.

This little girls made her box into a Humvee.
You put the Valentines in the sunroof.

This was a lion robot.
You put the cards in his mouth.

This was Brett's. We made a ramp on
the top of the box and the cards slid in.

During the party, the girls got to make charm bracelets and the boys made candy bracelets.

Brett stringing his bracelet.

The finished product.

Each child also made a handprint keepsake to bring home. They used their handprints to make a heart.

Brett making his handprint.

Brett's handprint keepsake.

Casey's class played candy heart bingo and did a wordsearch made up of the the names of all the kids in the class.

Of course, there was also lots of sweets.

Mmm. Cupcakes.

Going through the valentines--
the best part of the party.

Casey was thrilled to get this Ben 10
Alien Force valentine.

WSU vs. Missouri State

2009-02-10T22:00:00.001-06:00

Tonight we joined some friends for the WSU vs. Missouri State men's basketball game. Dan went to Missouri State, so we tried hard to behave ourselves since we were sitting with some hard-core fans.

It was a close game and WSU won with a three-pointer at the buzzer.

Oh well. Better luck next time.

WSU Think Pink game

2009-02-08T18:20:00.005-06:00

We took the boys to the WSU women's basketball game today. It was their "Think Pink" game to benefit breast cancer awareness. Jeff and Lauryn and Joe and Melissa also joined us.

The kids had fun in the Fun Zone before the game playing on some inflatables.

Casey sliding.

Brett trying out the baseball throw.

The game was pretty good. Unfortunately, the Shockers lost by two. It was something fun to do on a Sunday.

You can see the players on the bench wearing pink.

Casey didn't wear pink, but he
brought a pink stylus for his DS.

Even Wu wore pink.

Lauryn and Casey.

Parent-teacher conferences

2009-02-05T21:15:00.004-06:00

Tonight we were treated to good reports from both boys' teachers.

Casey is reading above level and is doing great. One of his most recent projects was writing his numbers to 1,000. He was the first in his class to finish and was rewarded with a can of pop.

One of the projects he showed us was a story he wrote about his "special someone" for Valentine's Day. He chose his dad. It was really very sweet. He said his dad was special because "he loves my mom." That does make him special! :)

Casey and his "special someone" project.

Brett is doing well too. When his teacher showed me everything they will be covering on the upcoming state assessment tests, I couldn't believe it. I didn't remember learning half those things when I was in third grade. His teacher told us it was all due to "No Child Left Behind." Great.

Brett led the first part of his conference with a PowerPoint he created. It even had music, animation and sound effects. It's really amazing how technologically advanced our kids are.

Brett presenting his PowerPoint.

Brett showed us the snowman and poem he created.

And so it begins...

2009-01-20T12:44:00.003-06:00

We've waited a long time for this. I know it won't be easy, but I feel much more confident about the future with Barack Obama as our president.

I think the photo below is my favorite one of the day.

Adios!

Two front teeth

2009-01-19T21:05:00.001-06:00

...are now missing and Casey has a serious lisp.

We're having trouble anticipating these last-minute visits from the Tooth Fairy.

Our little vampire.

Another tooth gone

2009-01-15T20:25:00.002-06:00

Casey lost the first of his two front teeth tonight. I actually had to help pull this one out because it was bleeding and barely attached. Whee!

I hope the Tooth Fairy still makes house calls on super cold nights!

His missing top and bottom teeth line up perfectly.

American Idol

2009-01-13T21:55:00.003-06:00

Just some random thoughts on tonight's show:

I like the new judge. I wasn't sure four judges would work, but Kara knows the business (and can sing) and she's a lot more coherent than Paula.
Glad they kept the crazies to a minimum.
Loved the girl in the bikini. Finally someone with a gimmick that can sing--and that isn't scary.
I liked the blind guy who was the last one to audition tonight. He can sing and I think his story will be interesting to follow. I wonder if they'll pay for a friend to accompany him to Hollywood.
Did you notice the "Haysville 2 Hollywood" sign in the crowd in the scenes from the auditions in Kansas City?

Can't wait to read Phil Stacey's blog on Kansas.com.

New book

2009-01-09T18:38:00.002-06:00

I'm reading the American Patriot's Almanac by William Bennett. It's basically a mini daily history lesson. It tells you what happened in history on each day.

I have to say I don't remember much from my high school history classes, so this has really been a refresher course.

My new iPhone

2009-01-06T22:03:00.003-06:00

As a surprise, Dan bought us both iPhones. I've been wanting one for a long time--well since all our friends have had one.

I spent most of the night searching for free applications to download and found some really cool ones. I can't wait until I get the hang of this thing!

Wii games

2009-01-03T11:11:00.004-06:00

As I said, it's been a Wii Christmas. I just wanted to share two of the new games we've gotten that any of you Wii devotees should really try.

One is Raving Rabbids TV Party. We kind of happened upon this one by accident. We saw a sale at Toys R Us and we had to pick two games, so we took a chance on this one.

If you've seen the commercials, this is the one that you can use the Wii Fit board and slide down a ski slope on your bottom.

Needless to say, this one is a blast. It has tons of games that really get you moving: dancing, playing instruments, and driving among others. They boys love it.

The other one is Monopoly. Jeff and Kathryn brought this one over the other night.

I was a little skeptical at first, playing a board game on Wii. But this one really delivers. There are several different theme boards to choose from: traditional, world, future, cheese, candy and jungle. There are also fun mini games too. It's a lot of fun.

Christmas, part 45

2009-01-03T10:56:00.010-06:00

Jeff, Kathryn and Lauryn came over on New Year's Day to exchange Christmas presents. We also made a game night of it, testing out each other's Wii games.

Lauryn helping Jeff open his gift.

(Are You Smarter Than a Fifth Grader? for Wii)

Lauryn opening her gift.
(A Hannah Montana sleep sack, pillow, sleeping mask and hamper)

Lauryn's still not sure about the mask.

I got Kathryn a gift certificate
for a pedicure.

Jeff bought Dan an electronic dartboard
with an old fashioned baseball game on it.

Kathryn gave me a new watch and a
gift certificate to Accessory City.

Brett and Casey got these cool
DS racers. The remote control is the DS.

New Year's Eve

2009-01-03T10:33:00.014-06:00

We spent New Year's Eve with our friends, the Dillons, the Averys and the Donaldsons. We love these parties because the adults can have a good time, the kids play together, we don't have to get babysitters and we can walk to the party.

At one point, we broke out "Rock Band" for Wii, which is always a blast at a party. The kids and the adults both got a turn.

Dan on drums.

Don sang.

Carson on guitar.

Mike on drums and Don on guitar.

Suzanne and Caleb playing the drums.

Casey and Tanner rocking out.

Then we moved to the more "adult" activities...drinking!

The bar.

Dan and Mike doing Dr. Pepper shots.

Me.
(No, I didn't drink the whole thing.)

Bottom's up.

Janette "tasting" a drink Mike made.

Me and my honey....and Mike.

Jack Stack Barbecue

2009-01-02T21:58:00.003-06:00

While we were in Kansas City, we decided to opt out on a third dinner of ham, and instead took Nana and Papa to Jack Stack Barbecue, one of the best barbecue places in town.

Casey, as you may know, is quite the "foodie," and he had been telling Dan that he thought he might like to try ribs, so we thought we'd take him to have some of the best.

He wasn't disappointed--especially when he saw on the menu that some of the ribs were dinosaur-size!

Casey and his first rib experience.

My dinner.
The beans are awesome!

Brett wasn't as much of a fan.
He prefers to eat his meat with a fork.

Dan.
What can I say?

Kansas City Christmas

2009-01-02T21:46:00.007-06:00

The day after Christmas, we packed up the kids and the dog and headed to see Dan's family. It was a real family weekend since his brother and sister-in-law and our three nieces joined us.

The kids got to open even more presents, and it turned out to be a Wii Christmas.

Brett and Casey with our nieces Sophie and Lily.

Casey loved his new Star Wars dictionary
from Uncle Mike.

Nana Harla opening her gift:
an assortment of wine.

Brett helping Papa Frank unwrap
his new griddle.

Brett and Casey opening video
games from Nana and Papa.

After opening our gifts, we lit the Hanukah menorah. For those of you who don't know, Dan's mom's side is Jewish and he and his brother were raised celebrating both the Jewish and Christian holidays. When the grandkids were born, the tradition continued.

Nana Harla lighting the menorah.

Our niece Maggie lighting a candle.

Brett and Casey's turn.

The menorah ablaze.

Christmas

2008-12-25T16:29:00.009-06:00

On Christmas Eve, the boys helped me bake cookies for Santa. They were, of course, made with refrigerated cookie dough, but they're mighty tasty.

Casey begged me to buy these cookies with

Christmas trees on them.

Brett helping out.

Taste-tester.

As bedtime finally came, the boys both helped get the cookies and milk ready for Santa.

Casey thought Santa would be really hungry.

Brett pouring the milk. No spills.

Needless to say, the boys were very excited for Santa's visit. Casey was so excited he'd fall asleep for a few minutes and then wake up crying because he still had so long to wait. The anticipation was almost too much for him. Brett, he fell right asleep and had to be woken up this morning.

When morning finally came, the boys could hardly wait to go and see what Santa had left for them. I made them wait in our bedroom until I got the video camera ready. Below is video of them walking into the living room and getting a first look at their loot.

I think they were very pleased with their presents and have spent most of today bugging us to help them open them. :)

There were especially excited with Santa's gifts.

We all had a great Christmas. Dan bought me some new pajamas and slippers and a new purse and a hat, scarf and glove set. He has great taste and always does a good job picking things out.

Dan was thrilled to get a version of the game "Pitfall" for the Wii. This was a game he played on his Atari all the time when he was a kid.

I hope all of our friends have had a great holiday and I can't wait to hear about their holidays.

Farewell play date

2008-12-20T14:21:00.004-06:00

On Friday night, we had Casey's best friend, Kole, at our house for a final playdate. Kole's family is originally from Texas and they are moving back this weekend.

Casey handled it pretty well. There were no tears and we've promised to let the boys keep in touch via letters and e-mail.

I made a little scrapbook for Kole filled with photos of some of the fun times he and Casey have shared.

Kole's scrapbook.

The boys had a full night, playing the Wii, making things with Legos and eating pizza.

Casey showing Kole the scrapbook.

Playing with Legos.

The Star Wars fans.

Best buddies.

Classroom Christmas

2008-12-20T14:12:00.007-06:00

Since Friday was the last day of school, Brett brought home the Christmas presents he made for us and he also got to bring home one of his presents, a stocking that was filled with little presents and treats.

His teacher asked each parent to send in a stocking with their child's name on it and 25 little items to put in each stocking. I sent in snowmen pencils I bought at Oriental Trading.

Brett and his stocking

I was really impressed with all the neat items that filled the stocking. Some parents really got into the project.

My friend Janette bought these cute Christmas figures.

She took a photo of each child and filled the frame.

Here's a large candy kiss.
Casey's eyeing that one.

Brett with all his loot.

The other neat idea his teacher had was to create a photo Christmas card from the class that was sent to each student's house.

Brett's class Christmas card.

Another visit from the Tooth Fairy

2008-12-14T20:32:00.003-06:00

Tonight, Brett lost his seventh tooth while he was eating a Christmas cookie, so I guess we'll be having a visit from the Tooth Fairy.

Since I don't carry cash, I'm thankful the Tooth Fairy takes care of giving the boys their dollar bill.

Brett and his tooth.

A visit from Nana and Papa

2008-12-14T20:25:00.008-06:00

My parents came to visit last week to see the boys before Christmas. We've had a great week filled with lots of good cooking.

On Sunday morning we exchanged presents with them. The boys were almost vibrating with excitement about getting to open their gifts. I'm afraid to see what they'll be like on Christmas eve!

Nana Doris opening her new pajamas.

Nana Doris with Brett and Casey.

The boys with Papa Louie.

Casey opening his new Star Wars DS game.

Brett got a new baseball game.

Aren't they sweet?
Yeah, right!

Christmas luncheon

2008-12-14T20:10:00.007-06:00

On Friday, we had our department Christmas luncheon. We usually have a great meal at one of our managers' houses and a white elephant gift exchange.

This year, we went to my boss' house, where we had quite a spread...turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, green bean casserole, homemade corn bread and tons of different desserts, including a tiramisu I talked my dad into making for me.

Here's my plate.
Funny how it ended up looking like a wreath of food.

After we ate, we began the gift exchange. This year, Melissa ended up with the number one, which traditionally isn't the best number because you don't get to steal a gift or swap for another one unless someone steals yours.

She sort of ended up having a lucky number (and good taste), because she was forced to pick a new gift at least three times since people swiped hers.

Gift number one: a snow globe that played music

Gift number two: a recharging desk for electronic gadgets

The Christmas wine glass charms she finally ended up with.

The guys always end up with the funniest gifts; usually something they'd never pick in a million years. Most of the time they take them home for their wives.

Dan with kitchen towels and candy.

Harry with a plush dog that danced and played music.

Phil with a decorative ball made of seashells.
I ended up taking pity on him and swapped
with him since I have a beach-themed bathroom.

By popular demand

2008-12-08T21:37:00.000-06:00

I have altered the post below by adding the recipes for the goodies shown.

I will wait to post the recipe for my Christmas bark until later!

Recipe swap

2008-12-07T17:56:00.009-06:00

Today I was invited to a recipe swap at my friend Julie's mother's house. I've never been to one, but since I bake Christmas gifts for my co-workers, I was hoping to find a few new recipes.

I wasn't disappointed. Nine ladies met and swapped recipes. There were some really great treats.

Coconut almond bars

Recipe:

Crust:
3 cups graham cracker crumbs
3/4 cup unsalted butter, melted
1/4 teaspoon salt

Topping:
2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
2 cups sweetened coconut
1 3/4 cups Eagle brand condensed milk
1 cup sliced almonds

Bake at 350 degrees in buttered 9x13 pan lined with parchment paper. Mix crust, pour into pan and press into bottom. Mix topping except for milk and spread over crust. Pour milk evenly over mixture.

Bake 30-32 minutes until golden. Cool, then cut.

Butter pecan fudge

Recipe:

1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
2 cups confectioner's sugar
1 cup pecan halves, coursely chopped
1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla

In large, heavy saucepan, combine butter, white and brown sugars, cream and salt. Bring to a boil over medium heat stirring constantly for 5 minutes.

Remove from heat. Stir in vanilla. Stir in confectioner's sugar until smooth. Fold in pecans.

Spread into a buttered 8-inch square dish. Cool to room temperature. Cut into 1-inch squares. Store in airtight container in refrigerator.

S'mores bars

Recipe:

1 1/2 cup graham cracker crumbs
1/2 cup butter/margarine
(1) 14-ounce can sweetened condensed milk
1 cup chopped nuts (optional)
1 cup chocolate chips
1 cup marshmallows

Preheat oven to 350 degrees (325 degrees for glass).
Mix crumbs and butter. Press on bottom of 9x13 dish. Pour sweetened milk over crumb mixture. Layer evenly with chocolate chips, nuts and marshmallows.

Bake 25 minutes or until lightly browned.

Cranberry Hootycreeks

Recipe:

1/2 cup softened butter
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 5/8 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup rolled oats
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup brown sugar
1/3 cup white sugar
1/2 cup dried cranberries
1/2 cup white chocolate chips
1/2 cup chopped pecans

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease cookie sheet.

In large mixing bowl, beat together butter, egg and vanilla until fluffy. Add the rest of the ingredients and mix together until blended.

Drop heaping spoonfuls onto baking sheet, about 2 inches apart.

Bake for 8 to 10 minutes or until edges are lightly browned. Cool for 2 minutes on baking sheets, them remove to wire racks to cool completely.

Peanut butter bars

Recipe:

2 cups peanut butter
2 1/2 cups powdered sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 cup melted margarine
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 1/4 cup chocolate chips

Mix peanut butter, sugar, vanilla, margarine and brown sugar. Press into 9x13 pan.
Bake at 300 degrees for 5 minutes. Frost with chocolate chips to cover the top.
Let cool and cut into squares.

Oreo bon bons

Recipe:

One package reduced-fat Oreos
One package low-fat cream cheese
Chocolate or white chocolate almond bark

Blend Oreos in food processor until fine. Mix cream cheese and oreo powder with mixer. Use a tablespoon as a guide to form uniform balls. Let harden in freezer.

Melt almond bark in microwave. Dip balls in chocolate and put on wax paper to cool. Sprinkle with holiday sprinkles or drizzle with contrasting chocolate.

(This recipe also works well with vanilla and mint Oreos.)

Bonus Recipe:

English Toffee

Melt together:
1 cup butter (no substitutions)
1 cup packed brown sugar
3-4 teaspoons vinegar

Cook in saucepan until at hard crack stage (using a candy thermometer).

Pour into parchment paper-lined pan (8x8 or 9x13 for thinner toffee).
Cool. Break into pieces.

We each got to vote for our top three choices, and prizes were awarded. My Christmas bark actually won first place!

I got this really cute Christmas cookie candle.

Wishes for Santa

2008-12-04T19:05:00.002-06:00

The Wichita Eagle has a new feature on Kansas.com for Christmas. You can upload a video of your child talking about what they'd like Santa to bring them for Christmas.

Here are the links if you'd like to see Brett's and Casey's videos.

Thanksgiving

2008-11-28T14:37:00.010-06:00

We drove to Kansas City on Wednesday night to spend Thanksgiving with Dan's family. It was a quick trip up and back since Dan had to work on Friday.

This year, we decided to eat at a restaurant instead of having his parents cook, since Dan's dad recently had back surgery. Dan's brother made us reservations at a new restaurant and it was great.

The Sawmill restaurant.

There was quite a buffet.

The buffet was great. They had anything you could want for Thanksgiving, even some things I didn't expect like waldorff salad, noodle cassarole (a nod to our Jewish relatives), and sweet potatoes with homemade marshmallows. It was all delicious.

Casey and me.

Brett and Dan.

Our niece Lily and Casey.

Casey enjoying dessert.

The Loving cousins
Sophie, Lily, Brett, Casey and Maggie

After dinner, Nana Harla had all the grandkids help her put together a gingerbread house. She's very brave! :)

Sophie, Brett and Nana Harla.

Casey and Maggie decorating a cookie.

Lily with her cookie.

We left Kansas City at about nine to drive back to Wichita. It was a long day, but lots of fun. As you can see, it really wore out Casey and Wanda!

Casey and Wanda on the drive back.

Gingerbread Junction

2008-11-23T16:09:00.012-06:00

On Sunday, Casey and I went to Gingerbread Junction, a fundraiser for the Assistance League, where you get to make your own gingerbread house. Brett is still a little under the weather, so he stayed home with Dan. We went with Kathryn and Lauryn, who also joined us last year.

This is the second year we've gone and it seemed a little easier to make the houses. This year they had much better "glue."

I love looking at the professional houses people make for charity. It's amazing what some people can do with icing!

I'd call this a gingerbread manor, not a house!

This had an ice theme.

This barn was cute.

When we got there, we ran into Denise and her daughter, Lexie, and her mother-in-law, so we all sat together. It seems like the kids' favorite part was taste-testing all the decorations.

Lauryn loved the icing.

Casey working on his house.

Kathryn and Lauryn.

Denise and Lexie.

Casey and his house.

Lexi demonstrates the best way to clean
your hands after decorating your house.

Casey and me.

Blog tag

2008-11-19T15:47:00.004-06:00

This is a blog tag game that is making the rounds. Here are the rules of the game:

Link to the person who tagged you. I've been tagged by Tess.
Post the rules on your blog.
Write 6 random things about yourself.
Tag 6-ish people at the end of your post.
Let each person know he/she has been tagged.
Let the tagger know when your entry is up.

Here are six random facts about me:

1) I am a first-generation Italian-American. My father jumped ship when he was with the Italian navy and met my mom in New Jersey when he styled her hair in a beauty salon.

2) My full maiden name is Maria Divina Bacchini.

3) When I was in ninth grade, I had surgery to supposedly cure my mild case of scoliosis. They took off a piece of my right hip in order to better align my hips. I spent two months in a body cast that went from my hips down to my knees. Needless to say, I was tutored at home and still managed to keep up with my class. I don't know if it really helped, but now I have a great scar to remind me of the whole ordeal.

4) I graduated from Rutgers University and am an alumni along with Calista Flockhart, Sex and the City's Kristen Davis and Merrill Teller, the meterologist from Channel 12.

5) I am a complete news junkie. A great evening is watching live coverage of a breaking news event on CNN.

6) Two years ago, I dressed up for Halloween for the first time since I was 10. I was Marilyn Monroe for a theme party. This year I went as Sarah Palin.

I tag:

Janette
Julie S.
Amy W.
Amy M.
Jenny N.

Stomach bug

2008-11-18T10:38:00.003-06:00

In the past two days, both Brett and Casey have had a stomach bug. Casey stayed home Monday and went back to school today. Then Brett got sick early this morning, so now he's home.

I feel like I'm on a merry-go-round that's not so merry!

Birthday party

2008-11-18T10:13:00.007-06:00

Casey went to a really fun birthday party this weekend for his friend Nate.

It was a karate party and the kids had a blast. I've always said that someone could really clean up if they could come up with some new ideas for birthday parties.

We met in a gym and the instructor first had the kids to exercises to warm up.

Casey stretching.

Then he taught the kids some karate moves--kicks and punches. They even got to try nunchuks.

Casey practicing his block.

Casey's kick.

Twirling the nunchuks.

Then the kids each got to do something cool--break a board just like in a real karate class. The boards were small so it didn't take much to break them, but the kids loved it.

Casey breaking his board.

Casey's board.

And the winner is...

2008-11-04T22:03:00.002-06:00

Woo hoo!

Democracy in action

2008-11-04T20:03:00.003-06:00

Today Brett's class got to vote in the presidential election. Not really, but their school did have a mock election.

Unfortunately, out of Brett's class of 24, 20 voted for McCain and only 4 voted for Obama. Brett made sure to tell me he voted for Obama. That's our boy! :)

Checking in to be sure his name is on the rolls.

Pondering his choice in the booth.

Class photo.
I love the hats!

Third grade program

2008-11-03T22:47:00.007-06:00

Tonight Brett's class participated in a program that used singing to teach kids about respect. They all did a great job and it always amazes me how the music teachers are able to teach the kids several songs in such a short amount of time.

I've posted a video of Brett signing and dancing with his class.

Brett and his class.

More singing.

Preparing to dance.

Taking a bow.

Brett and his friend Logan.

Road trip

2008-11-02T20:02:00.017-06:00

We loaded the boys in the car on Saturday morning and took off for Springfield, Missouri for the Barack Obama rally.

Springfield holds special fondness for Dan because he went to college there at Missouri State University (formerly Southwest Missouri State). Any excuse he has to go back is welcome.

Since I've been consumed by the presidential election, I thought it would be really great to get to hear Barack speak. The rally was held at a high school football stadium. The doors were to open at 6 p.m. and Barack was to speak at 9 p.m.

We got into town at 2 p.m. and ate a late lunch and checked into our hotel room. We went to the stadium at 4 p.m. and got in line. By that point there was at least 1,000-2,000 people in line. At the end of the night, they estimated the crowd at 40,000 and the line stretched for miles.

The boys did remarkably well with the long wait. Thank God for their Nintendo DS games!

Luckily the weather was awesome--much like Halloween night here in Wichita.

Here was the line at one point.

Casey checking out the long line.

Almost four hours after getting in line, we finally got to the parking lot of the stadium. To say there was security is an understatement. No bags were allowed in, and everyone had to turn on their cameras and cell phones to prove they were real.

The line at one of many metal detectors.

Once inside the stadium, we made the strategic decision to go down onto the field instead of sitting in the bleachers. We actually got as close as 8-10 rows from the stage, which proved to be a great vantage point.

The crowd waiting for the show to begin.

First we were treated to the Democratic line-up for this year's election. Those running for governor and other offices in Missouri got to make their pitches for Obama (and themselves).

At around 9:30 p.m. a roar went through the crowd--apparently the motorcade had arrived.

First up was Michelle Obama who introduced her husband.

Michelle speaks to the crowd.

Then Barack took the stage. He spoke for about an hour and really got the crowd fired up. When he walked onto the stage, Dan and I held Brett and Casey up so they could see him. They've been learning about the election in school and we told them this would be a speech they would remember for a long time.

A photo from the local paper.

Brett waiting to see Barack.

I managed to get quite a few good photos even from where we were standing in the massive crowd.

Barack making his case.

I liked this photo with all the signs.
Barack is in the middle of the photo.

Another photo from the local newspaper.

We left the rally at about 11:30 p.m. after spending a considerable amount of time trying to get out of the stadium. It was a really memorable night.

On Sunday, we got up and went to Bass Pro Shop, an outdoor store in Springfield that draws visitors from all over the country. It's a must for us when we visit Springfield.

Bass Pro Shop.

Casey and a stuffed friend.

Dan and the boys looking at a display of live turtles.

The boys and a bear.

We then went to visit one of Dan's high school friends who is a drug enforcement agent. We watched most of the Chiefs game and had chili. When we got ready to leave, he let the boys look at some of his work gear. They got a real kick out of that.

Casey modeling a bulletproof vest.

Brett modeling the full get-up
complete with battering ram.

Halloween

2008-10-31T21:04:00.015-05:00

What a busy day! Both boys had parties at school, then we went to the Eagle to trick-or-treat in the newsroom and finally, we had a neighborhood block party and the kids went around the neighborhood.

This morning I helped in Brett's class. I was in charge of Halloween bingo.

Brett and friends playing bingo.

My friend Janette and her husband Chris helped the kids make cute pumpkin wreaths.

Brett and Janette at the wreath-making center.

One of the other moms that helped in Brett's class is very crafty. Here she is wearing a cute Halloween T-shirt she created by making ghosts out of her kids' footprints in fabric paint.

Isn't this a cute idea?

She also made an adorable turkey for Brett's teacher. It's made out of a large styrofoam ball and has 120 crayons stuck in it for the turkey's feathers.

This would be a really cute gift for a

kindergarten teacher.

This afternoon, I helped with Casey's class party. There was a costume parade, then a relay race and treats.

Casey on the right with his two best friends, Kole and Nathan.

Class photo.

Casey competing in the relay race.

Brett and Casey were both characters from the newest Star Wars movie, The Clone Wars.
Brett was a clone and Casey was Anakin, the young Darth Vader.

Brett and Casey

Our neighbors all decided to have a block party during trick-or-treat, so we all sat outside after the kids went around the neighborhood. The weather was great, and it was so nice not to have a bitterly cold Halloween for once.

A Halloween tiki party

The kids had a great time hanging out and playing with light sticks one of our neighbors was handing out.

Casey

Brett

Carson

Trunk-or-Treat

2008-10-26T18:14:00.007-05:00

On Sunday afternoon we went to the Trunk-or-Treat event at Mike and Beckie's church. The kids got a ton of candy (maybe we can just skip Friday night!) and got to walk around trunk-or-treating with their friends.

It's always fun to see how people decorate their trunk to get into the Halloween spirit.

A fiesta themed-trunk

The trick-or-treaters
The Averys, Lovings, and Adams kids

This trunk had a curtain with holes in
it and the kids reached in for their candy.

Visiting Shrek

Casey, Carson and Brett
in their Clone Wars outfits.

Jack, Carson and Brett

Halloween party

2008-10-25T23:53:00.016-05:00

Tonight Dan and I were invited to a Halloween party at the Wenzel's house. I haven't been to many Halloween parties, but I knew this one was special. I had heard that they only have this party every two years because of how much work they put into decorating for it, but I had no idea until we got there.

Their house looked like a Hollywood studio decorated it. EVERY inch of the house was decorated. They even emptied their garage and made it into Frankenstein's laboratory. It was unreal.

This greeted us in the garage.

This mannequin came with a switch
and you could actually control the electric chair.

This giant furry spider and web
were strung up in a tree in the yard.

Once we got to the basement, we were in for more.

This small room was where all the food was laid out.

Also laid out was a skeleton in a casket.

We were warned the Witch's Brew
would kick our butts, but I still drank it.

Now for the costumes. Jeff and Kathryn came to the party dressed as Bruce Wayne and Barbara Gordon, the Gotham City librarian. They looked very swanky.

Gotham City's elite
Bruce Wayne and Barbara Gordon

A little while later, we suddenly noticed Jeff and Kathryn were no where to be found. We soon realized where they had gone...out to change. Man! TWO costumes for one party??!!

Batgirl and Batman

Joe and Melissa came as Autumn and a party monster. Very clever!

Melissa and Joe

Our hosts, Doug and Terry, were the Nerd Patrol.

The hosts with the most.

There were several other really creative costumes:

The naughty nurse and the Alzheimer's patient

Dog the Bounty Hunter and his sidekick

Dan and I decided to take our cue from the presidential campaign. Can you guess who we chose?

I made these campaign buttons
and wore them on my jacket.

You guessed it...

Joe the Plumber and Sarah Palin

New couple on Dancing with the Stars?

2008-10-22T13:16:00.003-05:00

Hopefully Barack will be too busy leading the country to dance with her...

Pumpkin carving

2008-10-21T18:55:00.001-05:00

Here's a fun site if you love to carve pumpkins but hate the mess!

http://tinyurl.com/y3cn4l

Field trip

2008-10-21T18:45:00.009-05:00

Today Brett's class took a field trip to CityArts. They had a full day of art--making clay sculptures, stained glass projects, drawing and making stamps.

I stopped by for a little bit to see Brett's progress:

Brett made a bear with clay the kids made

from white bread and paint.

When the kids had made their animal
or flower, they were all added to this scene.

Next, the class got to make stained glass items. Brett chose to make a caterpillar. He chose blue, green and yellow glass stones for his.

Brett gets help soldering his caterpillar.

What a cute caterpillar!

Brett also got a drawing lesson and even go to sketch a real model!

Sketching his model.

Lilly, by Brett

Scrapbook guilt

2008-10-20T19:50:00.002-05:00

With two young boys and not much free time, I sometimes feel guilty for not keeping up with my scrapbooking. I have at least started books for both Brett and Casey, but I haven't really progressed much past their first birthdays.

I think that's one reason I'm especially happy that I started this blog. It's a lot more detailed than a scrapbook and lots of friends and family get to keep up with the boys.

Tonight my friend Amy turned me on to a neat Web site that allows you to turn your blog into a book. The site is called "Blurb," and you can make up to a 440-page book. I don't think this should be a problem for me! :)

Now, maybe we can have the best of both worlds!

Here is the site:

www.blurb.com

First birthday

2008-10-19T18:37:00.011-05:00

On Sunday afternoon, we helped celebrate the first birthday of Natalie, my friend Amy's little girl. They invited everyone to Exploration Place where we got to "explore" the exhibits for two hours, then we enjoyed pizza and cake in the cafe.

Casey was really excited to get to go, since he's very into science right now.

Casey and Brett in a flight simulator.

Don't fly with them, they crashed the plane.

Casey looking at some germs.

The boys inside a giant bubble.

Natalie and her mama.
I loved her blinged-out first birthday T-shirt.

Amy wanted a photo with all of her
bridesmaids and Natalie.

"Hey! This isn't a tiara!"

I must say, Natalie was a little tentative at first when she got her cake. She poked it and licked her finger a few times. Then she caught on.

Mmmm!

The money shot.

Soccer

2008-10-19T18:28:00.005-05:00

This is a posting of some photos Brett took with my camera at Casey's soccer game Saturday morning.

The team is beginning to gel---just in time for the final game next week!

Casey and Caleb getting ready to play

Going after the ball

Coach Dan

Casey

Lost tooth

2008-10-16T21:33:00.004-05:00

Casey lost his first baby tooth today--with a little help from our dentist.

We noticed that he had a new tooth coming in behind one of his bottom front baby teeth, but he's had no loose teeth. The dentist had us bring him in this morning and he pulled the baby tooth.

Since we knew Casey would be apprehensive about having his tooth pulled, we told him that because the dentist had to pull his tooth, the Tooth Fairy would probably pay double the going rate so he'd get $2.

He's already got big plans for his money.

Casey new tooth is already coming in

The dentist gave Casey this little treasure
chest to keep his tooth in

Field trip

2008-10-08T20:52:00.005-05:00

Today I went with Casey's class on their fall field trip to the Klausmeyer Dairy Farm in Clearwater. It was a great day with warm weather and little wind.

We learned everything you could ever want to know about dairy cows. Much more.

This farm had it all...

Pig races...

A playground...

Hands-on fun...

A pumpkin patch
(This was Casey's choice)

The kids even got to feed a baby calf

At the end of the field trip, we gathered the kids for a class photo.

Woofstock

2008-10-04T20:45:00.007-05:00

On Saturday afternoon, we went to Woofstock, a fundraiser for the Kansas Humane Society. Dan volunteered to work at the Eagle photo booth and we all went along.

The boys got to play on some inflatables and got some giveaways. It was a really fun event.

Brett sliding on one of the inflatables.

The boys got to meet Scooby-Doo.

Wanda even got to have her nails done.

At the Eagle photo booth, pets and their owners could have their photos taken by one Jaime, of the Eagle photographers, and the pictures can be purchased with proceeds going to the Humane Society. As you can imagine, taking photos of dogs isn't easy.

Ron, Jaime and Denise trying to get the attention of someone's dog

All that hard work ensures great
pictures like these.

Sports Saturday

2008-10-04T20:35:00.006-05:00

The boys both had games this morning. Here are some random photos from this morning.

Brett lining up for the next play.

Brett got to carry the ball.
He didn't get very far.
(That's him on the ground)

Casey out on the field.

Character

2008-10-01T21:21:00.003-05:00

Casey was an outstanding character nominee at his school this week. He was nominated for sticking up for someone on his bus who was getting teased.

He got to have lunch with the vice principal today and got a certificate and a special button he could wear.

It was a very big day.

Casey proudly displaying his button

The character nominees with the vice principal

Fall sports

2008-10-01T21:05:00.005-05:00

Both boys are playing a fall sport. Brett is playing football (for the first time), and Casey is playing soccer.

They're having fun and getting some exercise, which is the important thing.

Brett's team in the huddle

Water break

Casey playing goalie

Kicking the ball

I can't wait for the debate

2008-09-28T08:23:00.003-05:00

Tina Fey hit it out of the park again last night with her spin on Sarah Palin's interview with Katie Couric. Tina's "Sarah" looks so much like the governor, it's hard to tell them apart.

Here's the link in case you missed it:

http://voices.washingtonpost.com/the-trail/2008/09/28/gov_palin_gets_the_snl_treatme.html

She nailed it

2008-09-14T20:15:00.003-05:00

The season premiere of "Saturday Night Live" was awesome. They got Tina Fey to come back and do Sarah Palin. Only Tina could have pulled this off--they're almost twins!

The skit was hilarious. I don't know what was funnier--Tina Fey doing Sarah Palin or Amy Poehler doing an incredulous Hillary.

I'm definitely going to have to start recording SNL each week. I can't wait to see what they do next!

Boat ride

2008-09-01T22:04:00.005-05:00

Later Sunday evening, we met up with friends Todd and Trisha and their kids. They live in a development near Dan's parents that has a lake.

This was the first time Brett and Casey had gotten a chance to ride in a tube being pulled by a boat. Brett loved it--Casey not so much.

Todd helping Brett into the tube

Casey and Dan

Captain Todd

Brett and Kara riding in the tube

Casey

Brett

Casey jumping off the boat

Pool fun

2008-09-01T21:55:00.005-05:00

On Sunday afternoon, we spent some time with Dan's extended family and also celebrated the boys' birthdays (again!)

Brett and our niece Lily

Our niece, Sophie, and Brett

Sophie and Casey

Harla and her sister Merriam

Grandma Harla tried to find the boys a Star Wars cake for their birthday, but she couldn't find one. What she did manage to find was really cool: a video game cake.

The game controllers rested on top of cupcakes
and the blue disc in the middle of the cake is
actually a CD case

The boys opening their birthday cards

Cool bug and reptile games from their cousins

High School reunion

2008-09-01T21:47:00.005-05:00

This weekend, we went to Kansas City for Dan's 20th high school reunion.

Guess who this is?

On Friday night, everyone met at a local bar for a get-together, then on Saturday night, there was a more "formal" event at a hotel with a catered dinner.

I had a pretty good time, since he has stayed close with several of his high schools friends and I've gotten to know them and their wives.

Dan's friend Mark and his wife Heather

Dan's friend Todd and his wife Trisha

Dan and his friend Sean

Springsteen concert

2008-08-25T20:02:00.006-05:00

On Sunday morning, Dan and I drove to Kansas City to see the final performance of Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band's "Magic" tour at the Sprint Center.

We stayed in a hotel just a few blocks from the arena, the Hotel Phillips. It's an old, art deco hotel.

The lobby of the Hotel Phillips

We met up with Dan's brother and his wife and walked around the Power and Light District, which is a collection of bars and restaurants right across from the arena. We had a great dinner at an Irish pub called Ragland Road, and then visited several bars and had drinks.

We had risotto and bangers and mash for dinner

We headed over to the arena around 6 p.m. for the 7:30 p.m. start of the concert because we wanted to walk around the new arena. One of the neatest things about the arena was that it had a mini Quik Trip store inside where you could buy coffee and frozen drinks at Quik Trip prices, even though there were other concession stands that were selling $3.50 Pepsis.

The Sprint Center

Our ticket

The concert was awesome, although it started almost an hour and a half late. Bruce and the Band played for three non-stop hours, so we certainly got our money's worth. Since the concert ended at midnight, I'm glad Dan and I decided to spend a little extra on a hotel room and didn't have to drive back to go to work the next day.

For a band where the average age is 50, I think they put on a great show!

Luau

2008-08-24T07:50:00.007-05:00

On Saturday night, we went to Jeff and Kathryn's house for a luau to celebrate their recent trip to Hawaii.

It was a theme party, so of course everyone dug out their tropical attire.

Kathryn and Lauryn

Casey and Brett

Melissa and Joe

Dan and Jeff

Melissa and me

They had quite the spread of Hawaiian food and desserts:

The blue stuff is poi

Loved this cake

The kids really got into the spirit of the party. Casey played the ukulele and Lauryn played with a Hawaiian drum.

Casey and Lauryn rocking out

Happy Birthday Brett!

2008-08-19T07:03:00.006-05:00

For the second time in four days, we had a birthday in the Loving household.

Brett turned nine on Monday. (We really should have spaced our kids' birthdays out better!)

He opened presents before school, and got a new Star Wars lightsaber (to be able to fight with Casey), a new football, and a game for his Nintendo DS.

Brett and his new lightsaber

Opening his football

Later in the afternoon during school, he treated his class to Batman cupcakes.

Brett and his teacher

Sharing with the class

Mmmm!

The birthday celebration was complete with dinner at Carlos O'Kellys.

Happy birthday Brett!

Happy Birthday Casey!

2008-08-15T18:38:00.006-05:00

Today Casey turned seven. It was a big day, with presents in the morning, cupcakes for his class at school, and tonight, dinner and the new animated Star Wars movie.

Casey is a huge Star Wars fan, so we bought him a helmet that changes his voice and a lightsaber from the new movie. He opened his presents this morning before going to school.

Casey and his new lightsaber

Opening his helmet

Modeling his presents

Later this morning, Casey got to share cupcakes with his class. Thanks to my friend Janette for going to school and taking these photos:

What a ham!

Mmmm!

Happy Birthday Casey!

Olympics

2008-08-13T21:30:00.002-05:00

I've been staying up late most nights watching the Olympics. I love the swimming and gymnastics so far.

I thought it was really sad that the US women's gymnastics team choked last night. I also thought it was cruel that the cameraman for NBC insisted on focusing on the gymnast whose flubs cost the team the gold medal. When she left the floor you could tell she was really fighting back the tears, but because she knew she was on TV, she wouldn't let herself break down.

These aren't professional athletes used to the spotlight like Brett Favre or Kobe Bryant. Give them a break.

First day of school

2008-08-13T21:12:00.006-05:00

Well, today was the big day.

Brett is now a third grader and Casey is a first grader. Wow! Time really flies.

We took our traditional first day of school photos:

Casey and Brett on our front porch

These are the tiki party kids at the bus stop
Casey, Brett, Tanner, Suzanne, Josh & Carson

Getting on Miss Debbie's bus

We followed both boys out to their schools to take a few photos on their first day. Casey had a little crying jag, but they both had a great day.

Brett and his teacher

Casey settling in with his classmates

Meet the Teacher night

2008-08-11T21:47:00.003-05:00

Tonight Brett and Casey both got to meet their teachers.

Since Casey is looping, he will have the same teacher and classmates as in kindergarten, so he already knows his teacher. For him, this was an opportunity to take his school supplies to his classroom.

By the way, you haven't lived until you've had to shop off a school supply list. It's more like a scavenger hunt.

Brett met his third grade teacher and, as usual, launched into a story. This time it was about our trip to Washington.

I can't believe summer vacation is over already. Actually with the weather the way it's been, it feels like fall is just around the corner.

Casey and his classmate Olivia

Brett holding the neat notebook his
new teacher painted for him.

Washington, DC

2008-08-09T19:24:00.032-05:00

Last Monday, we took the boys, my brother and my parents to Washington, DC for three days. On our way to DC, we stopped at the new Smithsonian Air and Space Museum near Dulles Airport. It was really amazing. They have a prototype of one of the space shuttles and lots of smaller airplanes from several different decades.

The National Air and Space Museum
Steven Udvar-Hazy Center

One of the hangars housing multiple airplanes

Brett and Casey in front of the space shuttle

This is an observation tower you can
go up in to watch planes landing at
Dulles Airport

After leaving the Air and Space Museum, we got to our hotel. Dan found us a great hotel on Hotwire, the Hotel Palomar, a boutique hotel in Dupont Circle which is near Embassy Row. Each evening at 5 p.m., there was a free wine tasting. Woo hoo!

The Hotel Palomar

Our room. Yes, those are "fur" throws on the bed

Later the first evening, my brother watched the boys while Dan and I and my parents took a nighttime tour of the city. It was really something to see the monuments and buildings all lit up.

Union Station where our tour began

My mom and dad

The Iwo Jima memorial

The Lincoln Memorial

On Tuesday, we set out on foot to see the major monuments and Arlington National Cemetary. It was really hot and there was a lot of walking, but the boys were real troupers. Most of the time.

The boys in front of the White House

Brett and a friend

Fun with perspective at the Washington Monument

Dan and the boys at the World War II memorial

This year in second grade, Brett's class learned about Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and his famous "I Have a Dream" speech. Brett came home and talked about it quite a bit. So while we were in Washington, we made sure Brett got to see the Lincoln Memorial where King made that speech.

Brett at the Lincoln Memorial overlooking the
Reflecting Pool on the Mall

Brett, Casey and Uncle Abe

Most of the time we were in the city, we took the Metro to get around. The boys really liked riding the escalators into and out of the subway stations and putting their passes into the turnstiles.

Going down into the subway

Brett putting his pass into the turnstile

We took the Metro over the Arlington National Cemetary to see the changing of the guard at the Tomb of the Unknowns. We were able to take a tour of the cemetary on a tram so we didn't have to walk around so much.

JFK's gravesite with the eternal flame

The guard at the Tomb of the Unknowns

Later that night, Dan, my brother and I, went to dinner at a great French restaurant, Bistrot du Coin, in Dupont Circle near our hotel. It was a traditional French bistro with a huge wine list and no pop on the menu. I'm not a big wine fan, but we had a great Chardonnay.

I ordered ravioli with mushrooms and lobster in a really rich cheese sauce. My brother and Dan both had mussels (Micheal's with pesto and Dan's in marinara sauce). Dan also ordered French onion soup, which was quite possibly the best French onion soup we've ever had.

Our first French restaurant

Dan's French onion soup

My brother ordered escargot (snails)

Dan's mussels and my ravioli in the foreground

After dinner, we walked around Dupont Circle for a little while. It's a wonderful area. Very European in feel with lots of shops and restaurants. We found a great old bar called the Brickskellar that boasted the world's largest selection of bottled beer. From the twenty page menu, I think I believe them.

The entrance to the Brickskeller

Dan and Michael enjoying a beer

On our last day in town, we got up and Dan and I went to the Newseum, a wonderful museum dedicated to the history of news gathering. It's only a year old and is a very modern building made with lots of steel and glass.

The Newseum

Each morning, the Newseum displays the front pages of 50 newspapers from around the country.

The front pages outside the front of the Newseum

Inside, we found the front page of that day's Wichita Eagle

This is the whiteboard Tim Russert used
during the 2000 presidential election

Later on, we met up with my parents and brother who had taken the boys to the Museum of Natural History. I was really bummed to discover that the Museum of American History was closed for renovations until fall. I love pop culture and was really looking forward to seeing some of the exhibits. Oh well, next trip.

The lobby of the Museum of Natural History

I had to see the Hope diamond, the largest in the world

Here's another bauble from the gem exhibit

Brett and Casey in the dinosaur exhibit

The boys with another friend

Looking at the mammal exhibit

A family photo on the steps of the museum

All in all, it was a great trip. I think we'll go back when the boys are a little older because I still think some of the history is beyond them. It's a great city and I can't wait to go back.

A day at the beach

2008-08-03T20:21:00.005-05:00

On Sunday, we took the boys down to Wildwood to play in the ocean. They had a great time. My brother and Dan taught them how to boogey board and body surf.

Casey getting a lesson

Brett in the waves

There was also lots of fun playing in the sand. At one point, Brett and Casey each were buried by Dan.

Brett being buried

Another family near us made this turtle in the sand

Ocean City

2008-08-02T21:06:00.015-05:00

Today we took the boys to Ocean City to walk on the boardwalk and ride amusement rides at the beach.

On our way there, we stopped at a local pizzeria near where my parents live, for lunch. It was great. We each got to order something we'd been craving.

Dan's sausage and pepper sandwich

My cheesesteak hoagie

Casey's pepperoni and bacon pizza

Brett's meatball pizza

Dan and I even think the placemats at local pizzerias and diners here are neat:

They're full of advertising

Once we got to Ocean City, the boys had a blast. They got to ride lots of cool rides. Brett even let me drag him onto a runaway train roller coaster that scared him a little. Needless to say, he loved it once he tried it.

Brett celebrates surviving the roller coaster

Riding the spinning bears with Michael

Dan and the boys on the bumper boats

Dan and Casey on the bumper cars

We walked on the boardwalk for a while after we were finished with the rides. I stopped at one of my favorite candy shops, Fralinger's, to buy saltwater taffy. Man, I can't get enough of that stuff!

Fralinger's candy store

Casey even managed to find an old friend, Mr. Peanut. When we used to take him to the boardwalk when he was little, he was scared to death of him. Now he almost seeks him out.

Brett and Casey with Mr. Peanut

Brett and Casey on the beach

Family photo

Fun the in sun

2008-08-02T20:42:00.010-05:00

On Friday, I had porkroll for lunch, one of my favorite things to eat when I come back home to visit.

Porkroll is probably best described as a cross between Spam (which I hate) and scrapple. It's only found in portions of the east coast.

Porkroll in its packaging

Porkroll frying

Dan had an Italian sub (as we call them here) from a local deli for lunch. He even managed to find Lays potato chips with crab seasoning, something else you can't find in Kansas.

Dan and his sandwich

Crabby potato chips

After lunch, we took the boys over to our cousins' house to go swimming. My brother joined us there and tried to teach the boys how to dive since he coaches high school divers. It didn't go very well.

Casey taking the plunge

Brett's turn

Later that night, Dan, my brother and I went to Atlantic City to eat at our favorite seafood buffet at Harrah's casino. In the two years since we've been here, the hotel closed the buffet we used to go to and created a new, more expensive one. It was still pretty good, especially the all-you-can-eat crab legs and shrimp.

A day at the waterpark

2008-07-31T18:54:00.011-05:00

Today we took the boys to the beach town of Wildwood and we went to two waterparks right on the boardwalk.

Before we tackled the waterslides, we had our first taste of east coast pizza. The pies are huge and the crust is soft and puffy.

Casey eating a slice

Believe it or not, this slice is probably 6 inches wide

The waterparks both looked very similar and had pretty good rides, including a slide that dropped you ten feet into the pool. We all did that one. There was also rope swing, and both parks had a very cool slide that many people could go down at once. The boys really loved that one.

Slippery steps lead to the slide

You can see the beach in the background of the park

Dan and the boys