Seth's Orchestra Concert

Seth had his first orchestra concert on December 9th. They played four songs and did amazing! I was pleasantly surprised and how well a begging orchestra class could sound. I was also surprised at how many kids there were. Chris, Penny, Grandma, Grandpa, Auntie, Ryan, Kyle, Caleb & I were all as well as the Standages so that was pretty cool for him to have such a big audience. He sits in the back so unfortunately I don't have any good pictures of him. I'm also going to try uploading a video of his performance but so far I haven't had any luck with that so we'll see how that goes.

Seth is on the right leaving the stage after the concert

Uncle Ronald

December 16th, 2008, Uncle Ronald celebrated his 90th birthday! Ronald knew that we were having a birthday party for him but he thought it was going to be just family. What he didn't know is that Lynette called all his old neighbors, current neighbors and friends and invited them also. My cousins Kathy, Stacy and Isaac flew in from Iowa to celebrate with him also. He was definitely surprised by that! The weather was great and the food fabulous! I think everyone had a wonderful time visiting and catching up. I know Uncle Ronald did at least. What an awesome way to honor someone as special as Uncle Ronald. I am very blessed to have Uncle Ronald in my life and I am glad that I got to be a part of his 90th birthday celebration.

The Bunny is Back

Chris must of done a good job for Nestle running as the Nesquick Bunny because they asked him to do it again. This time the weather was a more conducive to running with a big bunny suit on but the not so for the course, which was hilly from the start. He didn't let that stop him though and went on to place in his age group. Way to go Nesquick Bunny!

Chris's friend Peder ran with him as his support runner and official photographer. I think they both had a good time and Chris said Peder was a perfect spokesman for Nestle talking up chocolate milk as a recovery drink. It looks like the bunny was trying it out. I wonder if he got to actually drink any of his milk.

Chris and Peder

Zoo Time

My cousins came from Iowa for Uncle Ronald's 90th birthday. Stacy's son Isaac is the same age as Eryn's so we thought it would be fun to take all the kids to the zoo that Friday morning. Since we had reassured Kathy that there wasn't anything to help with at home she came with us also. It was a little cooler and overcast but there was no rain which made it a great zoo day.

Caleb, Isaac & Kyle

Kyle on the Saguaro slide

Kathy is trying to convince us that she's a sweet as these roses

Kyle

Caleb

Caleb & Eryn

Preschool Christmas Program

The boys were in a Christmas program at school on December 11th. The week before the program they brought home their line so we could help them practice. Because there are more kids in their class than there were lines Kyle and Caleb were both the inn keeper and their shared line was "There is no room in our inn". One night at dinner a couple of days before the program I asked the boys if they knew their line. Without hesitating Kyle replied, "I do. There is no room for our wine". I about choked on my dinner. When I asked him to repeat it he did, "There is no room for our wine". I looked over at him at said "How about, there is no room in our inn" to which he replied "Yeah, that's it". What a goofball!!




The night of the program the sound system wasn't working right so I have no idea what the boys actually said. I have finally gotten a video to upload! Yeah!!!!!! The sound stinks but the boys sure look cute. Kyle is 3rd from left, Caleb is 4th from left.

Trimming the tree

Jillian came over the day after Thanksgiving to help me decorate for Christmas. Actually, I bribed her with dinner but since I'm her favorite cousin I'm sure she would have come over even without the dinner bribe, ha ha.!!

At first the boys didn't want to help but then Kyle came in and saw us hanging ornaments on the tree and wanted to help. Caleb eventually joined us but I don't think that tree trimming will ever be the family event that they show in movies.

Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving is such a great holiday. It doesn't get much better than a day filled with food and family. Though it really isn't my favorite holiday it does rank right up there. I mean you really can't go wrong with turkey, sweet potatoes and pie can you?!?

In the past Chris has started his day by going to the Mesa Turkey Trot but this year he played football with several families from church. Since it had been raining we weren't sure if they would still play or not but they weren't going to let a little mud stop them. It stopped me from going though. I had no desire to go and watch plus I still had to finish the rolls and pies.

At noon we all met at Uncle Ronald's for our traditional Thanksgiving Day feast. Everyone has an assignment and this year I had a new one; stuffing and wheat rolls. The last time I was assigned rolls I really messed them up and they were the frozen kind you just thaw and bake. This time I tried a recipe from my favorite Amish cookbook and they came out pretty good.

Since it had quit raining the kids played outside all afternoon climbing trees and playing ball while the big kids (Roger, Richard, my dad, etc.) stayed out in the shop watching football.










Of course you can't have turkey without taking a nap which Kyle & Uncle Ronald proved. Kyle came in from playing outside, sat down in the chair and immediately fell asleep and stayed asleep for a couple of hours!

It was a good day for all!!

A Day in the Desert

The day after Thanksgiving my Dad, Chris, the boys, and some of the Standage's (Mark, Jacob, Joseph, Shelby and two of their cousins from San Diego) went Apache Tear hunting. It takes about an hour to get to the mines, which are about 10 minutes outside of Superior.

When we first got there there were people target practicing in the mines we usually go to but after exploring the area Chris and Mark found another mine. While they were exploring my dad and I did some target practicing of our own. I'm not a very good shot but it was fun just the same.


We looked for Apache Tears for a couple of hours and came home with a ton of them with Jacob finding the biggest. Kyle and Caleb had a great time and loved being like one of the big kids with their hammer, climbing up the sides of the mountain digging around. I didn't find many Apache Tears but I had a great time watching the kids have fun. My dad found a big lizard while out exploring. We were going to get Caleb a lizard for his birthday so we brought this one home for him instead. Kyle named the lizard "Spikey" (I'm not sure why Kyle named him but Caleb seemed okay with it). When we got him home we had to shift some of the animals around to accommodate him for a day or so but we found him an enclosure of his own on Craigslist the next day.

After stopping by Sonic for some dinner we headed home with some tired but happy kids. It was a great day and we can't wait to go out and do it again.

A Preschool Thanksgiving

The week of Thanksgiving Kyle & Caleb had a Thanksgiving feast at school. Since I had to work my mom and Lynette went with the boys. When I first told the boys that Aunt Net was going to go they said "No, not Aunt Net, she calls us Barbie and Skipper". They were really excited though to have both of them there. Before they ate the kids had a small program and then they took their guests over to the table. The kids had each made placemats, napkin rings and table decorations that they got to use and then bring home with them. It sounded like they had a great time. It's too bad I couldn't go but I'm glad Lynette and my mom were there.

I have two cute videos of their program but I cannot get them to upload. If I ever get it figured out I'll post them.

Papago Park

Chris and I took our boys, Ryan and Josh, the little boy next door, hiking at Papago Park and then to the zoo. One would think that by the second week in November it would be cool enough to do this but no, not here in the Valley of the Sun. It was nice and toasty outside, somewhere in the mid to upper 80's, but in the shade it was nice so that's where I spent most of my time.

The adventure started at "dinosaur" mountain (Kyle & Caleb have called Hole-in the-Rock at Papago Park this since they could talk so that's what we've started calling it too). This is a very short walk but wasn't short on adventure, especially once we got to the hole. The kids had a great time climbing all over the rocks and looking out over the valley. It really is a great view of downtown Phoenix and the surrounding area.

After eating our lunch at a picnic area near Hole-in-the-Rock we walked over to the zoo to do a little exploring. We didn't stay too long at the zoo because by this time the kids were getting hot and tired and five hot, tired boys are no fun!!

On the way back to the car Chris took Seth and Ryan up to the pyramid by the zoo while I took the little boys back to the car. They were definately way too tired to hike up there too though I don't know if it was any easier trying to entertain them in the car while we waited for the big boys to return. The boys are excited to go back but I think I'll wait until it's a little cooler.

A Tribute to My Wonderful Husband

I have always known that my husband was pretty special but I don't always show him that he is. Fortunately, he has a great group of runners that he has been coaching over the last year who have shown him how great he really is!

A couple of weeks ago the YMCA had a Turkey Trot run and after the run some of the people from his group presented him with The Golden Shoe Award. They also wrote this and read it aloud:

One Year Anniversary of the YMCA Running Club
November 2008

Some things you might have overheard out at the track on Thursday nights over the last year.

• Wow, is he always that fast? Yes, and that is just his warm-up.
• It's really hard to run in the cold.
• It's really hard to run in the heat.
• Can we count our warm-up as part of the workout?
• Kari, want to run in a race with us this weekend? No.
• Just think of the kids on the track as hurdles.
• Kari, want to run in a race...No
• The wind is blowing dirt in my eyes! Then run with your eyes closed.
• Kari, you should run in...NO!
• I've never seen a hamstring injury turn that many colors before!
• It's not a race; we are just running fast together at the same time.
• Heads up!
• Did he just say now lets do some speed work, I thought this was speed work!

Some thoughts about our fearless leader, Chris...

However, the things you might have overheard from Chris would have been nothing short of encouraging, positive and motivating. Chris makes everyone (no matter their skill lever) feel welcome and important. His consistency and commitment to being here with a workout planned on Thursday nights have been impeccable. The only times he isn't here is when he's actually out of the state. Time and time again he's taken shots from speeding soccer balls for us and bravely cleared the track of darting kids. He always greets us with bright eyes and a dynamite smile and he somehow can make the words, "Tonight we are starting off with seven 3-lappers" sound so sweet and charming. He genuinely cares about the success of each person and makes it a joy to be out here. And it's for all that and lots more that we all say thank you for a wonderful year!

An now it is a privilege and an honor to present to you from all of us, the most prestigious award in the world of running clubs.....The Running Club Coach of the Year!


You know, he is all of that plus so much more. I am so blessed to have such a wonderful, supportive husband. I love you sweetie! You are truly the best!!!

Arizona State Fair

As I'm sure you have noticed I'm a little behind in my blogging. My goal was to get caught up before Thanksgiving but obviously I didn't make it. Maybe I'll set my sites on Christmas!

On Halloween we decided to take the kids to the Arizona State Fair. We pulled Seth from school at lunch time then picked Chris up from work and headed off. When Kyle & Caleb found out that we were going they said that they wanted to ride the roller coaster. I only hoped that they would be tall enough.

The first thing we did when we got there was ride the giant slide. Everyone went down by themselves but it was obvious about half-way down that Caleb wasn't having a good time. Caleb was sobbing but Kyle was grinning from ear to ear. We all went again but this time Caleb went down on Chris's lap. Then he loved it!



Our next stop was the midway to shoot some hoops. On his first shot Chris won a huge elephant. We played a couple more games but Seth was anxious to ride some rides (go figure) so we headed to the haunted house (is this my child?). After that it was on to the fun house and then to get some corn dogs. We also went and looked at some animals and played in the kid zone for awhile and then it was time for the roller coaster.



Chris tried to take the boys over to the kiddie section to ride the "baby" roller coaster but Caleb wouldn't hear of it. He wanted to ride the "big green one" so that's where we headed. After measuring them we found out that Kyle & Caleb were just barely tall enough to ride. Hurray!!! Seth doesn't like rides so much to my surprise he said he wanted to ride also (we must have picked up someone else's kid from school because this isn't the Seth we know and love). Kyle and Caleb rode in one car while Chirs and Seth took the first car. When the ride was over all three of them wanted to go again. We were running out of time and ride vouchers so we decided to let the kids go down the giant slide one more time. The problem was we only had enough tickets for the kids to go so Caleb would have to go by himself. He didn't want to go but he didn't want to miss out either so he headed to the top, crying the whole way. Chris and I were waiting at the bottom for them and could see that Caleb wasn't going to go down. I thought that one of us would have to go up and get him but the worker at that top made Seth take him down on his lap. Boy was Seth mad! Before he had a chance to complain though I thanked him for being such a great big brother and then I promised him ice cream!

As were heading out Chris and Seth stopped to use the bathroom. While the rest of us were waiting we went over to listen to a story about Thomas (the train). This poor guy was really having a hard time getting this huge book ready to read. He had just gotten it all set up when Chris and Seth came back so I made them stay and listen to the story. The story took a lot longer to read than I thought it would so by the time we left we were running behind. It was Halloween after all so we still had to get home and get ready to go trick-or-treating. We had such a fun day at the fair none of us minded having to rush a little when we got home. The kids are already talking about what rides they are going to go on next year! I guess they had fun!!

Halloween at Hogwarts

This year Chris and I hosted a Halloween party, which of course had a Harry Potter theme. This was the first Halloween party we've hosted and I had a blast planning it. It seemed like every time I went to the store I found something else I "needed" for decorations, prizes, etc. including Aragog, a 4' spider I found at Fry's an hour before the party.



To start the evening off we had a special treat for everyone. My friend Meaghan asked her dad, who is a magician, to come and do a magic show for the kids. I have never seen a group of kids sit so still for so long. He was great and the kids loved it. This gave me time to get the rest of the food out and Chris was able to get the hot dogs cooked.

Our feast wasn't quite as elaborate as that at Hogwarts but we did have Butterbeer, Trecle Tarts, and Chocolate Frogs. For our Muggle friends we had hot dogs, a pudding graveyard, fruit and a ton of other fingerfoods.

After eating we started some of the games we had planned. One of the activities we had planned was a costume contest for both kids and adults alike. We had three catagories; best Harry Potter character, funniest and scariest costume. Unfortunately I was busy doing who knows what and I didn't get many pictures and there were some great costumes. Alison won the adult Harry Potter character with her great Prof. Umbridge costume. Rob was a close second with his Kingsley Shacklebolt impersonation. We were also joined by Tonks, Mrs. Weasley and a few students. Other costumes included Belle, Spiderman, Little Red Riding Hood (played by the very cute Eryn) and many others.


While I got the little kids started with Pin the Nose on the Pumpkin Chris took the older kids and adults out front to start the pumpkin relay. After that we headed to the backyard for the donut eating contest. For this we hung donuts from the monkey bars and then you had to be the first to eat your donut off the string without using your hands. This is hilarious to watch and pretty fun to play too. However, I did learn that you don't want to use cake donuts for this because you can't chew and swallow them very fast. I think the sugar coated ones work the best. They are easy to eat and they leave sugar all over your nose. We finished up the games with a game of Harry Potter trivia. This time I made the game multiple choice so it was a little easier, maybe even a little too easy for some.









I was exhausted by the end of the party but I had so much fun. I can't wait to do it again next year! I think that I'll start planning now so I can come up with new games and trivia questions. I have to keep it fun and exciting for everyone!

Block Party

Chris and I hosted a neighborhood block party one Saturday evening. Knowing how much we like to have parties Marie had asked if we could do it here and of course I readily agreed. Marie and I provided hot dogs and hamburgers and then everyone else brought something to share. If you have come to a party at our house you know that there are always games. This was no exception. I had a couple of games planned as well as some crafts for the kids if we had time. We also had a visit from a couple of Mesa Police officers.

After eating the games started. The first one was a pumpkin relay. I had gotten a couple of small pumpkins and Chris set up a course in our front yard. The object was to carry the pumpkin on a serving spoon, around the cones and then hand it off to the next in line. After watching the first round one of the officers wanted to play so we picked new teams and played again. Seth was actually doing pretty well and was ahead of the officer so Chris yelled out to him, "Run Seth your being chased by a cop". It was pretty funny.



After the relay we played a doughnut game. We didn't have enough doughnuts for everyone to play so this game was just for the kids. The object of this game is to eat your doughnut from a string without using your hands. You can't touch the doughnut at all! Even if it falls on the ground. The kids loved it and the officer decided to stay and watch. I'm sure he was disappointed he couldn't play. After all cops and doughnuts go hand in hand, right?!?

With the food gone and the games played the kids and Chris played monster until the neighbor kids all had to go home. Our kids were pretty exhausted and dirty so it was into the bath and then bed for them too. Ryan had come over and was staying the night so it was a little harder to get him and Seth to bed but they were pretty tired too and were willing to watch a movie to help settle them down. I think that everyone had a great tie and it was really nice to be able to just sit and chat with our neighbors . We are truly blessed to have moved into such a great neighborhood!!