Family Pictures

Sunday Hike

Cole and Dad went on a little adventure trip. There has been rumored of a hidden pond here in Fishers so we took Jackson and went and found it...the highlight of the morning was Cole found a turtle shell (dead one) and if you think that was not coming home with him.....well it was!

School Pictures

Well school has been going now for around six weeks. The kids are doing very well in school. They both love their teachers. We feel blessed b/c their elementary school was ranked in the top 10 of all elementary schools in the state of Indiana. In the school the kids if they are misbehaving will flip a card to yellow and if it is really bad then they will flip it to red which means a visit to the principals office. Cole nor Anna have flipped a card but when the first week of school was in play, Cole told me he "wanted to flip a card just to see what it was like!" Well it has not happened yet nor to we anticipate that happening b/c they both seem to enjoy school and their teachers.

Anna = Second Grade

Cole = Kindergarten

Mary Poppins Play

The kids watched Mary Poppins for the first time a couple of Fridays ago, and wouldn't you know it the play "Mary Poppins" was playing at The Murate Theatre here in Indianapolis. The kids and Lori went and enjoyed while "T" and Dad stayed home and did some serious playing!!!!

So this must have been great play because tonight, Cole was out riding his Plasma Car up and down the hill in the neighborhood and when he was all the way up the top of the hill I could hear him singing.....

"Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious! Even though the sound of it is something quite atrosicous!" If you say it loud enough, you'll always sound precocious..."

A Quote from Benjamin Franklin

"If you would not be forgotten as soon as you are dead, either write things worth reading or do things worth writing."

Plasma Cars

We have had these Plasma Cars for over three years and they sure have had A TON of use out of them....up and down the big hill. They usually ride separate cars but today they decided to ride together......BEST FRIENDS!!!!

Fall 2010

I can't believe it is already Fall 2010! Where did summer go? The kids have been in school for almost six weeks and there is starting to be a chill in the air. I can't believe how fast the kids are growing up and I a know it only comes faster and faster. That is why we believe if we choose to live a simpler life, it allows for more and more time together!

Anna entered a Apple Pie Contest today at Allisonville Nursery where the proceeds of the pies that are sold go to Third Phase and well here is Cole as usual with his dog Jackson. Tessa above is such a joy. She loves to give kisses and is ALWAYS smiling!

Cole's Field Trip

I had so much fun going on Cole's trip to Tuttle's Apple Orchard. I was in charge of three boys and Cole and we had a great time looking for Mustang cars on the drive there. We took a tour of the farm and learned about why bees are important to an apple orchard and how they make apple cider. We each got to pick four apples. Cole ate all of his apples by the time we got back. They were yummy. All of my new kindergarten friends were delivered safely back at school. What a great day.

Travel Soccer

Anna has been doing VERY well with travel soccer this year with the 8 year olds. We have been all over the city to compete. She told me tonight she sure is glad she has been able to play travel soccer and not rec soccer. She was not so sure in July when they held try-outs when it was almost 100 degrees but she is sure happy now. She is a great young lady.

Gymnastics

Cole has been doing gymnastics now for about a year and he has become really strong and agile. It is amazing how well he does at www.deveaus.com . He has been able to climb the rope (very high rope at that) and last week told Aaron he wanted to help that he was going to go up and down from the bottom. He also did 10 pull ups with no assistance.

Chicago

I enjoyed a great weekend with my sisters, niece, Mom, and my friend Cindy. We met on a Friday and had some delicious Chicago deep dish pizza. On Saturday we went to the Chicago Art Museum and had Chicago hot dogs, of course. In the evening we went to "Billy Elliot". On Sunday we took a tour of downtown Chicago and then it was time for everyone to go back home. I am grateful for the time I got to spend with them. The weekend was fun, but went much too quickly.

Tessa is One Year Old

Tessa turned one today. She is full of life and we are blessed to have her in our family. Tessa is walking now and nothing is safe at our house. She likes to rub her nose against soft things. If you can't find her she is probably in Anna or Cole's room looking at their stuffed animals. She likes to point at things and have you tell her the name of it. She likes to go for walks and look at flowers and leaves. She likes to feed Jackson treats. She weighs 22 lbs, 2 oz and is 30 inches long. She is much more opinionated and will push things away and get frustrated if she can't do things. It is amazing to watch her grow and change.

Chicago

We took a weekend trip to Chicago. Anna and Cole have been working hard this summer to buy something for themselves. Anna bought an American Girl Doll. She good a class on how to fix her doll's hair. Grandma Jane, Anna and I enjoyed a brunch at the cafe. It was fun to spend some girl time with Anna.

Cole and Dad had fun looking around Chicago (away from the American Girl Museum). Cole liked the Lego store and used his money to buy Lego's.

Tessa's Upcoming Birthday

My little baby girl is turning one......

Fun Stuff

What a cute little girl....Daddy's baby girl....Fun to have two Daddy's Girls....

The First Day of School

Anna started second grade and Cole started kindergarten. They both had a great first day. I think it is going to be a wonderful school year.

Opened eyes

I honestly can't believe I did the stair stepper for 7 years strait! Ever since I started p90x it just seems so ridiculous now that I did the exact same workout.....even doing it 123 out of 124 days for 60 minutes when I was deployed with the Combat Support Hospital!!!! Oh how that time could have been better served..... I have never felt better in my life!!! Goal is to be in better shape when I turn 40 than I have ever been!!!!!

Fishing in Pendleton

Well Cole has recently told me he wanted to go fishing or shoot a duck.....I decided fishing is the better alternative. We went Saturday night and I had to try and try to get the kids to leave around 10:30 pm.....we had a great time.......almost got skunked but Cole did catch a nice little channel cat fish....Anna learned how to cast and use an open face fishing reel......she really did not fish as much as practice casting......what a great night!!!!

Tessa is Eleven Months Old

It is hard to believe that is has almost been a year ago that Tessa was born. It has been a fast year. It is always amazing to me how quickly babies grow and change and Tessa is no exception. She is full of life, energy and smiles. She is cruising everywhere and taking a few steps on her own. She can also Army crawl. Between the two she gets where she needs to go. She loves the attention of Anna and Cole and her Dad is her new best friend. She likes to look at books, snuggle with her stuffed animals and be in the middle of the action.