Can you believe it is Christmas already? The stockings are hung by the chimney with care and it appears Santa stopped by for a quick (and, thankfully, light) delivery.
This time of year was busy, just like every Christmas, with holiday activities with the homeschool co-op, American Heritage Girls, church, work, family, and, of course, Joie's birthday party.
Our church's worship band presented, for the fourth year in a row, Andrew Peterson's Behold the Lamb of God. It keeps getting better and better each year. This year, our leader asked me to audition for a very small part (30 seconds?). It was an honor and a thrill to be a part of such a great concert!
Last night, we did our annual trek over to Delhi to visit Heather's side of the family. We ate, opened presents, and enjoyed each others company. When we got home, we noticed the PJ Fairy had stopped by while we were gone to give us all new pajamas, as she does each year on Christmas Eve.
We spent the morning together, just the four of us, sharing just a few gifts with one another. Around 11:00 a.m., we left for Ammaw and Ampaw's for brunch and, yes, more gifts. We also got to sing Happy Birthday to Jesus! We came back home a few hours later so some naps could take place. We went out again later for dinner at a hibachi Japanese restaurant. Yum!
All in all, a great Christmas! Merry Christmas! Pictures will be posted soon.
Friday, December 25, 2009
Tuesday, December 22, 2009
Happy Birthday, Joie!
I can't believe it has been another year already! Joie turned three today! She is such a special little girl! We are truly blessed to have her and her sister!
Joie had her party this past Saturday. Her grandparents (Grandma Embry, and Ammaw & Ampaw Shaut), aunt (Jessica), cousin (GiGi), friends (Scott (Mr.), Robyn (Mrs.), Toby, and Aimee Duebber), joined Livvi, Heather and I as we celebrated. She got lots of presents, had cupcakes, had an Abby Cadabby pinata (which had a strange place for the candy to come out) and jumped around in the basement in a bouncy house. Here she is awaiting her cupcake: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hN3BputPo0U
Since the party, she has been dragging the carcass of the Abby Cadabby pinata around as her friend. The other night, Abby had spaghetti dinner with us and slept on the floor next to Joie's bed (with pillow and blanket). She has also ridden in the car and Joie insists Abby sit on a car seat as well.
Happy Birthday, Joie! We love you!!
Joie had her party this past Saturday. Her grandparents (Grandma Embry, and Ammaw & Ampaw Shaut), aunt (Jessica), cousin (GiGi), friends (Scott (Mr.), Robyn (Mrs.), Toby, and Aimee Duebber), joined Livvi, Heather and I as we celebrated. She got lots of presents, had cupcakes, had an Abby Cadabby pinata (which had a strange place for the candy to come out) and jumped around in the basement in a bouncy house. Here she is awaiting her cupcake: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hN3BputPo0U
Since the party, she has been dragging the carcass of the Abby Cadabby pinata around as her friend. The other night, Abby had spaghetti dinner with us and slept on the floor next to Joie's bed (with pillow and blanket). She has also ridden in the car and Joie insists Abby sit on a car seat as well.
Happy Birthday, Joie! We love you!!
Monday, December 21, 2009
Things You Never Thought You'd Say As A Parent
Heather to Joie:
"Don't use the DVD boxes as snowshoes!"
"Don't use the DVD boxes as snowshoes!"
Tuesday, December 1, 2009
Conversation Overheard in the Van
This is a conversation Heather overheard heading home after church this past Sunday. Livvi (L) is trying to encourage Joie (J) to go to her toddler class at church:
L: You should go in the toddler room.
J: I didn't.
L: You should next time. You'll have fun!
J: No, have fun with daddy.
L: You will have more fun with the other kids.
J: No, I don't like my kids.
L: You should go in the toddler room.
J: I didn't.
L: You should next time. You'll have fun!
J: No, have fun with daddy.
L: You will have more fun with the other kids.
J: No, I don't like my kids.
Saturday, November 28, 2009
Things You Never Thought You'd Say As A Parent
"Don't wipe your chocolate beard on your stethoscope!"
Thursday, November 26, 2009
Thanksgiving Tradition
Back in the early 1960's, when my parents were in college at the University of Cincinnati, my dad couldn't get home for Thanksgiving. Between football, wrestling, and being far away from home, it was nearly impossible to get back to family for the holidays. He recalls a Thanksgiving where he and his roommate had White Castle hamburgers for dinner. Heather and I started somewhat of a tradition years ago in trying to have White Castle every Thanksgiving. I don't think it was intentional at first because it was pretty much the only thing open. We've been doing it nearly every year for most of our 10 years together. Today, we kinda kept the tradition alive. We had White Castle, but not hamburgers. We had bacon, egg, and (sorry, Dad) cheese sandwiches. I think these are yummier than the hamburgers, though Heather is not as quick to agree! Happy Thanksgiving!
Friday, November 20, 2009
Wednesday, November 11, 2009
Martial Arts Tournament
This past Saturday, Livvi participated in her first real martial arts tournament. We went into it with low expectations: 1. it's her first tournament and 2. she's eight years old. We thought this could be a great learning experience for her as she probably wouldn't win any medals and could see how good other kids are, outside of her club.
Her first event was board breaking. I think she was a little flustered as she wasn't sure about how to set things up, etc. That being said, she did OK. She was to break three boards. She was able to break two of them. However, at least three other kids performed better on this event.
Her second event was forms. This is actually one of her strong suits. She did fantastic! She got a silver medal. The girl that got the trophy was really good and deserved it.
Her third event was sparring. Before the event started, Master Strickland, Livvi's instructor/club owner, was called down to discuss something about Livvi. Sensing something wasn't right, I went down to see what was going on. In Liv's club, they don't allow kicking to the head as Master Strickland doesn't feel it is necessary at this age. However, it is allowed in other schools as well as this tournament. Livvi still wanted to do it. I gave my blessing with the knowledge we could stop the match at any point. Livvi then asked "Can I kick their head, too?!" That's my girl! She had to spar a kid who was as aggressive as she usually is. He was really good and ended up beating Livvi, but she didn't give up. In fact, the kid's father couldn't compliment Livvi enough on how well she did, knowing how good his son is. She was awarded the silver medal in this event as well.
We are so proud of Livvi and all her hard work and dedication to the sport. She is really coming along!
Here is a video of her events: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pEupL1ILo-U
Also, our club, Cincinnati Martial Arts Club (CMAC), won a trophy for having the most participants!
Her first event was board breaking. I think she was a little flustered as she wasn't sure about how to set things up, etc. That being said, she did OK. She was to break three boards. She was able to break two of them. However, at least three other kids performed better on this event.
Her second event was forms. This is actually one of her strong suits. She did fantastic! She got a silver medal. The girl that got the trophy was really good and deserved it.
Her third event was sparring. Before the event started, Master Strickland, Livvi's instructor/club owner, was called down to discuss something about Livvi. Sensing something wasn't right, I went down to see what was going on. In Liv's club, they don't allow kicking to the head as Master Strickland doesn't feel it is necessary at this age. However, it is allowed in other schools as well as this tournament. Livvi still wanted to do it. I gave my blessing with the knowledge we could stop the match at any point. Livvi then asked "Can I kick their head, too?!" That's my girl! She had to spar a kid who was as aggressive as she usually is. He was really good and ended up beating Livvi, but she didn't give up. In fact, the kid's father couldn't compliment Livvi enough on how well she did, knowing how good his son is. She was awarded the silver medal in this event as well.
We are so proud of Livvi and all her hard work and dedication to the sport. She is really coming along!
Here is a video of her events: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pEupL1ILo-U
Also, our club, Cincinnati Martial Arts Club (CMAC), won a trophy for having the most participants!
Tuesday, November 10, 2009
October Was a Busy Month
On October 3, Heather and I had dinner with four other couples who are fellow alum from Oak Hills High School class of 1984. None of us wanted to go to our 25th high school reunion later that month for many of the same reasons. It was good seeing old friends again. More than half of this party of ten were Christians, so it was a fun evening with good food and my money wasn't used to inebriate other classmates!
Three days later (10/6), the girls had their 6-month visit to the dentist. All went well. It was Joie's first visit. And everyone survived!
Two days after that (10/8) was picture day at their homeschool co-op. The pictures were supposed to be one of Livvi by herself, one of Joie by herself, and one of Livvi and Joie together. Let's just say the only one that took place as planned was of Livvi by herself.
Two days after that (10/10), we went to Iron's Fruit Farm in Lebanon, Ohio. We got to do a hay ride, pick apples off trees, pick our own pumpkins, etc. We had a really good time! It was muddy in spots, but the weather was fantastic! Grandma Embry, Aunt Jessica, and cousin GiGi were able to tag along as well.
The next day (10/11), was Heather's surprise birthday party. I had been planning to do this for a few months, but the last 2-3 weeks got a little hectic. I actually had to lie to Heather the day of (I have since asked for forgiveness). She was surprised and I think had a good time. Her dad was even able to come up from Florida to surprise her as well!
Five days after that (10/16), Livvi took part in her first belt promotion exam. I already posted about this.
Two days after that (10/18), we went to the Renaissance Festival. We weren't there for long but we enjoyed it. We will probably go back again some day. Certainly some interesting people there, that's for sure!
Finally, the next week (10/25-28) we went to French Lick, IN for some R&R. We visited Heather's cousin and his family in New Salisbury, IN on the way there on Sunday. On Monday, we didn't do too much, but we did bowl that night. Our scores:
Livvi - 96
Joie - 105 (had a little help...game still under protest)
Heather - 141
Ammaw - 100
Ampaw - 141
Me - 103
On Tuesday, we went to Amish Country. It rained nearly the entire time. On Wednesday, on our way back home, we stopped at the Marengo Cave and took one of the tours. Very cool!
On Friday (10/30), Livvi attended the CMAC Halloween party, where she got first prize for the most original costume. She was Dr. Si Copath, a mad scientist.
Oh, and the 31st was Halloween!
Pictures for the month are here. WHEW!
Wednesday, October 21, 2009
Prayer
In the van on Sunday morning, we could hear Joie saying something. We realized she was praying! She prayed:
"God, Jesus, Hug me, Amen!"
This reminded us of when Livvi was about Joie's age and, again in the car, we heard her praying:
"God, Ampaw, boo boo, Amen!"
Ampaw (my dad) had burned his leg on the lawn mower and Livvi wanted God to make Ampaw feel better.
It really warms your heart to hear your kids praying!
"God, Jesus, Hug me, Amen!"
This reminded us of when Livvi was about Joie's age and, again in the car, we heard her praying:
"God, Ampaw, boo boo, Amen!"
Ampaw (my dad) had burned his leg on the lawn mower and Livvi wanted God to make Ampaw feel better.
It really warms your heart to hear your kids praying!
Belt Promotion
Livvi was invited to test for her next belt promotion in Tae Kwon Do. Unlike when she was in Little Dragons where they earned belts based on attendance, she now must be invited to test for the next belt. Once her instructors feel she is ready to test, she gets an invite. Livvi received her invitation after class on Tuesday, October 13. Her test was last Friday evening (October 16) at CMAC. Her test involved forms, board breaking, and sparring. She did a fantastic job and earned her gold belt with orange stripe (halfway to her orange belt). We are so proud of her! Here is a 6 minute video of the belt test.
Thursday, October 1, 2009
I Love You, But...
Tonight we were having dinner at Wendy's. Towards the end of the meal, Joie laid down on the padded bench with her head towards Livvi. She said "I love you, Sissy" in a quiet, sweet voice. Heather, Livvi, and I went "Awww!" Livvi leaned over to hug her sister when Joie said "Don't touch me!"
How sweet!
How sweet!
Wednesday, September 9, 2009
Happy Birthday, Olivia!
Dear Olivia,
When we first found out mommy was pregnant with you, I, like most fathers, wanted a son. We found out later our baby was going to be a girl. I wasn't upset at all, but thought it would have been nice to have a boy. It was 8 years ago today you blessed our lives by entering our family. I fell in love with you the minute I saw you! There is no way in the world I would trade you for anyone else, especially a boy. I am so happy you were given to us by God! In fact, you were so special to me, I was afraid of having another baby because I didn't think I could love another kid as much as I loved you. But, if we were going to have another kid, I wanted another one like you. That's right...I wanted another daughter! God blessed us again with your sister!
You are one special kid growing into a special young lady. You are incredibly fun, funny, loving, compassionate, loyal, kind, strong-willed, opinionated, competitive, smart, beautiful, crazy, etc. I am so proud of you in all that you do. I am so proud to call you my daughter and so thrilled you call me daddy!
I pray God protect you all your life, that you have a long life, that you come to know Jesus in a personal way early in life, that you continue to be a blessing to all that come in contact with you, and that I can know you for many, many years to come. I love you, my daughter, my first-born! Please always know I will love you always, no matter what. Happy Birthday!!
Daddy
Wednesday, September 2, 2009
Ice Ice Baby
Our kids (like all kids) love it when the ice cream truck comes through the neighborhood. However, we've always been a little leery as many of them look a little creepy! Last year, a new truck (and I mean new!) started coming once a week. The Kona Ice truck comes every Monday evening (weather permitting) and the kids really look forward to it! They both get small snow cones and add nearly every syrup flavor. However, I didn't know they looked forward to it this much!
Tuesday, September 1, 2009
The Final Frontier
A few years ago, Heather got me a telescope for Christmas (or was it birthday?). I've seen a lot of neat stuff since getting it, though I must admit I don't use it near enough. I am fascinated by space and love nearly all the Star Trek shows and the like. Heather is the same way. The neatest experience with the telescope was probably me finding Saturn. That was so cool to be able to see the rings! Now keep in mind, these aren't fancy images like you see from the Hubble Telescope, but it was pretty cool. Looked a little something like this.
On Saturday night, I got the scope out again to check out a bright "star" in the sky. Turns out, it was Jupiter with 4 of its moons in plain sight! It looked a lot like this (though I could see two distinct horizontal lines on the planet, like this, though I'll admit it wasn't quite that clear). Heather checked it out with me and was equally impressed that all four moons line up in a straight line.
Livvi is showing definite similar signs of nerd-dom that her mother and I share. She loves to check out the stars, too. On Sunday night, we checked out Jupiter and the moon. The detail in the moon was incredible (even better than this). With the moon being nearly full and so bright, we about blinded ourselves! Joie took one look in the scope at Jupiter and had had enough. She started complaining about being scared of the dark. Perhaps a couple more years and we'll try it again.
Here is a picture I took tonight of the moon and Jupiter (without the telescope):
Hey, NASA! When you are done with Hubble, can you set it up in my backyard? Thanks!
Livvi is showing definite similar signs of nerd-dom that her mother and I share. She loves to check out the stars, too. On Sunday night, we checked out Jupiter and the moon. The detail in the moon was incredible (even better than this). With the moon being nearly full and so bright, we about blinded ourselves! Joie took one look in the scope at Jupiter and had had enough. She started complaining about being scared of the dark. Perhaps a couple more years and we'll try it again.
Here is a picture I took tonight of the moon and Jupiter (without the telescope):
Hey, NASA! When you are done with Hubble, can you set it up in my backyard? Thanks!
Monday, August 24, 2009
Just OK
Last Tuesday was my latest business trip (and hopefully the last of the year). This time to Oklahoma City. However, the week didn't start well. I started feeling a little under-the-weather on Sunday night. Monday night, I didn't sleep well at all and woke up soaking wet! Tuesday morning, I was sweating at the Cincinnati airport, but my boss said he was, too, so I didn't think much of it. We land in OKC and when we arrived at the meeting, I felt as if the room was VERY hot when we first began. Fortunately, I got more comfortable as the meeting went on. By the end of the hour-hour and a half, I was OK. My boss was not hot this time, so I was still wondering what my deal was. While lunch was great, it was a miserable flight back only because I didn't feel well. I got home, spent a little time with my family then went right to bed. Much of the week was the same way. Long story short, my doctor on Saturday said I have bronchitis. Lovely.
One place we visited in OKC was where the bombing took place 14 years ago. If anyone doubts evil exists in the world (and perhaps fell asleep around 9/11/2001), they need to visit some place like this. Innocent people and children were killed because someone had issue with the federal government. You have to be kidding me?! Who doesn't have a problem with the federal government?! These kinds of acts, though just sicken me! As you can see from the pictures, there are chairs for each person that was killed. It just broke my heart to see the little chairs, that represented the children that were murdered. I took one picture of a child's chair and one of an adult chair that beared the name of a mother and baby. God help us! We all truly need Jesus!
One place we visited in OKC was where the bombing took place 14 years ago. If anyone doubts evil exists in the world (and perhaps fell asleep around 9/11/2001), they need to visit some place like this. Innocent people and children were killed because someone had issue with the federal government. You have to be kidding me?! Who doesn't have a problem with the federal government?! These kinds of acts, though just sicken me! As you can see from the pictures, there are chairs for each person that was killed. It just broke my heart to see the little chairs, that represented the children that were murdered. I took one picture of a child's chair and one of an adult chair that beared the name of a mother and baby. God help us! We all truly need Jesus!
Wednesday, August 12, 2009
Perseid Meteor Shower
After Joie went to bed tonight, Heather, Livvi, & I went outside to see if we'd get lucky and see some of the effects of Earth's annual passing through the Perseid meteor shower. We laid on a blanket and watched the sky for about 30 minutes hoping to see a show. Heather went in after about 15 minutes. I saw a pretty good one about 5 minutes later heading west-southwest. However, I was really hoping Livvi could see one before we went in....and we did! I saw the same one she did heading south, so I know she actually saw one. I was fortunate to have seen two tonight and thrilled Livvi saw one! I may try to look again right before dawn. Heather and Joie might have to wait until next year. :-(
Sunday, August 9, 2009
iMPACT with Backpacks
Heather really has a compassion for people and a passion for helping people in need. A few years ago, she had an idea for an outreach for our church. In 2007, she started "iMPACT with Backpacks". It would have been enough to just gather backpacks and school supplies and pass them out, but she envisioned more. She thought a party to go along with it would allow us more time with the families and would offer the kids a great time of fun and love. Each year has gotten better as she fine-tunes the event and we learn from past events. This year our 3rd annual event involved a pizza lunch, a mini-concert, a short testimony, the demo team from Livvi's martial arts club, and a visit from the Kona Ice truck. There were about 140 backpacks picked up yesterday (at least 50 more yet to be picked up). 53 of the 70 families we were helping showed up at the party and had a great time! We were even fortunate enough to have a reporter from Channel 9 News (a great guy who attends our church) do a little story which aired last night.
Local Church Makes 'Impact' With Backpacks - Cincinnati breaking news, weather radar, traffic from 9News | Channel 9 WCPO.com
Congratulations, Heather! Another job well done! Love you!
Local Church Makes 'Impact' With Backpacks - Cincinnati breaking news, weather radar, traffic from 9News | Channel 9 WCPO.com
Congratulations, Heather! Another job well done! Love you!
Monday, August 3, 2009
Martial Arts Mania Month
Livvi's been pretty busy with her martial arts this past month:
- She started in the new class for older kids
- She participated in a week-long sparring class
- She participated in a week-long breaking class
All together, she had 19 classes in the month of July. She also attended a black belt exam for nearly 2 hours where two boys she knows (ages 14 and 10) got their 1st degree black belts.
Here are a couple of videos of her this past month:
Monday, July 27, 2009
Quoting Joie
Add to the list of things you never thought you'd hear out of your kids...
From Friday afternoon in the van driving home:
Jo: Scooz me.Liv: Did you toot?
Jo: No, my mowf toot.
Tuesday, July 14, 2009
Surprise Promotion
In addition to sparring camp this week, Livvi had her first KKZ class tonight. She expected to move from her "black" belt she earned in her 6-7 year old class to the white belt with a double-gold stripe as her first belt in KKZ. However, we were surprised she and a fellow classmate who moved up with her were promoted past that belt right to the gold belt! Her instructor said it was because they earned it by already learning the Chon-Ji pattern and other techniques before moving up. Awesome job, Livvi!
Friday, July 3, 2009
Lil' Dragon No More
Livvi is no longer in the Lil' Dragons Tae Kwon Do class. Her last day was this past Wednesday. At the age of eight, she is supposed to move up to the Karate Kidz Zone, however her instructor said she can go ahead and move up now, if she wants. So, she's moving up. Since she has her "black belt" there isn't anything to stay in the Lil' dragons class for. Her first class is Tuesday, July 14. We are all excited for her! Also, that same week (July 13-17) she will have her sparring camp!
Tuesday, June 30, 2009
Quoting Joie
Joie has been repeating pretty much everything Livvi says and does. She is our resident myna bird. The other day, I said to her, "You're a copy cat". Her reply? "You're a copy cat."
The prosecution rests.
===============
Today, Heather asked Jo if she and Liv would be playing in the woods and she told me Jesus and God growed the grass. I guess they do listen when you talk to them!
===============
Also today, Jo brought Heather a one foot length of caution tape she found outside somewhere and told me she had "pennies for i keem twuck". I guess she thought she could pass the caution tape off as money for ice cream. Good luck, kid!
===============
Quoting Daddy: When going to bed, Joie cries out "Juice!" How do I reply? "Gentiles!"
The prosecution rests.
===============
Today, Heather asked Jo if she and Liv would be playing in the woods and she told me Jesus and God growed the grass. I guess they do listen when you talk to them!
===============
Also today, Jo brought Heather a one foot length of caution tape she found outside somewhere and told me she had "pennies for i keem twuck". I guess she thought she could pass the caution tape off as money for ice cream. Good luck, kid!
===============
Quoting Daddy: When going to bed, Joie cries out "Juice!" How do I reply? "Gentiles!"
Tuesday, June 16, 2009
Lemonade Stand Follow Up
Thank you to everyone who made a contribution this past weekend to Livvi's Lemonade Stand. Through several generous donations, she was able to raise $284.79!
Friday, June 12, 2009
Memorial Day
I'm a little late in posting this one....
On Memorial Day, we usually try to get to our town's parade in the morning. This year was no different, except one of our own was able to participate. Livvi marched in the parade this year as a part of her American Heritage Girls troop. It was great seeing her walking down the street waving to people.
Something I can't seem to overcome, though, is the emotion I feel about our vets. I feel like an idiot to some degree when I am fighting back tears during this parade. Whether it is an 80-something year old vet from Pearl Harbor riding in the parade or a 20-something year old vet at the airport leaving for duty, I have an incredible amount of pride for them (to the point of tears many times)! We have an incredible country with some pretty incredible people. Our vets are the finest.
When I started writing this, I thought we had two vets in our extended family. However, after a quick poll, it turns out there are at least eleven (within the last 2-3 generations)! I'm sure there may be others. Here are the ones we know about:
(If I missed any, please add them via a comment to this entry)
On Memorial Day, we usually try to get to our town's parade in the morning. This year was no different, except one of our own was able to participate. Livvi marched in the parade this year as a part of her American Heritage Girls troop. It was great seeing her walking down the street waving to people.
Something I can't seem to overcome, though, is the emotion I feel about our vets. I feel like an idiot to some degree when I am fighting back tears during this parade. Whether it is an 80-something year old vet from Pearl Harbor riding in the parade or a 20-something year old vet at the airport leaving for duty, I have an incredible amount of pride for them (to the point of tears many times)! We have an incredible country with some pretty incredible people. Our vets are the finest.
When I started writing this, I thought we had two vets in our extended family. However, after a quick poll, it turns out there are at least eleven (within the last 2-3 generations)! I'm sure there may be others. Here are the ones we know about:
- Heather's dad (my father-in-law), Joe Ness
- Heather's uncle, Don Page
- My uncle (Dad's brother), Bill Shaut
- My dad's uncle, Les Shaut
- My dad's uncle, Eddie Shaut
- My dad's uncle, George Streeter
- My mom's cousin, Henry Maines
- My mom's aunt, Jeanne Shirey
- My mom's uncle, Clarence McNett
- Heather's dad's uncle, Herbert D. Ness
- Heather's dad's uncle, James Ness (at age 15, lied about his age to join army, and served with Teddy Roosevelt in the Rough Riders)
(If I missed any, please add them via a comment to this entry)
Wednesday, June 10, 2009
Lemonade Stand
Livvi is hosting a Lemonade Stand at our house June 12-13 from 10:30 a.m. - 3:00 p.m. This is in cooperation with her homeschool and Alex's Lemonade Stand Foundation (ALSF). ALSF raises money for children with cancer. If you would like to stop by for a cup of lemonade, feel free. If you can't make it, but would like to make a donation, check out her web page and click on the yellow lemon on the right side of the page. Thanks!
Friday, May 22, 2009
Wooded Facelift
One of the things we love the most about where we live is our backyard. We have a lot of woods and have been blessed with visits from all kinds of wildlife. The woods area, though, wasn't too friendly to yours truly as it had a lot of over growth, which included its share of poison ivy. We decided to hire someone to come and clean a lot of it out, including some dead trees. We figured it would expand the usability of our backyard, eliminate some bugs, dangerous dead trees, and the dreaded poison ivy. Here is a "before" picture:
Here is a video of a 40-50 foot tree (dead) being taken down. It survived Hurricane Ike and plenty of pretty bad storms, but it was no match for this small backhoe.
We also found a new friend when we were checking out the final product. He was about 3-4 feet long and we think it might be a black rat snake (not yet an adult). If you know it is something else, let us know:
Here is the "after" picture (much nicer and more noticeable in person). Now we need to plant some grass seed.
Here is a video of a 40-50 foot tree (dead) being taken down. It survived Hurricane Ike and plenty of pretty bad storms, but it was no match for this small backhoe.
Here is the "after" picture (much nicer and more noticeable in person). Now we need to plant some grass seed.
Friday, May 15, 2009
Bring on Level 3
Livvi started swim lessons about two years ago. She took Level 1 three times, though I could argue the first go around was a waste of time from a teaching perspective. We were so proud of her for sticking with it and passing it this past fall. We enrolled her in Level 2 this spring and after watching her the first two classes (there were six in all, one per week), there was little doubt in my mind she would not pass. However, the last three classes, Liv turned it on. She really started doing really well and I thought there might be a chance she could pass. Well, on Tuesday evening, Livvi passed Level 2! We are so proud of her for listening to her teacher and working on her skills (we actually practiced a little while at Great Wolf Lodge..."ironically" about three weeks ago). Bring on Level 3!
Monday, May 11, 2009
No Child Labor Laws Here
We like to start 'em young 'round here!
By the way, that one foot by one foot area was REALLY clean when she was done.
By the way, that one foot by one foot area was REALLY clean when she was done.
Sunday, May 10, 2009
Happy Muvers Day
All afternoon, Joie kept saying "Happy Muvers Day". We went to Red Lobster for dinner and tried to record her saying it while we waited for our food (poor video quality as we were using a cell phone). Here is what resulted:
We regrouped and tried it again:
Happy Muvers Day, Heather! We love you!!
We regrouped and tried it again:
Happy Muvers Day, Heather! We love you!!
Saturday, May 9, 2009
Our Comedy Team
Overheard in the car this morning:
Liv: Knock Knock
Jo: Who's there?
Liv: Orange
Jo: Orange who?
Liv: Orange you glad I didn't say banana?
Jo: Banana who?
Liv: Knock Knock
Jo: Who's there?
Liv: Orange
Jo: Orange who?
Liv: Orange you glad I didn't say banana?
Jo: Banana who?
Wednesday, April 29, 2009
Spring Break 2009
What a week we had! We decided to do Spring Break last week and had something planned for nearly every day. Here is how the week unfolded:
Saturday: I cut down three trees and tilled a new garden for the girls. Livvi and Heather went to see the Hannah Montana movie
Sunday: After church and a Mexican Fiesta, we went to Kings Island for my company's Associate Appreciation Day. Got quite wet, but had fun!
Monday: Livvi got her "black" belt, then went to her American Heritage Girls meeting
Tuesday: We visited the Creation Museum and Livvi had swim lessons that evening
Wednesday: We went to the Cincinnati Zoo. Great weather!
Thursday: We went to Great Wolf Lodge to swim and spend the night. My lifeguard training (now expired by almost 25 years) was seemingly needed within the first hour of us being there. More on that later.
Friday: Livvi and I swam some more while Heather took Joie to an area to do crafts, etc. We then left for home shortly after lunch
Saturday: We celebrated Livvi's black belt at Panera Bread. I cut down three more trees while the girls planted flowers in their new garden.
As for the lifeguard incident, Liv and I were in the wave pool and I was wading in. I had lost sight of her for just a few seconds, when I saw the lifeguard point in the direction of the opposite corner of the pool in the deeper section by the wave machine. She then jumped in. I tried to locate Livvi and did so immediately. I couldn't see what the lifeguard saw, yet, but I started running towards that corner, then swimming when the water was too deep to run in. I stopped to take a look at what was in the corner and saw what I thought was a toddler face down in the pool. My heart was racing beyond belief, now. I kept swimming until I saw a Great Wolf Lodge associate standing on the side of the pool over where the "child" was. He was telling me to hold up. The lifeguard was about there when I stood up and noticed the "child" was a dummy, possibly used for training. I'm not sure if this was some training session or if they were just messing with the lifeguard on duty. Nevertheless, it freaked me out. For the record, though, I'd like to think I would have been able to save that kid!
We had a great time as a family! I hope we get to do a lot of stuff together for many, many years to come! I included a few photos below, but if you want to see the nearly 200 pictures from our fun month of April, click here.
Saturday: I cut down three trees and tilled a new garden for the girls. Livvi and Heather went to see the Hannah Montana movie
Tuesday: We visited the Creation Museum and Livvi had swim lessons that evening
As for the lifeguard incident, Liv and I were in the wave pool and I was wading in. I had lost sight of her for just a few seconds, when I saw the lifeguard point in the direction of the opposite corner of the pool in the deeper section by the wave machine. She then jumped in. I tried to locate Livvi and did so immediately. I couldn't see what the lifeguard saw, yet, but I started running towards that corner, then swimming when the water was too deep to run in. I stopped to take a look at what was in the corner and saw what I thought was a toddler face down in the pool. My heart was racing beyond belief, now. I kept swimming until I saw a Great Wolf Lodge associate standing on the side of the pool over where the "child" was. He was telling me to hold up. The lifeguard was about there when I stood up and noticed the "child" was a dummy, possibly used for training. I'm not sure if this was some training session or if they were just messing with the lifeguard on duty. Nevertheless, it freaked me out. For the record, though, I'd like to think I would have been able to save that kid!
We had a great time as a family! I hope we get to do a lot of stuff together for many, many years to come! I included a few photos below, but if you want to see the nearly 200 pictures from our fun month of April, click here.
Thursday, April 23, 2009
Zoo on Earth Day
Wednesday, we visited the world-famous Cincinnati Zoo. We absolutely love the zoo. On more than one occasion that day, Livvi said "it stinks" in reference to the smell. I told her it was the ZOO! It is supposed to stink!
The weather was absolutely beautiful for "Earth Day". It is the best the weather's been all week. We saw the beautiful tulips throughout the zoo, the gorillas, tigers and other cats, insects, reptiles, elephants, giraffes, a condor, a rhinoceros, flamingos, monkeys, wolves, etc. There were things for the kids to do as well. If you haven't been to the Zoo in a while, you need to go again. They are always improving it and making it nicer! However, after years of going and figuring out how to get around without a map, they are moving the entrance to the other side of the park on Vine Street and changing some of the paths. I may need a map for next year!
The weather was absolutely beautiful for "Earth Day". It is the best the weather's been all week. We saw the beautiful tulips throughout the zoo, the gorillas, tigers and other cats, insects, reptiles, elephants, giraffes, a condor, a rhinoceros, flamingos, monkeys, wolves, etc. There were things for the kids to do as well. If you haven't been to the Zoo in a while, you need to go again. They are always improving it and making it nicer! However, after years of going and figuring out how to get around without a map, they are moving the entrance to the other side of the park on Vine Street and changing some of the paths. I may need a map for next year!
In the Beginning...
There has been much hoopla and controversy over the last few years surrounding The Creation Museum. We finally had the opportunity to visit on Tuesday morning. I can see why there was so much controversy. It is a Biblically-based ministry telling the truth about how we all got here and that we need a Savior. Satan will do whatever he can to suppress the spread of the Word of God.
We were really impressed with what we saw. We've heard all our lives God created everything and believe it wholeheartedly. It was truly incredible to hear it again with scientific evidence to support it and fantastic displays and video presentations. The only "show" I saw was in the planetarium. It put into perspective for me how insignificant we really seem to be when it comes to the entire universe! When you feel that insignificance, then realize God sent his Son to earth to die for you and rose again to prepare a SIGNIFICANT place in Heaven for the supposed insignificant ones. So much for insignificant! Thank you, Jesus!
Our visit was cut short as sleet and rain were falling from the sky freezing us as we headed to the petting zoo and garden outside the museum that afternoon. That, and the kids (Joie and her cousin Gigi) could have used a nap. We made a mad dash for the car to escape the elements and head home. We highly recommend a visit to the Museum and plan to go back again. You can't see it all in one day (unless you don't have small children with you).
We were really impressed with what we saw. We've heard all our lives God created everything and believe it wholeheartedly. It was truly incredible to hear it again with scientific evidence to support it and fantastic displays and video presentations. The only "show" I saw was in the planetarium. It put into perspective for me how insignificant we really seem to be when it comes to the entire universe! When you feel that insignificance, then realize God sent his Son to earth to die for you and rose again to prepare a SIGNIFICANT place in Heaven for the supposed insignificant ones. So much for insignificant! Thank you, Jesus!
Our visit was cut short as sleet and rain were falling from the sky freezing us as we headed to the petting zoo and garden outside the museum that afternoon. That, and the kids (Joie and her cousin Gigi) could have used a nap. We made a mad dash for the car to escape the elements and head home. We highly recommend a visit to the Museum and plan to go back again. You can't see it all in one day (unless you don't have small children with you).
Monday, April 20, 2009
"Black Belt"
Late this afternoon, Olivia achieved something of which we are pretty proud! She obtained the highest belt in her Tae Kwon Do Little Dragons program. She got their black belt (actually, it is purple, white, and green). She has come a long way from when she first started more than two years ago. You can see the brief ceremony here. You can also see her practicing some new moves here. Check back later for more pictures! Congratulations! One Two, You Rock! We love you!
Friday, April 10, 2009
Livvi, Cover Me, I'm Going In!
Our iMPACT Youth Group hosted a fundraiser at Scallywag Tag on Sunday night. Livvi and I played Laser Tag for the first time. Man, is that FUN! Livvi had a blast as well! She had so much fun, she hinted she might like to do that for her birthday. Livvi stayed put the first game, but thereafter, she was running around with me shooting everything in site! We really had a blast and were disappointed it was over so "soon" (2 hours). While I did a lot of shooting, I got hit quite a bit, too! I got a whole new appreciation for our troops who are probably wishing all they had to do was shoot lasers at fancy vests!
Wednesday, April 8, 2009
R-E-S-P-E-C-T
I gained a LOT of respect for Heather after childbirth (our kids, not mine). However, after Monday, I now have a whole new respect for her!
Monday morning, I'm nearly completely dressed for work, when Heather said she didn't feel well AT ALL. She could barely get out of bed. Realizing there was no way she would be able to take care of two kids in that condition, I decided to stay at home so she could rest. Little did I know what I was signing up to do.
Joie woke up entirely too early. She was cranky and not feeling well herself. She kept screaming, and it just made me madder and madder. After all, I was there to help Heather rest and Livvi was still sleeping. When Livvi awoke, we had breakfast, then got dressed. By this time, it was about 9:00 a.m. and Joie was looking pretty tired. I offered to get them a hot chocolate from Starbucks and chose one that was about 20 minutes away, to see if she would fall asleep. She finally fell asleep about 10:30 p.m. on the way home, about one minute from our house. I dropped Livvi off at home and made sure Jo was asleep before taking her up to her room.
Liv and I then started her school work. We only got through 2.5 subjects in about 3-4 hours! Between her being a little lethargic from having been sick herself, easily distracted, and me not completely knowing what to do, it made for a not-so-productive school day. All this despite the fact Jo slept between 3 and 4 hours (thank you, Lord)!
The girls and I then left for Tae Kwon Do, grabbed dinner on the way home, and wolfed it down. I then had to take Liv to American Heritage Girls. While she was there, I went grocery shopping, then back to pick Liv up to head back home.
This is a typical Monday for Heather and the girls, except that Jo usually only naps for 2 hours (if at all) and they get about twice as much school work in (or more). Not to mention there may be a load or two of laundry done as well. I don't know how she does it, but she does (and does it well)!
Monday morning, I'm nearly completely dressed for work, when Heather said she didn't feel well AT ALL. She could barely get out of bed. Realizing there was no way she would be able to take care of two kids in that condition, I decided to stay at home so she could rest. Little did I know what I was signing up to do.
Joie woke up entirely too early. She was cranky and not feeling well herself. She kept screaming, and it just made me madder and madder. After all, I was there to help Heather rest and Livvi was still sleeping. When Livvi awoke, we had breakfast, then got dressed. By this time, it was about 9:00 a.m. and Joie was looking pretty tired. I offered to get them a hot chocolate from Starbucks and chose one that was about 20 minutes away, to see if she would fall asleep. She finally fell asleep about 10:30 p.m. on the way home, about one minute from our house. I dropped Livvi off at home and made sure Jo was asleep before taking her up to her room.
Liv and I then started her school work. We only got through 2.5 subjects in about 3-4 hours! Between her being a little lethargic from having been sick herself, easily distracted, and me not completely knowing what to do, it made for a not-so-productive school day. All this despite the fact Jo slept between 3 and 4 hours (thank you, Lord)!
The girls and I then left for Tae Kwon Do, grabbed dinner on the way home, and wolfed it down. I then had to take Liv to American Heritage Girls. While she was there, I went grocery shopping, then back to pick Liv up to head back home.
This is a typical Monday for Heather and the girls, except that Jo usually only naps for 2 hours (if at all) and they get about twice as much school work in (or more). Not to mention there may be a load or two of laundry done as well. I don't know how she does it, but she does (and does it well)!
Thursday, April 2, 2009
Quoting Joie
Quoting Joie
Yesterday, Joie was watching Diego and they were talking about how Baby Jaguar eats meat. Joie's response? "Hungry...meat!"
Later that day, Heather was showing Livvi and Joie a video to the music "Thy Word" by Amy Grant. There is a spot in the video that shows a majestic Jesus on the throne in heaven, with his arms out a little to each side. Joie sees this and the following conversation takes place:
Jo (with eyebrows crossed): Mad
Heather: Mad? Jesus isn't mad. Jesus loves you! He wants to hug you!
Jo gets a cute sheepish smile on her face and crosses her arms like she's hugging herself.
Jo: Tickle Jesus!
Heather: You want to tickle Jesus?!
Jo: Yes! Tickle, tickle, tickle! (visualize hands in close to her check with her fingers wiggling in a tickle motion)
Precious!
Yesterday, Joie was watching Diego and they were talking about how Baby Jaguar eats meat. Joie's response? "Hungry...meat!"
Later that day, Heather was showing Livvi and Joie a video to the music "Thy Word" by Amy Grant. There is a spot in the video that shows a majestic Jesus on the throne in heaven, with his arms out a little to each side. Joie sees this and the following conversation takes place:
Jo (with eyebrows crossed): Mad
Heather: Mad? Jesus isn't mad. Jesus loves you! He wants to hug you!
Jo gets a cute sheepish smile on her face and crosses her arms like she's hugging herself.
Jo: Tickle Jesus!
Heather: You want to tickle Jesus?!
Jo: Yes! Tickle, tickle, tickle! (visualize hands in close to her check with her fingers wiggling in a tickle motion)
Precious!
Thursday, March 26, 2009
Gambling and Pulling Teeth
We gambled and lost. The cost to add the kids to our dental insurance cost more than us just paying for two visits out of pocket. Therefore, we made the decision to not add them until Jo was old enough for regular visits.
Well, at Olivia's 6-month visit last month, the dentist noticed one of her adult teeth came in, but slightly behind her baby tooth. He indicated the adult tooth could possibly move into place as she grew, but only if that baby tooth came out. We had Liv wiggle it off and on for a month, but it never came out on its own.
On Monday, Olivia had to have the tooth pulled.
She was pretty quiet when I met her, Heather, and Joie at the dentist near where I work. I could tell she was nervous (I was a little, too). The longest, hardest part was the sealants on her back teeth because the plastic thing that held her mouth open was a tiny bit too big for her tiny (but loud) mouth. That is what took most of the hour. The tooth pulling was only about 10 minutes at most. He just pressed her nose and it popped right into Liv's hand. The Novocain shot hurt a tiny bit, but the rest was easy. The dentist is so great, fun, and funny. So glad we decided to go there for the kids instead of Heather's or my dentists (whom we love for taking care of our teeth).
After less than an hour, Livvi was with one less tooth, and Heather and I were with 300 less dollars. But the important thing is Liv is doing well, is pain-free, and the tooth fairy left two gold George Washington dollars! Oh, and thank God for a health savings account!
Well, at Olivia's 6-month visit last month, the dentist noticed one of her adult teeth came in, but slightly behind her baby tooth. He indicated the adult tooth could possibly move into place as she grew, but only if that baby tooth came out. We had Liv wiggle it off and on for a month, but it never came out on its own.
On Monday, Olivia had to have the tooth pulled.
She was pretty quiet when I met her, Heather, and Joie at the dentist near where I work. I could tell she was nervous (I was a little, too). The longest, hardest part was the sealants on her back teeth because the plastic thing that held her mouth open was a tiny bit too big for her tiny (but loud) mouth. That is what took most of the hour. The tooth pulling was only about 10 minutes at most. He just pressed her nose and it popped right into Liv's hand. The Novocain shot hurt a tiny bit, but the rest was easy. The dentist is so great, fun, and funny. So glad we decided to go there for the kids instead of Heather's or my dentists (whom we love for taking care of our teeth).
After less than an hour, Livvi was with one less tooth, and Heather and I were with 300 less dollars. But the important thing is Liv is doing well, is pain-free, and the tooth fairy left two gold George Washington dollars! Oh, and thank God for a health savings account!
Wednesday, March 18, 2009
Business Out West
Our trip out west was fairly uneventful. We left Monday morning for Portland, OR via Denver, CO. When we got to Denver, we were ready for lunch, but they were only serving breakfast, still. But, for some reason, they were serving alcohol at the adjoining bar. I guess it is OK to serve alcohol at 9:30 a.m., but you'd better not serve lunch!
The flights to Denver and to Portland were pretty bumpy at times. I don't know how these pilots keep the planes under control, but I'm sure glad they do! We arrived in Portland to, you guessed it, rain! It was pretty much overcast and rainy the whole time we were there. About 50 degrees, though, so it was bearable. The Oregon Department of Insurance (DOI) was really nice and we were pleased with the answers to most of our questions. They were quick to let us know, though, that the proper way to pronounce their state is Oregun. With the meeting taking place in Salem (one hour south of Portland) and our time being around 7:00 p.m. (4:00 p.m. in Oregon), we decided to eat at a highly recommended, small restaurant there in Salem: Word of Mouth Neighborhood Bistro. It was in an old house and was, in fact, pretty good. We headed back to Portland for our hotel.
We had an early flight (7:15 a.m.) from Portland to Boise, ID the next morning, St. Patrick's Day. This was on Southwest. I personally love this airline and talked it up big to my traveling companions. We arrived at the airport around 5:30 a.m. to an pretty long line to get our boarding passes. The flight was great, though, as there were only 29 passengers on a flight that could easily hold 3-to-4 times that many. The crew was very nice, but they weren't funny or any different than any other airline. I still love Southwest (and hope they come to Cincinnati...perhaps to make us an eastern/mid-western hub), but my companions weren't overly impressed. The crew was decked out in St. Patrick's Day garb, though (green beads, green hats, etc.)!
The flight into Boise provided some great scenery. If you haven't been out west to see the mountains, YOU HAVE TO GO! Like a dork, I took several pictures from the plane. I could definitely see myself living out here (with acres and acres of land). The weather was pretty nice, too. The high got to about 60 degrees and the sun was shining! Our visit to the Idaho DOI was great and we then visited two of our agencies that afternoon. They all seemed like great guys (though that second agency could give us a lot more business).
We finished up around 4:00 p.m. local time and headed to Boise State University, which was close to our hotel, to try to get a glimpse of the smurf turf. In case you are not familiar, the school's football field is actually blue! We couldn't get in the stadium, but tried to take a picture anyway. We headed back to the hotel to change, then we went to a Hawaiian restaurant, Ono, which was fantastic! It was recommended by the last agency we visited and they got it right! We went back to the hotel to get some shuteye before heading back to Cincinnati (via Minneapolis) on Wednesday morning. In Boise, at the gate waiting to board the plane, we noticed three TSA agents scoping out all the folks at our gate. They eventually singled some lady out and asked to go through her carry on bag(s) again. A complete waste of resources, if you ask me. Then I saw this article in USA Today.
In leaving Minneapolis, the pilot drove the plane from the gate to the runway, like normal. However, either he got lost or the airport there is huge. It took him 15 minutes to taxi out to the runway. The guy next to me even asked if we were driving to Cincinnati! To top things off, when we arrived in Cincinnati, they couldn't get the passenger bridge (is that what you call it?) to work to connect to our plane to let people off. After about 10 minutes, they figured it out.
A good trip, but we are pretty tired from all the flying. I don't know how people can fly every day or every week for that matter! I think we are done traveling for the year, unless something comes up. OK with me!
Here are some pictures from our March business trips.
The flights to Denver and to Portland were pretty bumpy at times. I don't know how these pilots keep the planes under control, but I'm sure glad they do! We arrived in Portland to, you guessed it, rain! It was pretty much overcast and rainy the whole time we were there. About 50 degrees, though, so it was bearable. The Oregon Department of Insurance (DOI) was really nice and we were pleased with the answers to most of our questions. They were quick to let us know, though, that the proper way to pronounce their state is Oregun. With the meeting taking place in Salem (one hour south of Portland) and our time being around 7:00 p.m. (4:00 p.m. in Oregon), we decided to eat at a highly recommended, small restaurant there in Salem: Word of Mouth Neighborhood Bistro. It was in an old house and was, in fact, pretty good. We headed back to Portland for our hotel.
We had an early flight (7:15 a.m.) from Portland to Boise, ID the next morning, St. Patrick's Day. This was on Southwest. I personally love this airline and talked it up big to my traveling companions. We arrived at the airport around 5:30 a.m. to an pretty long line to get our boarding passes. The flight was great, though, as there were only 29 passengers on a flight that could easily hold 3-to-4 times that many. The crew was very nice, but they weren't funny or any different than any other airline. I still love Southwest (and hope they come to Cincinnati...perhaps to make us an eastern/mid-western hub), but my companions weren't overly impressed. The crew was decked out in St. Patrick's Day garb, though (green beads, green hats, etc.)!
The flight into Boise provided some great scenery. If you haven't been out west to see the mountains, YOU HAVE TO GO! Like a dork, I took several pictures from the plane. I could definitely see myself living out here (with acres and acres of land). The weather was pretty nice, too. The high got to about 60 degrees and the sun was shining! Our visit to the Idaho DOI was great and we then visited two of our agencies that afternoon. They all seemed like great guys (though that second agency could give us a lot more business).
We finished up around 4:00 p.m. local time and headed to Boise State University, which was close to our hotel, to try to get a glimpse of the smurf turf. In case you are not familiar, the school's football field is actually blue! We couldn't get in the stadium, but tried to take a picture anyway. We headed back to the hotel to change, then we went to a Hawaiian restaurant, Ono, which was fantastic! It was recommended by the last agency we visited and they got it right! We went back to the hotel to get some shuteye before heading back to Cincinnati (via Minneapolis) on Wednesday morning. In Boise, at the gate waiting to board the plane, we noticed three TSA agents scoping out all the folks at our gate. They eventually singled some lady out and asked to go through her carry on bag(s) again. A complete waste of resources, if you ask me. Then I saw this article in USA Today.
In leaving Minneapolis, the pilot drove the plane from the gate to the runway, like normal. However, either he got lost or the airport there is huge. It took him 15 minutes to taxi out to the runway. The guy next to me even asked if we were driving to Cincinnati! To top things off, when we arrived in Cincinnati, they couldn't get the passenger bridge (is that what you call it?) to work to connect to our plane to let people off. After about 10 minutes, they figured it out.
A good trip, but we are pretty tired from all the flying. I don't know how people can fly every day or every week for that matter! I think we are done traveling for the year, unless something comes up. OK with me!
Here are some pictures from our March business trips.
Friday, March 13, 2009
Quoting Livvi
Last night, Livvi was drinking hot chocolate and started coughing. She said "some hot chocolate must have gone down the wrong aisle". We had just left the grocery store, so not sure if there is a correlation or not...
Tuesday, March 10, 2009
New England Business Trip
As there is always something that happens on our business trips, I didn't expect this one to be any different. I wasn't disappointed.
About 9:30 p.m. the night before, our scheduled 6:50 a.m. US Airways flight from CVG to New Hampshire (through Philadelphia) on Wednesday was canceled. As they were not able to get us on another flight that would get us to NH in time for our meeting, we canceled that leg and took a flight (through Philly) to Portland, ME. I didn't sleep much that night as I came down with something. I'm still not sure what it is, but here it is a week later and my head is still spinning.
Our flights there were fine, but I stayed the entire evening/night in my room vegging/sleeping...trying to get up some strength for our meetings on Thursday.
Thursday morning arrived and I felt a little better. We drove up to our meeting, but my partner typed in Augusta, ME in the GPS in lieu of Gardiner, ME (which I told him) and, instead of being early, were about a half-hour late. The meeting went really well, though, and we headed to Boston for meeting number two.
Along the way, we stopped at a nice restaurant in Maine and were nearly poisoned by some nasty stuffed mushrooms. The chef even acknowledged something wasn't right.
We arrived in Boston for our next meeting and there were some interesting individuals in our meeting, one of which I thought was going to sprout fangs and fly around the room (a dude with one-inch finger nails filed to a point on each finger, a bright blue blazer, and long hair combed back).
After the meeting, we went back to the hotel to check in and change. I said I was willing to try to to go out to dinner with the team, but I didn't want to stay out too late. We drove around Boston for an hour, just to end up back at the hotel, where they ate and I went to my room to veg and sleep some more.
We met in the lobby at 5:00 a.m. on Friday to catch our 7:15 a.m. US Airways flight back to CVG (though Philly). At 5:30 a.m. at Logan Airport, we were advised our flight was cancelled (just a warning for anyone that wants to fly US Air...that is two now in two days). They were able to get us on a Delta flight later that morning that took us directly to CVG, which ended up getting us in earlier than we planned.
Oh, one more thing, Heather called me at 7:04 a.m. and said that US Airways just called to tell me my 7:15 a.m. flight had been cancelled. That's right, they not only called 11 minutes before the flight was to take off, but they called my number in CINCINNATI (Cleves) to tell me my flight from BOSTON was being canceled. Quality!
We go again on Monday to Oregon and Idaho. I'm sure I'll be writing something about that soon.
About 9:30 p.m. the night before, our scheduled 6:50 a.m. US Airways flight from CVG to New Hampshire (through Philadelphia) on Wednesday was canceled. As they were not able to get us on another flight that would get us to NH in time for our meeting, we canceled that leg and took a flight (through Philly) to Portland, ME. I didn't sleep much that night as I came down with something. I'm still not sure what it is, but here it is a week later and my head is still spinning.
Our flights there were fine, but I stayed the entire evening/night in my room vegging/sleeping...trying to get up some strength for our meetings on Thursday.
Thursday morning arrived and I felt a little better. We drove up to our meeting, but my partner typed in Augusta, ME in the GPS in lieu of Gardiner, ME (which I told him) and, instead of being early, were about a half-hour late. The meeting went really well, though, and we headed to Boston for meeting number two.
Along the way, we stopped at a nice restaurant in Maine and were nearly poisoned by some nasty stuffed mushrooms. The chef even acknowledged something wasn't right.
We arrived in Boston for our next meeting and there were some interesting individuals in our meeting, one of which I thought was going to sprout fangs and fly around the room (a dude with one-inch finger nails filed to a point on each finger, a bright blue blazer, and long hair combed back).
After the meeting, we went back to the hotel to check in and change. I said I was willing to try to to go out to dinner with the team, but I didn't want to stay out too late. We drove around Boston for an hour, just to end up back at the hotel, where they ate and I went to my room to veg and sleep some more.
We met in the lobby at 5:00 a.m. on Friday to catch our 7:15 a.m. US Airways flight back to CVG (though Philly). At 5:30 a.m. at Logan Airport, we were advised our flight was cancelled (just a warning for anyone that wants to fly US Air...that is two now in two days). They were able to get us on a Delta flight later that morning that took us directly to CVG, which ended up getting us in earlier than we planned.
Oh, one more thing, Heather called me at 7:04 a.m. and said that US Airways just called to tell me my 7:15 a.m. flight had been cancelled. That's right, they not only called 11 minutes before the flight was to take off, but they called my number in CINCINNATI (Cleves) to tell me my flight from BOSTON was being canceled. Quality!
We go again on Monday to Oregon and Idaho. I'm sure I'll be writing something about that soon.
Saturday, February 28, 2009
Girl Power!
Livvi had her first Tae Kwon Do tournament back on 1/27/2007 where she placed first in one event and third in two other events. Her second tournament was later that same year on 11/10/2007. That time, she placed first in two events and third in one event. Today was her third tournament, with her stiffest competition, yet. She was up against two boys, one of which was also a red belt, like her.
The competition began with the blocking pattern. Livvi has gotten first place each time she has done this in her two previous meets. Today was no different!
Her next event was the board break. We all thought it was going to be a front kick, but they instructed her to do it with a palm heal strike. She did her best and got second place in this event...an improvement over the last tournament!
The last event was the heavy bag freestyle. She got first place last time and it was really close this time. I wasn't sure what the outcome would be, but she did it! She got first place!
You can see the video of today's events here.
Livvi has really grown into this sport and loves it! You can see the growth from one video to the next. Her instructor is encouraging her to start sparring and she seems really excited to try it. Stay tuned for updates on that.
Congratulations, Livvi!! xxx/ooo
The competition began with the blocking pattern. Livvi has gotten first place each time she has done this in her two previous meets. Today was no different!
Her next event was the board break. We all thought it was going to be a front kick, but they instructed her to do it with a palm heal strike. She did her best and got second place in this event...an improvement over the last tournament!
The last event was the heavy bag freestyle. She got first place last time and it was really close this time. I wasn't sure what the outcome would be, but she did it! She got first place!
You can see the video of today's events here.
Livvi has really grown into this sport and loves it! You can see the growth from one video to the next. Her instructor is encouraging her to start sparring and she seems really excited to try it. Stay tuned for updates on that.
Congratulations, Livvi!! xxx/ooo
Wednesday, February 18, 2009
Home School Report
We just got a report on "our" progress with the homeschooling of Olivia with OHVA. I'll let the report speak for itself:
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Goal progress:
Mrs. Shaut made the goal for Olivia to be challenged in her school work and be on 3rd grade material come next year. Mrs. Shaut is enjoying the curriculum for Olivia and she is on a great track!
Curriculum and academics progress:
Olivia is working out of some 3rd grade material. She is very much able to handle the work. She is a very bright little girl.
Success Plan (attendance/progress):
The Shaut's started mid-year, but are working great with the curriculum. Olivia keeps up on her hours and is making great progress.
Scantron results:
Olivia scored a 2664 in reading and a 2352 in math.
Teacher comments:
This family is wonderful to work with! I would not know that this family is new to OHVA. They are doing a wonderful job and working very hard. Olivia is a joy to talk and work with! What a model family for other OHVA families!
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I can't tell you how proud I am of Heather and Olivia! This is the very reason we wanted to do this, because we knew Livvi needed to be challenged. Great job, Livvi! Also, I hope this is an encouragement to you as well, Heather. Your dedication to your children is really making a difference and making them better kids! I love you both!!
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Goal progress:
Mrs. Shaut made the goal for Olivia to be challenged in her school work and be on 3rd grade material come next year. Mrs. Shaut is enjoying the curriculum for Olivia and she is on a great track!
Curriculum and academics progress:
Olivia is working out of some 3rd grade material. She is very much able to handle the work. She is a very bright little girl.
Success Plan (attendance/progress):
The Shaut's started mid-year, but are working great with the curriculum. Olivia keeps up on her hours and is making great progress.
Scantron results:
Olivia scored a 2664 in reading and a 2352 in math.
Teacher comments:
This family is wonderful to work with! I would not know that this family is new to OHVA. They are doing a wonderful job and working very hard. Olivia is a joy to talk and work with! What a model family for other OHVA families!
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I can't tell you how proud I am of Heather and Olivia! This is the very reason we wanted to do this, because we knew Livvi needed to be challenged. Great job, Livvi! Also, I hope this is an encouragement to you as well, Heather. Your dedication to your children is really making a difference and making them better kids! I love you both!!
Baby Brother?
No, it is not what you may be thinking. We are NOT (thank you, Jesus) expecting another child. However, today is my "baby" brother's 40th birthday! How old does that make me?! It is really hard to think of your younger brother as being 40 years old. Well, at least he has more gray hair than I do. :-)
Love you, Brett! Happy Birthday!!
Love you, Brett! Happy Birthday!!
Saturday, February 14, 2009
Joie Likes to Sing
Joie loves to sing, so I got out the video camera to see what I could capture. Below, she is singing Phineas & Ferb's "Gitchi, Gitchi, Goo (I Love You)" and Go, Diego, Go! Enjoy!
Friday, February 6, 2009
Hoedown
Tonight, I had the honor of escorting Olivia to her American Heritage Girl Father/Daughter Square Dance. While I absolutely hate dancing, square dancing is bearable and kinda fun. It was a blast being there with my Livvi! We had a really good time. It was a little hard hearing the caller and knowing what to do. Too many people talking when Liv and I were really trying to learn. We had fun anyway and she requested to go home after about an hour and a half as her feet were sore (I didn't mind as mine were getting a little tired as well). I love hanging out with Livvi! Yee Haw!
Snowy Tuesday Rant
This past Tuesday brought more threats of snow all day. However, it never really started collecting on the ground or cars (other than a heavy dusting at best) after hours of snowing/flurrying. It wasn't until after 3:00 p.m. that it just started dumping from the sky...about 2 inches per hour. I realize that would qualify as a dusting in most areas, but it apparently is a big deal here in Cincinnati. What would normally take me about a minute or two to get to the highway from my office took me 30 minutes and what would normally take be about 30 minutes total from work to home took me TWO HOURS! Come on, people! It is just snow. No ice, this time, just snow! How does a major highway, like I-275, become a parking lot when there isn't an accident blocking the way? Observation told me it was the merging of cars from the exit ramp onto 275 where the backups occurred. How does this happen? I saw zero accidents on my way home (probably because you never got over 10-20 mph), so tell me, how does traffic come to a complete stop?! Incredible!
As if that wasn't enough, I made it to within 3/4 of a mile from my exit (about 75 minutes later) and people were leaving the right-hand lane to merge into the center lane. When it came my turn, I realized why. There was a red car PARKED in the lane (not the shoulder, but the lane) and the lady was outside her car, scraping snow off her wipers and windshield! Why she couldn't have 1. pulled over or 2. taken the exit to take care of this problem is unknown to me. Granted, this wasn't the reason everything was backed up, but it is people like her that don't know how to handle the snow!
There, I'm done, and I feel a little better now. Man, I sure hope I never have an accident in the snow, now!
As if that wasn't enough, I made it to within 3/4 of a mile from my exit (about 75 minutes later) and people were leaving the right-hand lane to merge into the center lane. When it came my turn, I realized why. There was a red car PARKED in the lane (not the shoulder, but the lane) and the lady was outside her car, scraping snow off her wipers and windshield! Why she couldn't have 1. pulled over or 2. taken the exit to take care of this problem is unknown to me. Granted, this wasn't the reason everything was backed up, but it is people like her that don't know how to handle the snow!
There, I'm done, and I feel a little better now. Man, I sure hope I never have an accident in the snow, now!
Saturday, January 31, 2009
He's In
Friday night, my dad was inducted into the Oak Hills High School Hall of Fame. I am so proud of him! My brother and two nephews were able to make it down for the event. It was great to see them! It was also so good to see folks from church, some guys who used to wrestle for dad, and even a former MatScot (OHHS wrestling "cheerleader" responsible for cheering, score keeping, stats, etc.). There were at least 20 people that came on Dad's behalf to share in this moment. As he was being congratulated by his former wrestlers, my dad, in his incredible humbleness, said this award was because of them. If they hadn't won, he wouldn't be getting all this attention. While that is somewhat true, if they didn't have a great coach that knew how to coach and motivate them to be the best, they probably wouldn't have had the success they (and he) had. Congratulations, Dad! We love you!
Wednesday, January 28, 2009
Let it Snow, Let it Snow, Let it Snow...
...except when I'm driving to/from work...
We were allowed to leave work an hour early yesterday as a winter storm was moving in and had dropped snow and was bringing ice later. I made it home with no trouble. Well, it rained/sleeted for most of the night. I started about 6:30 a.m. this morning and could not get up the hill on our street. I saw the plow come through, then decided to try again. This time, even worse results. I then got word that our company was not going to open until 10:00 a.m. I decided to try again about 7:45 a.m. and, after backing all the way down the street, got a running start and made it! The roads were not good. Oh, by the way, it had started snowing by now, too. Big flakes, then it was snowing like crazy...about an inch per hour. Fortunately for us, it stopped by late morning. Now, the sun is out (occasionally), and the road crews should be able to make some progress by the time I'm ready to head back home (actually by the time they let me go home). Everything looks beautiful, though!
Thank you, Jesus, that I still have a job to go to during days like this (or any day for that matter)!
We were allowed to leave work an hour early yesterday as a winter storm was moving in and had dropped snow and was bringing ice later. I made it home with no trouble. Well, it rained/sleeted for most of the night. I started about 6:30 a.m. this morning and could not get up the hill on our street. I saw the plow come through, then decided to try again. This time, even worse results. I then got word that our company was not going to open until 10:00 a.m. I decided to try again about 7:45 a.m. and, after backing all the way down the street, got a running start and made it! The roads were not good. Oh, by the way, it had started snowing by now, too. Big flakes, then it was snowing like crazy...about an inch per hour. Fortunately for us, it stopped by late morning. Now, the sun is out (occasionally), and the road crews should be able to make some progress by the time I'm ready to head back home (actually by the time they let me go home). Everything looks beautiful, though!
Thank you, Jesus, that I still have a job to go to during days like this (or any day for that matter)!
Thursday, January 15, 2009
Homeschooling
As I indicated in our "Christmas card," we made the tough decision to take Livvi out of her 2nd grade public school situation mid-term and would finish out the year homeschooling her. Heather and I are big proponents of public schools and this was in no way a bad reflection on our schools. In fact, we moved to this area BECAUSE of the great schools. However, due to limited resources at this grade level, Livvi wasn't getting the extra work she wanted or we thought she deserved. She was pretty much bored most of the day.
On January 5, Heather began teaching Liv at home. She did extensive research and chose the Ohio Virtual Academy. Unlike the stereotypical home school experience, OHVA provides pretty much everything you need (curriculum, books, workbooks, art supplies, computer, printer, etc.). It is pretty fantastic (at least what we've seen so far)! It is technically a public school where Livvi has to check in with a teacher periodically (online), but Heather is the one teaching her. She has control of the spin placed on the curriculum. They go at a pace that is comfortable for Liv. She can go as fast or as slow as she wants. In addition to the assigned curriculum, Tae Kwon Do, Wii Fit, etc. counts as gym time, reading before bed counts as reading time, watching things like our DVD of Schoolhouse Rock counts as learning, etc.
The challenge in all this is Heather NEVER gets a break! She is either teaching Livvi or she is entertaining Joie. We've had offers of help and we may start to accept. It is a very difficult thing for a mom to give 100% of her attention to BOTH kids all the time. However, being a good mom, that is exactly what Heather wants to do. Livvi is learning a LOT. In fact, I would venture a guess that she's learned more in the last 8+ days than she has over the last 6 months-to-a-year. Please keep Heather in your prayers as she definitely has the harder job in our family. She would like to post an update on this from her perspective, but finding the time is the problem. Stay tuned!!
On January 5, Heather began teaching Liv at home. She did extensive research and chose the Ohio Virtual Academy. Unlike the stereotypical home school experience, OHVA provides pretty much everything you need (curriculum, books, workbooks, art supplies, computer, printer, etc.). It is pretty fantastic (at least what we've seen so far)! It is technically a public school where Livvi has to check in with a teacher periodically (online), but Heather is the one teaching her. She has control of the spin placed on the curriculum. They go at a pace that is comfortable for Liv. She can go as fast or as slow as she wants. In addition to the assigned curriculum, Tae Kwon Do, Wii Fit, etc. counts as gym time, reading before bed counts as reading time, watching things like our DVD of Schoolhouse Rock counts as learning, etc.
The challenge in all this is Heather NEVER gets a break! She is either teaching Livvi or she is entertaining Joie. We've had offers of help and we may start to accept. It is a very difficult thing for a mom to give 100% of her attention to BOTH kids all the time. However, being a good mom, that is exactly what Heather wants to do. Livvi is learning a LOT. In fact, I would venture a guess that she's learned more in the last 8+ days than she has over the last 6 months-to-a-year. Please keep Heather in your prayers as she definitely has the harder job in our family. She would like to post an update on this from her perspective, but finding the time is the problem. Stay tuned!!
Tuesday, January 13, 2009
Livvi's a Red Belt
We are more than happy to have our kids try all kinds of activities (and we encourage it). Olivia has danced, played soccer, played t-ball, and done gymnastics, and all were fairly short-lived. She started in Tae Kwon Do October 23, 2006 in the 4-and 5-year old class. When she turned 6, she moved up to the 6-and 7-year old class. She really loves TKD and seems to do really well at it. Late Monday afternoon, she was the first in her class to earn a red belt. The only belt higher is the Lil' Dragons All-star belt (you can't get a black belt at this age level). We are so proud of her accomplishment and her determination to stick with something she loves and excel at it. Congratulations, Livvi! We love you!!
Tuesday, January 6, 2009
Frank Shaut, Sr. - OHHS Hall of Fame
My dad has received many awards and much (deserved) recognition over the years. He will get to add another accolade to the list when he will be inducted into the Oak Hills High School Hall of Fame on Friday, January 30 around 7:00 p.m. While my brother and I agree this is WAY overdue, our whole family is so happy and proud of him. Here is the official press release from OHHS. In addition to being an outstanding wrestling coach at Oak Hills, he actually helped coach the University of Cincinnati team while he was on it, as the head coach, Glenn Sample, was pretty new to the sport. A collegue of mine found this UC Paper from March 22, 1962 online. See page 10 - viewer discretion is advised :-)! He is also in the UC Hall of Fame.
While he is appreciative of the recognition, he is very embarrassed by it and would probably prefer to not be recognized for the most part. Nevertheless, I love it and wish he'd get more. In fact, while he has had many sports-related accomplishments, I would love for him to get recognized for the stuff he's done since he stopped coaching in 1974. I'm not even talking about his time as a great assistant principal and principal, but rather his seemingly tireless love and service to his Lord. He helped start a church in 1978 (New Covenant Christian, later changed name to Oak Hills Christian) with a team of people who, over time, left the church for whatever reason. There were times (years) when he was the only elder in the church and was soooo involved over the years. People kept giving up while both of my parents stuck it out and did whatever they could. There were times of great rejoicing as well as times of many tears and wonders of what God had planned for them and this small church (down to about 40 people at one point). After years of praying that God would send people to our church, we got up to about 100-150 or so and in 2004, we merged with another church of similar size (maybe a tad bigger) and changed our name to iMPACT. Combined we were about 250-300 each Sunday. We now have three services (one of which is on Saturday evening) and are getting consistently over 400 people each week (Note, they attend all three services each week, if possible). He's still praying for more (unsaved) people and now we have the good "problem" of trying to figure out where to put them! :-) Praise the Lord!
I hope I wasn't rambling. I didn't intend to go into all that (and there is PLENTY MORE), but it just seemed a natural progression from what I set out to do initially.
Dad, forgive me for posting this as I know on some level you don't like it, but you and Mom deserve so much recognition for stuff outside of sports. I hope you know MANY people love and appreciate you two for your love of Jesus and His church here at iMPACT. I happen to be one of them!
While he is appreciative of the recognition, he is very embarrassed by it and would probably prefer to not be recognized for the most part. Nevertheless, I love it and wish he'd get more. In fact, while he has had many sports-related accomplishments, I would love for him to get recognized for the stuff he's done since he stopped coaching in 1974. I'm not even talking about his time as a great assistant principal and principal, but rather his seemingly tireless love and service to his Lord. He helped start a church in 1978 (New Covenant Christian, later changed name to Oak Hills Christian) with a team of people who, over time, left the church for whatever reason. There were times (years) when he was the only elder in the church and was soooo involved over the years. People kept giving up while both of my parents stuck it out and did whatever they could. There were times of great rejoicing as well as times of many tears and wonders of what God had planned for them and this small church (down to about 40 people at one point). After years of praying that God would send people to our church, we got up to about 100-150 or so and in 2004, we merged with another church of similar size (maybe a tad bigger) and changed our name to iMPACT. Combined we were about 250-300 each Sunday. We now have three services (one of which is on Saturday evening) and are getting consistently over 400 people each week (Note, they attend all three services each week, if possible). He's still praying for more (unsaved) people and now we have the good "problem" of trying to figure out where to put them! :-) Praise the Lord!
I hope I wasn't rambling. I didn't intend to go into all that (and there is PLENTY MORE), but it just seemed a natural progression from what I set out to do initially.
Dad, forgive me for posting this as I know on some level you don't like it, but you and Mom deserve so much recognition for stuff outside of sports. I hope you know MANY people love and appreciate you two for your love of Jesus and His church here at iMPACT. I happen to be one of them!
Thursday, January 1, 2009
Wii Are Family
With some of the Christmas money we received, we decided to go ahead and get something we've wanted for a while that might also help us get a little more active. We purchased a hard-to-find Nintendo Wii system last weekend and are having fun with it. It came with the sports package (Tennis, Golf, Baseball, Bowling, and Boxing) and that is pretty much all we've done. We got Wii Music a couple of days ago, but we really haven't gotten to use that one much (yet).
There is one part I don't like: Isn't a father supposed to be better in sports than his 7 year-old daughter? It is somewhat humbling to know Livvi has beaten me on more than one occasion in bowling, baseball, tennis, and, yes, boxing. I just have to keep telling myself that it is just an electronic game and that in really life, it would be different. Right?!
I'm currently sitting here watching Heather beat the holy crap out of Livvi in boxing. There is something about seeing a mother beat her child in the ring. Nice, Heather, nice! In fact, I just boxed Heather, too, and there was a similar result: me face down on the mat.
Joie has also gotten into it a little as well (as best as she can). Boxing is about the only thing she can do. She can punch and put a hurtin' on some of the computer opponents. In fact she won at least two matches. Here is a clip of her with a virtual punching bag.
By the way, at the end of the video, after Heather asked if she could play, Jo's response was cut off. Any guesses? You got it. She said "No!"
There is one part I don't like: Isn't a father supposed to be better in sports than his 7 year-old daughter? It is somewhat humbling to know Livvi has beaten me on more than one occasion in bowling, baseball, tennis, and, yes, boxing. I just have to keep telling myself that it is just an electronic game and that in really life, it would be different. Right?!
I'm currently sitting here watching Heather beat the holy crap out of Livvi in boxing. There is something about seeing a mother beat her child in the ring. Nice, Heather, nice! In fact, I just boxed Heather, too, and there was a similar result: me face down on the mat.
Joie has also gotten into it a little as well (as best as she can). Boxing is about the only thing she can do. She can punch and put a hurtin' on some of the computer opponents. In fact she won at least two matches. Here is a clip of her with a virtual punching bag.
By the way, at the end of the video, after Heather asked if she could play, Jo's response was cut off. Any guesses? You got it. She said "No!"
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