We’re still here . . .

This a repost but I like it and I have been very busy lately.   Worked 72 hours this week.  Not fun!  Hope you enjoy it.

Hunter’s Photo Shoot

Hi Everyone,

I’ve really been slacking on the blogging.  There hasn’t been too much news around here but with the weather just starting to change it seems like things are starting to pick up.  I’ll make this a fast one.  Nick has just started track.  Kalee has just started drivers training . . . oh joy.  I’m working more than I should.  Piper is working harder than she should and still running way too many miles per week.  Hunter has been in a really good space lately and nothing but pure fun for probably the last two weeks straight.  Every day he both amazes us and makes us laugh out loud.  We don’t know what to teach him next.  He now knows all 50 states without a problem.  Can recognize and name all 44 (?) presidents by their faces and says “Jimmy Caaaartuer” with a southern accent.  Lately, he’s been wanting to learn the state flags and can now recognize 11 of them.  But, seriously, when do you ever need to know your state flags?  Maybe I’ll get him hooked on state capitals or we’ll start math flash cards?

Piper and I took on a little photo project because Hunter just turned two recently.  We had a blast doing it!  Hunter listened surprisingly well.  Here are the results.  Prints, without the cheesy logo, to be sent out to grandparents within a few weeks.

Family Update

Hey Everyone,

Everyone has had a bit of news since I last made an update:

Me:

My surgery went fantastic!  It was the first time I had ever been “under”.  It simply amazes me how perfect they have the process of anesthesia down pat.  “David, take two deep breaths . . . “  The last thing I remember is starting the second breath and the next thing I remember is the nurse telling me it was time to get up.  I’m in a completely different room and for the most part feeling amazingly well.  I was on the table at 7:30 A.M. and walking out of the hospital at 11 A.M.  I went home, took a tap and actually went to Kalee’s basketball game that same night.  The nurse told me a gall ball surgery used to be a standard 5 day stay in the hospital when she first started nursing.

The doctor told me that I had 20 stones in my gall bladder.  He looked at me like I was insane when I asked if that was a lot.  Apparently, so!  The not so impressive fact is that to this day the medical community still has no idea what causes them.  Beer drinkers rejoice, your hobby is still safe.

Piper:

Yet another 5K run from Mrs. fitness.  And once again she improved her personal best time.  She now has one run a month scheduled for the next 5 months.    Whether or not she is running the 1/2 marathon in May is still undecided but she’ll need to commit soon because you just don’t wake up the morning of and decide to run 13 miles.  We are all so proud of her and what’s even better is she is truly enjoying running.

Kalee:

Kalee is doing well and feeling great.  Tom & Cathy came down for one of her recent basketball games and she hit a 3 pointer with 1.3 seconds left in the 3rd quarter.  Kalee’s first 3 pointer ever in a game.  Now she thinks she can’t miss a shot and is shooting constantly.   Oh what a bit confidence can do for you.

Nick:

Well, it’s almost official that Nick has been offered the job to be a counselor this year a Pretty Lake Vacation Camp.  We’re all very excited, because they receive so many applicants and it will be such a great experience for him.  He has been getting some great letters of recommendation and they’ve been very inspirational to read.

I’m still chasing Hunter around with a camera in my hand and going through the couple of pictures (that is an understatement for anyone not paying attention) I have of him.

Take care…..David

Could you put him to bed?

Hey everyone!

Is it bad when the emergency room knows Piper on a first name basis?  I’m exaggerating of course, but just this past Sunday, Kalee ended up in the emergency room.  Just like my visit, it’s probably not that serious and we’re doing our due diligence to follow-up.  Rest assured Kalee is just fine and she was out the same day and back home.

In some better news, Nick was once again asked to be a guest speaker at Pretty Lake Vacation Camp.  This time it is was for their annual board of directors dinner.  The camp uses this dinner as a means to get the word out to prominent members of the community that the camp survives on donations and volunteers only.  Nick and I got the chance to have dinner with some wonderful people.  Nick did an excellent job speaking and it was obvious that he felt more at ease this time around.  He really did do a great job and several board members and attendees came up to him afterwards to let him know the same.

That’s it for now.  In our near future we have Tom and Cathy coming down to catch one of Kalee’s basketball games and we’ll be hosting a small get together for the Superbowl.

Until the next post….I ask you this.  Could you put him to bed?

A visit from Emily

Hey gang.  I’ve been trying to post more but it just seems with family life, work and other things that I never seem to have enough time.  So I’ll try to keep the updates quick and short.  Our dryer called it quits so I was out buying a new dryer today and it should be delivered tomorrow.  It’s amazing how fast laundry piles up for a family of five.

A big problem we have is working on the computer when Hunter is home and awake.  He gets really cranky and into a lot of things he should not be into,  so we bought him his own play desk.  I just finished putting it together and hopefully this will allow him to play peacefully along side myself or Piper while we are on the computer.  I’m quite the dreamer, huh?

Here is a couple shots of Emily from her last visit.  Take care . . .

The New TV is Up!

Hey everyone! It’s been pretty quiet around here.  Only a couple things of importance.  I have surgery to remove my gall bladder scheduled for February 2nd.  It should be straight forward and it’s usually outpatient.  The only drawback is that it’s the day after the Super Bowl and I have to be at the hospital at 6 AM.

I finally got around to getting the new TV installed on the wall in the bedroom.  I thought it was going to be quite the project but it turned out to be relatively easy.  The hardest part was running the cable for the internet down to the basement.  We decided to move the computer down to the basement to make some more room in the bedroom and this required running the cables to a new spot.

In a lot less interesting news.  Piper and I went to a free ballroom dancing lesson.  It turned out to be better than I expected but I really have no interest in learning ballroom dancing.  That’s it for now. . .

This is what I started with and needed to install

This is a bit of the mess I had going for awhile.

The completed project!

A couple of Hunter, just because.

Just after his bath and helping with a puzzle.

Happy Holidays!

Merry Christmas to everyone!  It’s been too long since my last post but we’ve been quite busy around here.  Things are slow at Coca-Cola, Paw Paw, so instead of working overtime during these two weeks, I’ve been lucky enough to be home more than usual.  Company holidays combined with a couple vacation days has given me quite a few days off the last week and this coming week.  It’s been great to be home with the kids but they don’t stick around very long before they’re trying to shake me and be out with their friends.

Our Christmas went quite well and we all survived.  We were all very fortunate.  Kalee got an IPOD, Nick a phone and Hunter got too many toys.  Piper and I waited until after Christmas to decide if we wanted to do anything for us.  After it was done, we decided that we would get a new TV for the bedroom.  I just picked it up from the store yesterday and the unopened box is still sitting in the bedroom because I have to work the next couple of days.  Once I have it setup, I’ll post a picture or two.

Chaley Fleetwood, the girl Nick escorted in Miss Bloomingdale, not only ended up winning the competition but she was also awarded Miss Congeniality and Miss Entrepreneur.  I asked Nick “Does this make you a King now?”  He wasn’t sure . . .

Kalee was cleared by the doctor to play basketball.  She had an injury from Volleyball that required an MRI and X-Rays but everything came back clean so she is now getting quite a bit of playing time.  Just before her team took a two week break for the holidays, Jon Kaul drove up and watched one of her games.  Kalee had 3 points.  Yes, she actually made a free throw.

Piper has decided to run in a 5K the morning of January 1st, 2009!  I’m not sure this is the greatest idea, but she asked if I would go out and support her that morning and I told her I would.

Hunter has been his usual self and is providing everyone with constant entertainment.  We’re running out of words to teach him!  He adds 1-2 words everyday on his flash cards (he must be over 50 now).  We’re open to suggestions?!

My gall bladder ultra-sound revealed that I do have several small gall stones and the doctor recommended that I have my gall bladder removed.  I have a consultation with the surgeon scheduled for January 7th.  So that is great news, nothing serious.  I’ve never had surgery so that will be an exciting new first for me!

I hope this finds you all healthy and we wish you all a Happy Holidays!

Chili Cookoff Winner Announced!

Things have been quiet around here lately.  Piper didn’t participate in the 5K walk for breast cancer because not only was she sick but Kalee, Hunter and myself weren’t feeling very well.  Everyone seems to be better now but Kalee was hit the hardest and seems to be the slowest to recover.

Nick has whittled down his pack of girls to just one, Kendra, and has been spending quite a bit of time with her lately.  He’s still supporting his good friend Kalee in the upcoming Miss Bloomingdale and spends every Sunday afternoon practicing how to walk, dance and be an escort.

The big news around here lately has been how Piper was the winner of a Chili cookoff.  At her workplace they decided to hold a chili cookoff.  Several people brought in their version of Chili.  It was done banquet style and throughout the day people could sample all the offerings and were then asked to cast a vote for what they thought were the best three chilis.  The competition was fierce and close but at the end Piper won first place with 27 points, nudging out second place by just 2 points.

This is a great example of how a good husband can be such an assest to improving your cooking.  I’ve worked very hard over the years, carefully giving Piper expert advice on every meal she’s created so that the next meal she cooked would be just a little bit better than the last one.

Congratulations Piper! A good lesson learned……