kid speak

This is at Kings Canyon National Park, but yesterday at home Sophia put her arm around me, petted me, and said in her I'm-trying-to-be-adorable-voice, "I'm so glad Daddy married you!" I guess that's her version of "I'm glad you're my mommy" because if he hadn't married ME, she thinks she'd have a different Mommy!

California dreamin'

Oh, to be on the first day of our 2 week California trip
again! And with the whole summer ahead of us!

Horsin' Around

Well, it was our first day back to homeschool, but who wouldn't rather be horsing around? For the record, noses were in the books around here today but I thought these pictures from yesterday were much more fun.

Missed me?

After 11 days of Isaac, we figured it's sure time to get Sophia back on here. Nana and Papaw took Isaac and Sophia to the fire house, just in case Isaac needed help with ALL eleven candles. :)

hint dropper scored

A couple weeks ago Isaac called Kimberly "just to chat." And while they were chatting he "happened" to mention that he LOVED goldfinches and that she could paint him one. He rambled on, trying to make it all casual, while dropping the birthday hint bomb. So she whips out this adorable little painting this morning...much easier than going shopping, she says!

11 years old

Happy Birthday, Isaac!

Here are Isaac's favorite things about his birthday:

FINALLY being able to sit up front.

His new skateboard.

Dr. Pepper.

10 years old

When Isaac grows up he wants to be a soldier in either the Revolutionary War or the Civil War :) (he can't make up his mind, they're both sooo cool, you know).

Froggy gone a courtin', courtesy of Nana and some country fun.

9 years old

2 things Isaac tried to show me this year...

1. THIS is how it feels to have a camera in your face your whole life.

2. This is the goofy smile I get when I try to hide my teeth (or lack of).

Anniversary Video

I've been trying to upload this for a week. The "red rock" pictures were taken in Utah at Canyonlands National Park and Arches National Park. The ones toward the end are from our recent trip to California. Without further ado, here is the anniversary video I made for Craig.

8 years old

Sure sign he's getting older...entering the ugly teeth stage. You only have to wait 3 days here to see the braces and the straighter teeth. We had to wait 3 years!

7 years old

rabbits, and turtles, and snakes, oh my!

6 years old

Ahhh, the loss of the first tooth. And gosh, there's that sweet smile again. Guess his alter ego didn't get documented as much!

Wish this were scratch and sniff

Had to show off these beautiful anniversary roses from Craig. They are getting prettier every day. Not sure if this bottom picture will show it, but the lighting on this pink rose is quite lovely.

5 years old

I love these dinosaurs growling over this innocent (?) boy. And oh, the sweet smiles of Kindergarten are long gone...

4 years old

Did I mention Jekyll and Hyde?

That big, chapped grin didn't last long after Sophia was born before Sharp Tooth came back out. Though, Sharp Tooth was never far away. Always ready at a moment's notice to combat a certain little boy's shyness.

3 years old

Jekyll and Hyde...

2 years old

Boy did he love his Tickle Me Elmo! He also had a passion for food! I wish I could have pulled out all the pictures of him eating! No wonder he's so tall now...he's been on an 11 year feeding frenzy!

1 year old

This boy's feet practically hit the hospital floor running, and haven't stopped yet!

pre walker

Do you know how hard it is to go through 11 years worth of albums (probably 30 albums) and pick just a few pictures?? torture! So I'm not limiting myself to 1 picture per year.

I think he is 7 or 8 months old in this picture. Actually, I would think younger, but based on his outfit, surely it's at least spring. He started walking at 10 months and does this baby look like he'd be walking in 2 months??

we welcomed Isaac

With Isaac's 11th birthday about 11 days away, I thought I'd go back in time and share some photos of him growing up. Here he is about 4 days old.

I now pronounce you...

I now pronounce this wife is 13 years more in love with her man! To borrow a line from Ronald Reagan in a letter he wrote to Nancy:

"I love you three hundred and sixty five days more than I did a year ago and three hundred and sixty five less than I will a year from now. But I wonder how I lived at all for all the three hundred and sixty fives before I met you."


Thanks for 13 beautiful years, Honey! I love you! Happy Anniversary!

California clarification

I've heard from a few people that they thought this picture was staged in a room with a fake wing and a backdrop. NO!

I spent a lot of time making that picture in Adobe Photoshop! I admit it, I want the credit for this! Above are the originals. The plane was flying over the Rockies on our way to California. The picture of Isaac was along the California coast.

And the champion is...

Okay, video is uploaded! STOP HERE AND READ THE POST BELOW THIS.

To recap, the big Shootin' Hoops Contest was moved to a shelter because of lightning, and became a NERF championship.



There were two rounds, the best score counting.
First Round: Isaac, 20 points. Sophia, 4 points.
Second Round: Isaac, 37 points. Sophia 18 points.
Isaac had the most points overall, even beating the longarmed 15 year old (who could practically drop the ball in from the "free throw" line) by 1 point.

Shootin' Hoops Contest

Okay, so the big Shootin' Hoops Contest was today, right at the exact time a storm hit the area. The lightning sent the event under the shelter where the coordinator set up a makeshift "stadium" for NERF basketball! You should have seen the disappointment on the Dads' faces! We were disappointed too. Isaac had practiced hard this week, perfecting his plan for a high score. The goal was to score as many points as you could in 60 seconds, with a layup counting for 1, free throw for 2, and a three point shot for 3.

Spoiler Alert: Stop reading now if you don't want to know the ending of this highly tense event before watching the movie!
Hmmm, I am having a terrible time getting the video uploaded, so I'm giving up tonight. I'll leave you with a picture instead, and hopefully get the video up tomorrow, along with the results you're all dying for!

splish splash

Megan (Ariel), Matt (Hulk), Isaac (one armed Superman),

Sophia (Superman's understudy??)

having a splash

Blue eyes smiling at you

My BABY girl is trying out new smiles with her GROWN UP teeth coming in. Is that something like an oxymoron? Guess not. It just means she's growing up too fast for me!

Anyway, here she is cooling off after playing some basketball. We were all helping Isaac practice for a Shootin' Hoops contest that's on Thursday.

whizzzzzzz

where did 11 years go?

Sunday Smiles

As for me and my house,
we will serve the Lord.
Joshua 24:15

Our Goldfinch Guys

Our little Finch Friends! I was finally able to get photos of these fast little guys in our backyard. Yes, guys. I did get pictures of the females too, but they're not nearly as pretty. Sorry, ladies.

Fast Friends

Paul and Isaac trying to be cool.

Sarah and Sophia enjoying the afternoon!

Ice Cream Treat

Sophia and Isaac participated in the Junior Olympics at Town and Country Sports Center last Friday. They both placed in several of the competitions! We had lunch at Dairy Queen afterwards with Nana, and here is Sophia enjoying her ice cream before the big storm rolls in (see the dark sky?).

Brave Sophia

Okay, at this point, anyone reading this blog has already seen this video, but I'm trying out this new process. Bear with me!

My Shel Silverstein Fan

This guy is hooked on the wacky poems of Shel Silverstein! I guess tonight sleep got the better of him before he could put the book down.

I'm behind the camera...where else.

This is Craig, Isaac, and Sophia on Morro Rock in Sequoia National Park in May 2006. We hiked 1/4 mile UP for a breathtaking view (the climb was literally breathtaking!). This picture, by the way, was not taken at the top, but about half way.

Testing

This is a test of the Blogger Broadcast System. In the event of an actual posting, you will see it here. Stay tuned to this station (er, blog) for more information on Craig, Sharie, Isaac, and Sophia.