Basketball

Liam got in on a basketball game with my cousin Darins' kids.  I don't think he has ever played basketball before and I also think that he was smiling the entire time!  Thanks guys for letting him join the fun  he had a ball (no pun intended)!!

Trampoline time

Watching my kids jump on the trampoline at my aunt Nan's house brought back so many memories for me.  All growing up I would spend the best part of my summer every year at my aunt Nan and uncle Mike's house in Idaho.  My cousins Brad and Darin were so much fun and we would spend the days doing all sorts of things, like floating down the canal, laughing walking to my grandparents house, laughing, playing football on the front yard, riding motorcycles and driving cars long before we ever had a liscense(please don't tell my mom or my kids!!) and laughing.  The nights were spent playing No Bears are Out Tonight, laughing, TPing, watching scary movies (then watching Darin walk in his sleep), laughing hysterically and sleeping out on the trampoline.  And really this is just a small sample of the things that we did,  I could probably fill a book with all our summer adventures.  I really do miss those times and when I think of them I miss being a kid.  I am so grateful for those memories and most especially for those people in the memories.  

Mckinna

This story just like the last one has nothing to do with a kite but the kids sure did have fun flying them at my sister's house recently.  Mckinna has been begging me for a while to go fly a kite and I was grateful to be somewhere she could do it in the back yard with lots of room to run and no power lines.  (oh to live in the country...).  anyway the point of this post is acutally to share a quick "McKinna story".  The other day she and I were at Costco to get a few things and I grabbed Kade some Zyrtec and McKinna said " oh, it's good that you are buying Zyrtec, it is much more effective, then Claritin."  I used to sell Zyrtec in my drug selling days so it must be in her blood!

Liam

My Dad for years has been asking me if I am writing down all of the funny things my kids are saying and unfortunately I have not been very faithfull with that.  My excuse is that I would be writing all day every day but I am going to try harder because my memory seems to be slipping and I will forget them all if I don't write them down.  So here is a quick "Liam story" as we call them in my world.

The other day we had just gotten home from our trip to ID and we had a hectic day in the works, starting bright and early with dentist appointments for the kids.  I was frantically trying to get the kids ready and out the door but I was out of my normal routine and I sent them to the car and I had not yet disarmed the alarm.  So the alarm went off,  I quickly shut it off and waited for the alarm company to call but they didn't and I was late for the dentist, so I could wait no longer.  On the way to the dentist I was calling Kade to see if he knew the number to the alarm company so I could get this handled before the police came to our house and knocked the door down plus there is enough crime in this town that they don't need to be coming to my house on a false alarm.  After I got off the phone Liam kept asking me if we were going to go to jail and I told him that we were not going to jail but he was having a hard time letting it go.  After a few minutes he said "I sure am glad that Dad is a lawyer so if we go to court he can help us".  I said "Liam we are not going to have to go to court."  Liam then asked again if we were going to jail and I again said "no".   So after the dentist appointment  we went home and as we turned on to our street, there were three police cars and a police van quite close to our house.  Before I could say anthing I heard Liam say "uh, oh just act natural."  For he was sure that they were there for us!

Idaho Tourism

I've been meaning to post this for a while but I was having photoshop issues.  Anyway I know that I look like I am advertising for the Idaho State department of tourism but I don't care.  I love this part of Twin Falls,  it is so scenic the pictures don't do it justice.

Desert Rats go skiing

My sister wanted to take the kids skiing when we went to ID and to be honest I wasn't so sure how it would go over.   My kids have not spent much time in snow and I thought skiing may be a bit much for a first time.  I was thinking they would just want a good snowball fight but when I asked them if they wanted to go they said they were up for it.  We got their gear and took off for the mountain  and when I turned around to see if they were having second thoughts, this is what I saw.  I guess this answered my question
My sister and my kids after a successful day on the slopes.
Mckinna's happy but pooped.
Liam loved every minute, he seemed to take to it right away.

11 years of wedded bliss

Besides being Kade's Birthday, it was also our 11th anniversary.  I have to say that I think Kade had a fun B-day but it was probably one of the least romantic anniversaries I have ever had, since we spent it with our kids, my parents, my sister and brother-in-law.  Oh well,  I am still happy that I married him even tho if I had to do it over again it would not be on his Birthday!!

The Birthday Boys

Do not adjust your computers I was just playing with photoshop.  These are the birthday boys,  both 3/13 and this year it just happened to be on a Friday.  I was thinking how interesting it was that they had the same birthday and then I started thinking about some other things they have in common,  I found it kind of interesting.  Here are the things that I know:

1.  Besides having the same Birthday

2. Their wives are sisters

3.  They are both the father of two

4.  They are both techies and partial to Macs

5.  They both love to grill

6.  They both graduated from the U of Utah (one w/an MD the other w/a JD)

7.  They both speak spanish as a second language

8. They both love music

9.  They both love to have fun

10.  One spends his day working with crotches the other one with a**holes.

I think that they have more in common than my sister and I do.

Happy Birthday guys!!!

The kids spent some fun time with their friend Raef at the park.  My kids are real park hoppers (try not to judge them for it).

Liam's on track break so we spent a little time at the park with our friend Gage.  So Gage doesn't seem to enjoy having his picture taken but I loved the results!

Liam opted to play tennis instead of soccer this season,  so I reluctantly agreed.  The good thing is he loves it!  And really what form!

Today we went for a walk/ride and I know that I live in Vegas but it can be cold here especially when the wind blows.  Today was one of those days.  When Kade got home he commented on the wind (yes after nearly  11 yrs. of marriage we now discuss the weather).  And then Liam said "ya it was so cold when I was riding my bike I nearly froze my knuckles off!"  when Liam got to the part where he froze his knu.. off, Kade's eyes got big, he was sure that he was about to say something else.  I don't know what Kade was thinking!

Objects in this picture appear whiter than they really are.  Although they are pretty darn white.

Jack

Meet Jack.  Jack is the son of Kade's youngest sister Kasha.  He is also my kids' very first cousin on that side of the family.   On my side of the family my kids recently got two step cousins but they are about the same age as Kade, so I am not sure that they will bond like cousins often do.

  I hope that Kasha doesn't mind me posting a picture but this picture cracks me up and I just couldn't resist.

Book Club Brunch

This is my book club, well 3 are missing but next time hopefully they will all be there and I can get a picture of the whole gang.  I have to say that I love my book club! Not because the books are always great (most of the time they are)  but because the company always is.  Everyone is unique and brings something great to the conversations.  I really look forward to it every month, it is just a couple hours of great friends, great books and great food, yes let us not forget the food!

Today was brunch at my house and we had read Beethoven's Hair by Martin Russel.   It was interesting although unless you're a huge fan of Beethoven and his hair you may find it a bit tedious(sorry Andrea).

It seems that recently a lot of people have been talking to me about blogging and as you can see I am not a very faithful blogger.  Not that I don't think that it is a good thing but because I think I am painfully private and it is not very appealing to me to put something out there that could possibly be seen by someone else.  Anyway that being said Kade was talking to me on our trip home from Pheonix about how important it is to share your light with people.  I don't know that I am hiding any light,  I think I am not sure what light there is to share or what light would be of any interest to anyone else.  But I will try to be more dilligent in recording memories, even if it is so my children can remember me when I am gone.  My new motto will be Love like you've never been hurt, Dance like nobody 's watching and write like nobody 's reading.

Granny and the kids

We were recently in Phoenix for less than 24hrs but we did find time to stop briefly and visit my Granny.  She is 90 yrs. old and quite amazing, I hope that when I'm 90 I am as sharp and active as she is.  The sad look on McKinna's face is because Granny's bird Pecker would not get on her arm, and as you can tell Liam and Pecker got along great