The Harper Pages

Shootaround with the Phoenix Suns

2011-09-18T10:09:00.000-07:00

In August, the Phoenix Suns hosted a "shootaround" event. You could shoot hoops on the actual game court (it was actually the Mercury court set up that night) or the practice court. They also had areas for younger, smaller, players to shoot as well as inflatables. Ryan brought his friend Shawn for the fun. They had a great time shooting and playing around.

Walkway leading to US Airways Center

The boys posing with the large basketball

Phoenix Suns Operation Orange

Ryan & Shawn on the big court
waiting to shoot

Ryan taking his shot

Having fun with the inflatable hoop

Shooting on the lower hoop

Ryan & Shawn with the Gorilla

I got to pose with the Gorilla too

With Dan Majerle (I didn't realize he was that much
taller than me!)

Going to play in the Gorilla Greenhouse

Ryan's ready for that rebound

And to finish off the evening - Ted's Hot Dogs!

Mazes at the Science Center

2011-09-17T00:18:00.000-07:00

Doug & Ryan getting ready to enter the maze

Ryan finding his way around the yellow line of the maze

In August, we went to the Science Museum to enjoy their mazes. They had all sorts of hands on mazes to weave through and learn about how your brain and eyes function. It's always a fun time at the museum with lots of hands of displays.

First Day of 7th Grade

2011-09-16T07:57:00.000-07:00

7th Grader

And so it begins, Ryan started 7th grade this year. He was very excited (and nervous). He was definitely looking forward to the new experiences. His school has uniforms. He has the choice of purple, yellow or white shirts. On his first day, he choose the purple shirt.

Goodbye to summer

2011-09-15T17:30:00.000-07:00

Ryan and Derek

Even though our temps are still WAY up there. In the beginning of August we had to say "goodbye to summer" getting ready for school to start for Ryan. The last full week before school started, we took Ryan and a friend of his to Big Surf for some water park fun. The boys had a great time. Doug & I hung out in the wave pool almost the entire time. It was so relaxing. So much so that when I went to bed that night, I could still feel the waves moving me around. A wonderful day all around.

Here's a Trip Down Memory Lane

2011-09-03T08:34:00.000-07:00

Ryan decided he wants to collect soda bottles. I have a rather large Coke collection - been collecting since my teens. I love the look of Coke bottles and all that old diner style stuff. Ryan wants to collect a variety of soda bottles - and T-shirts too apparently since he has several different T-shirts - Coke, Sprite, orange Crush, Mountain Dew, and more.

The one bottle he really wants, and we have had a super hard time finding, is a Mountain Dew bottle. I mentioned this to a friend of mine and she pointed me in the direction of a store on the other side of town. We decided to make a day of it (way back in July) and go to lunch at a Mexican restaurant about halfway there. And of course, we invited my parents and brother to join us in our adventure.

Lunch was great, but Ryan was anxious to check out this store. So off we went. It was a pretty neat place full of all kinds of candy and soda that you can't find anymore. When, low and behold what did they have but . . . The Pop Shoppe sodas.

Total walk down memory lane. When we lived in Virginia that was the name of a store - The Pop Shoppe. You would take these soda crates and fill them up with whatever soda you wanted. You didn't buy them in packs. And they had the most fun - and delicious - flavors. Such as pineapple, black cherry, cream soda, grape, I think there was even strawberry. Stuff you couldn't get anywhere else. We all had our favorites and you always knew which ones they were because they were the ones left until the end. Once you drank the sodas, you put the empty bottle back in the crate and then when you went back for more, you took the empty bottles back to them and got a refund towards your new purchase. It was fun. And us kids always looked forward to going so that we could help pick out our favorite flavors.

To make the day even funnier, while I was standing there reminiscing with my brother Kelly about going to the shop, his cell phone rang. It was another brother, Warren - who had just moved out of state - calling. When Kelly told him where we were and that we found The Pop Shoppe sodas, Warren started asking if he remembered that soda place we used to go to and picked out the flavors that we wanted. Kelly was like, yeah it was called The Pop Shoppe.

Here I am with my parents holding one of the beloved
The Pop Shoppe sodas. Yum!

September 2010 Calendar Page

2011-09-02T09:44:00.000-07:00

September 2010

Ryan's Summer Visitor

2011-08-26T05:09:00.000-07:00

Well, before my family came, we were able to have Ryan's oldest friend come and stay with us twice. He now lives out of state and the boys have been able to stay in touch through texting. It was good to see him.

While the two boys were together, they set up a whole photo shoot for me using some Halo figurines around the pool. If you'd like to see all the photos from that day, be sure to visit my photo website - go to the blog and go to the entries from July 11-28. Here are some of the ones I liked from that shoot.

Got Their Eyes on Me

Ryan & Adrian setting up another scene for me

The Picture of Relaxation

Water Slide

The Mountain Top

My Sam

The Path

Lazy Summer Days

Have you heard of a strange peach?

2011-08-25T05:03:00.000-07:00

We went to Big Surf twice this summer. Once with my family and once with a friend of Ryan's. When we went with family, it was Ryan & I with my sister-in-law and three of her kids. It was fun. The wave pool was great - refreshing. And the people watching is always interesting.

After the park, we headed back to my parent's house for a bit. I saw the strangest peach I had ever seen. It was all split open. So, naturally I had to take pics of it. Since I didn't take any of my cameras to the water park, I used my phone. Not too bad really.

Smiley

Drive-Ins in July

2011-08-24T10:01:00.000-07:00

So, I'm a little bit embarrassed. I thought I was all caught up on pictures - or at least mostly caught up. I went through my folder marked "To Process" this morning. That is the folder that I put all photos in when I download them from my cameras. They don't go anywhere else until I have, well, processed them. Well, right there in that folder were some pictures from July. Yikes. So, let me spend the next little bit getting caught up.

In July, my brother - Roger - and his family came out for a few days visit. They live the farthest away and so we don't get to see them as often. The last visit they made was two years ago. They are also the only family that has a boy cousin Ryan's age. They are two months apart. It was fun to see how much they have both grown over the years.

So, let me see if I can remember everything that took place in the few days they were here: when they arrived we met at Culver's for lunch and chatted for hours, Ryan had two teeth pulled (after losing two on his own just days before his appointment, he still has a pretty holey mouth), saw Cars 2 at the drive-in, went to Big Surf, and one of Roger's boys - Austin - got sick with strep throat (as far as I know nobody else did). I'm sure I'm missing some of the activities, it was a pretty busy couple of days.

Some of the family at the drive-ins. We love going - even if it was
pretty hot that night. We hit QT before going to bring some
drinks and brought food to snack on as well. It was the
first time my mom had gone to the drive-ins for a long time
and she really enjoyed it. I keep checking the schedule so
we can go again - they need to put on some good movies!

Ryan & Garrett in the back of our car. They've got blankets
spread out to lie down on, pillows and of course their iPods
touches to play games on before the movie.

August Calendar Page

2011-08-01T01:55:00.000-07:00

August 2010

Happy 4th of July 2011

2011-07-28T00:50:00.000-07:00

This year, our 4th was a little stranger than normal. We celebrated with my entire family earlier than usual - one of my brothers and his family (at least his kids that are still living at home) have moved out of state. And all their packing and such was taking place right around the 4th. So, we had one last get together at their house early, complete with lots of food and even some fireworks at the end.

And then on the actual day, we had my parents and one brother over for a very small cookout. Instead of going to see fireworks (our fireworks family - The Halls - moved out of state last year) we stayed home and enjoyed a show put on by Ryan and Doug. Our state legalized fireworks to be shot at home just this past year, so that is what we did. And I of course had a great time taking photos of the fireworks. I love night shooting - and this one was a challenge since I've never really gotten good firework shots.

One of the desserts I made and took over for
the last big family gathering. The other one
was homemade mint chip ice cream - that
picture did not come out very well.

One of many fireworks Ryan had fun
shooting off for us.

Doug & Ryan with sparklers.

Aaah . . . Xbox Fun

2011-07-27T00:37:00.000-07:00

Ryan and his friend enjoying Xbox

And, apparently it was crazy hat day at our house. Ryan has gotten into collecting some pretty strange hats. The one Ryan has on is pretty normal for him. Just out of the camera view there is another hat, like the large one that Derek is wearing, that Ryan got from the circus.

A Great Combination of Things for Us

2011-07-26T12:10:00.000-07:00

In the beginning of June, the Science Museum had a - are you ready for this - Star Wars Lego building competition. It was open to all ages. And since we love both Star Wars and Legos, how could we not go? Well, I was not feeling that well that day and so the boys went without me. I manned Doug with my camera and off they went. They had a great day and came home with lots of pictures.

Ryan getting ready to build for the competition

His creation in the beginning

Room full of builders

Building away

Look at all those Legos

Coming along

Ryan's building completed - he made Jabba's Hut

The inside of Jabba's Hut - I like the fish hanging on the wall

New to Lego Land is a Star Wars section. How cool is that?

Ryan and Darth Vader

Ryan and Max

After building they were able to go through the rest of the
museum and enjoy the exhibits.

Ryan pulling himself up on one of the exhibits -
on the hardest level

Lunch

Ryan enjoying his chicken strips

There's an exhibit there that distorts your face.
It's always a hit with the kids.
This is Ryan's grumpy old man face.

And, I'll leave you with this cutie.

Just Had To Celebrate This One!

2011-07-12T01:24:00.000-07:00

When I heard it was international donut day (back in June), I knew that we just had to celebrate! After our summer Friday activities - summer movies, a science class, and on this particular day lunch with my parents and brother - we headed over to our nearest Krispy Kreme for their Donut Day specials. We got a dozen donuts and ate one in the store before bringing the rest home. Such yummy goodness!

Ryan by the Krispy Kreme trailer

Just Go For It - From my photo website

2011-07-11T11:28:00.000-07:00

This was originally posted on my photo blog. If you would like to check that sight out, click here.

Just Go For It

And, finally, the end of the football pics. At least from this season. Sorry it took a bit to get to the last picture, but after enjoying the long holiday weekend for the 4th of July, I decided to take an "extended vacation" for the week. We had a surprise visitor (well sort of surprise, we knew he was coming we just didn't know when for sure). My son's longest friend - since kindergarten - was here to visit for the summer (he moved out of state last summer) and we were able to have him over for most of last week.

Okay, back to football. When I first started sharing these pics I made reference to sharing with you things that I learned through watching this football team. This team was made up of mostly new to tackle football players. They were playing against some teams that have played for four seasons together. Those other teams had the drill down. I mean they would show up with their matching bags slung over their shoulders and chanting as they marched over to weigh in. Even the moms had blinged out shirts with the team name on it. It was crazy to watch how much some of those parents really got into it.

Anyway, our boys were new and really wanted to learn how to play tackle. One of the things I found so amazing, even though we didn't score hardly at all, the boys would leave that field with smiles on their faces. Mostly because the coach made it fun for them. He was super encouraging and always pointing out their improvements every chance he got. It was great to see such positive reinforcement taking place.

So, things that I was inspired by watching these boys - and in lieu of a quote, I will share some of my thoughts:

Everything is always more fun and more productive when you are encouraged.

Sometimes it really is not whether you win or lose, but whether you improved from one game to the next.

Never give up. Always try harder and put in the effort to improve.

Approach obstacles with a smile.

Don't compare yourself to others, you are - or at least should be - your only measure of success.

The photo from tonight is from one of two touchdowns that our team scored all season long. Both of them were in the last game and the boys really loved being able to make those two touchdowns. If they had given up, they would have never known what that felt like.

Ryan's Last Tackle Football Game

2011-07-10T21:55:00.000-07:00

And, finally, we are at Ryan's last tackle football game. The season went by so fast, and before we knew it they were playing in their final game. The boys practiced and played hard. They had a lot of fun, and learned a lot. All the new players seemed to get over their tackle "shyness" by the end of the season. It was really neat to see each player grow during the season - and the team got better and better with each game.

They did have their difficulties though. I think we lost four players during the season. I lost count after a bit. And, we also lost a coach. That was a pretty strange situation. He happened to quit coaching during the one week that Coach Alex (whom I considered to be head coach - and all the boys liked him a lot) was out of town. He was going to miss one game. And the other coach quit during that week and informed the parents that we would have to find a parent to step in as head coach or the game would be forfeited. A couple of the dads volunteered. And then when we showed up for the game, there was Coach Alex. He came home early from his business trip to be there for the team. You could tell that really meant a lot to the boys.

And so, here are a few pictures of the final Voltron game.

Breaking the huddle for the play

Ryan holding onto his defensive player

Both teams taking a knee for an injured player. He got up and
left the field on his own.

Ryan listening to his coach during halftime

Doug's Trip

2011-07-09T10:38:00.000-07:00

In April Doug had to go to Vegas for a couple weeks - training for work. And since, we lived in Vegas many years ago, the casinos and gambling in general just aren't that appealing to either of us anymore. I mean for me, every time I spent money on gambling I would just imagine how many pairs of shoes I could have bought. Instead he visited a certain store featured on one of our new favorite shows - Pawn Stars. If you can get past the way they talk to each and how mean they are to one person in general, it is a very interesting show. I'm amazed at how much history gets brought in there. Doug was able to visit their real store location Gold & Silver Pawn.

With Ryan having a new iPod (from his birthday) Doug set them up on messaging and we were all able to video chat every night he was there. Isn't technology cool? So, he got to hear about all the ins & outs of what we were up to while he was gone and he got to keep us updated on the antics going on in his training class. Other people sure are strange sometimes. It made his trip go by much faster. I just didn't like having to look at my image in the corner of the screen while chatting. It was a little strange to me.

The outside of the building - as they show it on TV.

The store is run by a family. It's three generations. And the
youngest generation's best friend works there too. His
nickname is Chumlee. He's not the brightest guy in
the world and they are pretty mean to him about it.
It is frustrating to watch - until you realize they are
mean to everyone just about - especially "the old man".
He's just a grump.

Part of an ad campaign for TV features these bobble head
dolls talking. I think it's so funny that Chumlee's bobble head is
sold out. Serves them right for talking so mean to him. One
of my favorite episodes involves Chumlee and a pair of
Nike Air Jordan's. He taught them all a thing or two that day.

A Dinner Treat

2011-07-03T06:43:00.000-07:00

One evening, Doug gave "the boys" a treat for dinner. We had had bacon for breakfast, and saved the bacon grease. Doug added the dog food to the bacon grease and heated it up. It actually kind of smelled good.

Dog food fit for a couple of beagles.

"The boys" love the smell of that food cooking
just for them.

And now, for a new kick returner

2011-07-02T03:00:00.000-07:00

Another Saturday . . . another game. In this game, the coaches decided to put Ryan in as a kick returner (is that a word?). Each time there was a kick, Ryan and one other player were the two designated to return that ball. On the first kick off, Ryan got the ball, and off he went.

Ryan waiting for the kick off.

Ryan on his first kick return.

Talking over the plays on a timeout.

The Huddle

Halftime

Ready for the play. Ryan is the second from the right.

July Calendar Page

2011-07-01T00:31:00.000-07:00

July 2010 - Fireworks with Ben, Brittany, Baylee and Payton

Half Day Fun

2011-06-30T07:33:00.000-07:00

A Half Day at school calls for a cheese hot dog from QT. Seems to be where we end up for lunch on half days. Ryan was hamming it up for the camera, intentionally getting cheese all over for me to take some pics.

More Football - and more to come!

2011-06-29T15:29:00.000-07:00

This was one of the hardest football games that our boys had to play. It was a pretty interesting season for them. The team that the Voltrons were up against originally were playing in a different league. A league that has more experience. And they also had bigger players. The rumor was that all but two of the other players were over the weight limit. I'm not sure if that is true, but those boys did look much, much bigger than ours.

Ryan's team was mostly new tackle players. There were about 3 or 4 players that had played tackle before. And other than that, everyone else was new. It was rough to watch them play against more experienced teams and this particular game was very hard with the size difference. Our boys were being thrown down all over the play.

The Voltron team hung in there and really did their best. They never game up against this bigger, tougher team. It was great to watch. The parents cheered even harder for the team at this game than any other so far. There was one play in particular that I remember. One of the players on the other team would pick out a player on our team and no matter what was going on with the ball, he zeroed in on that player and tackled him as hard as he could. Somehow Ryan got on his radar. It was a kick off and this other guy was headed straight for Ryan. Ryan saw him coming and faked him out several times. As soon as that player committed going to the left to tackle Ryan, Ryan put on some speed and shifted the other direction. Before that player knew what happened Ryan was halfway down the field. It was pretty funny to watch. He never did get a hand on Ryan and finally decided to go after some of the other players.

Ryan and Coach Alex on the sidelines.

Ryan waiting for the snap. He's the one on the left (with the
red face mask).

Ryan holding onto number 93.

At halftime, the coaches sat the boys down and gave them the
option to forfeit or to finish out the game, due to the size and
the fact that this team really belonged in the more experienced
league. Our boys didn't hesitate at all and said that they
wanted to finish the game. So proud of them.

Halftime Choice

Hello June

2011-06-01T00:03:00.000-07:00

June 2011 Calendar Page

May Calendar Pages

2011-05-01T05:23:00.000-07:00

May 2010

The last band concert of the year, as a beginner.

Ryan's First Tackle Football Game

2011-04-17T08:27:00.000-07:00

Two weeks ago, Ryan had his first tackle football game. It was very fun watching him finally get to play in a tackle game. He's been begging me to play tackle football for over a year now. And, actually playing flag last year was my idea. I wanted to see how he liked it before we made the commitment to tackle. It's definitely more involved than flag - and so far he is really enjoying playing. Even with the scrapes and bruises. They did not win their first game, but I think they really had a good time being out there. And I really liked how the coaches were with the boys during game. No yelling and telling them what they did wrong. They really emphasized having fun. You could definitely tell a difference in play from the beginning of the game and the end - the nerves were going away and they were remembering things from practice.

Before the game, they coaches had the boys out practicing
some plays.

In the huddle setting up the next play. Ryan is number 6 and is
the only player on the team with a red face mask. Makes him
a little easier to spot at times.

On the sideline watching the plays.

Getting ready for the kick off. Ryan is the one with his arm up.

Ryan playing Left Tackle. You can't see it, but he's holding the
defensive man, keeping him from getting to the quarterback.
(He's the one with the purple socks and is leaning forward.)

The Continuing Storm Saga

2011-04-16T05:14:00.000-07:00

At the end of last month, I told you about some crazy rainy and windy weather we've been having. Well, here is the results of all that weather.

Doug decided it would be easier to drain the
pool than it would be to scoop ALL
those leaves out. Plus, there were some
areas in need of attention. So, while empty
Doug got to do some repair work.

And since most of the leaves were out of the
trees - mostly because they were in our pool,
Doug took advantage and trimmed out a
lot of those branches. I should have taken
pictures of the branches we had to carry out
to the street for bulk pickup. Crazy.

Ryan's Birthday Part 3 - The Party

2011-04-15T16:49:00.000-07:00

With Ryan's birthday always happening over Spring Break, we decided to have his party the next weekend. He invited a few close friends to come over. We took the boys to Jump Street and then came home for pizza and cake & ice cream. We didn't stay at Jump Street for the full hour after Doug & I saw another boy, thankfully not in our group, break his ankle. It was rather disgusting and I will not go into details here. Let me just say, it left me feeling rather nauseous for a few hours. Yuck. The boys had a great time while they were there jumping.

Ryan compiled his collection of Nerf guns for
use towards the end of the party. The boys all
had a great time playing war.

Eating pizza. Ryan's the one in the crazy hat. He bought the
hat at the Renaissance Festival and wore it constantly for
like a week after.

The presents

Here is the cake I made, vanilla with
chocolate frosting.

Ryan getting ready to blow out the candles.
He blew them out so fast I didn't get a picture.

Ryan received a Nerf gun and either gift cards or cash
for his birthday. Which he loved. This is all the
goodies he got after shopping at Walmart. He
bought a Lego Harry Potter Quidditch set, and Nerf
weapons - sword, shield, axe and dagger (they
are so cool!) He was one very happy boy.

6th Grade Field Trip - Renaissance Festival

2011-04-10T10:49:00.000-07:00

Doug & I were able to join Ryan and his class for the very last Elementary Field Trip. This year we went to the Renaissance Festival. The day before the field trip it rained all day long. So, we were a little concerned about the weather and mud. It turned out to be a gorgeous day - and not too much in the way of mud. Just a few puddles here and there. The parking lot was the worst area - and the place that I got all the mud on my shoes for the day.

We had four boys assigned to our group. And they are all good boys, not a trouble maker in the group. We had a pretty easy day deciding which shows to go see, which shops to look in and what food to eat. The very first thing the boys wanted to do was get Turkey legs.

All four boys enjoying their Turkey legs.

Once we had our Turkey legs, we headed over to the jousting
tournament. And wouldn't you know it, the knight that was
"fighting" for our section was purple!

Ryan bought a mystery egg. It ran down this
track to get smashed and then you won a prize.

And of course funnel cake! You can't possibly go to an event
like this and not have funnel cake - can you?

April Calendar Page

2011-04-01T00:31:00.000-07:00

2011 April Calendar Pages

Ryan's Birthday Part 2 - The Food

2011-03-31T10:27:00.000-07:00

To continue Ryan's birthday, we did the Joe tour, sort of . . . we did Liberty for breakfast and then Joe's Farmgrill for dinner. Ryan opted to have breakfast at home. So, we went off to lunch and enjoyed ourselves at one of our most favorite places - Liberty Market.

Ryan waiting for lunch at Liberty - playing on
his new iPod Touch

Ryan & Doug

Mmmmm Pizza!

Doug & I split wonderful salad. I wish I could remember
the name something with Thai and chicken. It was yummy!

They were offering a Tagalong cupcakes - based on the girl
scout cookies. It really did taste just like the cookie too.

On the way home, Ryan decided he was ready to cut
his hair.

Grandma and Grandpa and Uncle Kelly joined us for dinner
at Joe's Farmgrill.

Ryan enjoying his dark chocolate shake.

Ryan's Birthday Part 1 - The Presents

2011-03-28T15:07:00.000-07:00

About a week ago, Ryan turned 12. Since his birthday is during spring break, Doug and I both had the day off and were able to make a fun day of celebrating. Here is how we began the day. After breakfast, we let Ryan open the presents from us.

Star Wars wrapping paper

The gifts

Opening up his Lego Ninjago dojo set

An iPod touch! He opened the new case for it
first and couldn't figure out why we gave him
an iPod touch when he had an older model.
Then he could hardly wait to open the next
gift.

Checking out all the apps.

It's Been A Strange One for Weather

2011-03-28T14:37:00.000-07:00

It has been a strange year for weather at our house. First we got hit with that crazy hail storm - and then it was the strongest winds. All night one evening you could hear the wind howling and blowing everything all over the place. And, when we got up the next morning, we found that at least half of the leaves in our two trees by the pool had all been blown off the trees and all over the yard. It was a quite a sight - and of course a huge cleanup job for the future. Crazy wind I'm telling you.

Our entryway into the pool Look at all those
leaves all over the ground. You can hardly
see the grass.

I think our pool had more leaves in it than water.

His Long Wait is Finally Over

2011-03-24T08:01:00.000-07:00

Ryan

Finally, after a year of asking for it, Ryan is playing tackle football. He had his fourth practice last night and seems to really be enjoying it. It's tough work - and lots to learn - like the right way to tackle and guard. He is not the smallest player on his team - and definitely not the largest either. It's fun watching the practices. And he really is listening to the coaches when they pull him aside with some pointers. He just needs to find his inner aggressive Ryan!

This picture was taken the day we got all his equipment. It took me a couple days to get used to seeing a football helmet and shoulder pads laying around the house. We got home and he couldn't wait to put everything on all at once. Oh, and he even cut his hair - pics to come of that later on. We would push his hair back to put on his helmet (those things are a very tight fit) and next thing you know he's running around in practice with a bunch of hair sticking out of the front of his helmet. The only downside to no more long hair - it's not as easy to pick him out of the crowd at practice.

March Calendar Page

2011-03-04T09:39:00.000-08:00

2010 March Calendar Page

Last year Ryan celebrated his 11th birthday.

It was a fun Reunion

2011-02-03T11:11:00.000-08:00

Over the past couple of years, we have had a great time doing fun activities with my niece and her family. We have enjoyed getting to know them better. That is, until they moved out of state. I'm still in denial about the whole thing.

Anyway, they came back for a few days to visit and finish packing up. And while they were here, we went to dinner at one of our favorite places to go with them. As a matter of fact, the last time we were there was when we all went together. We headed over to Ra for some yummy sushi and then to Ocean Blue for our desert. It was great to see them again! Thanks for sharing your evening with us. We look forward to the next get together. (Because I'm still living in denial about the whole moving thing . . . )

I was too busy enjoying myself that I totally forgot to even get my camera out until we were enjoying our frozen yogurt. So, sorry but I only have two pics to share.

I can't get over how big Payton has gotten.
Isn't he such a cutie?

The buds - Baylee and Ryan. It's always fun to hear them
laughing when they are together.

A Warm Fuzzy Feeling

2011-02-02T11:11:00.000-08:00

Over Christmas I decided to make Ryan a new blanket. A few years ago, my mom and I made him a Star Wars blanket for Christmas. It has gotten worn out and a little on the small side. I found some Vikings (Ryan's favorite NFL team) fleece and settled on making a tie blanket. It was super easy to make up, and lots of fun to see the finished product.

The two styles of material I bought for each side.

The finished product. It's kind of hard to see the ties,
they are on the right side of the picture.

And Ryan loves it!

Well, actually everyone loves it! It gets used so much. It is so soft and comfy and warm. I started feeling bad about using his blanket so much. It was time to make another one. I setup a shopping and lunch date with my friend Diana. We met up at JoAnne's and picked out some fabric. Diana decided to make one too. (She actually completed hers before I did.)

The material I picked out.

The finished blanket. I love the red ties showing
on the front.

And the dogs even got a treat. I had a strip of
the red material left. So, I cut it in thirds,
braided it, tied off the ends and gave it
to the dogs for a chew toy. They love it.
It's fun to see them carrying it around
the house.

Hello February

2011-02-01T00:07:00.000-08:00

February 2011 Calendar Page

Last year in February we went to the local Renaissance Festival with my niece and her family. We always have such a great time with them. It's been so fun getting to know them better and watch our kids have fun. In the fall, they moved back to California, and it was sad for us to see them go. But, we know that there will be plenty of visits. Maybe we can talk them into coming out for the festival again this year? If not, we are definitely on for the pumpkin festival again!!!

Ryan & Doug had fun throwing knives at targets. We enjoyed several of the shows they put on there - including jousting and of course The Ded Bob Show. Baylee, Ben & Ryan tried on several of them helmets, swords and shields as well. I didn't take any pictures of the food this time - which is weird I always seem to get lots of food shots, but rest assured, we did enjoy the food as well!

Happy Birthday To Me - A "Joe" Tour

2011-01-29T16:58:00.000-08:00

This year for my birthday we did the tour of the Joe's restaurants. I decided that is how I wanted to spend my day. Doug & I both took off work and had a great day going to a different place for each meal. Why did we do this you ask, because on your birthday (and I had to show my ID) at all 3 places we got a discount on each meal. And since Doug & I split meals it made it an even better deal!

We started our morning at Liberty Market for breakfast. We
went before school so that Ryan was able to come along also.

Ryan waiting for his breakfast.

Ryan's breakfast of pancakes, scrambled eggs and bacon.

Doug & I split a veggie scramble, potatoes dish and a biscuit.

For lunch we went to Joe's BBQ.

The tractor inside the restaurant.

Doug & I split a chopped chicken salad and a baked
potato. Their salad dressing is so yummy.

Doug & I at Joe's Farmgrill.

Doug & I split the portabello mushroom sandwich and
sweet potato fries. Yum!

It was a good day. I meant to get some pics taken of my gifts, and haven't had a chance yet. So hopefully, that will come in a bit. Thanks to everyone for all the birthday wishes I had that day. It was a fun day.

Third Times the Charm!

2011-01-13T08:52:00.000-08:00

On our third attempt, we finally made it to the zoo lights. We got rained out the first two tries.

On the Wednesday before Christmas, we went to dinner with our friends - Kim, Matt and Shawn. We took them to Pete's since they had never been. And literally on the drive over it started raining on us. While we sat outside and ate, we watched the rain stop and start and stop and start and decided it would be a mess at the zoo so decided no for that night.

Then, we made plans to go the next Wednesday. Well wouldn't you know it, it rained that day too! So, instead we wound up at their house because they were having router trouble. Doug got them up and running.

And then finally on January 7th, we made it to see the Zoo Lights. They were beautiful as usual. The weather was great and it wasn't that crowded so maybe it was a good thing we got rained out two times before.

One of the new displays this year - a dragon! It was
animated showing it's belly getting larger as it got ready
to blow smoke.

Can you figure this one out?

Here is what the image really looks like.

They were handing out these glasses at the door
and when you looked through them this is how
the light displays looked. The blue is one tree.
They were really fun to look at, but hard to walk
around in.

The Carousel

Another newer display - a giant ball floating over the lake. It
changed colors.

The highlight of going to Zoo Lights for Ryan is getting to pet the
stingrays. We always save it for last - not because we are mean
(although Ryan might tell you differently), but because you cannot
help but get pretty wet when petting them. And that is not fun
for the rest of the evening.

Ryan, Matt and Shawn sporting their super cool glasses.

2011 New Years Celebration

2011-01-08T12:24:00.000-08:00

It's a Tradition. Yep, that's right we have a lot of them. And the last one for the year is always New Years Eve at our house. My family comes over for an evening of games, food, movies and chatting (something we are all very, very good at). So, here are some of the pics from New Years Eve.

Patti, Angela, my mom, Alice, Allie and my dad all had a fun
evening playing Mexican Train.

Sam was constantly on the prowl for any food bits. This year we
had a turkey and wild rice dish, hot dogs in barbecue sauce and
a multi bean dish. They were all so yummy. Not to mention all
the chips, dips, chocolates, fudge, cookies and so much more.

The younger crowd playing games.

At midnight we went outside to ring in the new year. Since
fireworks were just recently made legal, we had a few
fireworks as well.

I don't remember what these are called, but they spun around and
spat out sparks. Pretty fun to watch. Ryan had a great time
lighting them. I even got in on the fun and lit a couple.

Ryan and a sparkler on New Years Eve

It's 2011

2011-01-01T00:07:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year to all! I hope you all have had a great 2010 and are ready for another year!

January 2011 Calendar Page

This is the calendar page for the month of January 2011 - featuring pictures from January of 2010. It's hard to believe that it has already been one year since I cut off my hair and donated to Locks of Love. What a great feeling that was. I'm thinking about doing it all over again!

A Christmas Treat

2010-12-31T08:34:00.000-08:00

We received a wonderful Christmas treat on December 27 - Ryan's friend Adrian came to stay with us for two days. He moved to Texas over the summer. The two boys have been in touch since then texting and calling each other and have been planning a Christmas visit. It was so fun to hear all the laughing that was going on as they played and talked in the same way that they always have - since they first became friends in kindergarten.

We took them to this really fun place called Airworx. It's full of
trampolines. They have an area for dodge ball, slam dunk and
free jumping. The kids love going there. We don't mind taking
them either - it wears the kids out and it's not very expensive.
Win/win. The only problem, Doug took his laptop and we
were going to try to watch a show on Netflix but their
Internet wouldn't work. Oh well, we just had to have fun
watching all the crazy kids instead.

Ryan in the slam dunk section.

The two boys waiting for their turn in a game area.

Adrian and Ryan

Christmas Morning

2010-12-27T00:10:00.000-08:00

We had a very nice Christmas. We did not get up super early - about our normal time - 6:45. We got right to presents and then Doug & I had to get our dishes ready for the Christmas lunch with my family. Doug made the turkey - which was fabulous this year! - and I brought the sweet potatoes.

Ryan checking out the tree.

The stockings

Ryan passed out the gifts this year.

The newest nutcracker for the collection - a skeleton.

Sam & I. He was very interested in every single gift that was
being opened - you never know they might be food!

If Sam was a gift this is what he would look like. Poor guy wearing
some gift wrap.

Ryan putting together his Lego minifigures.

Ryan immediately built his new land speeder.

And here it is all finished.

Like I mentioned earlier, we went over to my niece, Brooke, and her family's house for our family dinner. It was wonderful. Plenty of turkey, ham, mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, vegetables, gravy and homemade rolls. And please do not forget the pies - apple custard and one of my holiday favorites pecan! YUM.

Later that evening, my oldest brother and his wife came by with our gift. We got to visit with them for a bit and then they headed over to my folks house to give them their gift. We weren't far behind. It was nice to end our Christmas day at my parents house visiting and enjoying more Christmas treats. By the time we made it home, we were so tired and ready for bed.

Thanks everyone for helping us to celebrate Christmas Day.

Christmas Eve

2010-12-26T07:45:00.000-08:00

This holiday has been a very smooth one for some reason. I would like to say it was due to really good planning, but that is probably not true at all. Really, I think what it comes down to is just getting the stuff done that needed to be done. I know how very simple that sounds . . . but let's be real, sometimes the simple things are the hardest. This year, I worked on one or two projects everyday until everything was completed. And . . well . . . it was super nice to have everything done & ready to go a full day and a half before Christmas Eve. I cannot tell you how nice it was to spend Christmas Eve relaxing. I'm hoping that I can do it all again next year - I guess time will tell.

Now, don't get me wrong, there were some projects that I really wanted to do this and did not get done. But these were projects that were more for me to complete than anything. And so, they will be ready for me next year to work on - because this year they just weren't meant to be completed. And I am totally okay with that.

Okay, okay so on to the photos - I mean, I'm pretty sure that's why you are here anyway - and not to listen to me ramble on & on.

As is our family tradition, we went to my brothers house for the evening on Christmas Eve. We always have Mexican food for dinner, a Christmas story telling - and reenacting - singing and of course our fun family gift exchange. My father also shared some memories of his childhood Christmases and how very different they were than we experience today. It was a fun evening.

Our yummy Mexican Christmas Eve Fiesta

Now that is a table full of presents. These are the gifts from the
exchange. There were some pretty fun gifts this year - Lego set,
the biggest container of cheese balls you've ever seen,
a reindeer piggy bank, candy, socks and toys.

Another view of that massive pile of presents.

Ryan was the first to pick and got a box of
post-it notes - which got stolen by Kelly.
He then picked his next gift which was two
packages of sparklers.

When we got home, Ryan opened his gift from
his Grandma & Grandpa Harper - Christmas
jammies and a gift card to Walmart.

Ryan setting out some cookies for Santa. He
was in bed by 9:30 ready for Santa to come
the next morning!

Happy Holidays from the Harpers

2010-12-25T07:16:00.000-08:00

We hope that you are having a wonderful holiday season. As we spend this day of giving and receiving gifts, with family and friends, we look forward to another wonderful year in 2011. Here are a few images of Christmas 2010. Several of these images have been featured on my photography website. Check it out if you'd like to see more.

The Harper's 2010

My Little Curly Q

Flower For Mom

The Face

And finally, here is the gift that I made for my
family this year. I hope they enjoy hanging
this up for Christmases to come.

One More Day of Decorating

2010-12-24T11:09:00.000-08:00

After having to reschedule two weekend in a row, we finally made it over to my parent's house to decorate their tree. We went over on Ryan's last day of school before Winter Break began. He had a half day and so off we went. It was nice to get over there. Ryan has decorated their tree for the past four years or so. I'm so glad that this is something he is able to do and spend time with his grandparents. Hopefully someday these will memories that he will cherish.

Grandma & Ryan getting decorations for the tree.

Grandma gave Ryan this ornament to put on
our tree since it's a French Horn.

The completed tree.

And as a special treat, my mom made
us potato dumplings for lunch. They were so
yummy and always a special treat this
time of year.

The dumplings cooking. So good!

December Band Concert

2010-12-24T06:38:00.000-08:00

Ryan's band concert was this month. It was really fun to see how the band has progressed from beginners to intermediate players. What an improvement! They did such a great job. And afterward we celebrated with some DQ.

The beginning bang looking on as the Intermediate Band plays.
This is pretty much the entire brass section - just missing the
baritone in the picture. This year Ryan is one of two French
Horn players.

Ryan playing on his horn.

Ryan's friend - Shawn playing in the
percussion section.

The decorating finished with the Coke tree

2010-12-23T11:26:00.000-08:00

We spent much of November and about half of December passing a cold around. First Doug got sick, then me, then Ryan, then Doug again. It was so fun - okay not really. Not at all. It was mostly just a cold, but strong enough that it wore you out, but not too strong that you couldn't do anything. Just somewhere in the middle. So, we ended up decorating our trees in two different nights - usually we do everything on the same night. It was very nice to get everything finished up and then just enjoy all the pretty lights.

Doug and Ryan decorating our Coke tree.

And all done! The star is on and the tree was lit afterwards.

Love The Holiday Candy

2010-12-23T06:13:00.000-08:00

Christmas is always such a fun time for new Holiday Flavors in candy. I absolutely love mint flavored candy - especially mixed with chocolate. And it seems like every year there are more and more fun chocolate mint candies showing up at the stores. Here is one of the new items we just had to try . . .

Mint Musketeers!

Anticipating the first yummy taste . . .

Finally getting that first bite.

Thumbs up! Ryan and I both loved it.

Decorating our Tree

2010-12-22T06:04:00.000-08:00

A Long Time Ago . . . we decorated our house for Christmas. We actually decorated several weeks ago. It was a fun weekend getting everything set up just right.

Our brand new pre-lit tree! So easy to put up!

Ryan & Doug decorating

Getting ornaments out, but I just had to take a break to
pet Sam.

Ryan & I adding more ornaments to the tree.

Even Sota (short for Minnesota) helped add decorations
to the tree.

Ranger sporting the antlers. I took several pics of both dogs
with these antlers. This is the only one that came out - they
really do not like wearing them.

Putting the star on the tree.

Our new finished tree. I love all the lights.

Who Needs A Pillow - I'll Just Make My Own

2010-12-10T10:51:00.000-08:00

I have said it before and am pretty sure this is not the last time you will hear this from me. Sam is one crazy dog. I mean very, very unique. I could probably say it every day for the rest of my life and it still would not be enough to really get my point across. Just when we think we have seen the strangest thing from him, he does something new. And what's really sad, is that he is starting to mellow out quite a bit.

We had a pretty cold couple days about a week or so ago. I mean really cold for us - highs in the 50's. Yuck! and BRRRRRR! So, we pulled out the warm clothes and the slippers and such. Doug had been wearing his slippers but took them off right at the couch. And here is the pillow that Sam decided to make for himself. I mean he's already got the "blanket" on by wearing his hoodie. He just needed something soft to rest his head on er I mean in.

Yep, you are seeing that right. He has his nose down inside
the slipper. It was very toasty in there.

Thanksgiving Wishes

2010-12-09T10:45:00.000-08:00

I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving. We spent the day at my parent's home with two brothers, a sister-in-law and a niece and nephew. It was a great meal - as you can see - tons of food. Which meant lots of leftovers. Doug was unable to join us because he was home sick & sleeping (or watching some movies). He did get to enjoy the food that was brought home.

And A Good Morning To You Too

2010-12-08T10:39:00.000-08:00

This is how Ryan & I were greeted one morning a few weeks ago. Don't you wish you could be us? I know you do!

And of course, we just knew that it was Sam that did this. After all, he is the food obsessed one. But about a week later, I was upstairs working at 5:30 in the morning. Doug had already left for work & Ryan wasn't up yet. And I kept hearing this loud banging going on downstairs. So, down the stairs I went, closely followed by Sam who had been asleep under my desk.

It was Ranger! He was banging into the trash can trying to tip it over. Crazy dog. I have since caught him at it three more times. So, far he has not been able to get the can knocked over before I get down there to tell him he needs to get back upstairs where I can keep a better eye on him. Not sure what has gotten into him.

The first thing we say that morning coming down the stairs.

The kitchen view.

Somebody had fun. That's the garbage bag
pulled out of the trashcan and torn apart.

December Calendar Pages

2010-12-01T00:50:00.000-08:00

Here is the last installment of the Calendar Pages for this year. I have begun work on the calendar for next year, but only have about 3 months done. Better get moving if I want to have it done by Christmas.

2007

2008

2009

2010

Megamind in D3?

2010-11-30T13:17:00.000-08:00

The weekend before Thanksgiving, we joined some friends at the movies to go see the new animated movie Megamind in 3D. It was a very fun movie, with lots of laughs from the adults and the kids alike - just not always in the same places. Plus it had a really great soundtrack!

We had no idea that we were seeing the special D3 version.

Ryan with friends Shawn & Matt sporting the very cool
3D (or is it D3) glasses.

6th Grade

2010-11-12T02:05:00.000-08:00

Ryan's 6th grade school picture

State Fair

2010-11-11T01:05:00.000-08:00

On the last Saturday it was open, a friend of mine and I took our kids to the State Fair. We headed out on a Saturday in search of anything on a stick to eat and fun games and rides! They were having this great buy one get one free on entry fees. So, that saved us some money on getting in. I think we were both prepared for it be pretty busy. And would you believe it wasn't. The weather was perfect, not too hot and not the least bit cold. All in all a great day! Thanks Kim for inviting us to go with you.

Ryan with his friends Shawn & Matt

Ryan & I. Doug was at home with a sinus infection.

One of the biggest cows I have ever seen. They were just huge.

They had had a pigeon competition earlier on . I never knew there
were so many varieties of pigeon in the world. I just know about
the ones that like to hang out people's roofs. This one was pretty
neat, it had feathers on it's feet. You could not see it's feet all.

Ryan and Shawn went on the bumper cars. Ryan wanted to get the
Vikings colored car - and he did!

Matt playing a basketball carnival game.

I loved this huge pickle! The boys humored me by letting me take their
picture with the pickle.

And of course at the fair they have some of the
strangest things to eat. This is one I had not heard
of before. I would have tried it but no one else was
game.

Funnel Cake! One of my favorite reasons to go to a fair.

Shawn giving me the thumbs up on his very first
funnel cake!

Ryan won a fish at his very first carnival game.
Everywhere we went after that so many people
kept coming up to us wondering where we won
the fish at.

Ryan saved his money (mostly because I made him) and bought this
really cool bow and arrow.

Ryan won this basketball at one of the carnival
games.

Fall Picnic at School

2010-11-10T07:20:00.000-08:00

An event we look forward to every year is the Fall Picnic at Ryan's school. And it was a little sad to think that this is the last year that we will be attending. There are always all sorts of fun activities for the kids to do, good food and music. In the past few years, Ryan as been old enough to be able to just hang out with his friends and do all the activities on his own. Which has been very nice for us, we find a spot to eat our meal and that becomes "home base", he knows where to find us at the rest of the night. It also means that I don't get pictures of what he's up to. This year, there was one activity that I did photograph, and video, him and his friend on. It's called That Spinny Thing. And that is exactly what it is - a Spinny Thing! Check it out:

Ryan and Shawn waiting in line.

Getting strapped in.

Ryan getting "seat belted" in.

The final preparations.

And they're off!

Here's a short video of the ride. They actually were on it for quite a bit longer. And the guys got it going pretty fast at the end. The boys had a lot of fun on it - and we had just as much fun laughing at them being spun all around. (And don't forget, if you get this in email form, you need to go to the sight and click on the picture below this typing - it's the video portion.

It's A Half Day Lunch Treat

2010-11-09T08:21:00.000-08:00

Last week Ryan had a half day. I told him that he could pick anywhere for lunch that day. So where did he pick? QT of course! We enjoyed a hotdog, soda & Ryan had a Hershey bar for dessert. It was really good, and surprisingly not that expensive. Not sure about the nutrition, but you have to have fun living right?

Sometimes It Pays to Be A Little Sneaky

2010-11-08T07:17:00.000-08:00

I'm not saying that we should all do it, but sometimes it pays, just ask our dog Ranger. Now, it's no secret that our dogs are slightly spoiled. Okay, okay more than slightly. They are not just dogs in our house, they are full fledged members of our family. They get lots of love and attention.

Ranger is the stealthiest of the two. He has a way of sneaking around and into things that he shouldn't. And he knows it. Because he turns on the charm and those big sad puppy eyes so that he will not get in trouble. He's made quite an art of it.

One morning, before school I was in the bathroom brushing my teeth. For some reason I had shut the door when I went in. Which I don't normally do for just a teeth brushing. I could hear Ryan outside the door, and in the bedroom, laughing. When I opened the door, this is the first thing I saw - Ranger all snuggled up and comfy as could be on our pillows. I don't think so. He was removed from the bed . . . that is after I snapped a couple pictures of him first. Too cute, but not too cute to kick off the bed. Sorry Ranger. Better luck next time.

And a wonderful Halloween night it was

2010-11-06T10:16:00.000-07:00

It was the perfect weather for our Halloween evening festivities this year. Not too hot, and not too cold. We did our usual, set up tables and the whole family came over for some food, trick or treating and entertainment.

Ryan and I in our costumes.

And, here is another video, so those of you getting email updates, you need to go to the sight to see the video of Ryan's costume in action.

Baylee dressed up as Jesse from Toy Story. Too cute!

Ryan and his friend trick or treating.
That's right, he's a banana!

Doug made Boba Fett for our pumpkin this year.

And Ryan's pumpkin had a ghost.

Part of the family enjoying the movie of the evening -
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone

My dad getting a closeup view of the movie. Ryan and my dad recently
read this story for the first time, so I thought they would enjoy seeing
the movie. And, I think the rest of the family enjoyed it as well.

What Do You Do With Your Pumpkin Guts?

2010-11-05T00:31:00.000-07:00

Well? Do you just throw them away? Do you make pumpkin seeds in the oven? This year we did something totally different with ours . . . we fed them to the chickens! Now, if you receive this in email, let me tell you right now you need to go to the sight to view this post. I'm including a video in this post and they do not go through email. Happy viewing!

One of the twins enjoying the squishy pumpkin
goodness - I guess. I don't eat pumpkin myself.

This picture cracked me up. She was so excited
about getting pumpkin look how fast her head
is moving!

Happy Birthday To Doug

2010-11-03T21:59:00.000-07:00

Last weekend Doug celebrated another birthday. We kept it pretty simple this year, celebrating with just our little family. First thing in the morning we gave him his presents. We went a little more practical on gifts this year too. Sticking with clothing items.

And then we celebrated in the evening by making a run of all our favorite Joe Places. And, would you believe I left my camera at home sitting on my desk next to my computer? So, no pictures of the evening sorry.

His Thomas the Train gift bag.

Sam had to make sure there was no food inside.

And even after most of the contents had been removed, Sam still
needed to be sure there was nothing in there to eat.

Doug with the shirt that Ryan picked out for him.

So, here is our "Joe" evening. We started out at Liberty Market for dinner. Because you get $10 off your meal on your birthday. Since their portions are so big, Doug and I always split something so we did pretty good on our meal there. Then we went to Joe's Farm Grill for some shakes. We got two - one for Ryan & I because Doug doesn't do shakes. These were free because they were under the $10 limit. And then we stopped at the carry-out window at Joe's Real BBQ for a chopped chicken salad - that Doug and I split for lunch the next day. And again, that was free. What a great deal! I mean we love Joe's restaurants because the food is super yummy, but it's even better when you can get so much for free! We are big time fans!

November Calendar Pages

2010-11-02T00:17:00.000-07:00

2007

2008

2009

2010

A Foot Fitting

2010-11-01T16:29:00.000-07:00

It was almost a week ago that Ryan went in for his foot fitting. He is getting orthotics made for his over pronation - that he got from me. I wonder who gave it to me in the first place? Anyway, he was very nervous for this visit. I kept telling him it was nothing to be worried about. He had to just lay on a table while they make molds of his feet. So easy.

The staff at our podiatrist office is so nice. They are really wonderful to work with.

I was unable to attend this visit, so I sent the camera with Doug. He did a fantastic job capturing the moment.

Ryan nervously waiting on the table.

Getting started on the molds.


One foot all covered for the mold, now on to the second.

First mold removed.

Taking off the second mold.

Ryan's feet. They look so small in this picture.

Finally it's all over. Now Ryan can relax.

Hanging out with the Dogs

2010-10-25T09:37:00.000-07:00

Our dogs are pretty entertaining. We love them very much, and they get treated pretty darn well at our house. Here are a few pics Doug took of me and the dogs.

Me with both Sam and Ranger

Me and Sam

Ranger the scaredy cat - hiding under the table

I know this is not dogs, but I just had to share. Ryan was at a friends
house all day. They went to this really neat place called Jump Street.
And no, Johnny Depp is not there. It's filled with trampolines. This
is what Ryan's feet looked like when he got home. So lovely!

I shot this earlier in the day when Doug was giving the dogs a treat. They are so opposite in all of their behaviors it's too funny. One of them jumps like crazy and the other one just thinks he is jumping super high, even if his feet barely leave the floor. I was trying hard not to laugh while I was filming this. And, if you receive emails on this post, you will need to view the video on the site.

Yummy Fund Raiser

2010-10-24T09:37:00.000-07:00

So, Ryan's school was out for a week last week for Fall Break. They come back to school for three full days and then have two half days. I don't get it. Seems kinda silly to me, but I'm sure if I was a kid, I would think that whole week back should be half days. On the first half day, his school had a fund raiser. I really love their fundraisers. They are so easy. You show up to the specified restaurant and eat a meal. The only hard part is remembering to give them the flyer when you order so the restaurant knows to give the credit to the school. So tricky. My parents and brother Kelly met us there for lunch. And it was great to sit and visit with them.

The fund raiser was at one of my favorite restaurants. Jason's Deli. They are so good and fresh. Love their food. And you get free ice cream with every paid meal. Yum!

Ryan got a big bowl of Broccoli Cheese Soup

My Yummy Sandwich - Turkey Cranberry Ciabota

I must be rubbing off on Doug. He took this picture of my
strawberries when I was done eating them.

Of All The Things . . .

2010-10-20T19:58:00.000-07:00

When I became a parent there were many things I thought about raising a child. Things that you wanted to do and things that you did not want to do. I never really thought about all the things that I would be passing on to him. And many of them are things that I would not have picked to give to him. For instance, when Ryan was born, the first thing one of the nurses said was - who's got the cleft chin? And I immediately thought oh no, of all the things to pass on, that definitely would not have been my choice.

I do have to admit that my Krispy Kreme baby is very cute with his cleft chin.

Other items I seem to have passed on:
Allergies - check
Attitude - check
Stubbornness - check (although in all fairness, he got that from both of us!)
Eye color - check
Paleness of skin - check
Love for reading - check
Kindness to animals - check

And so, today we had an appointment for Ryan to see the podiatrist. We (Ryan & I) have been to this office several times over the past few years. The first time we were there was for a foot injury that Ryan had. The x-rays showed an area of concern at his pediatrician office and so he wanted us to see a podiatrist. The foot injury was fine, but there was some concern that Ryan's feet pronate (that means roll in). In the course of that conversation, it became very apparent to me that I needed to make an appointment for myself to come in because I had the things that the doctor was talking about in Ryan. And the very reason why I had terrible shin splints. A fitting for orthotics and a few years of wearing them, and my shins are wonderful.

Skip to today. Ryan's feet are much like mine. They roll. So, hopefully a fitting for orthotics and we will be good to go.

While we were there, the doctor drew on Ryan's foot so that us parents, with the untrained eye for how the foot should be when walking, could see where the problem was. Ryan actually giggled a little while being drawn on.

Pumpkin and Chili Festival

2010-10-11T22:31:00.000-07:00

On Friday night, we attended a local Pumpkin and Chili Festival with my niece and her family. This is our third year going with them and we had so much fun this year - I think it was the best time yet! I took tons of photos - over 100, so get ready for some viewing. (And for those of you that get this in email form, you may want to go to the sight to view it - it looks so much better there.)

Me, Ryan and Doug
At the beginning of the day ready to have some fun.

Ben, Baylee, Payton and Brittany

Baylee and Ryan got their faces painted.

Ryan's ghost

Baylee's pumpkin

Ryan and I waiting to get on the hayride to the corn maze.
This year we decided to go to the corn maze before it got dark,
with the hopes that we might actually make it through the maze
this time.

On the way to the maze, the hayride driver stopped and let everyone feed
some reindeer that are at the farm.

Baylee getting some more hay to feed the reindeer.

Baylee, Ben and Payton hiding in the corn
maze. I think they were going to try to scare
Brittany and I.

By the time we made it through the maze, it was starting to get dark.
It was perfect timing.

After the maze, we all decided that food sounded pretty good. And, we
were hoping that they would have some fresh corn, after looking at all
that corn ready to be picked in the maze. We got chili, pulled pork, hot dog
and fresh corn - for all three of us to share. It was yummy!

Then it was time to hit the rides. Ryan and Baylee went on the bumble bee
ride together several times. It was fun to watch Ryan help Baylee get in
and out of the ride.

They have these totally cool pedal yourself go cart things. On one course,
they are big enough for four people to go on. And on the other it's
for one person. This was on the four person. The two people in back
do all the pedaling. Ryan decided he wanted to be pedaled around by
Doug and I.

Ryan, Ben and Doug getting ready to race on the Individual Course.

While the boys were racing, Baylee entertained
herself waiting for them.

Doug at the end of the race. Those carts are so fun, but they are quite the
workout.

Ryan and I went on the swings a few times and the roller coaster.

Here was a fun tennis ball launcher where you
try to hit some targets. Ryan hit several of them.
It wasn't very crowded on the night we went so
no lines to wait in. That was very nice.

At the end of the evening, they even had some fireworks.

And we couldn't leave without getting a
pumpkin. Ryan picked this one out.

And the Storm Came Rolling In

2010-10-09T13:02:00.000-07:00

When I hear the weather men predict rain, I only believe them about 10% of the time. And here, where we live, it can rain five miles from our house and we will have nothing but sunshine. Even when we see those big dark rain clouds overhead, there is still no guarantee that we are gonna see anything from it.

So, last Tuesday when the rain came along, it was a little surprising. And then when the hail was pounding down on our house it was a little scary (please don't break any windows or roof tiles) and amazing. Doug and I watched the entire storm from the front and back of the house. We kept going back and forth between the two to watch.

Some of the things I remember from that day - our pool had waves in it. Like totally visible waves jumping up out of the pool. In a matter of moments, I was suddenly able to see sky through the tree where it had just been full of leaves. I mean literally, I couldn't even see branches in it before. I could barely see anything beyond the sidewalk in the front yard, or I should say, where the sidewalk is supposed to be in the front yard. I could not even see the sidewalk. There was so much water in the street that the sidewalk and a portion of the front yard were covered in swirling water.

And then, about 2 1/2 to 3 hours later when we went to pick Ryan up from school, this is what our neighborhood looked like:

An uprooted tree in the neighborhood. There were more of these than I could count. Luckily, this one missed the house it fell next to.

A branch that was snapped off a tree and was laying on a fence.

At least 3 hours later, here is a pile of hail up against our house.

Doug had just started getting the lawn ready for winter seeding and fertilizing. Underneath this tree it was nothing but brown dirt. And then along came all the leaves. If you look at the left side, you cannot even see the pool kool deck, it was completely covered with leaves.

A coworker of Doug's came to pick him up for work a couple of days later. He lives about a 15 minute drive from here. He told Doug our neighborhood looked like a war zone. They got hardly anything at all - just some rain and no hail.

Planetarium Egyptian Style

2010-10-08T00:47:00.000-07:00

Last weekend, we went to the planetarium again with Ben, Brittany, Baylee and Payton. It was so good to see them. We were trying to remember the last time we had been together and were having a hard time coming up with the answer. So, we are getting together with them again on Friday night - for more family fun times!

This month at the planetarium it was Egyptian constellations. I guess I never really stopped to think that Egyptians had different constellations and different stories to go along with them. Strange.

Well, it was perfect timing because Ryan just got finished studying Egypt in school.

We went and got our tickets for the show and had an hour and a half wait so we decided to try to find a Cold Stone Creamery for a little ice cream treat. I got the Peanut Butter and chocolate combination. It was yummy! And Ryan got just plain old mint ice cream with nothing added to it. It was yummy too - he let me have a little taste. I'm not sure what everyone else got - sorry guys!

Then we headed over to wait in line for the show. It was an interesting show. I didn't get very many pictures this time. Sorry. But, you can't take them inside once the show starts, so there wasn't a lot to photograph.

Enjoying Cold Stone Creamery

Doug inside the planetarium just before the show.

To My Surprise

2010-10-07T00:54:00.000-07:00

Last weekend, I was finishing up my work for the day and heard noises coming from our bedroom. I wandered to be greeted by this beautiful sight.

Clothes on the floor just outside of our closet.

Doug cleaning out his portion of the closet.

You see, Doug lost a bunch of weight over the past couple of years and has kept it off. It is about time he cleans out some of those things that he cannot (and should not) wear anymore. Woohoo!

I do love a clean closet. If you notice, he's actually sitting on the floor in front of my clothes that are hanging up. Notice all the hangers are the same color? That's right, each one of us has our own color hangers. It makes your closet look so organized! Try it. My clothes are even worse, they are hanging grouped together by color. Yes, I can say OCD!

Even Ranger was a little concerned about the activities going on in the closet. Really, I think he was hoping he might get those big fluffy socks on top to run around the house with!

October Calendar Pages

2010-10-01T00:43:00.000-07:00

This is one of my favorite months of the year. We have so many fun Halloween activities that we do all month long, that I really look forward to all the fun.

2007

Don't you just love the sword in the pumpkin? That is courtesy of my nephew Parker.

2008
This was the last year that we went to Young's Farm in Dewey. We loved going there every year and were very sad that they were closing. Here are pictures of our trips there over the years.

2009
Our first year going to Schnepf's Farm for their festival. We had such a great time we went again the next year and have already scheduled a trip this year with my niece and her family.

2010
Last year we got to do a lot of non-Halloween activities, including a free day at Arizona Science Center and Star Wars in Concert. It was also our second year going to Schnepf Farms.

Prescott Trip

2010-09-27T00:37:00.000-07:00

On Saturday we made a day trip to Prescott. I was reconnecting with some of my stamp friends that live there. And the boys went along for the day. Ryan actually somehow talked a friend of his into going with us. It is a bit of a drive. I had fun stamping and from the looks of it, they had fun around town.

Lisa, Me and Lynn working away on our projects.

For stamping, we did something called a shoebox swap. They are so fun. Each person designs a card and then provides the materials for each person attending to make that same card. So, we got to make projects from each other. Too fun! If you want to see those projects, you will have to visit my stampin' blog - http://www.melzplace.blogspot.com/

Ryan and Shawn chilling out in the backseat with the iPod.

Digging for rocks.

Doug had planned on taking the boys to a movie while I was stamping. But once they got up there, Ryan didn't want to sit anymore in a theater. So instead, they went to a park for awhile. When they were at Lynn's house, the boys spent their time playing with Lynn's adorable dachshunds or digging for rocks in the yard.

After we were done stamping, the four us decided to stop for lunch. We went to Cracker Barrel. They have such a fun shopping area and really yummy food. I was ready to eat.

Scary Halloween glasses

While we were waiting for our table, I had fun checking out all their Halloween goodies. Aren't these glasses the best? They also had a silver glittery pair. Too fun!

Shawn & Ryan playing checkers

After we were seated and had ordered, the boys decided to play checkers at a nearby table.

Now, doesn't that look yummy? Doug and I split a meal. They're meals are too big for just one person. So, we splurged a little and got the chicken fried steak. It came with three sides, too many to fit on the plate because the third one was in a separate bowl. Doug was nice enough to let me have Lima beans and okra. Two of my favorites that I hardly ever get to eat at home - nobody else will eat them with me! It was so yummy and half was just perfect.

And really who can go to Cracker Barrel without buying something?

I don't know what these are called, but they are one of my mom's favorite treats. She always gets one whenever we go there together and so I had to get one - or four - while I was there yesterday. And yes, only three of them made it home. Yum!

And here's a tease of the cards that I got to stamp. Fun times!

It was a great Saturday and also very exhausting. I fell asleep on the couch around 9:00.

It's Been 17 Years

2010-09-12T21:40:00.000-07:00

Can you believe it? Doug & I celebrated 17 years together on Sept. 11. It has flown by. We had a pretty relaxing day. The three of us - Doug, Ryan & I went out to eat at Black Angus where we always split a steak - Prime Rib. Yum! Then in the evening we went to a favorite frozen yogurt place - Ocean Blue with some friends, The Anderson's, and my brother. I took pictures at lunch, but was having a fun time chatting and such for the dessert that I totally forget to even get my camera out. Sorry about that.

My flowers and card from Doug

Doug, Ryan and I waiting for our lunch.

Even the dogs got an anniversary treat - a nap on the couch with Doug. He tried to nap while I watched The Bourne Identity. Really who can sleep through that movie? So much action!

Pink Floyd at the Planetarium

2010-09-07T00:16:00.000-07:00

Last Friday afternoon I got a text from my niece Brittany wondering if we had any plans for that evening. We love getting together with her and her family. They are tons of fun and always find fun things to do. The local Community College was offering a free show at their planetarium that evening. We decided to go out to dinner first at Sweet Tomatoes. My mom had given Brittany some coupons that they shared with us. Ryan loves eating there because they have such a great variety of foods. He can get whatever he wants.

The show was put on by a student as a part of his final project for a class. It was really cool. He set it to the music of Pink Floyd. It was really neat to see so many constellations, suns, planets and galaxies.

Ben, Baylee and Brittany at the restaurant.

Ryan, me and Doug

Payton

Outside the planetarium there was a nice man with a telescope setup. It was focused on Jupiter. Luckily he had a step ladder for us shorties to get a good look. Totally cool seeing such a distant planet so well.

Ryan looking at Jupiter.

Doug checking it out too.

Ryan & Baylee. They are so fun together. For such an age difference, they get along great. I don't think it hurts any that Baylee thinks Ryan is the funniest thing ever!

I took a couple pictures of the two of them in front of the sign. After taking a couple, Baylee says to me - next time we should pose like this - and she put her arm around Ryan. Too cute. So I had to take another one posing like that. Ryan played along quite nicely.


Before the show started, the domed ceiling, for the planetarium was glowing blue. It made everything, especially white glow blue too. Here is our version of a blue man.

Egg Drop . . . Soup?

2010-09-06T05:03:00.000-07:00

At school, Ryan participated in an egg drop. We did this when I was younger too, but it was a part of our Physics class that I took as a senior in high school. I tell you the kids today learn things so much earlier than we did. It's crazy to keep up. Ryan's in 6th grade this year and will be starting algebra during the year. Wow. Anyway, he was in a group with two other students. They did a lot of planing, testing, retesting and so on. (I think Mythbusters was a good influence on him for this project.) At one point he told the others in his group that they needed to do some testing because, and I quote, "science is 90% testing".
Their egg did not break. Well, that is until another student got excited when their egg also did not break. He proceeded to do a happy egg didn't break dance and accidentally hit Ryan in the face with his elbow. Ryan dropped their container and the egg broke.

Here's a video of Ryan demonstrating the egg drop from the top of our stairs. Sorry, I didn't move the camera quite as fast as the egg was dropping, but you get the idea.

September Calendar Pages

2010-09-05T15:49:00.000-07:00

Here I was all excited because I caught up on my entries. WOOHOO!!! Then I looked at the calendar and saw that it was September 5th. That means it's time to change my desktop wallpaper to Septembers Calendar Page - which means it's time to post the calendar pages too! So here they are for September.

I hope that you have enjoyed looking at the pages from over the years to see where we have been and what we have been doing. It's been a fun journey down memory lane!

2007

2008

2009

2010

There have been many fun times over the years. Much growth and many new experiences as well. We have loved sharing with our friends and families over the years. Thanks for all the great times and we look forward to more in the future.

First NFL Game

2010-09-04T01:45:00.000-07:00

All three of us got to experience our first NFL game together. One of my brothers asked if anyone was interested in going to see the Arizona Cardinals play the Washington Redskins in a preseason game. Since I grew up in the Washington area and have been a Skins fans since the good old days of Joe Theisman, John Riggins, Darryl Green and Art Monk I thought that sounded like a really fun idea. And when I heard the great deal on the tickets I was even more excited. And so was Ryan. He just recently got into watching and playing football.

Since it was on a school night, we left as soon as Ryan was done with all of his homework. Well, most of it anyway. He had one assignment that he would finish up the next morning (and he did with no complaining at all). We piled in the car with my iPod freshly loaded up with some new songs - Lady GaGa and Train - and off we went.

Traffic was pretty crazy. I think at one point we sat for 20 minutes and moved less than a mile. It reminded me of mornings driving from Virginia to Maryland to work in the summers. Boy was I glad that I worked at the same office as my brother and he drove us . . . because those long commutes gave me an extra bit of sleep in before I had to try to pretend to be happy to be up for the day. We had planned on going to eat at a mall next door to the stadium, but did not make it in time to eat first. We decided to get inside and find our seats knowing that there would be food and drinks inside. Ryan and I split the most expensive personal pizza ever. It was just the right size for us though. We both got two pieces and were full.

The Skins lost the game. We had a great time. I was surprised at how many Skins fans were there. I was afraid that we were going to be the major minority cheering for the Skins, but we were not. So, that was nice. There was even a me sized player on the Skins. One of their receivers was a good head shorter than the other players on the field. We looked him up in the program - he was a mighty 5' 7". So, at our end of the row, we cheered for him whenever he was on the field.

It was a sold out game. The stadium was totally packed.

Doug, Ryan & I.

Warren, the one looking at the camera, had the great idea to go to the game and organized it. There were two of my brothers there with parts of their families and a nephew with three of his boys, and then the three of us.

Ryan and I enjoying the game.

I had to save the best for last. I took this with my cell phone camera. No special effects whatsoever. I loved the way this came out. I'm featuring it on my photo website also. MelzDezines.

Back in the Saddle Again

2010-09-03T16:59:00.000-07:00

Isn't that how that old Roy Rogers song goes? Well, since I'm totally a city girl, the "saddle" that I am referring to is stamping. That's right, in July, I became a Stampin' Up! Demonstrator again. I had done it for over eight years. And really had a great time being involved with stamping and all the fun times and wonderful people that I met through it. Well, SU! was offering a special for past demonstrators to sign back up for only $35. With a little encouragement from my friend - thanks Di - big hugs! - I did it.

Already I have attended a few classes and held my very first stamp class and garage sale. It was family that came to the class and we had a great time. Afterwards we went out for lunch with the rest of our families - hubbies and kids - to one of our favorite places. La Tolteca. They have such yummy tamales.

I am having a very fun time and am looking forward to the classes that I am planning - Christmas, Halloween and more Christmas. Be sure to visit my new stamp blog for everything paper craft related.

Here are some of the highlights so far.

Attending a class at my friend Diana's house. I took another fun friend with me to the class. She is a scrapbooker but has never stamped before. It was very fun!

On my way to a Distressing stamp class. Learning all about using the new distressing kit. Great projects. Afterwards, Diana and I went camera shopping to find her a new one. A great day!

The components of the Distressing Kit. I'm telling you, if you are having a stressing day, this kit is so fun to use, you will be all relaxed when you are done.

A project from the distressing class.

Garage Sale items.

One of my favorite new items in the Winter Mini Catalog. I loved them when I saw them in the catalog. And really loved them in person. I want to figure out way to wear them. They are so beautiful.

Faces of the First Day of School

2010-08-31T09:12:00.000-07:00

We finally made it through the summer - and I finally got pretty much caught up on all my pictures. I guess I will just have to start taking more pictures again!

It was the first day of school about three or so weeks ago. We had a pretty rough year last year with some personality issues. This year, Ryan has a male teacher and we have been hearing some really great things about him.

Ryan did allow me to photograph him before we went to school. My days of walking him to his classroom ended about two or three years ago. So, I will take what I can get! He really does not enjoy having his picture taken. Sometimes, he will participate when I am working on a fun photo project that includes things like motion and stuff. And he does all right with me taking his picture while he is doing stuff. But taking pictures because it's the first day of school is not really his thing.

Anyway he let me snap a few and I had to be quick about it, so please do not look for anything artistic at all. This was strictly a mom taking pictures of her child while he was standing still!

Here are the many faces anticipating the first day of school:

He ended up having a really great first day (although if you ask him you may get totally different answers). He actually got in the car in a good mood. He said his teacher was pretty funny. We even went to Tilly's to celebrate the first day and bought him a new seatbelt belt. This one is green and black checked, and I can't remember which car symbol it has on it. He picked it out and loves it!

Silly Boys

2010-08-26T22:10:00.000-07:00

We really enjoy our dogs. They are so fun and bring so much to our daily lives. I can't imagine life without them and the laughter they create. As you are probably aware, our one beagle, Sam is a food crazed dog. he obsesses over it all the time.

One day when Doug had finished eating the tortilla chips out of the bag, he decided to see if Sam would try to lick the bottom. Sure enough, he had no problem putting his entire head into the bag to get those last little crumbs. And then proceed to clean the entire bag! Crazy, silly dog!

After Sam had his head in the bag and was okay, Ranger decided he would give it a try too.

Sam through the window of the chip bag. Loving every minute of it!