Happy New Year!

Time to update the blog and wish everybody a HAPPY NEW YEAR! Actually, I started this early this year...Dec 23rd in fact...but got distracted (or more likely, got bumped off the internet by one of the boys). So now I'm really behind the 8-ball.

Let's see...is there any news? Not really. I'm still the only girl not counting the dog (Maggie - and she came mid-year). Some days that's ok (it is good to be Queen), most days that feels a little lonely since I don't:

wakeboard
snowboard
play soccer
play football
drive recklessly or even very fast (according to my kids)
like cars
like girls

Other than that we all have a lot in common! Actually, though I didn't anticipate the specific challenges of raising a houseful of boys, I truly am blessed by and learn a lot from them. And hopefully, SOME day, they will say the same of me :)

In keeping with the male theme of this update, I'll minimize the 'chatter' and instead include a few pictures that hopefully will give you some insight into our lives this past year...

Spring Break '08 - Steamboat Springs


David's 40th Birthday Bash...doesn't he look young?

Daniel's confirmation...HALLELUJAH!

A scenic trip to the West Coast:

Our french 'exchange' student Edouard, Michael, Will Schieble, and Dylan Stripling enjoying the Wizards game:

Fall Fun

Life has been a total blur since I last updated this. I am really sorry, as I have very good intentions of getting the word out! The boys are up to lots of generally good stuff...soccer, football, homecoming, bonfires, skateboarding - you name it, they like to do it. Unless it is named 'HOMEWORK' or 'HOUSEWORK'.

Last night Michael didn't play soccer with the team...instead he performed in the fall choir concert with the Liberty Concert Choir. They happened to perform at our church - which at first seemed like a mistake since it is a fairly traditional sanctuary and it is hard to see. But as it turned out, it was a brilliant move - they did madrigals in the round which were incredible. And even after they moved back up front, they still sounded awesome...as the video hopefully captures. I'll try to put another song or two up for you to enjoy -but there truly is nothing better than being there in person to hear it.

The soccer moves and football feats are also awesome...and much harder to capture on video! We'll see if we can get some film of these last two weeks to share.

Hope everyone is having a great fall!

Summers End

It is almost impossible to believe that it is the last day of summer, but it is. Tomorrow the boys head off to school...the 11th year we have done this (Michael is a junior). People tell you all the time that time flies, but you simply can't understand how quickly until you experience it yourself. The last two weeks have been a blur too...we've had a new french friend staying with us, Edouard. We've learned to appreciate his world (politics and rugby) and he a bit of ours. We've made it to a soccer match (American) and of course the lake, and he and Michael have gotten a glimpse of the 'real' world as they have worked at Cerner some. When not there, Michael has been at soccer tryouts...he thus far has earned a starting position on the varsity squad. Josh wrapped up his job in early August so he could fully participate in football practice...and make time for a camping trip with a friend. And Daniel of course is always in the mix - making us laugh when he isn't away at the lake with a friend or at practices of his own. As I look back on the summer, I am grateful for all of our health, our ability to think clearly, our friends and family, and our times together. This picture is from our vacation a month ago -one of my most favorite moments when we had finally arrived at a beach that was actually warm enough for shorts and flip-flops...we were finally out of the car and the boys were playing like they did when they were little kids, building a fort together and just horsing around as the sun set over the ocean. Those days are mostly gone, but brief glimpses are still there - if you are paying attention. Blessings abound.

West Coast Adventures Continued...Oregon

We finally made it to the beach...and BOY is it windy! And cold. A big expectations adjustment required by all. Of course it is still gorgeous and fun, even with 35mph winds (and water temps in the high 40s - low 50s). Today we are headed to the Oregon State Aquarium which is supposed to be ultra-cool - you can even touch an octopus. I am not sure yet whether I will take advantage of this feature. Then it is on down the coast to Gold Beach - we are hoping it warms up a little there! The ironic part is we were told by the locals that part of the reason it is so windy is because it is so hot inland (like 5 miles inland - it was 89 degrees there and 58 degrees here!). I am sure someone who understands air currents and physics better than me could explain it all to us.

Pre-beach we were in Hood River, Oregon for two days and then Portland for a day. Both were ultra-cool places we'd love to go back to. The boys skateboarded in both at very cool parks, mountain-biked, and of course browsed the local stores. We had signed up for wind-surfing lessons but alas the day we were supposed go dawned clear and completely CALM. No go. It will have to wait until next time we visit.

West Coast Adventures

I become most motivated to blog when there is actually something exciting and new to talk about. So no surprise that I am updating based on our summer vacation - it is pretty cool! And it helps that most of our lodging has TRUE high speed internet (making this process much quicker and easier!). We began our adventure two days ago when we flew from KC to Seattle. We arrived early afternoon on the 4th, loaded our considerable luggage up in our rented Durango, and drove to the hotel near the space needle that would be our home for the next 48 hours. Since we were right next door, our first venture was to the Experience Music Project museum. The kids were only just tolerating the concept of our first outing being to a museum, that is UNTIL they saw what it was about. I was afraid we were going to have to break Michael out after hours as he refused to leave the jam session booths until it was closing! If you are a rock and roll fan at all, or a music fan in general, we'd rate it a must-see. Dinner was at the restaurant at the museum which was surprisingly good. Josh and I headed to bed early while David, Michael, and Daniel walked a few short blocks to Lake Union to see the fireworks display. Michael thought it was 'tight' - and Daniel appeared to also, though he told me the next day that he almost fell asleep during it! I'm sure it didn't help that it started at 10 pm Pacific time, which would have meant midnight or later to our tired central-time bodies!

Day 2 was spent walking...and walking...and walking...we hit most of the big tourist spots in downtown Seattle, on foot and/or skateboard. The Olympic sculpture park was very cool, though the boys most liked the small beach portion on the bay and the naturalist's talk. Then it was on down the waterfront to Pike's market (which we overshot by about 8 blocks...thanks mom). A late lunch of clam chowder and seafood bisque and we were refueled enough to limp back to the hotel for a big nap in anticipation of our evening. Our decision to splurge and eat at the Skyview restaurant in the Space Needle did NOT disappoint (though we will have to Taco Bell-it for a couple days to stay even on the budget). Before our 9 pm reservation though, we had time to hop in the Durango and tour the area a little...Univ of Washington, Lake Union, and Discovery Park were all very cool. We cannot believe how much housing is packed into these hills - very architecturally diverse and cool, most with fabulous views of water and/or mountains. Why exactly would one choose to live in the middle of the US- near no water - was the question? There were plenty of cool cars on our tour to keep the boys happy as well.

Finally it was time to dash to the space needle for our dinner adventure. The experience was ...well, amazing. Given how hard it is to impress the boys, David and I felt it was worth the investment - plus I thought it was one of the coolest things I have ever done too! Check out the pic of the Seattle skyline and the 'Summer Action' video link to get a sense for our dinner experience...

Today we are headed south to Mt Rainier for a hike up Longmire - then on to the Columbia River Gorge for some boarding and more hiking. More adventure to follow!

School's Out For The Summer!

So, this is my first post since Christmas...a sign of the time in our life I guess. Five months is quite a bit to catch up on, but I think I can boil it down for you pretty succinctly: school, sports, church, texting, cars, music, knitting, family, friends. Keep in mind that's the winter list. If we were talking summer, we'd have to add boat and yardwork, and remove school (yippee). Oh, and of course there is work too...the corporate variety for Laura and David, the referee variety for Michael, and the unpaid-slave-chore variety for Josh and Daniel (and Michael too - except he is never home to do them).

Let's hit the highlights:

SPRING BREAK

Yes, it is a long car ride, but for a full week of fun in the snow at Steamboat...IT'S WORTH IT! We had a great time hanging out with our buddies the Striplings - we even all stayed in the same condo! It helps that we are all pretty laid back and the kids have grown up together. We also met up with Michael's friend Sam and Daniel's friend Preston there too. The snowboarding achievements are too numerous to mention of course...but even off the mountain was fun. Hot-tubbing, snowball-fighting, eating and knitting...there was something for everybody! Check out the intensity of this snowball fight - pictures just don't do it justice.

EASTER

At the end of the week we headed back to KC via Abilene and celebrated a quick Easter with my family. 16+ kids always makes for a chaotic but fun Easter egg hunt! Everybody had fun and enjoyed their sweets, except for Aunt Susan that is - the only thing the Easter Bunny brought her was the stomach bug :(

SPORTS

Back home, we waited for the weather to warm up so we could enjoy some sunny, spring days watching Michael and Daniel play soccer and Josh run track...and we waited...and we waited. The sports went on but the cold rain just didn't give up! Luckily the athletes didn't either. We had a lot of fun watching Daniel and Michael's soccer teams enjoy winning seasons, and Josh's 4x400 and 4x800 relays in particulary were always exciting to see. I think Josh enjoyed the social aspects of track as much or more than the running, though...

CHURCH

In April, Daniel finished up a year-long confirmation program and was welcomed as a full member of Liberty United Methodist Church. We were able to attend the celebration as a family and even dressed up for the occasion - that doesn't happen very often anymore!