Time to Play Catchup!

"WOW" is about all I can say to summarize our time since the last post. Following the June trip to Sea World, life got increasingly busy and the blog went to the wayside. Now that it's two days past Christmas, we've caught our breath enough (and finally uploaded all of the photos) from summer/fall/winter '07.

I'm going to post a few pictures per day just to give you a brief summary of what we've been up to since then.

As I gather my thoughts, enjoy this clip of Wes and Pa-paw's hand from Dick & Cindy's summer visit!

Sea Woi-rald!

Yes! We finally took the kids to a theme park!
I'd say our first attempt was a success. The kids were well behaved, we had fun, and most importantly - we survived.

We spent this past Saturday at Sea World right here in Orlando. It was a sweltering 92 degrees, but we didn't care - mostly.

It really was a beautiful place with plenty to do for everyone. We'll be back soon too, as I am now the proud owner of an annual pass. Dawn gets in for free as an educator, and both Reagan and Wes get in for free because they're under 3. My pass covers me and parking. How sweet is that?

Here are a couple of pictures from our excursion. Note that Sesame Street is now at Sea World... let's just say we had two very happy children.

An Ode to Wes

Wes is just cool. Smiling, laid back, friendly, all around great kid! We love him, and here's part of what makes him so loveable!

Happy Birthday, Daddy!

Reagan has got to be one of the sweetest little girls in the world. While I was at work last week, she pulled a 5 lb. bag of flour out of the pantry and pestered Dawn all morning to make daddy a birthday cake. (For those who know, I don't turn ...a year older... until August) Incredibly, Dawn obliged.

Sweet thought - and I'm sure it had nothing to do with Reagan wanting to eat cake. We did it up, with candles lit and everything!

...In With the New!

Well, we finally got the tub and tile in! This past weekend, Freddie and I patched, sanded, and textured the walls. Yesterday, I primed and painted the bathroom. I'm not ecstatic about the color...but hey. At this point I left the trim undone in case Dawn changes her mind.

So... what do you think?

Out with the old...

Continuing on with the theme of 'new', we've got some more changes to share. We replaced the garage door and opener. Not only that, but we cleared out the garage to the point that - yes indeed - the Pilot fits inside! We are now 1 of 347 families in Florida who can actually get their car in the garage.



We also began work on the master bath. We've had issues for years - cracks, repairing the cracks, having it inspected for termites - always getting a runaround. Yesterday as our contractor broke tile back from the wall it became clear that we had all the evidence we needed to show the pest company that we did indeed have termite damage. Inspectors came out and gathered plenty of stuff. We'll hear Monday what they're going to cover.

Long story short - our makeover should be covered!

Not to worry - we inspected the rest of the house, and the termites were clearly gone for some time, and they were just located in that area.

Here are a few shots of the work in progress.

Ch-ch-ch Changes

As you may have seen in the previous post, I did indeed cut my hair. I'm not sure why. It's been long since I started at UCF back in... '95 (yikes!)

The winds of change seem to be bringing about a more exciting change at my alma mater - the new football stadium!

Here I am just outside of The Brighthouse, mere minutes after having my ears lowered.

Post Study Posting...

Dawn and I had a great time with our Summit Connect group. (Bible Study for you old farts...) Just thought we'd mess around with the computer's camera. Pictures of Dawn and Dan - what's not to enjoy?

Oo-gert on the Hip-Hop

Learning to speak 'Reagan-ese' has lead to learning 'Reagan-isms'. She says some of the funniest stuff - this evening she turned to everyone on our way out of the restaurant and repeated what she's learned from school: "Good-bye boys and girls!"

This morning, she spilled her yogurt on the flip-flop of Dawn's that she's been wearing. I was able to catch her as she got down to clean it up. "Daddy, oo-gert on the hip-hop!"

Ashley's Birthday

Well, since our contractor can't start until Monday, we don't have any home updates.

We do, however, have some shots of the family celebrating our friend Ashley's Birthday!

With the games, cupcakes, and company it was a great time! I thought I'd also like to make mention of the special squares - like Rice Crispy Treats, but with FRUITY PEBBLES! I can't begin to tell you how incredible this was... more to follow.

Easter Morning

Just wanted to pass along a couple of pics of the Easter clothes. Temperatures dropped into the 50's this morning. I can't speak for everyone else, but I would have loved a jacket.

Everything is New

Spring has sprung around here, with temps between the high 60's and low 80's. With Easter tomorrow, it seemed to be a fitting day to plant flowers. The dead comes to life, and fresh starts begin. Reagan and I took some time while Wes slept to get the flower beds back in order this morning.

Easter Egg Fun Part II

We also shot a little video! Reagan and I took up most of the time, and Wes...well, there are no small parts, just small actors. Him just a 'wittle guy'... :)

Easter Egg Fun

We had a fun morning dying Easter eggs! Not only did Reagan and Wes get to learn the tradition of dipping eggs in colored water - I got a lesson in reading directions. Unfortunately, I didn't bother to put paper down on the table prior to bringing the dye over to it. I also forgot about Archemedes principle, where the volume of the submerged object displaces the a liquid by the same volume.

Long story short... we have a pastel table!

Getting Started

Hey just posting for the first time! I've got too much other stuff to do, but I'll be back!