In The House Of Blue

More Baseball.......

2009-11-16T16:18:00.000-07:00

These photos were taken last weekend during another Sox tournament. The weather is perfect in the mid 70's and the Sox played very well!

Happy Birthday Honey!

2009-11-11T19:40:00.000-07:00

Dennis has been working so hard for us that we wanted to do something special for him for his last birthday in his thirties! Happy Birthday Honey! We love you! xoxo

Happy Halloween!

2009-10-31T19:19:00.000-07:00

As you can see Billy was a fireman and Dennis was a gangster this year! He had a great time trick or treating and passing out candy! Dennis really made out this year ..... check out his loot! Full size candy bars, popcorn and lots and lots of chocolate!

Co-Ed Party

2009-10-30T19:17:00.000-07:00

Dennis went to his first boy/ girl party tonight with school friends. I don't know who was more excited for this milestone him or us! He said he had a great time but did not dance with any girls! My boy is growing up!!!

Railroad Park

2009-10-30T09:02:00.002-07:00

Dennis had a day off from school today for Fall break. We were busy with swim lessons and doctors appointments but we managed to squeeze in some time to enjoy the nice Fall weather! I love the railroad shots and wish Dennis was in the pictures too! He was off searching for his bat, and balls that he lost..... don't ask! ;-)

Preschool Party

2009-10-29T17:31:00.002-07:00

Billy's preschool had a Halloween party to celebrate the holiday. The kids went to school in costume and decorated cookies, created scary stories and made fall art projects! They also came home with a load of trick or treat goodies! Billy had a blast in his fireman costume and was excited to see that his friend Austin was a policeman!

Hot Coco!

2009-10-28T17:24:00.000-07:00

We had a cold front move into tonight and the temp dropped about 20 degrees! In Phoenix, a temp in the 70's means it's time to break out the hot coco and marshmallows! Yummy!

Pumpkin decorating!

2009-10-26T17:19:00.002-07:00

My mom came over tonight since Dennis was gone and we broke out the pumpkin decorations! The boys had fun making "scary" faces and were proud of the finished results!

Fall Classic 12U Tourney - 2nd place finish!

2009-10-25T22:09:00.003-07:00

This weekend the Black Sox played up a division in a 12u tournament. The team played exceptionally well and earned the 2nd place finish! Way to go Sox! As you can see by our shirts we wore breast cancer awareness jerseys in honor of one of our moms who is currently undergoing treatment. It was a special weekend!

Thompson Halloween Party

2009-10-24T21:50:00.002-07:00

The annual Halloween party was tonight at the Thompsons! Fun, fun, fun! My parents kept the boys overnight so we could attend and we had a blast! Great costumes everyone. There are many photos on Facebook but here is a good one of Dennis!

Lots of good changes in store for us!

2009-10-22T21:23:00.000-07:00

I can't go into a lot of details but some BIG things are happening for us that we are very excited about! NO, I'm NOT pregnant! But things are going to be changing for the better very soon! I'm so proud of you Dennis!

Twelve years......

2009-10-20T21:22:00.000-07:00

Twelve years ago I married the love of my life. Happy Anniversary Dennis. I love you!

Blog Makeover

2009-10-18T21:18:00.002-07:00

I had another "blog makeover" recently and LOVE it!!! Danielle is wonderful to work with and has lots to choose from. Here is her info if you're interested.

http://designgirlportfolio.blogspot.com/

PAAARTY!

2009-10-17T21:16:00.000-07:00

Two parties in one day! Black Sox pool party and BBQ this afternoon and tonight our friend Val is having a surprise party for her hubby Bill! Happy Birthday Bill! Fun times!!!

Honor Roll Baby

2009-10-16T21:13:00.000-07:00

Report cards went home today and Dennis made honor roll again. It was a challenging first quarter in 5th grade and we are so proud of him! Tepanyaki dinner tonight to celebrate!

Field trip to the pumpkin patch

2009-10-15T19:57:00.003-07:00

Billy went on his first field trip to the pumpkin patch today! He had so much fun playing with his friends outside of school. There was a hay ride, petting zoo, sack races, pony rides and lots and lots of laughter! Good times!

Couple photo!

2009-10-12T19:41:00.000-07:00

This weekend a friend actually got a cute shot of both of us! I love you honey! xoxo

New specs!

2009-10-11T19:37:00.000-07:00

Dennis got his new glasses today and they look GREAT!! And he can see better! Billy didn't want to be left out of the photo shoot so he posed too! Silly boys!

More Spartan photos

2009-10-10T17:27:00.001-07:00

Billy REALLY enjoys playing the pitcher position. He takes it very seriously and has earned the nickname "brick wall!"

Fall State Tournament

2009-10-04T15:26:00.000-07:00

Over the weekend the Black Sox played in the Fall State Finals. It was a disappointing weekend of baseball but the weather was gorgeous and it was really nice to be outside!

5th grade Solar System Project

2009-10-03T15:05:00.002-07:00

Last week Dennis was working on a solar system model and slide show. He had a lot of fun learning about the different planets and he is very proud of his finished project! Nice work Dennis!

Billy's school work

2009-09-28T15:00:00.005-07:00

Mommy as a pilot complete with headphones!

Billy as a pilot.

This is Billy and a baseball field.

Black Sox kick some booty in 12U

2009-09-27T18:09:00.002-07:00

The Sox played this weekend in a 12U tourney (which is an age division up) and played their hearts out!!!!! Way to go Sox. I'm very proud of Dennis! He had an amazing attitude during the difficult game and hustled all weekend long! Watch out 12U teams were coming back for more!

Go Billy!!

2009-09-26T16:18:00.001-07:00

The Spartans had their first game on Saturday and the kids played awesome! Billy was a brick wall at pitcher and hit the ball well. He had a GREAT attitude even though he was out on first his first time to bat. We have a great group of kids and parents this season and of course Dennis is an ace when it comes to coaching! Go Spartans!!!

Rock Band Beatles

2009-09-21T14:14:00.000-07:00

Dennis is a real techie guy and when Rock Band came out a few years a he became hooked. The kids love it too! On Monday morning this is what I came downstairs to at 7:15am. I love my boys!

So good!!!

2009-09-20T14:18:00.003-07:00

Last night Dennis made one of my favorite meals: flank steak, grilled veggies, salad and fresh bread! It was so good that we ate the entire meal. Yummy! Billy did ask during dinner if we were eating a cow but at least he didn't start mooing!

End of summer

2009-09-18T14:26:00.002-07:00

On Friday Billy and I enjoyed the water at a local resort with Tisse and her family. The kids went swimming in the pool and then went into the "hot pool" (jacuzzi) and finished off with the splash pad! Good times! Thanks for inviting us over Brady.

I love my husband

2009-09-14T17:52:00.003-07:00

Simple and perfect. xoxo

Pilot training

2009-09-13T16:15:00.000-07:00

Dennis is working on his cross country flight training and it's a bit more challenging then preparing for his solo flight. This is what our kitchen table looked like on Sunday afternoon! I can't wait to be flying up north for breakfast. I'm so proud of you Dennis!! xoxo

Take me out to the ballgame

2009-09-12T16:03:00.002-07:00

We headed down to Chase today to catch the D'backs play one last time before the season ends. We had incredible seats that were in the second row right behind the visiting dugout. The Brewers were playing today so I was excited to see Felipe Lopez who was traded from the D'backs earlier this season. Although it was a horrible game (2-9), we enjoyed our family outing! Billy was especially happy to receive a D'back shirt during a give away!

The return of the Spartans!

2009-09-08T19:51:00.000-07:00

T-ball is in full swing again and Billy is very excited to have Daddy coaching! We teamed up with some old friends and have a great group of kids and parents for the fall season. The kids, I mean coaches, decided on 'The Spartans' for the team name! Games start in two weeks! Go Spartans!!!

I'm back!!!!!!!!!

2009-09-07T22:19:00.003-07:00

Yes, it's true! I'm back blogging and now on my MAC and loving it! I plan on keeping up with this and if I fall behind please get on my case! There are about nineteen new entries since I last posted in early May and many new photos. I've even created a few photo slide shows for you to enjoy.

If you would like to get notified of new posts just click on the "follow this blog" at the top of the page.

Happy Labor Day

2009-09-07T22:04:00.004-07:00

Surprise, surprise...... guess what we were doing this weekend? You got it! We were at a baseball tournament. Imagine that! The Black Sox played some INCREDIBLE baseball this weekend despite the long rain delay on Saturday. They went 3-0 in their pool play games and earned the number 1 seed going into the playoff game on Monday. But you know baseball and anything can happen! Today we had an ankle injury in the second inning and the umpires stopped the game eight minutes early despite many protests from our team. Ultimately, the Sox lost 9-10 and it was a BITTER loss! But the kids played really well this weekend and it was great to see some familiar faces form the Cougar days.

Billy starts preschool

2009-08-19T21:39:00.004-07:00

Billy is big boy on campus this year as he is in the 4 year old room at preschool! He was READY to get back to school and so excited to bring his lunch box and backpack to school! He LOVES his teachers, Kristen and Terry, and was super excited to see his friends again!

Welcome to 5th grade

2009-08-17T21:11:00.000-07:00

Dennis started the 5th grade today and his teacher is Ms. Fowle. He will be having a home room teacher, and honors teacher, and another teacher for reading and science. It looks like they are getting them ready for middle school! This year will be a bit more challenging as he has 35 students in his class due to budget cuts so he knows he will have to work extra hard! Billy had a hard time accepting Dennis going back to school as you can see in the photo!

Cool Country Classic -Flagstaff 2009

2009-08-16T18:31:00.000-07:00

Driving up north to Flagstaff

2009-08-14T19:13:00.000-07:00

We are headed out this morning to Flagstaff. Unfortunately, it will be just me and the boys as Dennis is going back to Papa's funeral. We have games all weekend and hope to go all the way to the championship! School starts bright and early Monday morning so this is our last hurrah of the summer!

Black Sox WON!!!!! See slide show above!

Rest in Peace Papa

2009-08-11T16:55:00.000-07:00

Carl A. Janisch I
August 4, 1922- August 11, 2009

On August 11, 2009, Papa lost his battle with cancer. He died peacefully in his sleep and we are very grateful he wasn't in pain. He was very loved and we will miss him dearly.

T-ball time

2009-08-07T19:11:00.001-07:00

Today we registered Billy for his fourth season of t-ball! He is very excited to play and happy that daddy will be his coach again! Practices and games start next month.

USTBA World Series 2009 - San Diego, CA

2009-08-02T18:31:00.000-07:00

Beach time baby!

2009-07-28T19:17:00.000-07:00

Woo hoo!!!! San Diego here we come! I'm SO ready to get out of the heat! I think we got spoiled with the California weather while in Santa Barbara! Oh, I would LOVE to stay in California during the HOT Arizona Summers!!!

The Black Sox were invited to play in the United States Travel Ball Association (USTBA) World Series. Opening day starts the tournament with skills contests and a BBQ, then four days of baseball! What a great way to spend a week away!

During our down time, we kept plenty busy with all the typical tourist activities. We stayed on Mission Bay so we were close to everything. We were able to spend 1/2 a day at Sea world and we were moved by the dolphin and Shamu shows! I forgot how much fun Sea World was!! Dennis even bought me a cute stuffed penguin that is too cute! We also made our way to Luigi's pizza on Mission Beach and rode the rides at Belmont Park.

We also got to spend some time with the Hickerson, Dean, and Carassco Families! It was great to see our Californian friends!

Although the Black Sox were unable to bring home the gold it was a great trip! And for an extra bonus we got to meet and take a photo with Gonzo (Luis Gonzalez.) I think I liked him more than the boys and YES I have a signed ball by him too!

Check out the slide show above for a glimpse into the week and here are a few from our time together as family.

Billy's 4th Birthday Party

2009-07-26T14:54:00.001-07:00

This year Billy wanted to celebrate his birthday with his friends at Pump It Up. There were two rooms of inflatable slides, obstacle courses and play and then the kids moved into the party room for pizza, cake, and presents! Billy had school friends, neighbors, family and kids from t-ball. It was a great turnout and he said it was his best birthday ever!

First Solo Flight

2009-07-26T07:48:00.000-07:00

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Today Dennis completed his first solo flight! He has worked very hard to get to this point and we are very proud of him! He did three touch and goes and his instructor said he has never met anyone as determined as Dennis!

Next up is cross country flying!

Santa Barbara 2009

2009-07-19T18:29:00.000-07:00

Santa Barbara here we come!

2009-07-18T19:04:00.000-07:00

This year we spent the week after the July 4th holiday in Santa Barbara visiting my sister and her family. The week went by way too fast! We went shopping, ate excellent food and relaxed in the cool California weather. Dennis had to attend a conference in St. Louis in the middle of our vacation but he did get to go to the All Star game! The beach was a hit with the boys, as were the long walks to the park and down State Street. Dennis and his cousin Siena participated in a skate camp on the beach and we did our annual tie dye adventure! Billy celebrated his 4th birthday in style by going on a pirate cruise and we wrapped up our trip with birthday presents and cake! Thank you Buffy, Daryl, Siena and Sage! We had a great time!

Happy 4th of July!

2009-07-04T19:02:00.000-07:00

This year we are spending the day at the Thompson's for a pool party & BBQ! Hope you all have a safe and happy July 4th!

Diamondback Little League All Stars

2009-07-02T17:11:00.000-07:00

Dennis was invited to play on the 10-11 All Star team this year. He was very excited to get a chance to pitch and play with his former Cougar teammate, Brandon. Although the team went 1-3 the boys had a great time despite the triple digit heat. Nice job Diamondback!

Happy Birthday Gee

2009-06-28T16:34:00.000-07:00

Happy 60th birthday Gee!! There was a big party in the backyard with catered food and lots to drink! The weather was unseasonably nice and Papa even came outside to visit with the guests. It was a wonderful birthday celebration with friends and family.

LaPorte, Indiana

2009-06-27T16:44:00.004-07:00

This weekend we flew into Chicago and then drove over to LaPorte, Indiana where Dennis was born and has many fond childhood memories. On Saturday we visited with family and then walked down main street and made our way to a "Strieter" firework store! We did plenty of damage and came home with a car full of fireworks! That night we went to a corn field and enjoyed the light show and the kids got their first taste of catching fire fly's! Good times!

Hello Mac Book Pro!

2009-06-26T16:26:00.000-07:00

I celebrated my birthday last weekend with friends and family since we're headed out of town today but guess what I got??? A new Mac Book Pro laptop!!! I'm so excited that I can work on photos wherever I go! Thank you honey! xoxo

Happy Father's Day

2009-06-21T16:24:00.002-07:00

Happy Father's Day to all you great dad's out there! I'm beyond blessed to have such an incredible father and hubby! Thank you for all that you bring to my (and the boys!) lives! We love you!!

Billy can swim!!!

2009-06-10T16:12:00.000-07:00

Today at swim class Billy was moved up to the Octopus class and he can now swim on his own!!!! He LOVES the water and would swim everyday if we let him! He received another ribbon to add to his growing collection. Way to go Billy!

Anthem Tourney

2009-06-08T16:20:00.000-07:00

The Sox played this weekend in an Anthem tourney. Although they were unable to pull out a win they did manage to get two coaches tossed from the game and a formal complaint filed against an umpire. Way to keep them interesting Black Sox!

Memorial Day Champions!!!

2009-05-23T15:43:00.000-07:00

The Black Sox played incredible baseball this weekend and Dennis was on FIRE! Not only did we play (and beat!) the Cougars but Dennis drove in the winning run! It was so much fun to watch the boys play and Dennis got his first championship ring! Not to mention that the coach awarded him the "game" ball for his last hit to win the game!! Go Black Sox!!

Hello Summer 2009!!!

2009-05-23T15:06:00.000-07:00

Goodbye 2008-2009 school year! On May 21st Billy has his last day of preschool in the 3's room with Teacher Debbie. She was absolutely a perfect teacher for Billy's first introduction to school. She was so patient and encouraging and Billy was very lucky to have her. In August he will move up to the 4's classroom with Teacher Terry and he'll be attending 4 mornings a week!

Dennis finished up 4Th grade with a bang and made honor roll once again. This year was a bit more challenging for him since he entered the honors program and we couldn't be more proud of his hard work and determination!

Billy goes on a field trip

2009-05-17T14:43:00.002-07:00

A few weeks ago at Billy's preschool Spring Gala we bid and won a trip to the Wildlife World Zoo with Teacher Terry. So today, bright and early, Teacher Terry (Billy's teacher next year) and Teacher Melanie (school director) picked up Billy for his special day. They drove north to Payson and had a great day at the zoo. They pet snakes, had ice cream and watched the lions feed. He had a blast! They even made him his own photo book to remember the day!

Little League Mets

2009-05-16T21:49:00.004-07:00

Little League season is also coming to an end. Dennis was lucky enough to be placed on a Majors team a few games into the season and it turned out his coaches were also friends/ neighbors of ours. As a matter of fact, Dennis played t-ball with a few of the boys back when they were three years old. My does time fly ......

I was finally able to get a few photos at today's early evening game so atleast I have some with Dennis in his Mets uniform. Great team. Great season! All stars is just around the corner and Dennis has informed us he wants to play. I think he forgot how HOT it was the last two years......

T-ball season is over

2009-05-16T09:36:00.000-07:00

Billy just finished up his 3rd season in t-ball and he is excited about returning to fall ball once the summer is over. His last game was HOT, as in over 100 degrees, and the kids had about had enough! Good thing there was cake, ice cream and trophies after the game to use as bribery! :) Billy really enjoyed his red Gatorade as evidenced his mustache.

Happy (early) Birthday Billy!!!

2009-05-14T14:04:00.003-07:00

Today was my co-op day at school and we celebrated Billy's summer birthday with his classmates. We had a water play day with sprinklers, wading pool, bubbles and water guns! The kids had a blast especially since it was in the triple digits! I also got a good shot of Billy with Teacher Debbie.....and he's giving the peace sign...silly kid! We're sure going to miss Teacher Debbie! Next week is the last week of preschool......

D'back Fans

2009-05-08T19:39:00.000-07:00

At the very last minute we decided to catch a Diamondbacks game. We were very lucky to find GREAT seats! Lot's of player photos...... including Eric Byrnes!!! LOT'S of Byrnes!!! Billy had a great time playing with Baxter the Bobcat and Justin Upton threw Dennis a ball! He was in heaven!!! I think I'm really starting to like Felipe Lopez too!

Flat Siena enjoyed her visit to Chase Field too!!

Summer is HERE!!!!

2009-05-08T09:32:00.002-07:00

Today it was supposed to reach 101 so we hit the splash pad at the park. Val and Nevaeh as well as Brady and the kids joined us. Billy LOVES to play in the water and it was a great way to start the summer!

Mother's Day at PVCS

2009-05-07T14:55:00.002-07:00

Today Billy had a special day planned for me to celebrate Mother's Day. He served me breakfast with a rose at preschool and sang me a lovely song. He also made me my own place mat and picture frame.

On Sunday, the boys surprised me with a Amazon Kindle! It took me a few weeks to bond with the new technology but it quickly became my new best friend! Thank you hubby and boys! I love you!!!

Cinco De Mayo Tourney!

2009-05-03T15:52:00.007-07:00

Dennis played with the Black Sox during the Cinco De Mayo tourney at Big League Dreams in Gilbert. It was a perfect weekend for baseball. The weather was nice and cool for Arizona and the beer was cold! Saturday night we had a little surprise when all the lights went out in the ball park for about 40 minutes. Apparently a drunk driver crashed into a light pole before taking a dip in the lake at a golf course. Nice! I hope no one was hurt. The Sox won the play off game Sunday morning but then lost in the semi-finals. Fun times!

Billy and the Coyotes

2009-05-02T13:41:00.001-07:00

T-ball season is coming to an end. There are only two games left which is a good thing since the temp's are already in the triple digits! Billy has come along way in such a short time! I hope he wants to come back in the fall for more fun!

This was a TOTAL overload of pics for my mom who has to work on Saturday's and

misses all the fun! :)

It's still baseball season.....

2009-04-25T14:29:00.000-07:00

Billy has come along way with his t-ball in a few short months! He hits great off the tee, is a super fast base runner and is becoming more comfortable in the field. I think he prefers the pitcher position because he sees a lot of action! Here are a couple from Saturday's game.

Dennis has his first official tourney with the Black Sox this weekend! It should be fun. I heard he may be pitching so I'll go prepared with my camera! :)

Easter 2009

2009-04-15T14:48:00.007-07:00

This Easter was relxed and uneventful! My sister and her family stayed in Santa Barbara since they just returned from Italy so we spent the day at my parents house. Judie, Sandy and the girls as well as Cassie, Nick and Makaya all celebrated spring with an egg hunt, BBQ, and boat ride. It was a perfect day! :)

Introducing the newest member of the Black Sox!

2009-04-10T14:36:00.000-07:00

This last week was a very difficult one for us. After much consideration we decided to leave the Cougars. It was a bittersweet decision. The Cougars was D's first travel team and we've made a lot of friends there but we are also excited about what the future holds with the Black Sox! To any Cougar peeps out there I hope to see you on the baseball field soon! :)

The tourney this weekend went great. Dennis remains at second base and had two solid games despite a case of nervous jitters. The Black Sox were the number #1 seed after the pool play games. We were scheduled to play the championship game the next morning but it was rained out the the tourney was cancelled. On the bright side, the Black Sox were declared the winners and should be received their championship rings soon!

Luis Gonzales is signing a ball in the last photo. Dennis was excited to see him and he also had a baseball signed.

Honor Roll

2009-04-09T13:47:00.003-07:00

Go Dbacks!!!!!!

2009-04-09T13:28:00.003-07:00

Opening Day was SO much fun!! Thank's Dennis! He took the day off work! :) And thanks to Mike and Espy for bringing the camera since I left mine at home!

Kid update.....

2009-04-07T13:44:00.002-07:00

Both boys are busy playing ball. In fact life couldn't be any busier these days. I'm looking forward to some downtime this summer, although with All Stars and swimming class I'm not sure it will be as relaxing as I hope.

Dennis made honor roll again. He had all A's and one B and continues to "shine" in all subject areas according to his teacher.

Billy is s-l-o-w-l-y learning his letters. He would rather play dress up or play outside but little by little he is taking an interest in learning. Ms. Val watched him yesterday and taught him how to write his name! I almost fainted when she showed me! Dennis said we should hire her to tutor Billy. :)

Dennis and I have made a point to have some adult time recenlty. We had date night over the weekend and then yesterday went to the Diamondbacks Opening Day. It was a blast and it's so good to get out without the boys every once in a while. In two weeks we're going to the Spring Gala at Billy's school and then a couple weeks later we're going to the Janes Addicition concert!! Good times!!

Below is a poem Dennis wrote for poetry week at school. He gave me permission to share it here. :)

By Dennis Strieter

Sporty, competitive, active, strong

I am an athlete as Larry Fitzgerald

Amusing, humorous, witty, antic

I am like a comedian in Las Vegas

Intelligent, clever, keen, acute

I am like Albert Einstein

The best kid in the world

Billy

2009-04-03T13:57:00.004-07:00

We went to the park today for a picnic. It was so windy that we didn't last long but I managed to get one cute pic. Is he really only 3 1/2?

I'm updated!!!

2009-04-02T14:14:00.000-07:00

Yippee!!!! March is all updated! Now my goal is to stay on top of this. :)

Whoa....I'm behind!

2009-03-29T09:56:00.003-07:00

Life has become VERY busy with two boys in sports. Billy just started his third season of t-ball. Dennis is coaching again with Tisses's dad Mike. The team picked Coyotes for their team name and Billy is very excited because the uniforms are green like the Cougars.

Dennis just turned 10 years old and is playing on two baseball teams. The Cougars have been playing in a tourney every other weekend and I'm so behind in editing those photos. I promise to get caught up by the end of April. He is also playing on a majors team for little league, the Mets, with some neighborhood friends.

Life is very busy but I'm so blessed.

I hope to be posting regularly again and of course sharing photos of my boys. I will be updating all of the March entries soon so please check for updates as they will be under the correct date.

Spring Training II Tourney

2009-03-25T14:04:00.002-07:00

Although the Cougars did not place in this tourney they played hard and had a lot of fun! Dennis had his pitching debut in a tourney and did fantastic! Unfortunately, it was at night so there are no photos but I'm hopeful he'll pitch again!

He has also played in a couple of Mets game and did well. Most of the games are at night as well and since there is no flash photography I haven't brought my camera. Hopefully next week we'll have a day time game.

Billy's 3rd Season in T-ball

2009-03-25T13:38:00.007-07:00

Billy's new team call themselves The Coyotes. Billy's best friend from preschool, Tisse, is also on the team and her dad helps Dennis with coaching. The team is full of new kids in their first season of baseball so it's a bit entertaining. It's scary to think that Billy is the senior player! :)

Animal Kingdom (day two)

2009-03-22T14:33:00.003-07:00

Billy loves to play dress up and Buzz Lightyear is no exception! He wore his outfit all day at the Magic Kingdom. He LOVES the attention..... I wonder who he get's that from, Dennis? :)

We had a wonderful vacation! Thanks Dennis for working so hard for us. :)

Epcot

2009-03-21T20:23:00.003-07:00

Epcot was something else. The boys really enjoyed the Space Shuttle ride but it was a little too much for me. Billy and I preferred the huge aquarium. We finally rode Soarin' which we were really looking forward to but were a bit disappointed. The World Showcase was amazing. Dennis and I would really like to go back sometime for some adult fun and sample beers from around the world. We ate dinner in the Japan area and had teppanyaki. It was a great evening that finished with the lighting of the lake. Epcot was beautiful!

Animal Kingdom

2009-03-21T14:12:00.005-07:00

This was our favorite park!! Think Disney and zoo combined! It was awesome! There were great rides, lots of animals and good food! My favorite ride was the African Safari which is a 22 minute ride through an African savannah in an open air jeep. It felt like we were actually in Africa. All of the animal photos were taken during this ride. :)

Universal Hollywood

2009-03-20T19:45:00.008-07:00

We all LOVED this park. There was something for everyone. We started the day with a character breakfast with JoJo and the Little Einsteins, watched an Indiana Jones stunt show, went to a Playhouse Disney Show and rode the Tower of Terror and the Rockin' Roller Aerosmith ride. We all agreed that was our favorite!! It was similar to space mountain but faster! We also took in an American Show which was a blast and had a nice Italian dinner. As you can see the kids met Lighting McQueen and Mater and Billy was in love with Handy Mandy.

The Magic Kingdom (day one)

2009-03-19T19:32:00.002-07:00

Magic Kingdom was identical to Disneyland. Dennis was given a "Happy Birthday" pin that he proudly wore and all the Disney employee's wished him a happy birthday. The kids met Mickey and Minnie, got their faces painted and rode lots of rides. After dinner we went back to the hotel to finish the day with a trip to the pool and hot tub!

The view from our room........

2009-03-18T21:43:00.001-07:00

Happy Birthday Dennis

2009-03-18T19:25:00.000-07:00

Today my baby turned ten. Where did the time go? It seems like yesterday he was playing t-ball and pretending to be a power ranger. He has grown into a responsible, determined and head strong tween. I wonder what the next ten years will bring.

This morning we gave Dennis a Mickey Mouse card and told him to get packed for a Disneyland trip. He was hoping we'd pull through with the visit to Mickey but he didn't know we'd be flying out today. Little does he know that's not the only surprise.......

Once at the airport and at the gate Dennis asked where Orlando was. It was then that he learned he was flying to Florida to go on a week long adventure to Disney World. He was beyond excited!!!

After a five hour flight and a bus ride on the Magic Express we arrived at the Animal Kingdom Lodge. It is a beautiful African inspired hotel with over twenty animals roaming the property. From our balcony we watched the giraffes and zebra eat as well as birds and other "horned" animals...lol.

The next morning.......The Magic Kingdom!!!!!

Dennis celebrates with family

2009-03-15T10:02:00.002-07:00

After taking home a runner up trophy in the Spring Training tourney we continued the celebration at home with rick band, pizza and ice cream cake. This was the beginning of a week long celebration for Dennis's tenth birthday.

Spring Training Tourney

2009-03-15T08:47:00.005-07:00

Cougars came in 2nd place this weekend in the Spring Training Tourney. The boys played hard and the weather was beautiful! What more could you ask for? Congratulations Cougars!!!

More pics from the tourney.......

2009-03-02T23:01:00.006-07:00

Congrat's Cougars on the 1st Place finish!

Woo Hoo!!!! Cougars WON!!!!

2009-03-02T13:15:00.004-07:00

Congratulations to the 10U Cougars for winning the USSSA Spring Tune Up Tournament and going undefeated.

I have lots of pics to upload and edit. Here is a quick fix of Dennis and Billy!

xoxo

Dennis was on FIRE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

2009-02-16T21:19:00.000-07:00

Dennis hit his first home run during this tourney!!!! It was so exciting! Unfortunately, I didn't get to see it as I was with Billy at his t-ball game. But I'm sure this was just the first of many more to come. Dennis has become such a great baseball player. It has been such joy to watch him blossom. Go Cougars! We play in another tourney this weekend.....

President's Day Tourney

2009-02-15T09:09:00.000-07:00

The Cougars in action.......

Valentine Day Party!

2009-02-13T15:22:00.000-07:00

Ms. Debbbie's T/TH 3's class

Last week on my co-op day at the preschool I made tie dyed shirts with the kids to wear to the Valentine's day party at school. A week later and here they are standing proud with their creations. Billy is in the middle with black pants on......

Week One Blog Challenge

2009-02-13T14:05:00.003-07:00

25 random things about me

1. My right shoulder is double jointed
2. I miss my bassett hound Georgia
3. My shoes size is now an 8 thanks to the pregnancies
4. In high school I used to dunk chocolate chip cookies in melted cheese....yummy!
5. I don't like tomatoes
6. This years makes 12 years of marriage
7. I used to carry a gun for work
8. I know waaay too much about domestic violence, drugs, criminal behavior
9. I was on the cover of a shrinky dink box as a child
10. I am an Alpha Phi
11. I once tried to be an art major in college. lol!
12. Sister Lily did NOT like me in high school
13. I went on a trip to Hawaii for high school graduation
14. I have one sibling, a sister named Buffy
15. I do not like baby's breath in my flowers
16. The first boy I ever kissed was a red headed boy named Rodney
17. I am horrible at math
18. I knew I would marry my husband after our first date (and told my mother!)
19. We eloped to Vegas 3 1/2 months later
20. My recent passion is photography
22. I love cookie dough ice cream
23. I'm afraid of the fish in the ocean/ lake
24. I have an Aunt Jemima collection
25. I want to go to law school and become a prosecutor when I grow up

I had fun with this assignment. Please play along and link me your blog in the comment section.

Spartans T-ball

2009-02-07T08:12:00.006-07:00

Billy is really loving baseball these days. I'm so glad we decided to keep him in for another season. It's helps that his friend Matisse from preschool is also on our team. We have three more games and then a little break before spring ball begins.

Friday Play date

2009-02-06T15:15:00.005-07:00

On Friday afternoon Brady and I took the kids to the park for a picnic lunch. They rode bikes, played soccer and enjoyed the spring weather. I think Ben enjoys having his picture taken. :)

Ants!

2009-02-06T14:42:00.001-07:00

For Christmas Dennis received an ant farm and Billy a butterfly farm. Thank you Papa and Andrea!! We've had a lot of fun with these nature gifts. The ants arrived (in the mail) first. Watching me put a vial of live, biting, BIG, ants into the ant farm is another story entirely. I will tell you it involved oven mitts. The ants started tunneling right away and it's been very entertaining to watch them work.

And Caterpillars.....

2009-02-06T13:50:00.001-07:00

The caterpillars arrived about one week later. They came in a cup that had enough food for them to eat until they reached maturity (about ten days.) Once they become a chrysalis you transfer them to the "garden" where you watch them for another week or so. Any day we should have butterflies. The boys are so excited and I'll post pic's of our babies as soon as they emerge.

Honor Roll

2009-02-06T13:25:00.001-07:00

Dennis made honor roll for the second quarter. Although he had all A's and a high B in honors math he was a bit disappointed. He hopes to bring his math grade back up to an A for the third quarter. He also received a separate award for "Attitude is Everything." His father and I are so proud of him. We attended the honors award assembly where he was recognized before he got a pizza lunch with the principal. Way to go Dennis!!!

PF Chang's Marathon

2009-01-18T13:31:00.000-07:00

On Sunday morning Dennis ran in his 2nd Marathon and he beat is personal record with a time of 3:42:39! The boys and I (and my father) cheered him on at the half-way point in Phoenix and then we met him at the finish line in Tempe. My mother-in-law recorded the finish so maybe I'll upload a short video. We are so very proud of him. All of his hard work and early morning runs really paid off!

Go Spartans!!!!!!!!!!!!

2009-01-10T09:57:00.000-07:00

Billy had his first game today with his new T-ball team, The Spartans! Actually, daddy picked the team name as our team number is 300 and he is a big fan of the book and movie "300!" Billy really seems to enjoy t-ball this season and was excited to wear his new purple uniform. Billy's good friend Matisse (Tisse) from preschool is also on our team so that's extra fun!

Weekend favorites.....

2009-01-06T22:53:00.001-07:00

Muah....love my 18-200! :)

Winter Wonderland

2009-01-05T21:57:00.000-07:00

The weekend following New Years we went up north for a weekend getaway with our friends the Spata's. It would have been a perfect weekend but wouldn't you know it (big) Dennis finally got his turn with the stomach flu. He thought his "superior genes" allowed him skip the fun but unfortunately he was wrong. The above photos were taken of our cabin and the surrounding areas.

Sledding at Wing Mountain

2009-01-04T22:22:00.001-07:00

On Saturday we drove to Flagstaff and played in the snow. Despite being sick Dennis took Billy sledding over and over again. The boys were frozen when we got back into the car. Good thing for seat warmers!!! Baby Nevaeh was such a good sport throughout the snow day despite the freezing weather. Dennis and Christine claimed ownership of an abandoned snowman and built a snow fort. Fun times!!!