Merry Christmas/Happy New Year!

Well Christmas came and went WAY too quickly this year it seems. Santa brought the kids EXACTLY what they wanted this year, and they are so happy (and so are we )

 

Here are some pictures, enjoy!

Getting ready for Halloween!

Troy and Wynter trying on their costumes.

At the Williamson County Fair!

So we went to the fair last night, and it was a lot of fun. The kids really had a great time. We arrived around 6pm, just as things started to kick off.

We started off with the inside exhibits, where they had a small circus, a native American exhibit (which was AWESOME, btw), as well as some historical exhibits with folks that whittled, made baskets, and operated looms and spinners. The kids used this opportunity to make a pot-holder or “mug rug”.

We then proceeded to the livestock exhibits, where they had a wonderful variety of experiences. There was a live horse show (not my favorite as the poor horse looked scared and sad the entire time, plus his owner wasn’t very nice to him, if he didn’t do something correct), as well as an interactive farm experience. Here the kids took a basket and an apron and they went through the “farm” and planted corn kernels, fed “chickens” (they were fake), collected “eggs” (also fake), and “milked” a cow (fake cow w/fake udders that dispensed water when pulled, still really fun though). You then collected the milk, along with the other items you’ve collected and took them to the “Farmers Market”, where you received “money” for them, and redeemed it at the “general store” for a real ice cream sandwich or animal crackers, or other little prizes.

After the farm, we moved next door to the live animal exhibit where they had baby pigs, sows, horses, mini-horses, ponies, goats, sheep, llama, chickens, a steer (a huge Texas longhorn) and a few others that I can’t remember. Overall it was a great (but smelly) experience!

Upon leaving the animals, we proceeded outside to the rides. The kids LOVED this part. It was dusk and all the lights were on, and they were LOVING it! They rode a small kiddie-coaster, Troy and I went down a huge (5 story) slide (I was FREAKING OUT inside, really I was), and a couple of other rides that went up and down.

Lastly, they tried a deep-fried snickers bar. Wynter didn’t like it, but Troy inhaled it. We topped the evening off with them getting a shaved ice “snow cone”.
The whole fair was very well done, and Nissan contributed quite a bit to it as well. I’m sure that helped make it a good experience. My kids (and Kelly and I) really enjoyed it.

Enjoy the pics!
Williamson County Fair pics

13 years later...

Lately we have been visited by some, very ugly, winged friends. This is the year of the Cicada, a giant winged insect with beady red eyes.

Our front porch was covered in their molted exoskeletons. It's very weird.
Here is a pic I took of a tree in our front yard. The leaves a completely covered in these bugs.

The short story is that these bugs burrowed into the ground, 13 years ago, and then (as a worm like larvae) burrowed it's way to the top of the soil. They then attach themselves to the closest tree (or front porch steps) where they then lie in wait and molt. They then emerge from their shell as a purely white fly, which quickly turns black and within hours, will fly away and choose a mate.

Tornado pics

These pictures were taken from my phone, on 4/27/2011. We were lucky enough to avoid a tornado, although one tried to form here in the valley.

My office sits on top of a hillside, overlooking the city of Brentwood. Also included is a video of the event.

The day started out rainy and about 60 degrees Fahrenheit, but by the early afternoon, it had dropped to 45 degrees Fahrenheit.

 

These pictures were taken the day after:

Easter!

We had a fun filled morning with an Easter egg hunt at the Rec. Center. I made a video of Troy collecting eggs. I didn't get any vids of Winter because they divided up the kids by age, and I was with Troy.

Vids:

Pics:




MORE pictures are available at my Windows Live account:

Troy’s birthday

We decided to celebrate Troy’s 6th birthday a week early. Last year Nashville flooded on his birthday, so we were hoping to avoid that again this year, since he didn’t get a real birthday party last year.

We decided to have his birthday party at a small park in Cool Springs. It has a nice covered pavilion with lots of tables. It also has a “big enough” size jungle gym and slide set. It also has a walking trail.

Troy invited friends from church and friends from home school. The party theme was “Lego”. Favors included a lego DIY kit and a lego book.

Despite it being a crisp 48 degrees outside (and windy), everyone still had fun.

A BIG THANKS to those friends that came to the party. We are so appreciative of you for taking time to celebrate our son’s birthday. It meant a lot to him, and to us.

Pics from the party:

		Troy’s 6th Birthday! VIEW SLIDE SHOW DOWNLOAD ALL

Quick Update on the Family

Well, a lot has happened in the last few weeks. Kids are getting older, Kelly is getting more beautiful, and I had a lovely, week long, stay in the hospital. Don’t worry, “I’m getting better! I think I’ll go for a walk!” as they say in Monty Python and the Holy Grail.

Spring is finally in the air and the kids are excited for it. They love to play outside and destroy the yard.

Here are some pics of the kids I took recently.

The month of March has been a blast!

Well, this will be short and sweet.

I spent a week in Williamson Medical Center because I was extremely ill with Colitis and was also diagnosed with severe Diverticulosis.

I’m finally out of the hospital and have been back at work. It’s been terrible, but I’m grateful to be alive.