New Christmas Camera!

I got Janice the coolest camera for Christmas! Actually, I got me the camera, but she ok'd the decision. (Like she had a choice...)


It does a bunch of cool things, most of which I require a 12 year old to show me how to use it. It removes red eye if you need to after the picture was taken, it has a program to make people smile (which we had some fun with) and night vision! How cool is that! I'm going all over the place snapping shots at night! I'm two steps away from being a spy.

Although, this is my favorite picture of Janice, she didn't appreciate the comment, "This camera makes you look prettier..." as much as I thought she would. Huh.




ESPN's gift from my nieces. She loves it.

Nieces Takeover Photographs

Here's some pictures from the weekend.

Kellie

Madison
Karlee

Geordan
A shot of the four standing still...
Surprised it was caught on film.

Sledding down the slide

Espn diving for her decoy...

...or trying to dive for freedom.

Nieces Takeover Day 3

After all that snow, the nieces were wondering if they might have to stay another night. Luckily, my skills as a US Post Office Driver come in quite handy. Nor rain, sleet, snow...shall keep me from my nap. However, the three hours it took them to pack their stuff almost did...Seriously...you get one packed, another is out the door, another is unpacking their bag to find that one pink glove so they can go outside too, and the fourth is fiddling with the DVR remote. So, after returning home I sat down with Janice to watch Christmas Vacation...I noticed my DVR had just finished recording 14 episodes of "Paid Programming: Infommercials..." I should have just told them what channel the cartoon network was on.

We had a fantastic time with them this weekend. The dog is asleep and could be in a coma...not sure what treats she was getting this weekend when my back was turned. Janice has returned the house to normal while I drove the little gippers home to Yakima. I have pictures to post, if I can find the camera...maybe it's under the couch cushion where the remote was...along with that pink glove.

Nieces Takeover...Day 2

Still alive here...Let me explain...No, there is too much. Let me sum up:

AM: Not morning people, breakfast should be called breakslow, darn near breakstopped. Showers = I will not go last again...brrr. Instant Message their Dad in Iraq (that was cool).

Shopping to try clothes on...is it legal to leash up kids? How about leaving 2 in the car at a time? Is that legal? 4 is darn near impossible to manage...How did that bag of chips make it into the cart anyway?...

Sledding Carmichael Hill. $50 for sleds = 20 mins of fun. Take dog to park, freeze, coyote...

Evening dinner, open presents, watch Wall-E, about to pass out. Teaching has never been this hard.

I will say that Janice is the best with these kids. She knows how to talk to make them listen. (this does not work on me however...)

Nieces Takeover...Day 1

Ok, Janice and I have my 4 nieces for the weekend. 7th, 6th, 3rd, 2nd grades...I'm so tired right now. Parenting must be hard because Aunting and Unceling is tough enough. Here's a quick low down on the night:

1. Pick them up - Can they talk any faster, louder, and all at once for the entire drive from Yakima to Tri-cities?

2. Dinner was great. Janice had it ready and they put forth their best manners...including saying excuse me after every burp...

3. The plan for cookies was awesome. By the way, how do you get frosting off the ceiling...the table...the bottom of the table...and oh yes, dogs really like frosting. I never did get a straight answer if that plastic knife was double dipped after the dog 'wanted to try it...'

4. We did have a fantastic time talking and drawing pictures to send to their dad who is in Iraq for convoy support...and oddly enough crayons do leave marks on Janice's table, but come up very easily.

5. Espn got her first bedtime story, which was a 15 minute story about a King named Corey and his Queen Janice and his house of gold. I liked the part where the King wanted to tax the peasants for more gold...

6. The word 'Bedtime' means you have engaged the 2 hour countdown timer where you must monitor every step. Problem is there are 4 of them and 2 of us. We can't go man-to-man against these kids. A zone is the only option but leaves too many holes for them to exploit.

I imagine being at a dam when a water leak starts. You plug it, another goes. You plug it, another...pretty soon, you're out of hands and feet.... I love my nieces and am having a blast!

Also, these kids are growing so fast! I think some of the Christmas gifts we bought will no longer fit them by tomorrow.

Gotta Love a Lab!

It's cold outside, freaking cold with the wind and snow. We took that pup out to the park, as she loves fetching in the snow. After awhile, we walked toward the river. She went and gt right in, not holds barred. She stuck her head underwater as she usually does when she gets to the river. She wanted us to throw a stick, so we threw it a couple times, fairly close but she kept swimming around. I took pictures, but my hands were so cold I couldn't hold the camera still. After getting out, she ran up to the grass and rolled around in the snow. I firmly believe that Labs are the best bred dogs out there, or incredibly dense in the head.

Janny's Glasses!

Ok, hilarious story today. Janice got her glasses yesterday and we were standing in line getting groceries today analzying her vision. We were looking at signs across the store and moving the glasses up and down to decide if they really make her vision that much better. An older lady behind us commented that Janice was too young to be having bad eyesight. After some chit chat, she said, "How old are you? 40? 41?" I almost spit out my coffee I was sipping because even I know you don't say something like that! Janice stayed calm, but when we got through the line she was NOT happy!

The earful I got was, "Listen here little miss smokey smokerson, Number 1: I don't look anywhere NEAR 40. I'm 32. Number 2: You should quit smoking so much because not only is your skin making you look older, your eyes must be going bad also. and Number 3: I'll rip that eye piercing out of your eyebrow. You look too old to act like a kid with that thing."

Yeah, here's a pic of Janice with her "J-Lo" name brander glasses. I told her she's a glass snob, but I'll never tell her she looks 40!

Merry Christmas!

Every year, Janice and I have the discussion. This year, I (won) convinced her that a fake tree was easier. We have a small skinny tree that we usually put in the dining room corner with just lights. This year, it's our tree! We have a busy couple weeks with school wrapping up, basketball, her job stuff, being gone over Christmas anyway, and of course we felt this would be easier! She relented. It's almost too easy. At first I felt bad, like I had tricked her into it, but then I thought No pine needles, no watering, no worries about the air vent drying out one side, it's smaller. It just makes Christmas nice! I was going to try to wait her out this week and see if she'd cave and put the decorations on, but she made me today. She was starting the wrapping of presents and my job wasn't to watch TV, which I tried to convince her it was. So I decorated the tree. One thing I must say I've always liked is how she has a blue and silver theme for our trees. When we first got married, she found these really nice decoration balls and a ribbon to match. She made each of the ribbons. So instead of having a tree with several colors, it has a nice simple look to it.


We usually do a much more fun tree hunt. We like to drive up to nowhere, hike in the snow, and find that perfect Griswald family Christmas tree. Bring it home, sap, squirrels, and all. But this year, it's just not as much snow and fun. They've been questionable, and sometimes downright scrawny...But it makes great memories!

Stealing her thunder...

Ok, In the wake of Janice's TV appearance, I made a little appearance myself. While she was content to stay with the local news, I roll with the international crowd. Janice's press release says the FLW Outdoors TV show has 81 million subscribers in the US, and 425 million in Europe, Africa, and Asia. That's a lot of viewers who were able to see my international debut! Right now people around the US and globe are wondering, "Who is that red-headed man of mystery?" I'm just gonna have to start forgetting some of you little people when the Queen calls. Heck, I bet Obama's on the phone looking to reach me to fill a cabinet spot. Hope he gets used to disappointment!

Rich & Famous

Janice was on TV last night for the news article. She's huge in the fishing world. During the finals, while filming they had her come up on stage and talk for a minute or so. She rattled off like a professional announcer about the tournament in front of hundreds of people. It there's one thing she can do, it's talk. ;) Sometimes I wonder how we stay so humble...She works hard to bring the FLW tournament to Tri-cities and FoxNW is going to air the show tomorrow at 11 am. Yep, the TV offers, fame, and forutne will be rolling in then. I can feel myself changing already!

On a cool note, this was us riding in a Army Chinook Helicopter during the tournament...something about flying with a backdoor open is just so cool. It's even better when you get to look over the edge like this!

http://www.kndu.com/global/video/popup/pop_playerLaunch.asp?clipId1=3163529&at1=News&vt1=v&h1=Tri-Cities+Bass+Fishing+Tournament+to+Be+Air+on+Fox+Sports+Net&d1=47400&redirUrl=www.kndu.com&activePane=info&LaunchPageAdTag=homepage&clipFormat=flv

My Brother, The Soldier

I have two brothers who serve this country. One is in the Navy for almost 12 years and has traveled to more places than I can name. He was in Iraq before the war boarding Iraqi ships with security teams to inspect their cargo. His stories still can make me shiver. He is a soldier.

My oldest brother is now in Iraq. This is the vehicle he is driving. His mission is for convoy support and security. He heads on mission driving across a country that is across the world. A country I will never see, yet holds so much political clout it dominates conversations, politics, and bumber stickers across America.

My brother is a Soldier. Plain and simple. He has people's lives in his hands, and his life will no doubt be in someone else's hands. I have not always agreed with my brother in things we've done in our lives, but he is still my brother, a father of 4 beautiful girls, and a Soldier. I'm praying for my brother's safety, he needs it.

This Veteran's day really made me think some things. Our country is founded and maintained by these men, many times, boys. Soldiers have a bravery most American's can only dream of and may never have to prove. Most people are content to sit in a chair, second guess every decision ever made, and spout off at the top of their lungs against the freedoms these men provide for us...and for other people.

Either way, I'm praying for his safety and for all our soldiers. No one deserves more honor and respect than our Armed Forces, past and present. It makes me proud to be an American.

The "Look"

Janice and I were looking through some old photos and found some gems we completely forgot about! I love the dog jumping one, because it shows the 'glare' every husband gets at some point for flat out not listening to their wife! I was getting the dog jumping and apparently Janice was not impressed.

Then there's the farmer photo. It's a classic.

Followed by the favorite beach photo we forgot about! It's the family shot...Someone has got some hairy legs!!!

Tricked for Treat?

This was a long halloween! 6AM Bball practice - 8-3 teaching a bunch of kids hopped up on sugar like rabid chuahuahuas' - 4 pm come home and answer the doorbell every 14 seconds. Last year, I wore my Optimus Prime, which put me in the Halloween Costume Hall of Fame. I even had to pose for a couple pictures with kids and a couple of parents... ;) ! Ahh, the life of a celebrity...I did, sadly, make a couple of the little ones cry...

I had a different approach this year for some fun with the greedy grubbers...wearing my WSU Cougar shirt, I told them they had to say "Go Cougs!" or no candy! It's amazing how fast the husky fans would sell out for a mini-snickers! An average night with over 120 trick or treaters...$21...Getting over 12o kids to say "Go Cougs!"...Priceless!

Kids are entertaining!

Ok, this is the reason our family had little kids! Is this not one of the cutest pictures ever! This is my lil niece Claire! She's ready for her first Halloween!

Another Season in the Books...

Thus, Monday ended another Volleyball season. It's in the books, and finished. We pulled off 3 wins, 7 losses. But, the bright side of this rainbow is we push for 3 hits (bump-set-spike) instead of a one-hit chuck over the net. Those don't make anybody better. Sure, we might have one another game or two, but in the end, there are no trophies in 7th grade. It's about getting better and becoming ready for that next level...(I keep telling myself this.)

Next season: Thursday - 7th Grade Boys Basketball! No rest for the weary.

Weekend Update

Corey and I went out to the park with our pup today. She thought it was cold today, as you can see in the picture, and instead tried to run on the water. He went golfing in the morning (yeah, he said he's been "sick" this week...) and I got some stuff done around the house. I'm beginning to think for all his jokes about me cleaning the house, he's got me tricked into to doing it. I think I might need to get revenge by going shopping!

Ruined Weekend?...Maybe.

Ok, so I'm sitting here sore throat, coughing, hacking sick. Dang school kids coughing all over people...

On the good side, I've been able to milk this sicky thing for the whole weekend. Laying on the couch, football on HD, sending Janice to the store for more Sprite...made her go get ice cream last night to 'sooth' my sore tonsils. She's upstairs folding laundry right now.

I tell ya, this sickness could last awhile!

Janice, Corey, and Espn

This is our family. Janice, Corey, and Espn.

New Beginnings!

We're trying a new thing. We never thought we'd "blog" but it's been addicting seeing what other people do. And what a way to share stuff. So, here's to new beginnings! We've got some great adventures ahead and hope to keep everyone posted!