Xbox Kinect

Bode and Ashley have been playing Once Upon a Monster on our new Xbox. It's a pretty nifty setup. There is an IR sensor that captures images within its field of view. Prior to playing, you go through some recognition exercises that enable the machine to recognize you. When someone enters the camera's view, the display says something like, "Bode recognized." The games are interactive, and require you to do some running, jumping, squatting, and catching. Here are some photos of Bode and Mommy in action.

Today, we invited Emma over to play. She's our neighbor's granddaughter. Bode loves Emma. He was hesitant to play on the Xbox with Mommy, but when Emma shows up, he dives right in. It was fun watching the two of them play.

Ashley and I are a bit sore today. We ordered the Insanity workout videos and have done two workouts. It is quite a workout. Plus, I'm sore at USAFA for going for two at the end of the game in their game versus Toledo. I was thrilled they went for two, but they tried a fake PAT, which was foolish because I think everyone in the stadium was ready for that call. Oh well. Big Auburn game tomorrow night. War Eagle to all!

Marble Maze

Yesterday, I spent a solid two hours assembling a marble maze. Bode really likes it, and is enthralled watching the marbles go up and down. Here is a movie.

We have been the epitome of lazy today. Slept in, no exercise (at least for me--Ashley did a P90-X2 video). Bode has played a lot of trucks, which is great, but he always wants someone to play with him. Trucks are fun...the first few times. After awhile, I almost miss work :-) (I said almost)

We are both working tomorrow and Wednesday, and then it's another five days off, which can only mean more trucks. Ashley and I also got this dance game for the Wii, which is fun to play, although I'm sure we both look like idiots.

Christmas 2011

Happy Christmas, everyone! We've had a great day here in Ohio. We didn't travel, mostly because this might be our last year here, and we wanted to spend it in our home. We slept in until nine, I got up and walked Harley, and when I got back, we were ready to dive into the loot. Bode was happy to see the cookies he had left for Santa Claus were eaten (burp), and the milk drained. His stocking was full of gifts, and there were some big presents present that weren't there when he had gone to bed.

We received quite the hall of goods. Below is a shot of most of the presents prior to opening them. Note Bode's huge pile in front of the fireplace.

We do the opening of gifts in the living room. We have a Christmas tree, but it is in the sun-room, and in December, it is not the warmest place in the house. We proceeded to open the gifts with reckless abandon, only stopping briefly to take pictures and go potty (which was usually Bode, but not always). Here's a shot of me modeling my new shades and also trying to keep Harley from tearing into the gifts.

Here's a picture of Mommy opening her new digital camera. You should expect a noticeable improvement in the picture quality from this point on.

Here's a video of Bode opening his excavator. I've no idea why the audio is so bad.

Finally, here is a picture of the fleet of trucks that now occupies our home. We may have to get a third garage.

We had a wonderful Christmas. We spent most of today, playing with our toys. I spent a good two hours putting together a 200-part marble maze. It was time consuming, but worth it (what else was I going to do--nap?). We're off tomorrow, so we're sure to play some of our new Wii games or, even better, our new Xbox 360 with Kinect! Pleasant Christmas to all!

Grove Park Inn Photos

As I mentioned in a previous post, we had some professional photographs taken while we were at the Grove Park Inn over Thanksgiving. Here are a couple of them. Note we were given a CD with 115 high resolution images, and we are allowed to print as many copies of them as we want. Therefore, if you want a printed copy, let us know and we'll be glad to print them. To see all the photographs, go to http://www.berksonphotography.com. Click on login and type "mcguirk" in lowercase.

Here are a few of our favorite pictures. First is a nice black and white picture of Bode and Mommy.

Next is a family shot with the Inn in the background.

Finally a goofy one.

Pleasant week to all.

Bode's Birthday Party

Yesterday was Bode's Birthday Bash (check out that alliteration). We had the party at Bounce U, which is just a place with all sorts of bouncy things--we certainly weren't going to host 20 kids at our house :-) We invited the kids in Bode's preschool class and some neighbors. The kids had a blast. Here are some of the action photos. First is a shot of Bode taking some BP. Air blew up through that cone and the ball simply hovered there. He's getting quite adept at hitting, although he did have a few whiffs.

The highlight for the kids had to have been the big slide. At first, Bode didn't want to do it. However, Mommy convinced him to try it (I think she just wanted to do it).

After the first go, all he wanted to do was the slide. There was a constant stream of kids going up and down the slide. They seemed to have a blast, even when they went barreling into one another.

Next up was an obstacle course. Here's Bode climbing up the back of one of the obstacles.

During a break, it was time for a group photograph. It was hard to get them to sit still, but we managed to get a few shots. First was smiles, and then funny faces.

After the playing, it was time for pizza, juice, cake, and presents. Note in the invitations, we stated gifts weren't necessary, but some folks brought them anyways. Bode is spoiled :-)

At one point, the lights were turned down and we sang Happy Birthday.

After the cake, they put Bode in the big chair, and we all gathered around to watch him open his presents. All the kids were so excited.

Afterwards, BounceU provided gift-bags for all the kids, which was a nice touch. All the kids (and the adults too) had a wonderful time. Bode fell asleep on the drive home.

Christmas Lights

The Kettering Christmas Tree lighting bonanza was Friday night. The weather was good (sort of), so we braved the elements and headed out to watch. Bode was very excited. Here's Bode and Mommy all bundled up. Note Bode has on his new Mickey Mouse jacket--very cool.

The elementary school choir sang some Christmas songs, the mayor said some words (a bit too many if you ask me), and then the countdown to light the tree was on. Five--four--three--two--one...!!!

You can't see Bode too well in the picture above--night photography isn't my speciality. This final shot is of the road leading up to the tree. The city does a nice job of decorating.

We got our lights up yesterday. The weather was somewhat warm, especially when the sun came out. Only 21 days to go until the big man arrives!

Bode's Birthday

Two score and eight months ago, Bode Jackson McGuirk was born at 9:58 PM. He was seven pounds 11 ounces and twenty inches long. Below is one of the first pictures we have of him. Obviously he wasn't happy to be out of the womb.

Is it possible this little guy is actually four years old? Hard to believe. We celebrated his big day with dinner, cake, and presents. Ashley and I even sang. Cover your ears, darlings.

The little fellow had a great day. He got tons of presents--a stuffed Mickey Mouse, a Mickey Mouse jacket, a Mickey Mouse book, a Handy-Manny play set, a map of the United States, a huge Marble Maze, a stuffed Go-Dog-Go, and one of the trucks from the movie, Cars. Note he also received his garbage truck from Nana and Papa, but they gave it to him while we were in North Carolina. Mommy and Daddy got him a new bike. This might surprise you, because he already has a big-boy bike. He hasn't been too successful riding it, so we thought he might like a pedal-less bike. This way, he can glide along while pushing with his feet, and in the immortal words of Mr. Miyagi, "Learn balance." Here is an action photo.

We are having a party for Bode at Bounce U on Saturday. It should be a great time. I'll post photos following the event. Pleasant week to all (it might snow here...sheesh).

Thanksgiving Part II

On Black Friday, we went to the Asheville Nature Center, which is basically a small zoo. They had a lot of the smaller animals. However, they also had wolves. As we approached the wolf-enclosure, I said, "I've never seen a wolf in captivity--they're always hiding or sleeping somewhere far from the viewing area." So I was surprised to see this little guy sitting right next to the window.

They didn't howl or anything, but this wolf and its mate were up and about. We think it might have been close to feeding time. There were some fake wolves standing up near the enclosure. Here's Bode petting them.

There were also some mountain lions/cougars/pumas. They must have just been fed, because they were licking and chewing on something. These cats don't look too big, but their paws are huge.

Here's a cute picture of Bode putting his face in a bobcat-cutout.

There were other animals--otters, deer, some snakes (which I skipped, thank you very much), and a small petting zoo. Here's a picture of Bode looking after some goats. Maybe he'll be a shepherd.

We had a wonderful time in North Carolina. On Friday, Nana and Papa headed back to their place in Bryson City while Grammy headed off to catch an early flight in Charlotte. Friday afternoon, we (the three of us) had a professional take some pictures of us on the Grove Park Inn property. We should get those in about a week, so I'll be sure to post some. Until then, I hope everyone had a great Turkey Day. Weigh-ins start at 0600 on Monday :-) Pleasant week to all.

Thanksgiving Part I

We just returned from a wonderful Thanksgiving Holiday to Asheville, North Carolina. We stayed at the Grove Park Inn, which is a lovely little hotel/resort built of stone atop a mountain. There were stunning views, gorgeous sunsets, peace, and tranquility. And eating. Lots of eating.

First, here are some pictures of the inn. Note how it's made of stone. Evidently a railroad had to be built with the specific task of bringing in those stones. It was either that or do it the way the pyramids were built, and I think the ACLU would have had an issue with that.

Do you see the glass-roofed area in the second picture? Beneath that was the spa. Ashley and I spent a few hours down there. Sheer Heaven. There were saunas, steam baths, hot-tubs, and a 64-degree cold pool to plunge into if one got too hot. It felt awful while plunging and then wonderful when you jumped out. The relaxation pools also had underwater speakers, so if you dunked your head underwater, you heard soothing piano music.

Following our morning at the spa, we feasted at the Grand Buffet. Ashley's parents (Jo Anne and Frank) and my mother (Lin) were able to join us. Here are some photographs. First, here we are leaving the room. I show this picture because it was one of the only shots with Frank. Note we are waiting on Ashley.

Next is a picture of Ashley and me on the outside stairs (you can see them in the first picture above)

Note I'm wearing a tie. It doesn't happen often. Next, we tried to get a picture of Bode with the three ladies. He was being a pest, and wouldn't get in a picture with them. He kept hiding behind Mommy's leg. Below is the best I could do.

Finally, here is a picture of the three of us. We really had to threaten Bode with some severe punishment; otherwise this picture would not have happened. The little fella isn't exactly smiling either.

It was then time to eat. They had everything, from the traditional turkey, stuffing, and potatoes to the not-so-traditional crab-legs and shrimp. There were breads, meats, cheeses--even mac-n-cheese, but we steered Bode clear of that table. No way was he going to eat that on this day. Desserts was also served, and we gorged on chocolate mousse, cake, an assortment of pies, and cookies. There was even an ice cream bar. Of course, Bode had to have some.

Following the meal, we walked around the property, digesting. They had a sports complex, with some beautiful indoor tennis courts and other odds and ends. The highlight (for Bode) had to have been the playground. Here he is, bounding around on a full stomach.

Thanksgiving was wonderful. It was great to have Nana, Papa, and Grammy joining us (especially since they were the ones who watched Bode while Ashley and I were at the spa). As many of you know, Bode's birthday is on Monday. Nana and Papa bought Bode a new garbage truck. He loves it. He played with it for almost 2 1/2 hours one evening. Straight. With no breaks. Here's an action photo.

Up next: A trip to the nature center. Spoiler alert: We saw wolves!

Bad Language

In preparation for the Iron Bowl, we taught Bode what is and is not proper speech. Below is an example.

Kickoff is in less than 30 minutes. I'm fearful, yet hopeful. We'll see how this goes...

Bowling

Bode's friend, Jase, had a birthday party today at the bowling alley. It was pretty fun for the kiddos, and Bode said he had a great time. It was nice to see Jase and his family. Jase no longer goes to the same daycare as Bode, so when the two guys saw each other, they had to hug it out.

Following the formalities, it was time to bowl. Here's a sequence of Bode going through the motions.

Bode had some interesting throws. On one, he managed to get the ball between the gutter and the bumper...the kid has talent :-) He did have one throw where he got seven or eight pins down. But he was just as excited when he knocked one pin down, so he didn't get the concept of scoring. After some playing, the kids took time out for a group photograph.

Bode's friend, Tyler (in the plaid shirt) was also there. They, too, had to hug it out, but I didn't get a picture. After about an hour, Bode says, "I'm hungry." Fortunately they had pizza, punch, and cake. Bode had four pieces of pizza and two pieces of cake (they were small pieces, but there always seems to be one fat kid at every party :-)

Finally, here's a picture of Jase that Bode took.

Auburn played today, and they stunk. They lost 45-7. A horrible, horrible game, and we will never speak of it again. Ashley is leaving tomorrow for Vegas (baby). She'll be there all week, "working." Sounds rough. Just me, Bode, and Harley holding down the fort. Hopefully we figure out how the stove works. Pleasant week to all.