Thanksgiving

We have had a lovely Thanksgiving.  Ashley's parents (Frank and JoAnne) came to town.  They arrived on Wednesday, having picked up Bode's cousin, Teddy, in Denver.  The two young men did nothing but play and play and play.  Trucks, movies, trains, swimming, and, of course, ice cream.

Teddy spent the night with us on Thursday, which Bode loved.  Sometimes we wonder if Bode gets bored with us because he plays so hard when he has friends over.

Thursday morning, Ashley and I ran in the Briargate Turkey Trot.  Over 2,500 people ran this event.  Well, I shouldn't say ran.  Many walked, which isn't a big deal, but it does make the fact I came in 62nd seem more impressive than it actually is :-)  Ashley did well, but she thinks she's slow.  She hasn't been running--she's more into aerobics, kick-boxing, and other full-body work outs.  I think she did great, but she ignores me when I tell her so :-)  After the race, my Mom and Ashley's brother's family (Dave, Kathy, and their other son, Charlie) came down from Denver.  We had a wonderful day of food, food, and to top things off, food.  Here are some pictures.  First, one of Dave and Ashley on the couch.

Next is one of me.  Note I'm working diligently doing the dishes.  Yes, I earn my keep.

After one of the meals, the ladies went for a walk.  The men stayed at home and watched football (you know, manly things).

We had a great visit with the Denver Rankins and my Mom.  Bode was exhausted--went right to bed after all that playing with Charlie and Teddy.

Today was rather tame.  Ashley and I went to the Verizon store and got her an early birthday present.  She has wanted a smartphone, and I've ignored her for the past year or so.  She threatened to stop cooking, so I guess I had to give in.  Thus, she is the happy owner of a new Droid (or something like that).  Look for all sorts of cool things from her now that she has a smart phone.  I bet she could post to this blog from it (As a reminder, Ashley has NEVER posted anything to this blog.  Not that she hasn't tried.  As editor, I simply have a high standard for the posted material :-)

In the afternoon, we went down to the Broadmore, a posh hotel in Colorado Springs.  They were doing some ice-sculpting.  Bode wanted a picture with the fish.

A big treat at the Broadmore was the presence of Santa.  Bode was able to tell him everything he wanted for Christmas.  He also assured Santa he has been a good boy the entire year (debatable).

Afterwards, we came home.  While I was cooking dinner (I thought getting that d*mn phone meant Ashley was supposed to be in the kitchen), I told Bode to take some pictures.  Here they are.  First up, me in the kitchen (proof of my hard work).

Next is one of Papa.

Finally, Nana and Ashley on the couch.  Evidently shopping for the smart phone wore her out :-)

This week has been great...so far.  Tomorrow is the Iron Bowl.  We are pessimistic.  But for what it is worth, War Damn Eagle!

The Zoo (Again)

We went to the zoo today with Eric, Kristin, Rylan, and Brenna.  The weather was perfect--55-60 degrees and sunny.  We had hoped the animals would be up and about, as opposed to just lying there.  We were not disappointed.  When we arrived, we got a good shot of the kiddos.  They were very excited to be at the zoo.

Next, it was time to feed the giraffes, always a crowd favorite.

The zoo has a big moose.  I'm amazed how large these things are.  For perspective, here's a shot of Ashley.  Look at the size of the moose!  For a relative measure, Ashley weighs 230 :-)

The mountain lions were very active--I have never seen cats like this.  Their cage is right next to the wolves' cage, and the wolves were running around.  We heard one of the cats growling.  We aren't sure what the issue was, but it certainly was intimidating.

After a fine lunch of greasy hamburgers and hotdogs, we rode the merry-go-round.  For future reference, we need to do this before lunch :-)

We had a lovely time at the zoo.  Now, it's Sunday afternoon, Bode is watching a movie, Ashley is on her computer, and I'm fixing to read a book.  I hope you all are as lazy as we are :-)  Pleasant week to all!

Avery's Birthday

Today, we went to Avery's birthday party.  Avery is a girl in Bode's class, and she invited Bode...to her Princess Themed Party.  Bode was the only male non-relative in attendance.  However, he didn't seemed to mind.  Plus it's never too early to start working on the repertoire with the ladies.  The party was at the athletic club where we belong.  Thus, it wasn't new for Bode to play in the water.  What was nice was Ashley and I didn't have to entertain him in the pool (which usually defaults to me being in the water--even though it's a heated, indoor pool, Ashley rarely gets more than her feet wet :-)  Now for some photos.  First, here is a cute one of Bode.  He saw we had the camera, came over to us, and asked us to take his picture.  The dude is not camera shy.

Next is a picture of Bode splashing Ashlyn.  Little man needs to learn the way to a woman's heart is NOT by splashing her in the face...

Next are a couple pictures of Bode, me, and some of the girls waiting to get splashed.  There is this big bucket of water that spills over periodically and dumps water on people.  It's quite a hit with the kids (adults too!).

Next, it was time for cake and ice cream.  Avery is the little girl at the head of the table.  Ashley did a great job shopping for a gift, considering neither one of us has any idea what to buy a girl.

We had a lovely time at the party.  Afterwards, we came home and had pizza.  Toy Story 3 was on TV, and about an hour before it began, I told Bode he could watch it.  Kid must have asked me 100 times if it was time to start.  It's a good movie--but I did fall asleep for part of it.  I don't know what it is about the pool water, but every time we go swimming, I'm exhausted afterwards.  Very weird.

The mighty Auburn Tigers won today, beating up on Alabama.  Yes, Alabama!  Well, Alabama A&M, but at least it was a team from the same state.  Next weekend is versus the Crimson Tide.  We are hopeful, but realistic.  Slow week for the both of us, and then family comes to town.  Should be tons of fun!  Pleasant week to all.