Eighth Birthday

Bode is now eight years old.  Amazing that the little guy is already so close to double digits.  The big birthday present for Bode and Ashley was their mini-vacation to Callaway Gardens.  They both had a wonderful time.  I am trying to get the pictures from the event from Ashley's phone, so stay tuned for a post from that trip.

Bode had a nice birthday.  We went bowling and played video games and laser tag.  Bode's buddy, Tylen and his Dad, Scott, were able to join us.  We then went home, started a fire, and stayed inside, as it was bitterly cold outside.  We watched the Auburn-Alabama game (sigh), and then we watched a movie--X-Men:  Days of Future Past.  Bode liked it, and he's at the point where we don't have to explain something to him every five minutes.

Bode received a ton of great presents.  Here are some pictures of him opening them.

We also got him a little cake (he had a big ice cream cake at his birthday party), and, of course, we sang.

On a cold night, there is nothing warmer than a sleeping rottie :-)

I guess we will go back to work tomorrow.  Bode has three more weeks of classes until his Christmas break.  The second graders are also giving a choir recital next week, so that will be enjoyable.  Only 26 shopping days left, and remember:  Santa is watching.

First Home Auburn Game

Before this year's college football season began, Ashley stated she wanted to take Bode (and me) to a home Auburn football game.  We looked over the schedule and wanted to balance time away from school (work), and also the ability to get tickets.  Recall, Auburn was picked by some pundits to not only win the SEC but to also make it to the national title game.  With that data, we reasoned the Alabama game, while likely very exciting, might be an expensive ticket.  Therefore, we opted for this past weekend's Auburn game versus Idaho (not Boise State; Idaho).  Fast forward eleven weeks, and we are grateful we opted against the 'Bama game, not because of the cost of the ticket, but rather the likely beat down the team will take (but we'll still watch and we'll still cheer hard).

We left on Friday and caught a direct flight from Denver to Atlanta.  We stayed with Dave and Cathy Bledsoe, who have two boys, Westin (age 8) and Keller (age 6).  Bode was thrilled to have some kids to play with, although playing has certainly changed since I was a little one.  Now, playing seems to be defined as two kids, each having their own Amazon Fires, sitting side by side and watching Youtube videos.  Perhaps I'm just being a grumpy old man.

Saturday, we drove from Atlanta to Auburn--about 90 minutes or so.  The Bledsoe's have a large vehicle complete with DVD player, on which the boys watched Stars Wars Episode II.  While the adults were very excited when we got to Auburn, the boys seemed sad because the movie had not yet finished.  Still, Ashley managed to get Bode fired up after we exited the car.

We headed towards the stadium but along the way, the boys found a big field of grass and started tackling each other.  All have skill levels at or beyond most of Auburn's linebacking core.

The weather was a bit overcast, but no chance of rain.  Pleasantly cool, as we Colorado people would call it; the Atlantans called it damn cold.  Funny how perspectives differ.  We stopped for some pictures outside the stadium.  Here's Ashley and Dave sporting their Auburn attire...

and then a picture of Ashley and Cathy.  Note Cathy is a Georgia alum, so wearing a shirt that is sort of orange is about as much Auburn spirit as she can show.

We then went and splurged on some foam fingers and claws...

and then we found Aubie and the band.  I think it would be hard being a cheerleader or baton gal--it just seems like they are walking around in their underwear right next to fully clothed people.

We then found the statue of Cam Newton and paid homage to the great one--it was a lot like having gone to see Michael Angelo's "David," but in our case, probably a lot more meaningful.

We had some time before kickoff, so we found a small field and let the boys run around with a football.

Soon enough, it was time to enter the Sistine Chapel, I mean, Jordan-Hare Stadium.  We, of course, had to take some pictures.

Note the giant new scoreboard/HDTV.  Auburn spent $14 million on that monster, and I must say, it has a very nice picture.  In fact, on many plays, I found myself watching the scoreboard, only to suddenly realize the action was directly in front of me.  Soon, the team took the field.

Auburn started fast, but gave up a quick TD in return, but slowly, they pulled ahead.  At some point, we paused for a picture.

I even managed to take some videos of the game, and got the below touchdown pass.

Auburn ultimately won 56-34.  It wasn't near as close as the score shows.  We had a wonderful time at the game and with the Bledsoes, and the boys were all happy because we were able to finish Attack of the Clones on the drive home.

I flew home today--I have school tomorrow and Tuesday.  Ashley and Bode stayed in Georgia and are going to Callaway Gardens for a couple of days to relax.  Fortunately, Bode's school has the entire week off from school, so he's not missing out on his education :-)  JoAnne and Frank are going to meet up with them, so they should have a great time.  They will come home on Wednesday, just in time for a Turkey Day feast on Thursday, but not soon enough, because coming home on Wednesday means I will be responsible for some of the feast preparations :-)  Pleasant day to all.

Bode's Birthday Party

Today we celebrated Bode's birthday with a party at Skyline (trampoline world) with some of his friends from school.  Granted, he doesn't turn eight for a couple weeks, but we figured no one would be around the Saturday after Thanksgiving, so it was best to hold the party today.  We arrived early, and Bode was anxious to start jumping.  He did pause for two sweet pictures with Mommy.

There were seven kids that came--Teddy and Charlie (Bode's cousins), Tylen (Bode's best friend at school), Ethan, Donovan, and Jocelyn; Grammy and Uncle Dave also came, and it was great to have the family there.  Tylen's little sister also jumped with the crew, and we think she had a nice time.  None of us adults wanted to jump--normally we'd be out there, but it was fairly crowded, and I don't think any of us wanted to risk a trip to the emergency room.  Lacey, Tyler's Mom, had her thumb dislocated the last time she came to Skyzone--evidently those light-weight dodgeballs can do some damage.  After the kids jumped around for an hour, it was time for ice cream cake and some presents.  We, of course, had to sing for Bode:

Bode then opened the gifts his friends brought.  Here are some action photos.

Bode said he had a great time at the party.  Hard to believe the little dude is turning eight years old :-) Pleasant week to all.

First Day of November

We had our trick-or-treating last night.  Prior to going out, I harvested the final item from the garden--a very large pumpkin.  I don't know why the pumpkin is green--but it certainly went well with the Yoda theme.

Bode went trick-or-treating last night, dressed up as the Inquisitor.  I put on my Jedi robe, and accompanied him, along with Mommy in her cool get up.

I didn't take many other pictures--it was a beautiful night, but I had one hand full carrying my lightsaber, which doubled as a flashlight when it got dark.  Bode had a great haul of candy, and he's been munching ever since.

We went for a bike ride this morning, and then kicked the soccer ball around.  It's close to 70 today, so it was nice to be outside.  Sadly, we are recovering from both a Steeler loss and an Auburn loss.  It just isn't our year for sports teams.  Oh well--at least USAFA won :-)  Pleasant week to all.