The Georgia Game

I can't believe the Auburn-Georgia game was almost one week ago.  Seems like only hours ago Ricardo Louis was catching that deflected pass and scoring the go-ahead TD for the mighty Auburn Tigers. Some call it luck...which it was.  But I think Auburn deserved to win the game.  They dominated the first three quarters.  They simply fell asleep in the fourth. Perhaps they were busy booking their Iron Bowl Tickets.  We were up in Denver during the game.  For the first half, we were at a bar with the Denver Area Auburn Fan Club (aka people just as weird as Ashley).  We were there with Dave (Ashley's brother) and met up with a long-time friend from Fort Walton, Nathan.  Here are some pictures.

It is hard to tell the amount of Auburn fanatics that were in the bar, but do note everyone in the background has on an orange shirt, and no, it's not Bronco-orange.  During the game, Dave was kind enough to have arranged a sitter for the boys.  We received a picture of them, crawling around in the dirt.

At halftime, we went and met up with a friend from my Papillion days, Kristine Wolfe (I knew her when she was Sharp).  She came with us to Dave's house to watch the end of the game.  I felt sorry for her--I thought we'd be watching the end of a blowout.  She was able to see first hand both the bad side of Ashley during a loss, and the elated side after an amazing win.  We should have filmed the reaction of that last play, but I think there are enough videos on the internet covering the emotion of the moment.  After the game, we went to dinner and had a lovely time. We posed for this picture in downtown Denver.

It is bitterly cold here.  Yesterday's high was 20, if that.  Tomorrow it might be 30.  I guess winter is here.  Of course, in Colorado, it can be freezing one day and beautiful the next, so I won't complain. Pleasant weekend to all.

Breckenridge

Because of the three-day weekend (well, a normal weekend for Ashley), we decided to head up to Breckenridge for a couple days of R&R.  The first day of skiing was Friday at Breck.  We didn't bring our skis, as early skiing is not really fun (in our opinion).  We need the blacks and double blacks to be open to really enjoy the mountain.  The weather was perfect--in the 40's and sunny.  Very picturesque.

I'd like to report we did a lot.  I'd be lying if I did.  We had nothing on our schedule, other than eat, sleep, and hang out together.  Saturday morning, we woke up early and went to Daylight Donuts for breakfast.  I had a couple donuts, Bode had one, and Ashley ate healthy (darn her).  Afterwards, we sat in the hot-tub because we needed a break.

We then got ready for the big Auburn game.  Ashley, of course, brought her gear.  We were also staying in a place that allowed us to have Harley, which was nice because we didn't have to worry about leaving her alone at home.  Do I even need to report the Mighty Auburn Tigers won 55-23 and are now 9-1?

After the game, we walked around the town, did a little exploring on the bike path, went to lunch, took a nap, watched more football, went to dinner, and then more football.  Like I said, we didn't do a whole lot, but sometimes you need those weekends where you do nothing.  We did buy Bode a cool shark hat, which he loves.  Here is a nice picture of Bode, Harley, and me.  Bode is the one in the goofy hat :-)

Bode wanted to get into the picture-taking, so Ashley let him use her camera (which is amazing, because even I can't use the camera unless I have adult supervision).

Finally, we have a nice picture of Mommy and her two favorite people.

There's a place along the bike trail that gets close to the water.  Bode loved tossing pebbles into the stream.  He also loves wearing that hat.

Harley and I stopped for a rest on a rock.  This weekend was the first time I ever saw Harley act aggressively towards someone.  I was walking her on the path, and some people approached.  Normally Harley wants to say hello to everyone.  They asked if she was friendly.  "Of course," I said.  As the man approached, Harley hunkered down, the fur on her back raised, and she started barking and growling.  I think it was the big hat and ski goggles that spooked her, because this happened a couple more times.  Perhaps she was simply protecting me.

We drove home this morning, and then went to Waffle House for lunch.  This afternoon, Bode and I did the great volcano experiment.  He received this cool volcano kit for his birthday and has been asking (pestering) me to do it with him.  Here is the erupting volcano.

We aren't up to much this afternoon.  Bode and I have tomorrow off, while Ashley has to go to work (poor thing).  Not sure what we will do, but sleep in is high on the list :-)  Happy Vet's Day to all!

Halloween

Halloween has come and gone, but I wanted to post another picture of Bode in his costume.  He was a bat, and the costume was the coolest thing.  We liked it because it kinda looked homemade, meaning people thought we might have put this together ourselves.  The Sunday before Halloween our gym had a little carnival.  They gave out candy and also had little things for the kids to do.  Bode wanted to get a tattoo.  I'm so proud :-)

There was a "best costume" competition.  Sadly, Bode was done after he had gotten all the free candy and wanted to go home.  Evidently it's all about the sweets in his eyes.  Below are some pictures from Halloween.  We had a lovely evening--not too cold, but cold enough to let us know winter is coming.

Since we live at the top of a large hill, we hardly had any trick-or-treaters.  I think our doorbell rang twice.  Thus, we have a ton of candy.  I'm sure we'll have to throw a lot of it out  :-)  Pleasant week to all.

Bode's B-Day Party

Yes, we know it is not quite Bode's birthday.  However, since his birthday is always right around Thanksgiving, we decided to have his party early in the month.  This way he could get maximum participation from his friends.  We had the party at Aerials Gymnastics.  It doesn't sound like a great place to have a birthday party, but it is.  The first part is held in the big gymnastics area.  The kids get to play and run around (running around is a great thing to tire them out), bounce on trampolines, slide down slides, crawl through tunnels, ride a zip line, and jump into a big sponge pit.  Below are a bunch of action photos.  First, Bode, Karsen, and Rylan running on the long trampoline.

Next we have Teddy and I can't tell who riding in the big swing, spinning around and going crazy.

Below shows the kids getting some instruction on the next stations.  Note the big tunnels in the background.  They had a great time crawling through this super structure.

Here is a picture of Jocelyn, a very sweet girl from Bode's kindergarten class.

Here's a nice shot of our neighbor, Silas, climbing the big rope.  He is fearless.

The playing climaxed with a free-for-all in the big pit.  The kids could jump in from the mats, get a running start and spring off a trampoline, or simply fall down into the sponge-crater.  I'm amazed no one landed on each other during this period.

After the play time, it was time for cupcakes and ice cream.

I think you can see everyone in this picture.  Bode is at the head of the table, and then there's Rylan, Brenna, Teddy, Kimora, Silas, Charlie, Eva, Nater, Karsen, and Eva's little sister (I'm a bad person and don't remember her name).  Bode got some great presents, and we were extremely pleased with how the party went.

Afterwards, we had to race home because Auburn was playing Arkansas.  Fortunately, we only missed about five minutes of the game.  Auburn won (again), and is now 8-1.  Amazing for a team that was 3-9 last season.  Uncle Dave, Teddy, and Charlie spent the night.  The boys had a great time.  Here's a nice picture of Bode and Teddy playing video games.

Nothing too exciting going on here.  Bode is anxious to get the Christmas decorations up since Ashley took down the Halloween ones.  We're trying to hold off until the middle of the month :-)  Pleasant week to all.

The Chicken Dance

Bode went to Rylan and Brenna's birthday party this past weekend.  I didn't get too many pictures, but I did get the following video of Bode doing the chicken dance.

There was, of course, candles and cake.

Finally, Bode and Mommy decided to dance.  Very sweet.

I am on day 7 of my bout with a bad bacterial infection.  Things have not been pleasant, culminating with an ER visit yesterday.  Fortunately, there is no serious infection (e.g amoebic dysentery).  Doctor simply said some times these bacterial infections can last up to two weeks.  I am on some antibiotics and am feeling better today.  I look forward to returning to work.  Pleasant week to all.

Shark Boy

Bode has developed into quite the swimmer.  He started taking lessons in January.  Ten months later, he is a Level VI swimmer aka a Shark at Donna's Dolphins.  There are eight stickers to earn as a shark. Bode has earned two of them.  I hadn't been to a lesson in a couple weeks, so I was amazed at what I saw on Saturday.  He looks like a real swimmer--stroke looks great, breathing quickly, and when he remembers to kick, he's fast.  His instructor, Mr. Brian, said Bode has great instincts in the water (I don't know what that means either; must be swim-speak for something other than doesn't drown).  He said as soon as Bode grows another two feet and adds 150 pounds of muscle, he will be ready for the Olympics.

Not only can Bode do freestyle, but he also is quite adept at the backstroke.  His only issue with the backstroke is he sinks if he doesn't kick fast enough.  When he puts it all together, he looks great.  Like Mr. Brian says, it is simply a matter of building up those muscles to prevent the fatigue that causes him to stop kicking (and the fact that he's five and sometimes forgets to do all that stuff :-)

They have also introduced the concept of flip-turns.  They started by teaching Bode how to do a flip in the water, and then slowly got him closer to the wall.  He's decent at it, but the common theme this post is repetition will make him better.  This isn't to say everyone is thrilled with his capabilities.  The key is to get his form and technique down, and as he grows and starts doing laps (if that is his thing), the rest of the stuff will fall into place.

We always finish swim lessons with a little play time.

Bode's school had its Fall Carnival last night.  The school doesn't have the kids dress up on Halloween, so this was their chance to wear the costumes to school.  Bode's costume is hilarious.  He's a bat!

I only got the following action shot of Bode at the carnival.  Ashley and I had volunteered to help man (woman) one of the booths, so Grammy took Bode around.  We finally caught up to him in the bouncy house.

A "first-time ever" occurred this weekend.  As I said above, Ashley and I had volunteered to work at the school carnival.  Unfortunately, this conflicted with the Auburn game.  Rather than have Ashley check her phone every minute, I suggested we leave the phones at home and go into a communications black out.  I said we could record the game and watch it when we got home.  If you know Ashley, she always must watch the game live.  I think she still believes she has the ability to influence the outcome. Anyway, after much guilting, she agreed.  Fortunately, Auburn won, beating Johnny Football 45-41 in a thriller.  I suggested we should record all games from now on.  She was not amused.  Happy Sunday.

The Patio Project

The great patio project has been completed.  Earlier this summer, Ashley and I dismantled a large wood patio in our backyard.  While this patio was functional, it was an eye-sore.  We decided to put in a rock patio, and by put in I mean pay someone to put in.  Initially we intended to have a large fireplace as part of this project.  Unfortunately, much like Congress, Ashley could not convince me to raise our debt limit.  Perhaps sometime next year (maybe Congress should take notes--not spending money you don't have, a novel concept).  Below are some pictures.  Harley the camera hog decided she needed some blog-time, so she's in most of the images.  First, the view of the patio from our porch.

We think the boulders go well with the existing landscape.  Note Harley in the middle right, above the patio.  Next from the side:

There are two levels.  We only own two outdoor chairs, so for now, the lower tier might be made into a level for large potted plants.  We're still figuring that out.  Next is a picture looking behind the patio at a place I call Harley's perch.

See the bare dirt area under Harley?  That is the future location of a potential fireplace (or more rock, depending on the debt situation).  Next is a picture of the patio from Harley's perch.  Obviously Harley and I switched positions.  We have a lovely view from here.

Our backyard needs a little work.  It's just one big dirt field, thanks to the heavy machinery used to move the stones around.  Ashley and I think we can do something nice with the landscape--maybe a garden, maybe a sandbox for Bode, maybe a waterfall (that debt ceiling again).  We've plenty of time to figure it out, as winter is approaching, so we won't be doing much for the next few months.

Bode has been taking skating lessons.  He's getting pretty good.  Here's a video of Bode learning to go backwards.  I think it's simply a lot of rump-shaking.  He's better than me at going backwards.

Nothing too exciting here.  Work is work for the both of us.  We are not really impacted by the shut-down, and tomorrow, I hear DoD civilians are going back to work.  I took Friday off and really enjoyed my time not working.  I don't understand people who say they would be bored if they didn't work.  Perhaps I don't have a large enough sample size, as I only had the day off.  Still, I think I could find plenty to occupy my time :-)  Pleasant week to all.