SV Part V

The water has been a crucial part of our daily activities.  We've been fortunate to have good weather.  Only one day did we have a lot of rain, but by the afternoon, things had cleared up which made for a very pleasant evening.  The boys have been swimming at least once but usually twice (but not thrice) per day.  It doesn't take much to convince them to get in the water.  The Rankins purchased some inner tubes, and the boys love playing "bumper boats" in them.

The Rankin's neighbor, Mr Ted and Miss Barb, were kind enough to offer up their pool.  The boys certainly could not turn down this invitation.  Here are some pool action shots.  The dog, McGuire, belongs to Ted and Barb.  He's the sweetest thing and loves the water more than the boys.

Below is a movie of McGuire playing fetch.  I think it's cute watching dogs swim.

The highlight of the water games has to have been the waverunner.  Ted and Barb have been nice enough to let us use theirs.  Tons of fun.  We've all taken turns.  The boys aren't quite old enough to go on their own so an adult has to drive them around.  Here's a shot of Teddy and Dave.

After a spirited ride, it was Bode's turn.

Even JoAnne and Frank took a turn.

It's hard to top a waverunner when it comes to bringing out everyone's inner child.  Ashley took a turn as well, but I didn't get any photos.  At some point, Dave took Teddy all the way over to Crab Island, which is quite a haul on a waverunner.  Even Charlie got in on the action.  I gave him a ride, and he kept wanting to go faster and faster.  I'm sure we'll take it out again given the opportunity.  But sometimes, the boys just had fun looking at the fish and crabs swimming beneath the dock.

I could probably post more pictures, but I think you get the idea.  There's only so many shots of three boys in knee-deep water that are interesting, even if they are your own kids :-)  On deck:  Dinner with the Cooks.

SV Part IV

We went to Stacey and Tim Tobik's home for dinner on Thursday night.  Tim and I go way back to 1997, which doesn't seem that long ago in my head, but when you say, "We met 17 years ago," it sort of takes my breath away.  I was a young second lieutenant while Tim was a program manager at the Fuze Branch.  Fast forward those 17 years and Tim is now the head-honcho at the Fuze branch while I still have lieutenant in my title :-)  We had a lovely evening of pizza, drinks, ice-cream sandwiches, and swimming, but not exactly in that order.  Tim and I sat on the patio him and his son, Carter, built.

Here is a shot of Stacey and me, and the Tobik's daughter, Marlee (note the correct spelling--I've been spelling it wrong for the past eleven years).

You might be wondering why we weren't looking at the camera.  Bode and Carter were gearing up for a race in the pool.  Here are some action shots.  Although the race was close, Carter eked out the win.

After the Tobik Olympiad, it was time for some ice cream.  Obviously this next picture is taken post-sandwich.

That goofy thing on Bode's head is some game Bode and Carter were playing.  I'm not sure of the object, but it seemed to entail throwing a velcro ball at the other person's head and getting it to stick.  Such an old-school game!

We had a lovely evening with the Tobiks.  We do hope their year gets a little better.  Evidently Stacey had to have a blood transfusion.  She's had some blood clots and other scary issues, and we can only hope they are on the happier side of these things.  It was great seeing them again and we have vowed to see them before Marlee graduates from high school.  This is still seven years away, but I know how quickly the past seventeen years have gone :-)  Next post:  The Wave Runner!

SV Part III

We started Day III of our summer vacation with a morning jog.  I always like running in Florida--it's flat, and the oxygen is so prevalent.  David and I ran over Brooks Bridge and down Okaloosa Island. We didn't break any land speed records, but it was nice to be out running.  When we returned, the boys were ready to do some swimming.  Charlie was geared up with his snorkel and mask...

while David and Teddy had to do some minor equipment repairs.

It was a glorious morning.  Even Ashley got in the water, but I'm sure she thought it could have been warmer.  Note her security guards kept me from getting too close--she doesn't want any Kate Middleton-like shots leaking to the public.

The boys had a wonderful time swimming, trying to catch fish in these little nets, and having a crab race.  This entailed Ashley catching a lot of little crabs, setting them up on the beach, and the first crab in the water won.  Not quite a NASCAR race, but exciting.

I spent some quality time lounging in an inner tube, away from the kids' clatter.

After a nice lunch at home, we went to the Goofy Golf.  I think my camera had a smudge on the lens, because I'm noticing all the pictures look a little blurry.  Hopefully I can get this fixed before tomorrow.

The boys could not be contained and took off on their own.  I'm not sure who kept score or who won, but they seemed to be having a good time.

Ashley, David, Jason, and I played a highly competitive round.  Here's Jason on my favorite hole, The Frog's Butt:

At the final hole, the goal is to get the ball into the snake's mouth.  If you do, you win a free game.  Teddy surprised us all by doing just that.  No one else managed this very rare albatross-like feat.  Here was Jason's attempt.

Afterwards, we posed for some pictures in front of the T-rex and the totem pole.

I must add Ashley was the big winner, trouncing her nearest competition by four strokes.

I'm sure we'll head back for a second go-around (I must have ESP if I can predict that!).  Next post:  The Tobiks!

SV Part II

We started Day Two of our summer vacation with a crossfit workout.  Ashley found a gym where we could drop in and do some exercise.  I had forgotten how much one sweats down here, for in a few minutes, I was dripping wet.  When we got home, we took a quick dip in the bay, per Bode's desires.  Afterwards, we did something similar to our Colorado routine:  we went to the Waffle House for lunch (which was delicious, as always).  We then lazed around the house, patiently awaiting the arrival of David, Teddy and Charlie.  Bode spent his time on the coach with Uncle Jason.

Ashley joined them on the chase lounge.

After what seemed like decades of waiting, Teddy and Charlie (and David) arrived.  The boys quickly started drinking (Capri-Suns).

Nana whipped us up a big feast for dinner...

Afterwards, we sat outside and watched the water...and the boys.

We finished the day with some family time on the coach.

Such a relaxing day.

Summer Vacation Part I

We headed down to Fort Walton Beach for some fun in the sun.  We were anxious to be in the warm weather, as we've concluded Colorado summers aren't the nice humid experiences we so thoroughly enjoy.  Don't get me wrong--we do like the Colorado weather...but when it's hot, it's very dry.  We prefer the rain-forest environment.  We headed out early to the airport on a Tuesday morning.  Ashley was surprisingly cheery this time of day.

Bode was in a goofy mood.  For some reason, I laugh every time I look at this picture.

I look like my normal dopey self no matter what time of day.

When we got to Nana and Papa's, it was not super sunny; a little rainy and overcast.  However, it was humid.  Ashley was content to sit on the dock and absorb some of that Florida warmth.

Bode had to get in the water.  I think he averaged two swims a day while on the trip.  He even grew some gills.

We had a lovely first day in Florida.  Day 2 coming up next--it's when Uncle Dave, Teddy, and Charlie arrived.  Let the fun begin!

The Petersons

We had the pleasure of hosting Jon, Shelly, Brendan, and Cody Peterson for the past couple days.  Jon and I went to high school together.  We met back in 1989--almost 26 years ago.  It's crazy to think it's been that long.  Even crazier is this year is Jon and Shelly's 20th anniversary.  Congrats to them.  We didn't do anything spectacularly exciting--dinner, the pool, talking about old times.  The weather really cooperated, so we were able to sit outside and reminisce.

Bode loved that Cody slept in the same room.  He also loved the fact Cody shares the same birthday as him (albeit being born a few years before).  I wish I had taken more pictures--I guess we were having such a good time at the pool that no one remembered to snap some pics.  Oh well--I can vividly picture JP going down the water slide and doing a hydro-plane as he hit the water.  Good times.  I did get a picture of Clan Peterson with Bode as they were heading out.

The garden project continues.  My hands have been so tired, and I never knew how tired hands could get.  I didn't think there were muscles to get sore, but I exhausted something stirring cement and putting up posts.  I didn't realize Bode had the camera and was taking pictures, so here is a very rare action shot of me doing work.  Where's Ashley?

There's only one post up in this picture.  I think I'm up to five posts in the ground, and I even have some of the fencing attached.  Note the boxes.  You might being thinking, "That's some really poor construction, even for Jeff."  I concur.  I nailed together some boxes out of scrap wood just to give me an idea of how things would look.  My plan is to do some nicer boxes when the project is done (or better yet, ask Mr. Frank to do some when he's here in August for a visit!)  Bode took some other pictures when he had the camera.  Evidently he likes taking pictures of the dogs' butts.  I have six or seven close-ups of dog-ass.  Lovely.  Since this is a family sight, I won't post them :-)

Bode is such an amazing swimmer.  We love the fact even though he's only four feet tall, we can hang out together in the five-foot deep section of the pool (it's not near as crowded).  He still does Beginner Stroke Clinic two times a week.  Coach Danny really works them.  Here's a movie of Bode doing some flutter kicks on dry-land.  Little man needs to work on his core strength.

Coach Danny also makes them do push-ups.  I don't think Bode gets his chest to the ground, but he's trying super hard.

Today was a lot of laps and lung-busters.  Here's Bode finishing one set--he looks fantastic!

Finally, here's a picture of Bode with Coach Danny.  Coach Danny is such a great coach--he's really pushed Bode and helped him a ton.

I'm off from work for the next two weeks!!!  How cool is that?!?

Independence Day

Wow, did I really fail to make a post the entire month of June?  Shame on me.  I think that's the first month I've missed since the blog started.  I'll have to make up for it with some serious posting in July and August.

I wish I could say I had a lot to report...but I don't.  June was fairly benign.  We had my birthday (41...yuck), Ashley and I worked a bunch, and Bode spent his days at camp.  He says camp is "fun" but "not great."  We asked him why.  He said, "Because I don't get to stay home with you guys."  Very sweet of him.  I explained to him that we aren't home while he's at camp.  We tried to convince him coming to work with us would not be near as fun as camp.  We think we were successful, but who really knows.

I did start work on the backyard garden.  Here is a "before" picture.

I cleared a large area, and the wood marks an expected location for some boxes.  Note the Afghanistan-like soil.  There is nothing organic in our existing dirt, so I've been bring in bags of sheep and peat-moss and have also been scavenging grass clippings from anyone in the neighborhood.  We have planted three trees (an apple, cherry, and plum).  The picture was taken before the trees went in.  They are to the right of the back-right corner of the picture.  They went in the ground a couple weeks ago, and they are still alive which is amazing considering the horrible soil conditions.  The plan is to put in a fence to keep the dogs out, and we have a lot of little ideas I won't go into.  The garden looks amazing...in my head.  We'll see if the end result matches my imagined blueprint.

Speaking of the dogs, they are hot and cold.  One minute, they are tearing around the yard, play-fighting and chasing each other; the next, they are a lazy bitch and bastard.

We spent the 4th of July with Uncle Dave.  We went to an old friend's house (Josh and Shannon, and their two kids, Henry and Cora).  Josh had the foresight to buy fireworks.  Ashley and I didn't get any because all fireworks are illegal in Colorado Springs.  Fortunately Josh and Shannon live in Highlands Ranch.  The first firework, and probably the funniest, was the one shown below.

When lit, the way the materials burns makes it look like the dog is taking a dump.  Words simply cannot describe it; thankfully, I have a movie.

The kids (and the adults) all loved the dog.  Great fun.  The next best firework was this rooster, that, for some reason, laid an egg when lit.  As before, I'll let the movie to all the talking.

Here is a good action photo of Dave and Teddy lighting a tiny one with Bode and Charlie supervising.

Kids love to watch things burn, and they don't yet understand the dangers of fire, as this next picture will attest.  Fortunately, no one was injured the entire night.

Our most dangerous and loudest firecracker was pretty cool.  Lots of sparks and noise.

When it got dark, we lit off some ones that sparkle, but pictures don't really do those justice.  I did get the below photo of Bode with a sparkler.

We had a lovely evening in Denver.  We spent the night at Uncle Dave's.  This morning, we slept in, had some food, and spent an hour at the pool.  We came home in the mid-afternoon.  I did some work on the garden project.  Hopefully it will be done by fall :-)  Pleasant weekend to all.