Rylan and Brenna's B-Day

Sunday, our friends (Kristen and Erik) had a birthday party for their two children, Rylan and Brenna.  It was a very cool party in that it was held at a gymnastics center.  This meant the kids had tons of room to run around, jump on things, chase each other, and have a blast.  Here are some action shots and a couple movies.

First is a picture of Bode going after Mr. Erik on one of the trampolines.  Lots of fun.

Next is a picture of Bode waiting patiently to jump around.  Note the wide spaces, the huge number of soft mats, and the open spaces.  Like I said, a kiddo's dreams.

Next up was the zip line.  We had to convince Bode to go on the ride.  Obviously, he was terrified.  Little man had a death grip on the rope.

Fortunately, he really enjoyed it, and wanted to ride some more.  I even had the presence of mind to make a movie.

He really seemed to like the zip line, and even tried to convince a friend that..."it wasn't that scary."  Very cute. The coup de gras was the foam pit.  The kids could get running starts and jump into the pit of foam.  The adults also jumped it and found getting out was harder than it seemed.

Here is another movie of Bode making a tumbling pass.

Finally, after the kiddos had tired themselves out, it was time for cake and ice cream.

Bode had an amazing time at the party, and he has requested his 5th birthday party be at the same locale.  We'll see if he's good enough :-)  No more football in the McGuirk household--simply too depressing!  Pleasant week to all.

Houston Wedding

This past weekend, we went to Houston for a wedding.  Ashley's second cousin, Josh, got married to a lucky young gal named Sarah.  Ashley and Bode flew out Friday morning.  I had to teach, and flew down in the afternoon, making it in time for some of the rehearsal dinner.  Here are some pictures--it was great to see the extended Rankin Family.  First up is Penny (mother of the groom and Ashley's first cousin), with her daughter, Chelsea, and the bride, Sarah.

Next we have Callie and Criquet (yes, that is her name).  It looks like Criquet had a bit too much to drink.  Don't worry, she's almost in high-school.

Obviously she wasn't really drunk--just a horrible picture of her (so next time you see a "drunk" star in those supermarket tabloids, realize you might not be getting the entire truth.)  Here is a good one of Ashley and Penny.

The rehearsal dinner was very nice.  Afterwards, we went to bed--Bode slept with Mommy on one of our beds which meant I got to spread out in a whole bed on my own.  Ah, it's the little things...

The next day, the wedding wasn't until 6 pm.  Therefore, we spent some time at the pool...although the water was chilly.  Here are Bode and me contemplating on whether we can stand the pain of getting into the frigid water.

After our (brief) swim, we cleaned up and went to the movies.  After some arguments with the GPS, we were able to find the theater.  We saw "Hotel Transylvania" and it was a good kid's movie.  I don't think it will be a classic like Aladdin or anything like that, but the kiddos enjoyed it.  Afterwards, Bode and I napped, and then it was time to get in our fancy duds and go to a wedding.  The ceremony was nice--short, unlike a Catholic service--and before we knew it, we were at the dinner.  Here's a shot of Bode with Teddy and Charlie.

Next we have a great shot of Penny and Milton (Josh's parents) with their other three kids.  Yup, all daughters.  This first one was cheap...the next three weddings will cost them :-)

Here's a great picture of JoAnne with Josh

and a goofy one of David and me...

Not sure why I was so excited.  Maybe I was thrilled to know Sunday morning I could sleep in.  At some point the DJ started playing music, and then Bode hit the dance floor with Mommy.

They were very cute scooting around the dance floor.  Hopefully he continues to dance--it's the best way to meet the ladies (so I'm told; I s*ck at dancing, much to Ashley's angst).  The reception went into the night, but we left early.  "Bode" was tired (and so was I...)

Sunday, we woke up and had a nice big breakfast at the hotel with the family.  We got home around four in the afternoon, in plenty of time to watch the mighty Steelers beat the Bengals (yes, we have stopped watching Auburn football...just too sad).  Pleasant week to all.

Ready for Halloween

Bode's Halloween costume came in the mail.  He is going to be Buzz Light Year, and has wanted to constantly wear his outfit.  Here is a some cute picture.

Note the cool wings.  We had to remind Bode the wings are fake and he shouldn't try to fly in them.  We were concerned he might try to take a header off the balcony and expect to soar through the air.  He understands they aren't real.  "Just pretend wings, right Daddy?"  You bet, little Buddy.

More Soccer

Bode had his second soccer game on Saturday.  He's not very aggressive.  I think he would rather talk and play with the other kids, and this soccer thing just gets in the way.  He also tends to pout if he doesn't get his way.  For example, the coach asked, "Who wants to play goalies?"  I'm pretty sure Bode had no idea what that was, but other kids were putting their hands up, so he felt obliged to do so.

At some point, after getting over the goalie disappointment, the kids were running.  Here is an action shot.

After some obligatory practice, it was time to play.  I took some movies.  In this first movie, Bode is right there in the heart of the action.

As you can see, he had a breakaway, but could not convert.  In this next clip, you will see "tired Bode," which means he was ready for the post-game snack.

He's like an old Kareem Abdul Jabbar--he doesn't quite make it back down field :-)  After soccer, Bode informed us he wanted to go to "Soup 'er Salad."  Of course, he got pizza.

Auburn did not play this weekend, so it was relatively quiet at our home.  I took Bode to the pool a couple times, but for the most part, we simply relaxed.  Bode took some pictures of Harley.

Woof.  Pleasant week to all.

Soccer

We signed Bode up for soccer.  Unfortunately, we missed the first two practices / games because we were in Mississippi and Breckenridge the past two weekends.  We were worried he was going to be behind his teammates in terms of skill level.  Turns out, we were worried for nothing.  Ashley took Bode to his first game yesterday.  It was also team picture day.  Here's a shot of Bode and his team, the Flames.

There are quite a few girls on the tam.  Plus, the age group is 3 - 5, which means Bode is one of the bigger players.  Mom told him to sharpen up his elbows and take no prisoners when attacking the ball--"Don't think of the opponent as a girl.  Think of her as the one thing standing between you and a good referral to Santa."  Once he heard this, Bode got that killer "Michael Jordan" look in his eyes and it was on.

The game wasn't very exciting...until Bode figured out he was supposed to kick the ball past the opponents goalie rather than straight to her.  When he realized this, he scored a G-O-A-L!

Turns out, we can't show the footage of the goal on this website--something about copyright laws and ESPN.  He ran really hard for two quarters.  Then, he was tired.  We need to work on his stamina.

We had a somewhat lazy weekend.  I couldn't go to Bode's game because I was running the Denver half marathon.  I ran it with Dave (Ashley's brother).  After months of intense training and smack-talking, Dave proceeded to beat me with a time of 1:29:20 to my 1:30:39.  There are pictures of the event at http://www.marathonfoto.com.  You have to search on my last name, my bib number (1583), and the event (Rock and Roll Denver Marathon).  None are particularly awesome, but if you have time to kill, it might help you avoid work.  Last night, we watched the Auburn Tigers lose a squeeker to LSU, 12-10, watched Air Force lose to UNLV 38-35, and then today watched the Steelers lose to Oakland (of all teams), 34-31.  It's not really a banner year for the McGuirks for sports.  Oh well--there is always next year :-)  This week, Ashley and I celebrate our 13th anniversary.  She asked me what I was getting her. I pointed out we took a trip to Starkville to see Auburn play and also to her little sports toy in the garage.  She said, "Oh, I thought those were my everyday presents."  Hilarious :-)  Pleasant week to all.

Breckenridge

We spent the weekend up in Breckenridge.  Our friends, Ron and Nancy from Ohio, came to town for a visit.  They arrived Thursday night.  I was working Friday morning when Ashley called me.  Ron and Nancy's rental car was stolen :-(  It was parked right in front of our house.  Evidently this isn't the best neighborhood :-)  Fortunately, they didn't have anything of value in the car--they had brought everything into the house, so no real damage, other than the aggravation of having your stuff stolen.  Sheesh.

After filing the police report, we headed up to Breckenridge.  We went for Friday night and Saturday night.  We thought it was going to be a mellow, relaxing, uncrowded weekend in the mountains.  We were pleasantly surprised to see it was Octoberfest in Breck, with half of Main Street closed, beer being survived, brats, schnitzel, strudel, and all sorts of goodies available, and plenty of merry festivalers.

We stayed at a nice two bedroom condo with the Blue River gurgling past our front door.  Here is a picture of Bode feeling the water.  Despite it being warm weather, the water was freezing.

Saturday morning, the Auburn game was on.  Ron and Nancy went for a hike up Peak 9.  Ashley was watching the Auburn game (they won--thankfully, 31-28 in OT).  Bode and I didn't feel like staying in, so we headed over to Main Street.  We quickly found a vendor who was giving away balloons.

I'm not sure why Bode is posed like he is--he didn't have to pee.  Maybe he's just being a guy, adjusting his equipment every so often :-)  Since it was 1130 in the morning, I thought, "Why not have a beer?"

Nothing hits the spot like a good Octoberfest beer before noon :-)  At some point, Mommy pulled herself away from the TV and joined us for lunch (must have been halftime).  Here are Mom and Bode walking down the street.

I had a nice giant turkey leg for lunch while Bode feasted on some sweet corn.  We sat next to some woman all decked out in her Auburn gear.  Evidently the Wareagle fans are everywhere.  Later in the day, we took the gondola up to the base of peak 8.  Bode loves to ride the gondola.

Here are shots of Nancy and Ron, also from the gondola.  When going over my photos, I realized we didn't have any good shots of them other than these :-(

There was a great little amusement park at the base of peak 8.  There was an alpine slide, a roller coaster, a maze, and some other odds and ends.  Here are some photos of Mommy and Bode in action.  First is simply a shot of the snow-less mountain.  Ski runs always look funny without any snow.

Next is a picture of Mommy and Bode on the alpine slide.

Next, Bode and Mommy successfully completed the maze, while I provided minimal assistance from a bird's-eye perch.

Bode then tried to do the big trampoline.  He was excited...at first.

We took a movie.  Bode lasted almost 10 jumps.  Afterwards, he was no longer amused :-)

Fall is definitely here.  I took this picture of the mountains and the usually snow-packed parking lot.  Weird seeing it like this.

We had a lovely visit to Breck.  It was great seeing Ron and Nancy, and we hope the loss of their rental car does not sour them on Colorado :-)  Auburn plays LSU this week.  Looks like it is shaping up to be a dismal season, but we won't write them off just yet.  Pleasant week to all.

War Pitiful

We went to Starkville (Mississippi for those of you who are geography challenged) this weekend.  We try to get there every two years (biennially for the word-smiths) to see the mighty Auburn Tigers play Mississippi.  Auburn hadn't lost in Starkville since 2002 (or was it 2000--either way, it had been awhile).  We weren't exactly brimming with confidence going into the game, but we didn't think we'd endure a beat down.  Sadly, we were mistaken.

The trip down was fine.  Bode is quite the plane-rider, and always enjoys looking out the window.

The glare is bad, so it looks like Bode has half a face.  Plus, the angle to Ashley's face makes her look a scosh heavy (she's not).  But that's what happens when you let me, someone that knows absolutely zero about photography, be in charge of the trip pics.  We arrived Friday evening, enjoyed a nice palaver with the Rezeks, and went to bed, still holding onto that naive hope that Auburn could win the game.

The next day, we headed out for the 1100 kickoff.  Historically Auburn does not do well in these early games, so deep down, we knew we might be in trouble, but we did not want to admit it.  Bode and Oscar were ready to go, but we managed to convince them to sit still for a quick photo.  Afterwards, we were off to the game.

Mississippi State loves to ring their cow bells.  Not sure why--tradition I guess.  The NCAA has tried to ban them, but to no avail.  As Auburn fans, we should have nothing to do with the cow bell.  However, Bode was fascinated with the oversized one and proceeded to ring it (and in the immortal words of Christopher Wakin:  "You gotta have that cow bell.")

We then headed to the game.  Ashley got a sweet deal and was able to sit in the President's Box (of Mississippi State, not of the US) with Meghan, who evidently is high enough up in the chain of command at State to merit two places to this prestigious location.  Ashley did not know how lucky she was, because just before kickoff, it started to rain.  We were not amused.

Thankfully Jon had the foresight to bring the panchos.  Otherwise, we would have been soaked.  Here's a quick shot of the field--proof that we were there.  The game didn't go as planned, but Auburn was winning 10-7 during the 3rd quarter.  However, their offense was offensive and their defense has more holes than our backyard (Harley is a digger).

Unfortunately (or fortunately, depending on how you look at it), Bode wanted to leave, just after the kickoff.  I managed to stave off our departure until the end of the third quarter?  How did I do this?  By lying.  I told him there were monsters at Jon and Meghan's house, and we couldn't go back until they called me.  Every two minutes, he kept asking, "Did the monsters call?"  We left when Auburn was down by 18, so it's not like I was fighting to stay.  When we got back to Jon and Meghan's, Elliott (their 10-year old) was there.  Bode asked Elliott about the monsters.  I quickly intervened and explained to Elliott about what Bode was talking.  I then convinced Elliott to go along with it.  Thus, I not only lied to my 4-year old, but also involved a 10-year old in my conspiracy.  Yes, I'm going to h*ll.

We spent Saturday evening licking our wounds.  We watched the Air Force game (they lost) and then the Nebraska game (another loser).  Not exactly our weekend for football.  Sunday was a beautiful day.  We walked to breakfast, ate, and then decided some barbeque would hit the spot for lunch.  On the way there, Meghan ambushed Bode with a giant sword.

We finished our visit to Starkville with a trip to a nature preserve.  We saw a couple alligators, which were very cool.  First is a picture of us from a protected vantage point.  While it's tough to tell the difference between a log and a gator, we managed to spot some.

I'm not sure if you can see the gator, but it's right in front of the tree that is in the water (you are probably mesmorized by Ashley's can).  It didn't move much, but it definitely was a gator.

A bit later, we saw this bigger gator (rhyming not intended).  I always find it ominous to see creatures in the wild with nothing between us.  I think I could take him.

Here's a picture of the same gator--not sure if you can see it, but I included the picture of Ashley, one so the masses get a second look at her a*s, and two, to get a sense of the gator's size.

We flew out of Starkville around four in the afternoon, and got back home by eleven.  We were a little tired at work on Monday, and we were both mad about it due to the Auburn loss (had they won, it would have been worth it :-)  As always, we loved our time in Mississippi and can't wait to get back.  Auburn is now 0-2, and it's not looking to be a good year.  Here's hoping.  Pleasant week to all.