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.

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.