Merry Christmas

We hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas. We certainly did. C says that "Santa must be very polite since he got me everything I wanted." I guess we got that one right. K is so scared of Jolly Ol' St Nick that the idea that he was in our house to bring presents scared her so much that she clung onto Jana's neck and wouldn't even open presents until she saw that C was getting new toys. I think they were both very happy with their new additions and will be entertained for at least a day or so. C got the Leapster that he wanted and K got not 1, but 2 new babies. She has really become a little girl, toting around her baby dolls everywhere she goes.

We left on Thursday for the 8 hour drive home to see family in Virginia. We had the "opportunity" to get the whole family together to do family portraits this morning. That is always quite a joy. I am glad we only do it every 2 years.

CHAMPIONS!!!
LAS VEGAS BOWL
BYU 17 - UCLA 16

Clarification on Last Post

For clarification on question #25, "Do you hang stockings?", we only have four stockings hung on the mantle (Mommy, Daddy, C, and K), but...






23 May 2008!!

A Peek at Drew's Christmas Delights

This was one of those "Tag, you're it." type things that I normally delete, but I figured it would be fun.

1. Wrapping paper or gift bags? Wrapping Paper

2. Real tree or artificial? Artificial (pre-lit)

3. When do you put up the tree? For Family Home Evening the Monday after Thanksgiving

4. When do you take the tree down? Whenever we get around to it

5. Do you like eggnog? I will drink it as a social thing (Does that make me a "social drinker"? I guess I may need to talk to the Bishop.)

6. Favorite gift received as a child? Waterbed sheets. (Imagine 3 kids running downstairs to see what Santa brought and all that was there, were waterbed sheets. We didn’t even have waterbeds. The “DUH!!!” factor did not kick in for a while and there were three pissed off kids, until we realized there were waterbeds to be covered by those sheets.)

7. Do you have a nativity scene? Jana has a couple. One is that really nice Willow Tree stuff.

8. Hardest person to buy for? I only have to buy for Jana since she does most of the other shopping. She will say her Dad.

9. Easiest person to buy for? K is the easiest right now since she is the youngest.

10. Worst Christmas gift you ever received? Red Ninja pajamas. They weren’t bad then, but looking back, they were dumb.

11. Mail or email Christmas cards? Mail.

12. Favorite Christmas Movie? How the Grinch Stole Christmas (cartoon version)

13. When do you start shopping for Christmas? Me, the week before. Jana, Thanksgiving???

14. Have you ever recycled a Christmas present? For White Elephant

15. Favorite thing to eat at Christmas? Ham and Peanut Brittle

16. Clear lights or colored on the tree? Clear

17. Favorite Christmas song? The Christmas Shoes (Kenny Rogers Version), Christmas in Dixie

18. Travel at Christmas or stay home? Home

19. Can you name all of Santa's reindeers? Yes (Even Buddy. Watch the movie Noel.)

20. Angel on the tree top or a star? Really cool wooden star

21. Open the presents Christmas Eve or morning? Christmas morning

22. Most annoying thing about this time of year? People like me that procrastinate and make it crowded the week before Christmas

23. What I love most about Christmas? A special time set aside every year where everyone can remember our Savior and reflect on his birth and life.

24. Any special Christmas traditions? Kids and Jana wait at the top of the stairs while Daddy goes down to make sure that Santa got everything set up and while the camera is getting setup. We also always read the Nativity story from the scriptures every Christmas Eve , right before bed.

25. Do you hang stockings? Absolutely. Right on the mantle over the fireplace. (Should we have one for Projected Child Alpha?)

26. Cider or hot chocolate? Cider (from Fulton Farms)

27. Turkey or Ham 4 Christmas dinner? Ham (Country or Honey-Baked)

28. Feelings on fruitcake? No, thank you.

29. Presents for everyone or exchange names? Jana’s family is too big to buy for everyone. We even started drawing names on my side of the family this year.

30. Best Christmas gift? Watching the kids as they come down the stairs to see what Santa has brought them is enough of a gift for me.

Our First Dance

Jana and I never really had our first dance since we kind of had some "unique" wedding receptions, so I guess we will live vicariously through this lovely bride and groom.

GO COUGARS!!!!

BYU 17 - Utah 10

GO COUGARS!!!!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A2G2ye4VKck (check out this Ute fan)

HAPPY THANKSGIVING

Just wanted to say Happy Thanksgiving to everyone. We hope you all enjoy the family, friends, and FOOD.

Sorry we missed the Turkey Bowl. We have a leaky roof and so I am going to end up on the roof, not to mention the extra people in the house kept me up late (always happens when family and friends come to visit).

Birthday Party!

Last week was C's birthday. I can't believe that he is actually 4! He knew exactly what he wanted for a birthday party and had it down to the cake, etc. He had been talking about it for several months. In fact, he had no idea what he wanted to be for Halloween, but he knew he wanted to dress up for his birthday party like a pirate. So, we had a pirate birthday party for him. The kids made their very own pirate hats and eye patches. We had a pirate ship cake, and there were lots of pirate presents (his favorite part, of course) We had a really great time and are grateful for friends who can come and share in our madness and excitement to make such a special day for him. I am posting a few pictures here for your viewing pleasure.

Happy Veteran's Day!!!

I was once stopped at a gas station on the west side of Orlando, FL where a gentleman, about 30 yrs old, was filling up at the pump next to me. He saw the base decal in my window and asked if I was in the military. I told him that I was and he said that he was in the Army Reserves. He said that he was on his way to base for his Reserve Weekend. He said that his commander had talked to his unit on the last Reserve Weekend and told them that we all enjoy people thanking us for our service. He reminded them how it makes us all feel good to acknowledge the efforts of our older generation that has served before us, but he asked, “How often do we thank each other for what we do? How often do we thank our brothers and sisters in arms for their sacrifice and dedication?” His commander challenged them to go out and thank a fellow brother or sister in arms. He thanked me for all that I do, and then he popped me a salute that only the sincerest of persons could render. As I returned his salute, I stood there and promised to myself that I would take his commander’s challenge, and so that is what I do today. From one soldier to another,
Thank You
and
HAPPY VETERAN’S DAY!!

Favorite Things

C asked Daddy what his most favorite thing in the whole world was. Drew wasn't really sure, so he asked C what his was. Cs response was short and sweet. "Going under water." and not even a minute later, "and broccoli"

What 3 year old do you know whose favorite thing in the whole world is broccoli?

Peanut Butter

It was 5:30 this evening. I was cooking dinner, the kids were in the other room playing, not fighting, but playing. They weren't being quiet, so I didn't suspect anything was wrong. Drew was laying on the couch reading the paper. Nice, I thought. Until, C comes into me and asks, "Mom, why does K have the Peanut Butter?" Does K have the peanut butter? She shouldn't have the peanut butter. How did she get the peanut butter? What is she doing with it? It can't be too bad, I mean, she can't open it, can she? I start into the other room as she starts toward the kitchen. And yes, she has the peanut butter, and its open, and her hands and face are covered in it. Apparently, the kids thought it would be fun to get the peanut butter, open it and try to see if they could eat it using a watch. When that wasn't successful, they thought that the Peanut Butter was sticky enough that it might just be able to stick the watch to the wall, like a clock. So, peanut butter is all over the kids, couch, watch, walls, and dinner is on the stove, burning. When did K learn how to open the pantry, get the peanut butter out, open it and start eating. I'm going to have to keep an eye on that girl, for sure.

Camping/Canoeing Trip

For Labor Day weekend and our 8-year anniversary (yes, how romantic), we decided to go camoing at Morgan Livery in Monroe. We set up camp on Thursday night and then when we woke up on Friday, we went canoeing down the Little Miami River. It was K's first canoe trip and she handled it very well. She sat in the bottom of the canoe and then would go from side to side putting her hands in the water. C had a blast up in the front with his paddle. He would ask "Daddy, can I put my paddle in the water now?" We canoed for a couple hours and the kids were pretty beat after that. We sat around and did "camping stuff" like smores, foil dinners and skipping rocks. We woke up Saturday morning and packed up camp and came home. It was a great time and we would definitely recommend this place to anyone.
Camping Pictures

Other than that, we have been plugging along. (work, school, primary, Young Men's, etc...) Everyone is doing well and trying to enjoy the nice weather before the cold weather comes.

Can You Believe K's 2 Years Old?

Whether or not you believe it, it is true. Our little K turned 2-years old today. It seems like just yesterday we brought her home from the hospital, 4 lbs 7 oz. Not even as big as a bag of sugar. Now she is 2. Daddy's taking this one hard. His baby girl is growing up.

Thanks to the Glass side of the family, K is quickly becoming a "Princess Fanatic." We just had our little family birthday party. We had one of K's favorite dinners, Broccoli and Pasta with cheese and walnuts. Then we sat and opened all of her presents. She got plenty, and they all were some sort of princess stuff (from princess dolls to princess clothes to dress up clothes, and yes, princess panties (Thank you Grandma Glass)). After opening all of the presents and playing for a bit, we got to dig into some of Mommy's famous (thanks to Meredup) peanut butter pie. After loading the kids up with sugar, we quickly ran them upstairs and put them to bed. How mean is that? Oh well. Enjoy some of the pictures.

K's Birthday Pictures

Okay, We Are Back From The Beach

Sorry it took so long to get these downloaded. We have just been busy and haven't had the time. We had an absolute blast at the beach. I think the motto of the week was "Do a whole lot nothing, and eat a whole lot of everything." We were able to spend every day out at the beach. It rained one night, but that was while we were all inside asleep. We would go down to the beach for a couple hours in the morning before it go too hot, come back to the beachhouse (about 200 yds from the beach) and have lunch, nap or swim (your choice), dinner (together with everyone and each couple got one free night of Grandma babysitting so they could go on a date), and then relaxing or hot tubbing for the rest of the night. It is always so good for the kids to be able to spend time with family since we are not real close in proximity to any of them.

We drove down to VA on Sat and stopped at Grandma Glass' house for the night. Sun morning we woke up and went to church at the ward where Drew was baptized and were able to see some old friends. What a treat it was to be able to see the family that introduced Drew to the Gospel and all the other people that were still there. After church, we headed down to the beachhouse and got there about 3:00ish. We then spent the week "doing a whole lot of nothing, and eating a whole lot of everything." We left after dinner on Friday night and headed back up to VA to spend the next 2 nights with Granddad and Nonnie. It was so good to get to spend the day with them. C helped Granddad wash Nonnie's car and then just hung out for a while. Everyone (Zach - Stepbrother, Terra-stepsister, and Geoff-stepbrother-in-law) all came over for dinner and to hang out. We love all of them and they are so good with the kids. We are just waiting for Terra and Geoff to have some kids of their own (hint, hint). We got up Sun morning and hit the road for the long 8.5 hour journey home.

The last 2 pictures are proof as to how much fun the kids had on vacation. They were just worn out from playing non-stop for over a week. Thank you to everyone. We love all of ya. Enjoy the pics.

Beach Pictures

Off to the Beach!!

Is it bad when every one of your 3-year old son's prayers involve some sort of reference to the beach? During his quiet time today, he was "caught red-handed" packing his clothes to go to the beach. We leave on Saturday morning, and that couldn't be soon enough. He even made up a beautiful tune about the beach. It went something like "Beach, Beach, Beachie, Beach. I love the Beach. I love, love, love the Beachie Beach." He even called Grandma Glass and sang it for her. We can't wait for a week of doing absolutely nothing. Exercise will consist of the 200 yd walk to the beach from the house, the walk down the stairs to the pool in the backyard, maybe a stroll to the clubhouse, and possibly a walk down the beach to Chincoteague to see the wild horses. Sounds lovely doesn't it?? Oh, it is!!!!! We will let you know how it goes.

Here is a picture of C from the Primary Activity Day that our Ward had (Jana is the Primary Pres, so they had to go). All of the kids dressed as pioneers and had their pictures taken. Not too shabby for a boy who HATES to get his picture taken now (new phase).

Boy Scout Camp

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Here are some pictures from Boy Scout Troop 180's camp week at Camp Friedlander in Loveland, OH. Everyone had a blast and a special thanks to Barry Croker for getting everything planned. We are proud of our boys and it was a blessing to all of the leaders to be able to spend parts of the week with them. (* Parents- You should be proud too.)

More Pics from trip to VA

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Here are some more pictures from our 4th of July/Drew's Birthday/Tracie's Birthday trip to VA. We had an amazing time and can't wait to see family again NEXT WEEK at the beach.

Where has Summer Gone?

Another month has come and gone. It seems like summer just started, when in reality it is just ending. What happened to the days when summer lasted half of the year? I guess that's what I get for grwoing up in the south. We have had an eventful summer. Between visiting family in Texas, visiting family in Virginia, trips to the museum and the MetroParks, I think we have had a lot of outside time. Yet, we still have one more big trip left this summer and it involves us spending a lot of time outside. Our annual trip to the Outer Banks in NC is coming up and I can hardly wait. The kids ask me everyday, "How man days until the beach?" You'd think they were just a little excited about the prospect of a week of nothing but sun and sand. What can I say, they get it from their mama.

I love summer. I love the sun. I love sitting outside in the grass. I love grilled food. I love a hot car. I love flip flop tans on the top of your feet. I love the smell of freshly cut grass. I love the extra daylight. I love the smell of sunscreen on my kids faces. I love the squeals of kids when the ice cream truck comes running up the street. I love getting into a pool that has been warmed by the sun. I love fresh vegetables. I just love summer.

Some Pics from Our Trip to VA

Here are some of the pictures from our recent trip to VA. We have lots more, but they are all from other people's cameras. We will update soon.

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Happy Father's Day!!

Happy Father’s Day!! Today is Father’s Day and we just got the kids up from “Quiet Time.” That is definitely quite the misnomer when it comes to C. That boy can’t sit still if it were the last thing on earth. It is amazing how quickly they grow up. I look at them and just can’t believe it. Jana pointed out at Church this morning that is as old as C was when she was born. That is pretty scary. The kids gave me a CD of church music (Octapella - "Worship")and a book of stories of LDS pilots ("Supersonic Saints"). Looks pretty cool. It is a bunch of short stories.

Last night I had a really neat experience with the Scouts. We took a group of 13 boys down to the Kentucky Speedway to the NASCAR Busch Series race. It was pretty amazing, especially for a racing nut like me. We went down there to participate in the prerace ceremonies. We went out into the infield during the opening ceremonies and held this HUGE American flag. I don’t think it really impacted the boys until they were told that there were nearly 80,000 people there and another 30 million people watching on TV. After the National Anthem ended, to hear the 80,000 people screaming and cheering brought chills to my arms, even in the heat of the day. I think I got more out of the symbolism than the boys. I hope they at least got a glimpse of the blessings they have from living in this country and why we (military) do what we do. Of course, the night only got better for me. We had passes that gave us access to just about everywhere. We were parked and located in the infield, right by the garages, but had access everywhere. We were allowed to stand and walk right behind the pits (8 - 10 feet). It was awesome to see the intricacies of what happenes there. We were able to touch the tires just as they are coming off the cars and feel the heat. The pit crews would give the boys the lug nuts right off of the car, still smoking and hot. What a wonderful opportunity. I hope the boys realize what a blessing it was for them to be able to go around where they did. We were invited back to the Indy Car race and the Truck race later this summer. I will have to see what kind of interest the boys have. I know I would love to go back.

Busy, Busy, Busy

It seems that the last week or so has been extremly busy around our house. We have managed to build and plant a garden. Hopefully this summer we will have a little bit better luck than last year. I was also able to paint the master bathroom. Now, to some of you, you might be thinking no big deal. But, it was easier said than done. I tried, for the first time, a faux finish. This required paining a base coat, waiting two days and then applying the finishing coat. Well, the finishing coat took about 4 times longer than the base coat to actually paint, so it was spread out over a number of days. So, after having the bathroom in shambles for about a week, it is finally done, tape gone, and put back together. I have to admit, I kind of like it. Not sure that I will do it again, as it was way too much work for one little room, but it is a different look and I think that it looks really nice. Drew really likes it. He didn't think that he would, but after seeing it completed he says it looks really good. I have learned a little bit about faux finishing. The next time I do it, it will not be a bathroom, and it will probably just be one accent wall in a room. It looks good, its just a lot of work. The other big thing from this last week was we bought a new car! Its a 2007 Honda Odyssey. I never thought that I would drive a mini van. In fact, I resisted for a long time. But, when it came down to it, it was just more practical than the other vehicles out there. So, we made the plunge. I have been driving it for about 3 days now, and I have found that I really like it. I like sitting up higher, I like all of the features, I like the smoother and quiter ride, I just really like it. And the kids like it too. C likes to tell everyone to come see our new mini van. The first couple of days he kept asking if we were going to keep it because he really wanted to. And I still find him trying to get into it without permission when he is supposed to be doing other things. All of the extra room that a bigger vehicle provides will be really nice as we travel this summer. We will post pictures as soon as we get some taken.

It's Finally Warming Up!

Okay, its the end of April and its finally warming up around here. Hooray! It seems that winter just kept holding out for one more day, or even one more week. This last little while has been really busy for us around here. Drew was able to finish the framework on the basement and has started in on the electrical. He is going to start classes toward his masters tomorrow, so progress will probably slow a little bit.
Easter was wonderful. Thie kids really enjoyed being able to hunt for Easter Eggs. It was an indoor event due to the snow outside, but it was still really fun. In the middle of April we had Grandma Glass and Tracie and Lillie come to visit. We went out to Dresden, OH (home of Longaberger baskets) and did some shopping. Jana was able to weave a basket with Grandma and Tracie and Lillie. It was a lot of fun and a great learning experience. After Dresden, we all came back to Dayton for a day or so before family had to leave to go home. It was wonderful having family come to visit. We are really excited for warmer weather. C and K both take every advantage that they can to go outside to play. They really love playing with each other. K has started walking, finally! It took a while, but once she started, there is no stopping her. She has become a pro in the last few weeks.

Grandma's Visit

It has been a while, but nothing too exciting has been going on. We have kind if been trudging along. Drew has been spending all of his spare time working on finishing the basement. It is going pretty well. Though this is the first major project, it is going pretty flawlessly. We have done a lot of reading and studying on how to do it all and are taking it slow enough that we are not messing anything up. We are hoping that in the next month and a half, before Drew starts school that we can have most of it done. We are probably going to have someone come in and do the electrical, but we are doing everything else.

Grandma Glass was in town this weekend. She was in Columbus for a meeting last week and decided to come over on Thursday night and stay until Sunday afternoon, when we had to take her to the airport to fly back home. The kids loved having her here. They don't get a whole lot of opportunity to spend time with family, so they love it when they do. Grandma loves to spoil them too, so that doesn't hurt. Jana went out of town to St louis on Friday night and is coming back tonight (Sunday). Grandma helped Drew with the kids so he could even get some work done on the basement yesterday. We didn't do anything really big this weekend with Grandma, but it was just fun to sit around and play.

Now This Is Snow!!

Well, we thought we had gotten some snow with that storm a couple weeeks ago, but we were just getting prepared for this past week. The cold weather started on Monday with the windchills in the negative 20's. Monday night, the snow started. It snowed fo about 12 hours or so and then it turned into freezing rain for a couple hours. After that, it turned back to snow. Overall, we got about 8-10 inches of snow with somewhere between 1/2 - 3/4 inch of ice.

The base was closed and so I didn't have to go to work on Tuesday or Wednesday. I think we were all starting to get a little Cabin Fever by Wed morning. C really wanted to go outside and play, so eventually, after many hors of snow-blowing and shoveling, we went outside for a little while. We went over to the hill in the culdesac and went sledding and then built a snow fort. Both kids surprisingly loved the snow. They did not want to go back in the house. When Daddy's face started hurting, we decided it was time to go in. So, the kids had a blast and Dad got quite the back workout from shoveling snow and ice. Mommy had a good time just getting a little break from the day-to-day routine of watching the kids all day while I go to work. Overall, I think everyone had a lot of fun. We are in Roanoke this weekend visiting with Grandma, Amy, Layne and Dale. We came to see Meredith swim in a meet at Radford and also to visit with my Great-Uncle James and Great-Aunt Leta.

Sledding

We got about six inches of snow yesterday, so Daddy got off work early. We were very ill-prepared and so Daddy had to go to the store to buy a sled. We all went over to the big hill near the house and sledded for an hour or so. C surprised us. He is not usually the "daredevil" type, but he could not get enough of it. He kicked Daddy off after the first trip and it was all flying solo after that. K enjoyed it, but was a little more indifferent to the whole experience. All day today, C has been begging to go outside and play. He has been out to play like 4 times and can't get enough. He loves making snow angels and he even made his first snowman (not too impressive since the snow is very powdery and not good to pack tight). Daddy got home from the gym, worn out, and C put on the "Please Daddy" eyes and so we went out and played some more. Luckily the stomach grumbling and the smell of dinner beckoned us in.

Let's Boogie!

It's been an interesting week. The average high around here has been around 20 degrees. Today's high is 8 degrees. The windchill is -15 degrees. I wouldn't mind the cold if there was a good accumulation of snow to be able to play in, but it has been snowing for a week now and not a lick of accumulation. Oh well, hopefully we'll get some later this week. They are calling for some.
The other day we were sitting around listening to the radio, when I put in the Cherry Poppin Daddies CD, "Zoot Suit Riot", and C started his spaztic dancing. K was jamming too. We were able to get a couple of videos of it, but we can't post them. Write us a comment and we will send them to you. We hope you enjoy them. These kids are so much fun, that the fun times far outweigh the trying times.

Our First Snow (21 Jan 07)

As most of you know, C was able to fill out his Potty Training Chart, which required 35 days without an accident. His chosen reward was to go to Chuck E Cheese, so we did on Monday. Both kids had a blast and after 3 hours, we finally had to drag the family out of there and go home to bed.

We got about 4 inches of snow this morning. It was the first significant snowfall of the year. After we pulled into the garage from church, Daddy "accidentally" dropped C in the snow, so we made some snow angels and threw some snowballs (Yes, in our church clothes). We are forecasted to get another big storm with several more inches on Wed and so we will probably have some pictures of snowmen and the sort later on. Take care of yourselves. We love you all and miss you.