Tin for TEN

(that's what all the websites claim is the traditional anniversary gift this year...)

This is what it looked like when it started 14 years ago:


Then 10 years ago today, it started in a whole new way...
This is what it looks like now...
Now that we've hit 10 years I think we finally have some street cred. don't ya think? I mean, who does anything for 10 years these days... let alone marriage.

10 years of marriage... just saying it sounds kind of weird. So in 10 years what's happened? As Daddio so aptly put it on my FB page...

five home addresses
three little boys
four new jobs
thousands of kisses
millions of laughs

(you get the picture)
I would add... trial by fire, flyin by the seat of our pants, you and me against the world... yeah, I think that covers it :)

Now some may be interested in what we did to celebrate... my sweet, awesome, amazing husband took me to the one place I've wanted to go for YEARS!!!! SIMPLY FONDUE!!!! I'm sure there were a million other places he thought he would like better, and wouldn't have to practically take out a second mortgage on the house to cover the bill... but he made reservations for an out of the way booth just for the two of us! It was amazing... four courses (of maybe the best food EVER), a new and different glass of wine with each, and 3 hours of quiet conversation... well, it was AMAZING!

How time flies...

It's funny how we see our kids compared to how others see them... isn't it. This first picture was taken in August of 2004, just a few weeks after they came home. Here's what I saw (see) three cute little boys with floofy hair! At the time everyone else saw babies...
Right after this picture was taken, they got their first hair cuts under our parentage! Pretty much from that point on they've had short hair... very short hair. If it got long enough to brush then it was time to get another hair cut. Short boy hair is easy, and we thought/think it fit them nicely!

Well times are changing, and so we decided a while back to let it grow out a little bit... they've asked from time to time to have it a little longer so we figured, what the hay, lets try it out for a while then whack it off before Christmas pictures. Now all three have VERY different hair. Bobcat has course tight curls, Bubba has fluffy soft curls, and Snooker has straight fine hair that doesn't curl until it gets really long (mostly it just sticks out all directions). When everyone showed up for Bobcat's birthday they were so excited to see the boys hair (honestly it didn't dawn on my that anybody would make such a fuss over it)... and of course the boys picked up on the attention and I'm sure there would be an uprising at this point if we tried to take it down a level! I did try to find a better shot of them with longer hair, but this is the best I could do...

One of the comments we are getting about them is how it makes them look older... to me, when I see the floofy little heads running around here... I see are those cute little boys running round from 6 years ago... funny how things look...

Turkey Trot!

Here's our Thanksgiving morning.

We've been training for a while to run a 5K (the boys and I since June)... and we've been very close to actually doing a race for a couple months but for one reason or another we had to opt out. Thankfully yesterday that wasn't the case. We registered at the beginning of the week knowing full well there was a terrible cold front scheduled to move in that morning... but we were determined to say the least!

We were up at 5am (well, Daddio and I were) watching the news and drinking a cup of coffee, and were so relieved when the weather lady said that the front was stalled and wouldn't be here till around 9:00am... PERFECT our race started at 8:00am, we would be done before it came in, and it was currently 70 degrees, so even if it dropped a few before 9:00 it would still be really nice. The boys were up at 6:00 for their breakfast and coffee milk (yeah, we are nice on special days :-), and 6:45 we were ready to get in the car to head downtown. I went out to take care of a few thing before we left... and guess what... the front was already blowing in. OH YEAH!

Upon parking the car at the Trinity River, our car thermometer read 47 degrees... oh and did I mention the slight drizzle... NICE!! We were a little early so Andy ran down to the registration table to get us checked in while we waited in the car. Oh I should also mention that while the boys were in long running pants, Daddio and I opted for shorts (well I was wearing my running skirt... which I wish I could live in because it is so comfy with it's built in shorties)... and a light running jacket! Andy makes it back with our numbers, we pin them all on and we are starting to get hyped up about the race... car thermometer is now at 43 degrees. Oh and I mention the wind, yes the wind had picked up to a pretty fierce strength coupled with the drizzle was making for NICE conditions!!

Alright, we are dangerously close to race time... and I need to find the ladies room... which turns out to be a port-a-potty with no toilet paper... NOT NICE. Jog back up hill to the start line and get ready! The boys were excited, Daddio was excited, I was a little nervous. I hadn't had the best few weeks of training, and was really not sure I could run the whole thing which was my overall goal... that and running it in under 40 minutes! Thankfully Daddio had picked a smaller race for the metroplex... they have several Turkey Trots around town, and this one probably had about 200 runners on the start line that had the choice of a 5K or the 8mi, and based on the chatter it was about half/half for the group.

START! And we're off. The boys decided they were going to stay with Daddio's pace (about a 10-11 minute mile), but if they got tired they could fall back and finish out with me. With the smaller crowd and well marked course we felt like they could manage a few minutes until I caught up with them... thankfully that was not needed they are MACHINES! By the time I hit the 1 mile marker I could no longer see them, which was fine... I don't mind running alone, but I was having to get used to not having my music while I run. Andy told me I couldn't run with my earphones in because it was bad form in a race... thankfully the the river was pretty with the ducks and what not.

Since I was not running with the rest of my family, because they are awesomely fast, I can't really give you any insight into how they did... but as for me, I fell into a nice pace, and willed myself to NOT WALK. It was cold, and getting colder, the wind was cold and fairly biting, and then there was the drizzle. Thankfully it came in spurts so that you weren't completely saturated, but I definitely had a cold sheen on my exposed legs. What I can tell you about men happened at the turn around... apparently Bubba asked if he could run faster at some point, and Daddio gave him the go ahead thinking he would wear out and fall back in step with them... but Daddio hasn't run too much with Bubba and didn't realize the kid is an energizer bunny... so Bubba ran ahead, missed the turn around for the 5K portion and continued on the 8 mile trail. Poor Daddio and several other runners tried yelling to get his attention but he was in the ZONE! By the time Daddio spirited up and caught him and got turned around and back on track we think they ran an extra 1/4 mile! Bobcat and Snooker made the turn and made a bee line for the finish line (the turn around was naturally at the 1.5 mile portion). Daddio figured that they would stop or walk and he would catch up to them. NOT THE CASE!

Bobcat and Snooker finished the race in under 33 minutes. We aren't sure of the official time yet, it hasn't been posted but they received 2nd and 3rd place in their age bracket (and received the cutest turkey trophies you've ever seen)! When I made it to the turn around, that was when Daddio and Bubba made it back to where they got off course... and blew past me! Did I mention Bubba is MACHINE! They crossed the finish line in just under 35 minutes... impressive with the detour... but poor Bubba did not win a trophy. Trust me, for this ultra competitive kid it was heart breaking. He cried the whole way home, through the shower, and for another hour while he just laid in bed while the rest of us got ready for Thanksgiving!

As for me, I finished in 39:09 minutes... and I ran the entire way! While I certainly wasn't fast, with an average pace of a 13 minute mile, I accomplished my two goals... I ran the whole way and was under 40 minutes. No trophy for Daddio or me... but the woman I came in right behind received one, and I'm pretty sure I was in her age bracket... so I feel pretty good about my results!

So we get back to the car... and the temp is 35!

We are all ready to do another one, especially Bubba... poor kid wants to win a trophy :-).

And that was our exciting Thanksgiving morning :).

Have a lovely weekend,

Near and dear!

What's near and dear? FOOD! I like food, and as I've aged... I appreciate food more and more. I enjoy natural flavors, and am learning how to cook in a whole new way compared to the way I grew up. Now, I love the food I ate growing up, but it was sort of a simple set of meals (tasty to me, weird apparently to others, but that is another post).

While I won't claim to being a great cook, there are a few things I feel like I do well... and my confidence is growing in the kitchen... which is weird to say because I've always loved being in the kitchen and cooking, just I've always had a fear of the unknown recipe or food/spice...

Thankfully my dear husband, and his bravery with food (and nearly stainless steel stomach) pushed me to step out on the ledge once we got married. Then came kids, bravery 0 again and easy won out for a good while... falling back on my old tried and trues from growing up. Last but not least, the newest member of our little family, Celiac disease, entered the picture a few years ago and back out on the ledge I was tossed.

Truth is, it was time for a shake up... and weirdly enough (because I refuse to admit it) I was ready for a change! Out went wheat, most cans, lots of frozen things, all boxes, and little packets... in came lovely colors, fresher things, and higher grocery bills... and a need to change my thinking on how food will be cooked in my kitchen!

No, every week I'm not adventurous... I have come up with new tried and trues to make it through the days I'm uninspired (hopefully I'm not the only one who has a hard time cooking when what I'm cooking doesn't seem to be what I want... I know, add it to my list of things to offer up). Sometimes, though, I will have a rough plan for a meal and have lots of fresh things but it doesn't come together until that day... enter TODAY!

A meal we all like around here that can have a plethora of combinations is taco bowl night. The choices range from the different veggies to throw in, rice, tortilla chips... to meat, ground beef, steak of some random cut, or chicken. Tonight it will be chicken... but how to season, that is always a predicament for me. Growing up we used one thing... Tony's... and while it is GF, my family likes other flavors... oh and Tony's is really not, um, well spanish in flavor! Oh and marinading it an art form that I really am only just dipping my toes into! Do you remember that ledge? Well I'm there... we've had a crappy week... no a crappy month... well more like a crappy 6+ weeks... and I decided to take it out on my veggies...

I made up my very own marinade. No, not rocket science or a cure for cancer... but hey it smells really good :-).
I know, it doesn't look tasty now... but I assure you, I dipped a pinky in to see how it came out... I didn't work it out on paper or anything, just kind of winged it as I went!

So what's in it.... hmmmm, let's see:
1 tbs chili powder
pinch of cumin
dash of salt (big chunky salt is the way to go people)
a few twists of the pepper grinder (did I mention that this was real scientific)
1/2 orange bell pepper (it's what I had)
1/2 med white onion
2 cloves garlic
1/2 small lime juiced
1/2 small lemon juiced
1/2 cup chicken broth (that was after I noticed it was more of a paste instead of a marinade)

Chop in processor (also something that doesn't regularly see the light of day in my kitchen), dump in freezer bag along with b/s chicken... and there you have it... what seems to be a tasty way to get the chicken seasoned for taco bowls!

How to cook it? Ahhh, that's where Daddio comes in, if I smile real nice when he gets home... he will light the grill and throw them on! Otherwise I would just use my little grill pan on the stove. Alright friends, I will let you how it turns out! Have a lovely day!

I forget

Yesterday we had the privilege of attending an Adoption/Foster Care conference (our third year to attend this great ministry). I truly love going to this once a year... it is the shot in the arm you need each year to remind yourself of the family that God has called you into... not only do you get the reminder, but you learn about new techniques to help in the parenting process, new books exploring the life of an adoptive family/adoptee/race-trans racial adoption... many wonderful things to help you in this journey!

You might be asking yourself why do I need a reminder... "I mean look at your family photos all over your home, can't you see that you are clearly an adoptive family?!" No I don't forget how our family came together, what I do forget is where my children came from... I stop seeing them as children who've come from a hard place, I see them as my children... I see them as normal, our normal (which is not really normal for most people). This conference reminds me that my children didn't come from a loving womb, or where their first years were stable, safe, or secure... Instead I spend my days correcting behaviors, and lose sight of the child(ren).

I forget that I know why my children will act out in certain ways and need a certain response from us... and get angry with our extended family when we are criticized for how we do things... they don't understand... I forget that I should spend time educating them so that they can better support Daddio and me in our efforts and the boys for that matter.

I forget that 6 years really doesn't mean anything to healing the wounds of their past.

I forget to honor their birth parents for choosing life... even though I know about what they did that caused harm to my boys, at least they didn't abort my children! Praise GOD!

Because they rarely bring it up, I forget to ask them how they feel about their adoption, or their race, their birth parents/family... I forget that they may not have the words to ask, I forget that their silence may not be because they aren't interested but maybe because they don't know how or where to go with their thoughts.

I forget to thank God for our infertility... because I don't know if my boys would be my boys had we been able to conceive. And that is pretty painful to admit because for so long I carried MY infertility as such a burden, a punishment, even a curse... clearly our Heavenly Father knows better than I ever could.

So thank you Monroe Family for your adoption story, thank you God for calling them to start up the Tapestry Ministry, and for all the hard work in getting the conference up and running each year!

If you want to know more about the conference please check out these wonderful websites for resources, videoed sessions, and ministry/conference details:

www.empoweredtoconnect.org

www.tapestryconference.com/resources

Ummm, sorry

So it's been a while since I've blogged... sorry! We've been busy! Pretty much since we returned home from Florida, I had to get us back in the groove because I knew we only had two full weeks and then a half week before we would be back on the road again for another mini trip! It's camping weather... YEAH! Last week we packed up the beast and headed north... well north east I guess really... to Beavers Bend in Oklahoma! This is probably our favorite park to camp in, especially in the fall. Hiking through the mountains with the leaves all changing, it really is quite something. So here are a few pics from our trip... once I get them put into our online album I'll put a link... we got all artsy with the nature, and some are super cool!

First up, it is really nice to have a junior camera man in our family. Bobcat has gotten really good using our big SLR! We now actually have pictures of just the two of us at places... and as a friend said... proof that we were there too!
See what I mean about the trees... aren't they just lovely. And if you like finding things... you might catch a sighting of the boys way up ahead. We love our walkie talkies... the boys are familiar with the trails and can go quite a ways from us on the trail exploring, and we can hang back taking artsy pictures that annoy them when they have to wait for us :-).And this blog post wouldn't be complete without a pic of my three little bumps on a log!

Now I must go get ready for an adoption conference... oh I'm so excited! Great speakers and being surrounded by families like us is just a great way to spend a day!

RunKeeper

I'll admit one reason I could hardly wait to get my iPhone was to use one of those cool running apps that tracked everything you did! Well, I bought my phone two weeks ago... a few days before we left for Florida so I wasn't really able to look for and install and app or even use it for that matter.

Until today!!!! Yippeee, I read reviews (for several days, on several websites) and finally decided on one that was free (you can pay for the upgrade, but why for now, right?)... RunKeeper.com I used it today and am quite pleased with it. The running time is large and easy to read, and it was really cool to actually find out the distance of the park loop that we run most sessions (we guessed it was about a .5 mile... turns out it is .6).

I just wish my running muscle memory was as cool as the app... turns out that taking off two weeks for vacation, well um, made me forget how to run... well actually my lungs forgot how to work... my legs are fine.

Anyway... I will keep you posted on how I like this program. If you are using any with your smart phone, and like them... please share!

To Florida and back again.

Here we go... the boys first plane trip!

St. Augustine... the old city... this first shot is inside the visitors center.
Oldest Wooden School House!
St. Photios National Greek Orthodox Shrine... it was breathtaking!
Basilica Cathedral
Check out that sundial... at it was right!
Castillo de San Marcos... they had a canon firing demonstration!

Mission of Nombre De Dios... the actual spot of the first Mass... 55 years before the pilgrims arrived.
St. Augustin Lighthouse... 219 steps up! At the top you are at an astonishing 165 feet with a great view of the city and the ocean!

It really is a beautiful lighthouse... and still operational. If we weren't so hungry it would have been nice to stay and see it lit up!
Cocoa Beach! We made it to the Atlantic Ocean!!! This was the first time the boys and I have dipped our toes in this ocean! Naturally we had to get a shot of the awesome lifeguard stand... we don't have those at Port A!

Hey, here we go!!! A ride on the Monorail before the park opens... MK here we come!
When we first got into the park we headed straight up to the steam train to take a tour of the park. We were the first ones on, and had to head to the very back... the caboose conductor invited Bubba to be the Guest Conductor... he got to wear the hat (the whole ride) and say on the intercom "ALL ABOARD"!

My favorite float from the night parade at MK.

Just couldn't resist

Seriously, there are some days when I'm sure my kids have been given funny pills or something. They crack me up.

I was asking Bubba if there was something in particular he's had his eye on that he would like us to consider as a birthday gift (that was non-Lego's related). "A box of tops." It took me a few minutes to figure out where he was going with that... then he reminded me that at the museum he likes the station with all the tops you spin. He thinks it's loads of fun when we stand there and get all of them spinning at once. I do agree that it is a lot of fun, and could definitely keep us entertained for long periods of time (but not really something I think I can find all in one box)! Oh, and when we were at the party store a few weeks ago for Snooker's birthday he saw all the Halloween stuff... one in particular was "SUPER COOL", a kid's police uniform w/ accessories.

Bobcat decided to get in on the conversation and offered up (because he's Mr. Idea Man) that if Bubba got the uniform then Bubba could be the police man (duh!), and Snooker could be the bad guy and he (Bobcat) could help Bubba catch and arrest Snooker. This did not sit well with Snooker, to say the least! It definitely reminded me of when they were little... running around yelling there's a monster chasing us... Bubba and Bobcat in the lead... and several steps behind them was Snooker yelling in his super high pitched voice "there's a monster gonna get me"... what poor little Snooker just couldn't understand - HE WAS THE MONSTER, and didn't even know it! I know ADORABLE!!!

Somehow that morphed into Bobcat asking me if he really was growing a mustache. No seriously, this is all ONE conversation... and pretty typical in my day... I laughed and said no, I was just teasing the other day when I said that (keep in mind he is rubbing his upper lip to see if he can feel the beginning stages of a mustache). He then informed the room he just can't wait to grow a mustache, and even a beard. Bubba is havin' none of it. His take, "I'm not going to grow a mustache or a beard, I look way better with out them!"

If anyone ever recorded my day and showed it on air... the audience would think that someone had done a horrible job editing, splicing all sorts of weird things together... but in all honesty they ran the tape unedited! That's my life!

At least he's honest?

Snooker brings his work up for me to check... and after being blown away by his breath I naturally have to ask if he did in fact brush his teeth this morning after breakfast.

His response (I wish I were kidding): Yes, but I didn't do a very good job!

True... please go try again!

Priceless...

I (generally) love the way Bubba answers questions... especially when it comes to school things.

Take for instance today... he had a reading comp assignment about Pope Pius XII. It went something like this:

Bubba, why did Eugene go to law school? Because he wanted to be a priest!

Um, let's read that question again!

Moving on in the assignment...

Bubba, where does the Holy Father live? Heaven!

Right... um, I'm pretty sure they asked HOLY FATHER and not God the Father!

It's all about the car...

On the way home this evening I had an interesting conversation with Bobcat... this kid cracks me up!

Mommy, did you know that you don't have to be a grown man to buy a car?!

Oh, okay, when can you buy a car?

When you're like 16, I'm going to buy a car when I'm 16!

Alright... I like a man with a plan, how are going to buy a car? You need money, how are going to make money in order to buy a car?

Hmmm, well, I was thinking that maybe I could clean a few houses for people who really needed help with that sort of thing. Maybe I could fix things, like house things... you know like fix people's roofs and stuff, maybe fences.

Alright. Those sound like things a 16 year old might be able to do.

Or maybe I could fix cars, like tires and stuff... when somebodies tires pop, I can change it. Or like how Daddy changes his oil, I could do that for someone who can do it by themselves. Or a DOCTOR. Or maybe I could cut down a few trees and mow a yard or two.

Whoa ... back up, what did you say before the lawn and trees? I didn't catch that one (in all honesty I was thinking he might have said dog groomer).

Oh, I said DOCTOR.

Um, okay, I'm not sure you can be a doctor with in the next few years in time to make enough money for a car... but keep going...

Let's see, oh I could protect people from meat eaters (guess what we are studying in science :-), or even reptiles. Oh and I could help people who can buy stuff, they could make me a list and I could get it for them and put it away at their house.

Okay, all fine choices. So what kind of car do you think you will get with all this money you will be making?

A Ferrari.

Ha... (yes, I let it escape from my lips before I had a chance to squash the temptation).

Maybe I will get a Lambo second.

Alrighty kiddo...

And off to the next subject he jumped!

Deals! Deals!! Deals!!!

I like saving money... I like sales... I like discounts... I like it, a lot! Today was probably one of our best deal days in a while!!! Woohoo!

Daddio has been jonesing for a new dining room light. When we built the house we didn't upgrade the lighting package. We owned a few ceiling fans we really like (and had moved from apartment to apartment), and we really weren't impressed with the selections of our builder... so we decided that we would just spend our money on other things and shop around for lights we liked later on. That meant that in our dining room (eat in kitchen) we had a brass light fixture (YUCK, especially when you consider we did upgrade all the knobs and what not to brushed nickle and/or silver). Not long after we moved in we went all Trading Spaces on it by spray painting it black and putting nice little shades on the little lights. It wasn't perfect but it was way better than brass!

Since then, every time we go into a store that has lighting... he looks, we look, and then we walk out... they are either way too much $$$ or we just can't find one that is just perfect. Well, my parents got him a gift card for a home improvement store (nice birthday gift, just the kind we like)... so today (his ankle finally felt good enough to walk on) we headed out for a little field trip. And lo and behold there were actually a few lights we liked that were within our budget... one in particular was on super sale (from $130 down to $37). It seemed just right. Not too much (style wise)... rustic but not overtly... just right... until we looked around for a box with one in it. Too good to be true, at that price everyone apparently snatched them up... oh poor Daddio... ahhh look here comes people in aprons who want to help us... WHAT? ... we can purchase the display... WHAT? make you an offer... ALRIGHTY... $25!! Woohoo, SOLD!!! Since we still had plenty of money left over on the card we decided to look at the outdoor lights. This was also something that we replaced not long after we moved in (a little over 7 1/2 years ago)... but started showing their age and need to be replaced. Now we weren't so lucky on the price... but they are lovely, and Daddio found an adapter thingy that fits in the socket, then you screw the light bulb in and then flip the indoor switch... and they know to just come on at night (no more remembering to turn them off or on, especially nice when we are traveling!).

The other deal of the day... I needed a few new shirts, had a cash back card from Kohl's that was going to expire = we have a winner! I picked up 4 shirts that were on sale and at the register handed of a whopping $2.60... that's right people, you have to love clearance and sale items (and smaller sizes, yeah).

It was a good day, Tater!

The wheels on the bus go round and round!

I'm a survivor, at least that's the song that keeps playing in my head when things get tense... ;-)

Two weeks down... and the start of week three begins tomorrow! In all honesty things are going well, better than I expected actually. All three have taken to the new subjects/book quite well. A break out favorite has been Latin which I'm pleased about... the last thing you want to do is fight with your kids about a foreign language. Naturally we are having a few issues here and there (as usual), but there are so many more things to look forward to in our normal day that is seems be making our previous struggles much more manageable.

The only subject I've yet to get put into the schedule the right way (I have to have order or we will not survive) is the IEW. Hopefully in the next two weeks I will get that all ironed and be in the routine that works more smoothly!

What's the point?

Aborted babies in jars...

SICK! What's even worse is that people still defend the so called doctors who do this!

All for Snooker

I can't believe it, my little Snooker is 8 years old (yesterday). I'm sure all moms say this, or feel this way... but when I look at him I still see my little two year old... my baby of the trio. Sigh... he's no baby, though... nope, he's a big (well, big for our guys), tall, lanky boy. I'm not sure he will ever grow out of the baby giraffe movement... that just seems to be the way he handles his body... but my oh my how he's grown!

Since it was his birthday, it was birthday adventure day. Daddio took the day off, and we had the day jam packed with fun. We started off with a family run... which turned into a Daddy and boy run, while Mommy tried not to die at least a lap behind them (thanks to a migraine the day before, and all the meds... ughhh, but I digress). Next up was a yummy bacon and egg breakfast... a Daddio special! Then we were off. Snooker decided he wanted to hit the Lego store where he could browse and pick out his gift (yeah we're cool like that). Then out to lunch... and off to the surprise adventure...

Adventure Landing in Dallas is super cool... and empty during the week when school is in session... SWEET! Thursdays are $10 per person for all you can play mini golf, and laser tag, and then a handful of tokens for the arcades. We started with golf. Now, anything that the kids think would be way fun to do usually turns into a frustration for them. They are convinced that they know what they are doing, so when things aren't working the way they thought... well, little fits occur (bowling was one of these... they hated it during the event, but couldn't stop talking about how great it was later). The golfing experience finally came to a close... I would love to tell you won, but no score was kept... I managed 3 holes in one, Daddio had a few, and so did Bubba... Daddio's memory is probably better than mine so he might remember if the other two managed to get one as well.

Next up, video games. Yeah we went through those 50 tokens QUICK!

Then... LASER TAG! Oh yeah. Okay, yesterday morning I put in about 2.5 miles, the boys did a little more... somewhere in the neighborhood of 3.5 miles. Then we walked the Lego Store at the mall a number of times to find JUST THE RIGHT THING, then walking around the mini golf 18 holes... by the time we got to the laser tag my legs were feelin' a little rubbery (and the little slip on flats I was wearing certainly weren't helping the issue)... but hey it is laser tag (or Star Wars shooting if you ask the boys)... and there was plenty of running, and crouching (which I wouldn't recommend to those who would wear a knee length skirt and attempt to be modest with a black light not doing you any favors... just wear shorts, you will thank me... I learned the hard way).

And if the laser tag wasn't cool enough... oh yes, we as parents got even cooler... GO KARTS (the Jr. karts they could each drive). I know... just send the 'Parents of the Year' award now... no need to wait til January to tabulate the results!

Snooker cracked us up! Well, it was an educational experience all around. From watching them drive go karts, here's what I've learned: Bobcat will be allowed to take Drivers Ed and get a license. He was cautious, and stayed in his lane (although he will not be allowed to have a cell phone, he was constantly yelling over the noise trying to talk to his brothers... no conversatin' while you're tryin' to drive). Bubba will not be allowed behind the wheel of any motorized vehicle. The kid hit EVERYTHING the whole time! And Snooker, sweet sweet Snooker, is a speed demon. He figured out that if hung back a little and got some space in a particular portion of the track, then he could hit the gas and sling shot around the bend. Oh yes... no driving for that one until he can afford his own insurance and pay his own speeding tickets!

We hit another round of laser tag then headed off to pick up the dessert that Snooker has wanted since, who knows when (his brothers got to go with Daddio... so he's only heard of this place)... the Chocolate Factory. Yes, it is as wonderful as it sounds. They have huge apples dipped in all sorts of caramel, chocolate, toffee, cookies... then the truffles (I had a champagne truffle myself that was... AMAZING)... yeah, that took a while for little Mr. Indecisive... but he finally decided on an apple that had caramel, white chocolate, then dipped in crumbled oreo's, and a few gummy worms on top (dirt and worms).

Finally we arrived home... a long day nearly behind us... just one more thing... one more birthday gift from us.

Keva Planks! We first saw these at our local museum. He loved them (I loved them)... and every time we stop into that museum, he always asks if he can build with them... so on our last trip there Daddio slipped away to the gift shop and bought the biggest box of them they had! Needless to say, he was overjoyed when he opened it.

After some building time... we were all off to bed...

And this morning... RUBBER LEGS, lots of building, and one happy boy!

First day photo!

Looking backwards...

2007 The first year all three where schooling... Snooker was finally in kindergarten!

2006 Bobcat and Bubba (with a Snooker who desperately wanted in on it)

2005 Just the Bobcat!