How Many Kings...by Downhere

Here's a new Christmas song I heard recently and enjoyed.

What do you do when you're...

SNOWED IN??!! Well...you could: get dressed up in your puffiest snow suits and embrace the winter experience, play a rousing game of Apples to Apples with your family, decorate the snow-covered cars (that is Kurt's artwork featured here), model your hip snow boots (dad), and of course there's the ever popular shoveling the drive. If you want to speed the process up without the expense of hiring it out, try using your mower. Leave it to Dad to think of that. It was a great couple of days hanging out at home and relaxing...no schedules...no finals....nothing. Ahhhh.

Happy Birthday Kait!

I first want to apologize for the recent lag in posting. I'm sure my negligence is costing me some votes on Kurt's poll right now.:) But I do have a good excuse. This is finals week for me...and I probably shouldn't be posting right now...but I'll call it a study break, even though I haven't studied yet today.

That being said, I have no doubt that this post will put us back in the "best blog" running.:) Yes, I realize Kaitlin's birthday was October 22nd, but I am just now getting around to posting the pictures of her swingin' party. Pathetic, I know...especially because it was a really great night and very post-worthy.

We first toured the Lilly House and gardens. It's a beautiful historic estate house and grounds previously owned by the Eli Lilly family and is now next to the IMA (Indy Art Museum) and open to the public. Bryan and I brought Kait and Janessa and met Andria there. That night they had pumpkins out and people reading spooky Poe poetry throughout the house for Halloween. After that loveliness, we headed into the museum to see the Christian Dior display...you'll see some of his dresses in the slide show. (It's a little dim because flashes aren't allowed in the museum) For those of you in the area who haven't ever visited the IMA or the grounds, you should definitely do so. It's very well done and a lot of fun to walk through...particularly the Dior room. (Though that isn't Bryan's favorite display, and I have now made him see it twice):) Kaitlin (The Birthday girl) loved it though, and that's all that matters. I think Andria also got some sewing inspiration.:) When we were done there we had dinner at the Cheesecake Factory (as per Kait's request) and finished the night off with some pumpkin cheesecake...decorated for her birthday of course. I had too many pictures to post them like normal so I hope you enjoy the slide show...

Ben Harper - Fight Outta You

This is for all my boys out there who are doing something great with their lives.

-Bryan

Some Christmas Spirit

Bryan and I don't have a tree this year...and I'm not sure where we would put one if we did. However, I'm still having fun making the house at least a little festive.:) My goal is to decorate without buying anything new (working on my budgeting skills)...and so far so good. But don't worry, I won't go QUITE so cheaply on Christmas gifts.:)

Winter Wonderland...

Isn't it such fun waking up to this? First snowfalls are always exciting. (especially when you have to get out and drive) :)

This is the tree that hangs over our back yard...so pretty.

Lovely shot of the pier...

I forgot to include this oh-so-pretty picture with the rest...so now it gets a post all to itself.

Grand Haven, MI

I was going through my files of pictures and found some of the family mini-vacation we had together over Labor Day weekend. I can't believe I haven't already posted about this because as you can see, it was a pretty good time. A lot of sand volleyball (make sure to laugh at Bryan's funny volleyball face), sand bocce ball (which is surprisingly difficult), sand Euchre, and sand...sitting around...yep, a good time. It makes me miss the warm days. I recommend going to Michigan anytime you have a few days to kill. Oh, we also got our Christmas picture taken care of while we were there. It's always nice to avoid the poses next to the front door or the mantle or some other equally uninteresting place. (No offense if that's where any of you took yours) :)

Wishing you all...

A VERY WONDERFUL THANKSGIVING!


And to make it even better, I've included this little comic for you...

A Confession

Maybe some of you have noticed that moms usually end up blogging mostly about their kids. Not that anyone can blame them...I mean, they're cute and funny and are always doing weird things. But after reviewing my recent blog entries, I've had a startling thought...I myself have begun to take OTHER people's kids and use them for MY blog posts!

I know...it was a shocking realization for me too. I'm not sure why this has been happening. I have a VERY interesting life and plenty to blog about without needing help from outside sources. (I will resist the urge to place blame on Bryan's lack of support after my recent attempt to express myself through the whole ice skating bit) So, after this moment of reflection, I have decided that it is time to start fully exploring the depths of my own life and really search out the meaningfulness that deserves to be shared with the world.

Though Bryan and I don't have any kids of our own, I feel that families are made of more than only a husband, wife, and children. (I'm sure the overabundance of dog-owners in Broad Ripple would agree with me on this) So to kick off this self-discovery process, I would like to proudly introduce you to the two newest members of OUR family...

The many faces of Luca

I was missing Luke, Jen and Luca when I found their file of pictures for this year's Christmas card. Though they may be the "rejects" of the photo shoot, some of these pictures of Luca are just too funny not to be seen. (Sorry Jen, I probably should have checked with you first) If our family is any indication, getting a good Christmas picture doesn't get any easier over the years!:) This post really doesn't fairly represent Luca though. All things considered, he really did do a great job cooperating...and of course being beautiful and photogenic generally works in his favor as well.

Play Group for Jenny

Here's a picture of some of the kids that came to the play group we had for Jenny while they were here. Notice that Luca is not among them.:) She decided to leave him home with mom and come to the "play group" by herself. Though they try to pretend otherwise, what we have here is hard proof that play groups are more for the moms than anything else.:)

Winter is on its way....

I just wanted to make the announcement that this morning I saw my very first snowflakes of the season. Sigh...I'm not quite ready for the dark and blizzardy days of winter. Especially because I'll be awake and driving to W. Lafayette when everyone should be snuggling in their warm beds.

But hey...at least there's Christmas!

The Gene Keady Look-Alike Contest

There's not much that needs to be said here...except that I think that Jude definitely does a superior job at pulling off the comb-over. We should laugh while we can because when he gets older Jude might not appreciate such things quite as much as we do.:)

What goes on...

I took this video the last time Noah and Adrian were at our house. For some reason, they have started this after dinner ritual of running in hyper-mode back and forth through our living room from the front door to the rug. I'm not sure why this is fun to them, but I'm glad they enjoy being here. This particular evening, they had the addition of a musical accompaniment...which resulted in some pretty impressive dance moves. Unfortunately none of them were caught on camera and all we have here is some not-quite-as-impressive bouncing.

About the last post

This opinion does not necessarily represent the views of both parties in this relationship.
- Bryan

Ice Skating Montage

As dorky as it may be, I found this and decided to post it for anyone else like me who loves watching the ice skating during winter Olympics.:) (Especially since the next winter Olympics aren't until 2010!)

Plus, this song is incredible! It could be worth a post on its own. Turn it up really loud and you just might get goosebumps.:)

An Autumn Walk

What a beautiful fall day! Luke, Jenny and Luca are visiting for the week so we were able to take the Florida baby on a crisp and colorful Indiana walk. It was about 35 degrees out today but don't worry, we bundled him up.:) Surprisingly, he seemed to enjoy it...not to mention that he made a very cute little papoose.

A little inspiration for the day

If you haven't watched my newest video clip yet, then you definitely should. (it's the middle one under the features) This guy is amazing. His name is Nick Vujicic and his ministery is called "Life Without Limbs". His story is an incredible example of the fact that when we are weak, He is strong. It's also a good reminder that our lives really aren't that challenging compared to so many others! There are a lot of other good clips online of some of Nick's talks around the world, so you should check them out too.

**note to Ann: this is the video I was warning you about. I promise I did not put this on here just to freak you out. :) if you can overcome your phobia, I think you'd like it.

Back Yard Chaos

As promised...another fun project. Luke Schafer graciously agreed to help jackhammer the ugly cement pad that we have been hoping to remove. It turned out to be a little bit more of a challenge than we had bargained for. This cement was about 8 inches thick (Not including the layer of rock on the bottom) and I'm pretty sure that it could have survived a nuclear bomb. Of course it was no match for the combined powers of Luke and Bryan. The video and pictures don't really capture the pain and torment that these studs went through, but maybe it will give you an idea. I also wanted you guys to see what our back yard currently looks like. It's nice...it's kind of like our own little rock garden.:) Noah and Adrian are having fun climbing around on it, and I think a family of chipmunks has decided to use it for some kind of fortress. Our next challenge: disposing of the mountain of rubble.

The "New" House

We are SLOWLY making progress on the house. I have been putting off posting any pictures because I wanted to get things all finished and looking good first (Sorry Jenny)…but then I realized that I would probably be waiting for quite a while.:) So here are a few pictures so far…I’ll post more as new projects are finished so you too can enjoy the laborious (yet rewarding) process of living in a tiny 1930 Broad Ripple house.:)

Happy Birthday, Bryan!

Hey everybody, Bryan's 24th birthday is in 11 days! I just wanted you all to know so you could surprise him with a phone call, a card, a small gift...or a big gift...like maybe some money. I mean, why not? Bryan's a great guy, and what better time to show him then on his birthday.:)

No, no, of course I am only joking. Your friendship is gift enough and we love you all!

By the way, if anyone has any great ideas for what to do for a first birthday after marriage, let me know.:)

Help! :)

I'm currently working on painting pretty much every surface in our new house, so I wanted everyone to know that anytime you would like to drop by, you are most definitely welcome...I'll have a paintbrush ready for you.:) No, I'm kidding. You can stop by anytime, even if you're only interested in giving moral support.

Hooray!

Here's a snappy pic of our newest E-bay purchase!:) Bryan and I have been learning how to share one car, and although it has been a rewarding experience...it's definitely time for Bryan to get his own set of wheels.:) The bad news is that the car is from Texas...the good news is that Luke's brother has graciously agreed to drive it to Indiana for us! Three cheers for Caleb! It's a used Passat so please pray that it gets him here in one piece.:)

Lake Wawasee

The most recent excitement in our lives is probably our trip to the lake with Kaitlin this weekend. We spent a fun-filled day watching the rain, doing homework and...that's pretty much it. Maybe next time we'll actually take a ride in the boat or something. :) No, it was actually very cool and we had some great bonding time....Thank you Kaitlin for taking time out of your busy schedule to bless us with your presence.:) (Sorry I have no real pictures)