Maiden Voyage

For the last few years, Kevin has had a real itch to aquire a couple of kayaks. Knowing that he may not always have the ability to pro-form the gear (which is the only way we can really afford it) we decided to go for it this year. This week all of the gear finally came in and we have been excited to take them out. We decided to try them out on the little lake at Liberty Park last night and we are happy to report that they float. Henry had a great time riding shotgun with Dad.

Before we get out on some real moving water, we decided it might be wise to get some instruction so we have signed up for a beginning whitewater kayak course through the Jewish Community Center up at the U. It's a five week course that takes you through the basics of kayaking, including the roll. Should be interesting...

Hopefully I will have some interesting pictures to post of our kayak adventures in the next couple of years.

Nine Years...

Today, April 17th, Kevin and I have officially been married for nine years. Doesn't feel like nine years. We already celebrated by staying at our favorite place up in Midway, the Johnson Mill Bed and Breakfast. I am very grateful for my nine years with Kevin. He is a good man, and most women will tell you that a good man is hard to find. In honor of our nine years together I have made a "Top Nine" list of the reasons that I love Kevin:

9. He makes me laugh everyday
8. He is RARELY grumpy
7. He is a loving father and far more patient than I am
6. He knows how important my family is to me and he supports my frequent trips to California to visit
5. He is a hard worker
4. He can fix anything
3. He has great taste in music...he introduced me to most of my favorite artists
2. He oozes talent
1. He is the coziest Manly-man ever

Thanks, Kev for everything. Here's to nine under our belt and many more to come. Spending my life with you has been the greatest gift anyone could have given me.

Frank Caliendo

Saturday night we saw comedian and master impressionist, Frank Caliendo at Kingsbury Hall. I got tickets for Kevin for his birthday. We discovered him on Youtube and couldn't get enough. His comedy act is made up of several different characters including George Bush (our favorite), Bill Clinton, John Madden, Al Pacino, and Charles Barkley. The man is amazing and we were impressed with how clean his show was. There wasn't one foul word or distasteful topic and he had the crowd busting a gut. In case you want to check him out, here are a couple of links for him on YouTube. It's a great time if you need a laugh and he really is worth seeing if he is in town. Thanks to Rich and Kristl for watching Henry so that we could go :)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FLhQHeyOrnY&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P52bmJXYQPQ&feature=related

10 hours in the car one-way? Worth it!

Henry and I, along with Colton, Buffy's oldest, officially took a Spring break this year and headed to California to spend time with the fam. We opted to drive so that Colton could come with us. The boys were fantastic in the car and I am ready to snatch Colton from Buffy so that he can be Henry's big brother. He is so patient and tender with little ones and was my right hand in the car with Henry.

While in California we opted against the beach due to a windy forecast and instead spent the day at the LA Zoo. The highlights at the zoo included a newborn giraffe, a hippo, a bear, an elephant, and some chimps that obviously did not know or care that they had an audience. We had a little explaining to do to the boys. Yikes! This day was extra special because Aunt Shelby (above wtih Henry) was able to take a break from her grueling nursing school schedule and go with us. The boys LOVE Shelby and she is so cute with them.

I rented a stroller thinking that Henry might get tired from all of the walking but I couldn't have been more wrong. Henry never wore out while the BIG boys spent most of the time in the stroller. And let me tell you those hills weren't easy with more than 100 lbs in the stroller!

Colton also let us all know that his birthday was coming and that he would love to have a surprise birthday party while he was there. We surprised him with silly string (below). He even asked Nana what day she would be throwing it. We did manage to surprise him at the park with a party and we had a good time playing some games, eating ice cream cone cupcakes, and shivering (it was windy and cold that day!)

We spent an afternoon at John's Incredible Pizza in Bakersfield (a less cheezy version of Chuck E. Cheese that includes a go-kart track, fun!) The picture below is of Henry and Max on some sort of Puff the Magic Dragon ride.

One of the best parts of our trip was getting to see the FAVORITE Aunt Crabby and our very good friend Dana. (See picture below, left to right, Colton, Dana, Crabby.) I have corresponded so much with Dana via e-mail that it was so nice to actually get to spend some real time with her and get to know her better. It was also so fun to see Crabby. We got a sitter Friday night and went to Bakersfield to hit Target and TJ Maxx and have dinner at Coconut Joes with Dana, Crabby, Becky and Ann. So fun! I wish we had more time. All in all it was a fantastic trip and it was just what the doctor ordered. But after all, isn't visitng Mom always just what the doctor ordered?

Easter, Part 2 in California

This year Henry and I spent Easter in California with Nana and Papa and Molly and her family. We spent Saturday afternoon doing an Egg hunt and then making Resurrection cookies with the boys. The boys helped make the cookies and while making the cookies we talked about Christ and some of the symbolism the ingredients held. We then put the cookies in a warm oven and "sealed" the oven the way the tomb was sealed. On Easter morning (before the Easter bunny left baskets) we opened the oven to find that the cookies were hollow (empty), just like the tomb. While Henry probably didn't dial into correlation between the cookies and the Resurrection, the other boys did and I enjoyed a fun activity that was centered on the reason we celebrate Easter. Below are some pictures of the boys sealing the oven and eating the cookies and then the baskets that the Easter bunny left Easter morning. It was nice to spend a holiday with Nana and Papa since we don't get to celebrate too many with them anymore.

Happy Birthday Kevin and Henry

I am a little bit late in getting this posted, but oh well. I was holding out for a picture of Henry on his big-boy birthday two-wheeler bike , but the camera was never handy when he was riding. We had a great birthday weekend. Kevin turned 31 on Saturday the 15th. Henry wanted nothing more than to give Dad balloons for his birthday so we bought him a balloon bouquet and some bagels for the guys at the shop and surprised him at work. That night Kevin and I celebrated by getting a sitter and seeing the movie Vantage Point. I also gave him tickets for us to see Frank Caliendo. He is a comedian who does brilliant impressions.

Henry's birthday was on Monday, the 17th. We celebrated that night with cake and ice cream. Henry wanted a race car cake so I made my first designer birthday cake and it was a moderate success. Luckily 3 year olds don't have a real discerning eye.

The Birthday Gang below consists of (Left to right) Abby Nelson, Kristl Nelson, Mom, Henry, Rich Nelson (the Nelsons are close friends), Tylar Gregory (best friend down the street) and his mom, Tanya Pawloski. The birthday party was about as simple as they come, but we were surrounded by good friends and that is the best gift of all.