Happy 2nd Birthday Tyler

Believe it or not my little boy is 2 years old today. I absolutely cannot believe it, where did those 2 years ago. It is hard to believe that he is not a baby anymore, he is now a toddler.
I have been telling myself that I am going to write a letter to each of the kids on their birthdays so that one day they can look back and read them, so that is what I am going to do right here on our blog, so read on if you wish!

Dear handsome boy-
Today at 3:39pm you turned 2 years old. It is amazing to me to look back over this past year and see how much you have changed. You have literally gone from a baby, who was barely walking a year ago to a little boy who now runs and jumps around our house doing anything possible to get other people to laugh at you. Right now you are in the "monkey see, monkey do" phase, you follow Allison, Rachel, Jacob and Abby everywhere they go and try and do and say exactly what they are. Rachel has taught you how to climb up on the coffee table and jump from there to the couch, which you think is just way too much fun. You love to play with cars, balls, legos (your daddy just got out the legos he just to play with as a kid and you will actually sit and try to build things with him), trains and anything else the kids might be playing with which does include barbies at times. You love to color and be outside. You will get on your little push bike and start at the top of our driveway and give yourself a few pushes and put your feet up and ride down into the street, yes your parents do let you play in the street or otherwise known as the cult-d-sac :) One of my favorite things to watch you do is play light saber with Jacob Callender, even though I end up getting light sabered at times. Right now the only TV shows you really like to watch is Dora the Explorer and the Doodlebops. This is really the only time you will sit for any amount of time unless you are on your mommy's lap.
Speaking of your mommy, you love for me to hold you. If it was up to you you would probably spend most of your day in my arms. You give me the best hugs and kisses. I would have to say at this point you prefer your mommy over just about anyone. I have to tell you buddy I was a little nervous about having a boy. I wasn't sure what it would be like, I knew what girls were like but what would I do with a boy? I always heard people say that sons have a special place in their mother's hearts and I now know that is true. You bring us so much joy and we cannot imagine our lives without your smile and big brown eyes. You are such a lovable little guy and I am going to take every hug and kiss I can get because some day I know I will be replaced.
As you continue to grow from a little boy into a big boy I pray that God will continue to keep you safe. I pray that you will follow God all the days of your life with reckless abandon and chase your dreams, but always know the road that will lead you home again. I know God has designed with you do great things for Him and your dad and I will do everything in our power to help you along the way. I am so excited to watch you grow from a little boy to a young boy, from a young boy to a young man, and from a young man into an adult. We have a lot of good memories ahead of us.
I love you Tyler Ryan with all my heart!

My Thumb Is a Little Green

There's just something different about lawncare in the late fall. The air is crisp, the leaves are starting to show up on the lawn and the rainy days make the grass grow faster and greener than in the hot months. As you make each pass, the leaves get mulched, the green gets greener and it starts to feel like a soft new carpet.

I typically do NOT look forward to coming home and doing the lawn but every once and a while...

I'm My Own Diva

Rachel as taken up high fashion and definitely has it nailed in this pose. Notice how the pink in the bathing suit matches the pink in the boots? It's called accessorizing and it's all the rage in London right now.

I was in the middle of mowing the lawn when she walked out and couldn't help but stop and admire her taste in dress. Nice shot Tammy - we'll save it for her first boyfriend...

Bond With Me Or Else!!!

So this weekend I had the opportunity to spend some serious time with my kids. Tammy was away with the "girls" in Chi-town (I hear what happens in the Windy City stays in the Windy City...)

So I did what any good father would do and filled the weekend up with stuff to do. Saturday we had a full house with the Callender kids, Grandma and Grandpa McMullen, Lori, Brian, Cheyenne and Tanner. We had a late lunch and the kids played like crazy. Then it was dinner for my three and the Callender two and off to church. After that the guys came over for beer and poker (actually much more tame than that since we had 7 kids to watch).

But we were able to talk about deep subjects and share intimate thoughts and feelings about stuff like sports, computers and portable devices...

Tyler went down around 11:00, Rachel at 11:55 and Allison after Midnight...go ahead and call CPS - they won't do anything :)

Sunday dawned just early enough to get breakfast in before Fred stopped by to chat and Grandpa McMullen came back to help rid our yard of a fallen tree. We split, stacked and moved wood from 1 until 4 as Tyler slept and the girls played in the yard.

[oh my aching back...]

The "girls" got home in time to head to Lifeline and Tammy was nice enough to take the kids so I could take a shower and clean the house.

Oh, and I was able to catch the last quarter of the Denver vs. KC game (Broncos by 3 in OT)

Life is good!

Fall Weather and the Beach

Cheyenne and Rachel decided to sit on the park swing and discuss the finer points of metaphysics and the impact it has on global warming and other environmental issues.

Tanner and Allison decided to dig for the skeletal remains of Trilobites from the Paleozoic period to take to their paleontology class next week.

Tammy and Tyler decided to lay off the academic stuff and just chill in the field tent.

We spent the afternoon at the beach and had a great time. It was chilly but that didn't stop the kids from tearing up the play area, getting wet, finding cool rocks and getting sand in places sand shouldn't be.

Might be the last trip to the beach this year so we enjoyed it!

Times They Are Changing

I've been slow in getting this news out and I'm not sure why.

Sure I've been busy. Sure it's been a time of transition. But come on - this is great news! So I finally got around to posting about it on the family blog.

Last week I left the world of mental health after over 10 years of service. I have done everything from juvenile justice, to case management, to therapy to supervision/management. I've worked at more than 5 facilities and met numerous professionals - some that challenged and encouraged and some that made me question my career choice.

Over the past week I have looked back with both sadness and joy. Sadness at the thought of leaving a field desperate for good workers. But joy in knowing that I was there to give as long as I could and that others will be there to fill in the gap.

So what will I be doing now?

Well, for the past two years I have been volunteering my time at Granger Community Church in the web communications department. An hour here and twenty hours there to help keep the websites up, running and looking their best. But over time this slowly turned into a position that would at some point be created to ensure the health of the web presence for the future.

And last month that position finally became a reality. I will now be serving in full time ministry as Web Director at the church.

It's strange to look back and see God in the process. He literally had His hands in everything I did from the jobs I took to the hobbies and interests I developed.

I can't wait to see what He has planned in the next leg of the journey...

[You can follow along with me by subscribing to the WebDrivenChurch blog]

Catch a Wave Man!

Finally did some simple video editing on clips from the waterpark. Here is Tyler going down a slide and the girls getting to surf with one of the waterpark staff members. They loved it even though it looked pretty intense.

Warning...if you're using dial-up you might be in for a long wait...

First Day On The Bus

Out the door we go, ready for the bus.

Waiting in the rain for the bus.

On the bus and off to school.

We all survived her first day on the bus. I knew she would be fine, but it was still really hard to put my little girl on the bus, and boy was it a packed bus. I surprised myself and got through the whole thing without crying, but I couldn't stop thinking about her. She said she made friends on the bus and is ready to go tomorrow. I think she handled it better than I did.

I'm Not Ready For This

Today was Allison's first day of Kindergarten and I cannot believe it. I still cannot believe she is old enough to go to Kindergarten, where has the time gone? What happened to my little 5 pound 6 ounce girl? It just does not seem possible to me that she is now going to school.

We went to the Back to School picnic last night at Mary Frank and found out that not only are her and Abby Callender in the same class, but they are sitting across the table from each other. Becky and I decided to not warn their teacher at this point and see what happens. It should make for a fun year for both of them. They have gone to the same preschool for 2 years but were never in the same class.

Today she only went to school for an hour. I took her in and attended a meeting while she was in her class for an hour, tomorrow is the big day! Tomorrow morning at 7:35am she will be getting on the bus for the first time, this I am NOT ready for. I still cannot imagine putting my little girl on a bus. She really isn't old enough for this is she? She is not nervous at all and when I asked her tonight what she would do if she got to school and did not know where to go, she looked at me with that "duh mom" look on her face and said I will just ask a teacher. Okay so I guess she is ready to go to school. This just feels like the beginning of the end, my little girl is growing up.

One thing I do know is that these guys, especially Rachel, sure are going to miss Allison while she is at school.

Happy Birthday Jami

This is a picture of Jami Ruth, one of my best friends, and her husband Todd and son Carter. I had a hard time finding just a picture of Jami so had to use this one. Jami and I have known each other for almost 6 years now. I met Jami becuase of her love for Allison. Jami used to help watch the kids during New Community at church. She was in Allison's room and her and Allison quickly bonded and as Allison grew and moved rooms Jami moved with her.
To be truthful I cannot really remember when Jami and I started hanging out together. I remember talking with her about changes that were happening in their lives, but there hit a point where we became friends and seems like we have been that way forever. There are so many things about this girl that I love. She is a great listener, she stands up for what she believes in, she is always willing to help, she is fun loving, energetic, truthful, honest, and a great wife and mom. She is one of the few people I have in my life who I know I can tell anything to and who I know will always be there for me. I cannot imagine what my life would be like without her or her family in it.
You mean the world to me Jami Ruth, I love you girl!