Thursday, April 29, 2010
Comic Book Artist
Mark decided to write and illustrate a comic book. Then he came to me with a list of lumber and supplies, asking to build a stand of some sort and copies of his comic book so he could sit at the end of the driveway and sell his comic book. No, he's not ambitious or anything:) So we compromised and scanned his comic book for all to enjoy.
Saturday, April 24, 2010
What Happens In A Month?
Recognizing how busy our lives are becoming will help us keep things in check. Although we haven't found time to blog lately, we're enjoying lots of family time. And that's what really matters. But we thoroughly enjoy blogging because this is our family journal. So I'm making time on this rainy Saturday morning to share what has happened over the past few weeks.
James' birthday was March 30. He turned 7...and boy has he grown up lately. He's learning to control his emotions and he's excited to get baptized next year. Speaking of baptisms, we got to visit cousins in Northern Virginia a couple weeks ago for Alyssa's baptism. We didn't take our camera...but it was a great visit.
James' birthday was March 30. He turned 7...and boy has he grown up lately. He's learning to control his emotions and he's excited to get baptized next year. Speaking of baptisms, we got to visit cousins in Northern Virginia a couple weeks ago for Alyssa's baptism. We didn't take our camera...but it was a great visit.
James absolutely loves hats. I can't wait to visit him when he's 30 and see his hat collection. Happy birthday, James!
For April Fool's, I stayed home from work and surprised the kids with a day of bowling. How cute are they in bowling shoes?!? One round of bowling for everyone took nearly two hours.
It will be a while before we go bowling again...maybe when they're all teenagers. But it was a fun experience.
And it's been a while since we posted a picture of Eliza. She is 7 months old now. And she seems to be staying a "baby" a little longer than the others...which we're totally ok with. :) We call her our lazy baby and we enjoy watching her develop in what seems like slow motion.
Mark earned his bear badge in cub scouts on April 14th. He has become close friends with Steven and Alex.
Last weekend we headed to Kentucky to enjoy the Opening Ceremonies for the Kentucky Derby that will be held on May 1st. And how can you visit Kentucky without going to a horse park?!? So we did.
Oh my goodness!!! Is this actually a picture of the whole family?!? Actually...it's not. 'Cuz you can't see Eliza in the stroller. But it's close. Sorry for the teaser. :)
And what else would you see at a horse park than beautiful horses? The painted horse was one of my personal favorites. And after the allergies hit from all the dust and horses...that's saying a lot...because after the visit, I was no longer a big fan of horses. :)
The Arabian horse was another beautiful breed. Probably, in part, because it was in the traditional tack. There were many other breeds...but since we're catching up on a month, I had to be very selective in the pictures.
The whole reason for going to Kentucky was to experience Thunder Over Louisville. It's the official kick-off for the Kentucky Derby festivities. Downtown Louisville along the Ohio River, Thunder Over Louisville presents a 6-hour air show and boasts the largest annual pyrotechnics display in North America. And, despite the chill of the April evening, they didn't disappoint.
We saw all sorts of aircraft--but I'm not an aircraft buff so I don't really know how to describe them. :) But there were bombers and choppers and civilian aircraft and parachuters and traditional air show stuff. It was all very cool.
One of the cooler acts was after sunset. A plane displayed its very own fireworks show from what appeared to be its wingtips. And it wasn't just a one-and-done type act. This plane flew around for a solid 5-10 minutes with fireworks. It was an amazing sight. Grandma and Grandpa Christensen drove from St. Louis to meet us there. In the picture below, you can see all the boats in the river. It's a huge event that brings in about half a million people each year.
And another cool event that took place after sunset was two huge American flags flown in on airplanes and circling downtown Louisville for the National Anthem. The picture below shows one of two barges brought in carrying all the fireworks. If you click on the picture and blow it up, you'll see how HUGE the barge is. And this is one of TWO. Let's just say there were a lot of fireworks.
And, of course, the camera died at the beginning of the fireworks show. So the picture below does not do the event any justice. There were 3 or 4 finales that literally would have filled this picture frame completely. You can see the little moon above these fireworks. Well, during any of the finales, those fireworks went well above where we could see the moon and covered the entire span of the bridge. It was amazing. And lots of fun. But boy did it get cold after the sun set!
We've learned to be very relaxed when we take road trips. Fortunately, we still make good time. But we don't feel rushed and I think it helps the kids enjoy the trip a little more. Peter is in the process of being potty-trained...and we learned quickly the importance of finding a rest area just as soon as possible after he announced he had to go. This particular rest area in West Virginia was especially beautiful. So we stayed a little longer and let the kids run around while Karen fed Eliza her bottle. When I retire, I want to buy a motor home so we can travel the country.
For April Fool's, I stayed home from work and surprised the kids with a day of bowling. How cute are they in bowling shoes?!? One round of bowling for everyone took nearly two hours.
It will be a while before we go bowling again...maybe when they're all teenagers. But it was a fun experience.
And it's been a while since we posted a picture of Eliza. She is 7 months old now. And she seems to be staying a "baby" a little longer than the others...which we're totally ok with. :) We call her our lazy baby and we enjoy watching her develop in what seems like slow motion. 
Mark earned his bear badge in cub scouts on April 14th. He has become close friends with Steven and Alex. 
Last weekend we headed to Kentucky to enjoy the Opening Ceremonies for the Kentucky Derby that will be held on May 1st. And how can you visit Kentucky without going to a horse park?!? So we did. 
Oh my goodness!!! Is this actually a picture of the whole family?!? Actually...it's not. 'Cuz you can't see Eliza in the stroller. But it's close. Sorry for the teaser. :)
And what else would you see at a horse park than beautiful horses? The painted horse was one of my personal favorites. And after the allergies hit from all the dust and horses...that's saying a lot...because after the visit, I was no longer a big fan of horses. :)
The Arabian horse was another beautiful breed. Probably, in part, because it was in the traditional tack. There were many other breeds...but since we're catching up on a month, I had to be very selective in the pictures. 
The whole reason for going to Kentucky was to experience Thunder Over Louisville. It's the official kick-off for the Kentucky Derby festivities. Downtown Louisville along the Ohio River, Thunder Over Louisville presents a 6-hour air show and boasts the largest annual pyrotechnics display in North America. And, despite the chill of the April evening, they didn't disappoint. 
We saw all sorts of aircraft--but I'm not an aircraft buff so I don't really know how to describe them. :) But there were bombers and choppers and civilian aircraft and parachuters and traditional air show stuff. It was all very cool. 
One of the cooler acts was after sunset. A plane displayed its very own fireworks show from what appeared to be its wingtips. And it wasn't just a one-and-done type act. This plane flew around for a solid 5-10 minutes with fireworks. It was an amazing sight. Grandma and Grandpa Christensen drove from St. Louis to meet us there. In the picture below, you can see all the boats in the river. It's a huge event that brings in about half a million people each year.
And another cool event that took place after sunset was two huge American flags flown in on airplanes and circling downtown Louisville for the National Anthem. The picture below shows one of two barges brought in carrying all the fireworks. If you click on the picture and blow it up, you'll see how HUGE the barge is. And this is one of TWO. Let's just say there were a lot of fireworks.
And, of course, the camera died at the beginning of the fireworks show. So the picture below does not do the event any justice. There were 3 or 4 finales that literally would have filled this picture frame completely. You can see the little moon above these fireworks. Well, during any of the finales, those fireworks went well above where we could see the moon and covered the entire span of the bridge. It was amazing. And lots of fun. But boy did it get cold after the sun set! 
We've learned to be very relaxed when we take road trips. Fortunately, we still make good time. But we don't feel rushed and I think it helps the kids enjoy the trip a little more. Peter is in the process of being potty-trained...and we learned quickly the importance of finding a rest area just as soon as possible after he announced he had to go. This particular rest area in West Virginia was especially beautiful. So we stayed a little longer and let the kids run around while Karen fed Eliza her bottle. When I retire, I want to buy a motor home so we can travel the country.
So that's what has occupied some of our time over the past month. I loved all the snow we had this past winter. But Spring is one of my four most favorite seasons. :) And we're taking advantage of everything Spring has to offer us.
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