My Family from WiddlyTinks.com
Monday, February 14, 2011
Monday, May 17, 2010
Happy Birthday Robin
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Today's the day too!
To celebrate, we had a night “not here.”
Neither of us had spent any real time in the Starved Rock area, and I had found out about the Bayley House Suite. See their site for more information about the history of the house, but we had such a wonderful time, we felt compelled to share…
Randy & Robin have done a fantastic job with the renovation, decoration, and set up for this bed and breakfast. They were very inviting, and we spent some of our evening sharing stories with them by the fire.
They’d also set up for us a private fire pit for our use amid their extremely well put together garden. Our area of the house included a huge bathroom, a nice bedroom, a living room with TV, couch, and dining space, and an enclosed porch complete with sofa, hot tub, and a great view of nature. The decoration throughout was made things feel like home.
My only regret for the trip was forgetting my camera so we can’t share any pictures. Another reason for you to go their website and just one of many reasons for us to go back. Pictures to follow once we do!
Today's the day too!
To celebrate, we had a night “not here.”
Neither of us had spent any real time in the Starved Rock area, and I had found out about the Bayley House Suite. See their site for more information about the history of the house, but we had such a wonderful time, we felt compelled to share…
Randy & Robin have done a fantastic job with the renovation, decoration, and set up for this bed and breakfast. They were very inviting, and we spent some of our evening sharing stories with them by the fire.
They’d also set up for us a private fire pit for our use amid their extremely well put together garden. Our area of the house included a huge bathroom, a nice bedroom, a living room with TV, couch, and dining space, and an enclosed porch complete with sofa, hot tub, and a great view of nature. The decoration throughout was made things feel like home.
My only regret for the trip was forgetting my camera so we can’t share any pictures. Another reason for you to go their website and just one of many reasons for us to go back. Pictures to follow once we do!
Sunday, March 28, 2010
January Cruise... Finally!
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I know, I know, another long delay in posts.
By now, you may already know that Robin and I had a great week's get-a-way in January. We cruised seven days out of Miami with four fantastic stops.
Caymen
First, was Grand Caymen. We did an underwater walk, but didn't want to risk our camera, so we used a disposable, that we haven't developed yet. It was a really neat outing, after which we walked to seven mile beach and back, found a little restaurant that overlooked the bay, and headed back on board.
Roatan
Stop two was Isle of Roatan. We weren't greatly adventurous here, but that's ok, the day was fantastic! We took a ski lift to a beach that was minutes from our dock. As you can see from the pictures, we were among the first there, but it did fill up. Amazing sand and water, and equally amazing banana beverages!
Belize
We had an afternoon snorkel trip, which gave us some time in the morning to check out the shops near the peer. This and Caymen were "tender ports" which means we actually stepped from our boat to a small boat that took us ashore. That was a small adventure by itself.
We'd made friends of Ed and Karen, and they were on the snorkel trip with us, which included a stop at a man made island on the way back. Way fun day, and a great chance to use our waterproof camera - thanks mom!!!
Cancun
We'd been to Cancun a couple times, so there wasn't much to report or take pictures of here.... that and..... well.... many of the pictures taken weren't really to be shared. Ed - I'll mail you a CD, those pictures shouldn't even be emailed!
Overall, we had a great trip. Links below will show some of the sights of the Carnival Valor, our newest friends, Ron & Betty and Ed & Karen, and of course, the nightly bed buddy called a towel critter:
Around the Boat
Towel Critters
Cheers!
I know, I know, another long delay in posts.
By now, you may already know that Robin and I had a great week's get-a-way in January. We cruised seven days out of Miami with four fantastic stops.
Caymen
First, was Grand Caymen. We did an underwater walk, but didn't want to risk our camera, so we used a disposable, that we haven't developed yet. It was a really neat outing, after which we walked to seven mile beach and back, found a little restaurant that overlooked the bay, and headed back on board.
Roatan
Stop two was Isle of Roatan. We weren't greatly adventurous here, but that's ok, the day was fantastic! We took a ski lift to a beach that was minutes from our dock. As you can see from the pictures, we were among the first there, but it did fill up. Amazing sand and water, and equally amazing banana beverages!
Belize
We had an afternoon snorkel trip, which gave us some time in the morning to check out the shops near the peer. This and Caymen were "tender ports" which means we actually stepped from our boat to a small boat that took us ashore. That was a small adventure by itself.
We'd made friends of Ed and Karen, and they were on the snorkel trip with us, which included a stop at a man made island on the way back. Way fun day, and a great chance to use our waterproof camera - thanks mom!!!
Cancun
We'd been to Cancun a couple times, so there wasn't much to report or take pictures of here.... that and..... well.... many of the pictures taken weren't really to be shared. Ed - I'll mail you a CD, those pictures shouldn't even be emailed!
Overall, we had a great trip. Links below will show some of the sights of the Carnival Valor, our newest friends, Ron & Betty and Ed & Karen, and of course, the nightly bed buddy called a towel critter:
Around the Boat
Towel Critters
Cheers!
Sunday, December 27, 2009
Time with Family and Friends
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Yesterday we had a wonderful visit by Grammy, Kurt, Cherie, Harper, and lil' Vaughn. It was a little after Christmas, Christmas and a great meal. It's always fun to see the kids getting together and playing. They're a great group of cousins.
Pictures of the kids from the day.
Then the kids took off for Christmas with their father, and Robin and I went out to meet her friends Skye & James. I've seen James play one other time, but hadn't met Skye. They live in Australia and he gets the band back together when ever he's home. It was a great night with great friends.
Now, the 26th will also be known as the three shovel day, and I thought it was over when we went out for the night, but we woke up to a couple new inches of snow and it was coming down again. The best part.... we're going no where all day long! Might be hard to go back to work tomorrow though. Here are a couple pictures from this morning and keep in mind at midnight last night the drive way was clear.
Yesterday we had a wonderful visit by Grammy, Kurt, Cherie, Harper, and lil' Vaughn. It was a little after Christmas, Christmas and a great meal. It's always fun to see the kids getting together and playing. They're a great group of cousins.
Pictures of the kids from the day.
Then the kids took off for Christmas with their father, and Robin and I went out to meet her friends Skye & James. I've seen James play one other time, but hadn't met Skye. They live in Australia and he gets the band back together when ever he's home. It was a great night with great friends.
Now, the 26th will also be known as the three shovel day, and I thought it was over when we went out for the night, but we woke up to a couple new inches of snow and it was coming down again. The best part.... we're going no where all day long! Might be hard to go back to work tomorrow though. Here are a couple pictures from this morning and keep in mind at midnight last night the drive way was clear.
Friday, December 25, 2009
Christmas Day Pictures
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Last post of the Christmas day frenzy of catching up on things.
This was the scene this morning in the living room. As you can tell, Santa was good to everyone involved. Even Nuts dove into the pile with his christmas treat in his mouth that made it look like he had a smile on his face.
Here are the pictures.
Also, a link to the our formal pictures shown down below. This will jump you down to that post.
Last post of the Christmas day frenzy of catching up on things.
This was the scene this morning in the living room. As you can tell, Santa was good to everyone involved. Even Nuts dove into the pile with his christmas treat in his mouth that made it look like he had a smile on his face.
Here are the pictures.
Also, a link to the our formal pictures shown down below. This will jump you down to that post.
Thanksgiving Cruise
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This one deserved a post of it's own.
Dar, Mom, Robin & I took a little four day get-away for Thanksgiving weekend. It was a great to spend some time away and to just be away for a minute. Trip seemed quick, but was still good. We did make some new friends with our table mates for dinner and another couple we met out on the sun deck each day.
Here are some pictures from our camera.
Also, a first for all four of us, we swam with dolphins. The unanimous highlight of trip for all involved. Here are the pictures from that.
This one deserved a post of it's own.
Dar, Mom, Robin & I took a little four day get-away for Thanksgiving weekend. It was a great to spend some time away and to just be away for a minute. Trip seemed quick, but was still good. We did make some new friends with our table mates for dinner and another couple we met out on the sun deck each day.
Here are some pictures from our camera.
Also, a first for all four of us, we swam with dolphins. The unanimous highlight of trip for all involved. Here are the pictures from that.
Fall Activities
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Just catching up and sharing some pictures of the munchkins and all they've been doing the last two or three months.
In November, Jillian had another gymnastics show and tell event, the parents even got to go out and stretch and do yoga!
We also went to Tanners - it was too late for the maze, but we had a ton of fun on the mini-maze and of course we got a car full of goodies. Tanners is a must for every fall!!
Jackson had a great flag football season. These pictures are from the final weekend's double header and end of season party at Culver's. Game 2 was full of sugared up kids!
Jordan's reached the age of having full blown concerts for band and choir. This year, she made the audition style extra-curricular choir and sang with her class as well. We didn't take pictures at choir, they were on back to back nights, and the band shots were good.
Robin and I saw a few great concerts!!
The dogs are still spoiled, and have given us some health scares but continue to live the life of luxury. These are just some miscellaneous shots from around the house the last couple months.
Happy (early) New Year all!
Just catching up and sharing some pictures of the munchkins and all they've been doing the last two or three months.
In November, Jillian had another gymnastics show and tell event, the parents even got to go out and stretch and do yoga!
We also went to Tanners - it was too late for the maze, but we had a ton of fun on the mini-maze and of course we got a car full of goodies. Tanners is a must for every fall!!
Jackson had a great flag football season. These pictures are from the final weekend's double header and end of season party at Culver's. Game 2 was full of sugared up kids!
Jordan's reached the age of having full blown concerts for band and choir. This year, she made the audition style extra-curricular choir and sang with her class as well. We didn't take pictures at choir, they were on back to back nights, and the band shots were good.
Robin and I saw a few great concerts!!
The dogs are still spoiled, and have given us some health scares but continue to live the life of luxury. These are just some miscellaneous shots from around the house the last couple months.
Happy (early) New Year all!
Christmas Traditions
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Just wanted to share one touching moment. Between this year and last, Jillian and I have formed a new tradition where she helps me create the gift bags for my team at work, including a personalized Merry Christmas from her to each person. She also helps me do the final assembly. It's been quite nice, and this year I snapped this shot.
Just wanted to share one touching moment. Between this year and last, Jillian and I have formed a new tradition where she helps me create the gift bags for my team at work, including a personalized Merry Christmas from her to each person. She also helps me do the final assembly. It's been quite nice, and this year I snapped this shot.
Adult fun with Kids Toys
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Jillian wanted Aqua Sand... little did I know there were toys for Robin in the box too!!
Somewhere, out there, there is a toy developer laughing at all the inside jokes that they made while they developed this.
Had to share the fun from Christmas morning.
:o)
Jillian wanted Aqua Sand... little did I know there were toys for Robin in the box too!!
Somewhere, out there, there is a toy developer laughing at all the inside jokes that they made while they developed this.
Had to share the fun from Christmas morning.
:o)
Thursday, December 24, 2009
Famous Christmas Songs...
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We last saw Jackson with one tooth missing - perfect for Halloween, right. What could be better, than the other one falling out in November, and him, alone by the tree, singing..... "All I want for Christmas is my two front teeth."
Sorry Jack - I had to! :o)
We last saw Jackson with one tooth missing - perfect for Halloween, right. What could be better, than the other one falling out in November, and him, alone by the tree, singing..... "All I want for Christmas is my two front teeth."
Sorry Jack - I had to! :o)
Merry Christmas!!
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It's that magical time of year, where I say, "Shoot (or something like that), we haven't put up any pictures of all the fun school and sport activities that have had us running around crazy the last three months."
Some things might be out of order, but I'm going to start with some shots from the Christmas Card photo shoot. Look close, some of you might recognize the "studio." The picture we used for our card is at the bottom. Also, from that, we've made the first ever update to the blog's banner - about time, right?
It's that magical time of year, where I say, "Shoot (or something like that), we haven't put up any pictures of all the fun school and sport activities that have had us running around crazy the last three months."
Some things might be out of order, but I'm going to start with some shots from the Christmas Card photo shoot. Look close, some of you might recognize the "studio." The picture we used for our card is at the bottom. Also, from that, we've made the first ever update to the blog's banner - about time, right?
Tuesday, November 3, 2009
Cowboy Jack & Jack - o - Lantern
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Funny thing is neither are his halloween costume!! Two fun pictures to share of Jackson. First, each year the elementry school has a western day, and look at our little cowboy!!
Next, we had a miss timed lost tooth - two days too late to be a pumpkin head for Halloween and likly too early to sing "all I want for Christmas is my front tooth!"
Funny thing is neither are his halloween costume!! Two fun pictures to share of Jackson. First, each year the elementry school has a western day, and look at our little cowboy!!
Next, we had a miss timed lost tooth - two days too late to be a pumpkin head for Halloween and likly too early to sing "all I want for Christmas is my front tooth!"
Thursday, October 29, 2009
Boys Hockey Weekend
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Last Saturday, Blaze and I took our boys on their first hockey retreat! Something he and I have done a few times - meet in St. Louis for a Stars / Blues game.
This one was Jackson's second and Brendan's first Stars game. If I can find it, I'll add the picture of them each going to their first ever game in Bloomington.
But for now, here's a picture of the highlight of the night - Trevor Daley flipped a puck over the glass during warm up for both of the boys.
See all the pictures here.
Last Saturday, Blaze and I took our boys on their first hockey retreat! Something he and I have done a few times - meet in St. Louis for a Stars / Blues game.
This one was Jackson's second and Brendan's first Stars game. If I can find it, I'll add the picture of them each going to their first ever game in Bloomington.
But for now, here's a picture of the highlight of the night - Trevor Daley flipped a puck over the glass during warm up for both of the boys.
See all the pictures here.
Thursday, October 22, 2009
Saturday, October 3, 2009
Kenny in Indy
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It's been about two weeks now, but we saw the Kenny Chesney show in Indy. When we bought those tickets months ago, we had no idea he would be coming to Bloomington the same week or that he would be announcing a year of "reduced" touring during that show.
Glad we went though, we always have fun in Indy, and we saw a lot of great music. Here are some pictures of Zac Brown Band, Miranda Lambert, Montgomery Gentry, Sugarland, and of course, KC.
It's been about two weeks now, but we saw the Kenny Chesney show in Indy. When we bought those tickets months ago, we had no idea he would be coming to Bloomington the same week or that he would be announcing a year of "reduced" touring during that show.
Glad we went though, we always have fun in Indy, and we saw a lot of great music. Here are some pictures of Zac Brown Band, Miranda Lambert, Montgomery Gentry, Sugarland, and of course, KC.
Thursday, August 20, 2009
Iowa Pictures
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There were so many - I have to break them into various albums and be selective! Our summer '09 vacation started in Little Amana, Iowa. Nothing exciting by name, but we stayed in a hotel that has an in-door water park (two slides). The kids loved it, more than four hours of fun and they wanted to go back. Here is a large sampling of the pictures from the water park.
The next morning we did a quick, rolling tour of the Amana Colonies. This was the culture part of the vacation! Along the way we found an amazing copper art house, some fantastic chocolate, fudge, and wine, the famed Amana Meat Shoppe, and various other neat little stores. These are some pictures of the copper art and around the streets there.
Separately, amid the Amana Colonies, there is a natural, shallow lake bed that is completely filled shore to shore with lilies. August is a little late in the season, but we still managed some good shots.
The trip rounded out with a stop at Uncle Randy's and the Iowa State Fair - the best fair in the nation! Here are the pictures from there, including, of course, the highlights of the butter cow and the kid who eats ice cream via his sunglasses! While at Randy's we reunited with our pal CJ (the bulldog) and he had two new friends who had so many names, I hesitate to put them here as I'll use the wrong name. Of course, there are dog pictures.
On the way home, we stumbled into a impromptu Stangl Reunion. No pictures, but all the bald heads were there! Great trip, fun end to the summer, now school resumes! :o)
There were so many - I have to break them into various albums and be selective! Our summer '09 vacation started in Little Amana, Iowa. Nothing exciting by name, but we stayed in a hotel that has an in-door water park (two slides). The kids loved it, more than four hours of fun and they wanted to go back. Here is a large sampling of the pictures from the water park.
The next morning we did a quick, rolling tour of the Amana Colonies. This was the culture part of the vacation! Along the way we found an amazing copper art house, some fantastic chocolate, fudge, and wine, the famed Amana Meat Shoppe, and various other neat little stores. These are some pictures of the copper art and around the streets there.
Separately, amid the Amana Colonies, there is a natural, shallow lake bed that is completely filled shore to shore with lilies. August is a little late in the season, but we still managed some good shots.
The trip rounded out with a stop at Uncle Randy's and the Iowa State Fair - the best fair in the nation! Here are the pictures from there, including, of course, the highlights of the butter cow and the kid who eats ice cream via his sunglasses! While at Randy's we reunited with our pal CJ (the bulldog) and he had two new friends who had so many names, I hesitate to put them here as I'll use the wrong name. Of course, there are dog pictures.
On the way home, we stumbled into a impromptu Stangl Reunion. No pictures, but all the bald heads were there! Great trip, fun end to the summer, now school resumes! :o)
Sunday, August 16, 2009
Merry-Go-Round; Then and Now
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There will be a ton more pictures from the Iowa trip to come shortly, but Robin thought it would be fun to share a "then and now" segment with the tearful Jillian frightened by the merry-go-round about five years ago:
compared to her at the fair this week (with no chaperon!):
There will be a ton more pictures from the Iowa trip to come shortly, but Robin thought it would be fun to share a "then and now" segment with the tearful Jillian frightened by the merry-go-round about five years ago:
compared to her at the fair this week (with no chaperon!):
Tuesday, August 11, 2009
Some Funnies
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In prepairing for summer's last roadtrip, I found this in Reader's Digest to be a little disconcerning:
One additional funny we received from our friend Helen (most of you will know who she is):
Pictures of the family road trip to follow soon.
In prepairing for summer's last roadtrip, I found this in Reader's Digest to be a little disconcerning:
One additional funny we received from our friend Helen (most of you will know who she is):
Pictures of the family road trip to follow soon.
Sunday, August 9, 2009
Summer Fun
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Everyone had a week with Grammy as always this summer. The one new part is that Grammy now has a digital camera! Here are some of the pictures she took on the respective weeks.
Everyone had a week with Grammy as always this summer. The one new part is that Grammy now has a digital camera! Here are some of the pictures she took on the respective weeks.
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