Thursday, December 8th, 2011

    I am slowly but surely realizing that I am never really going to have the amount of free time that I desire to actually sit down and do a thorough job of updating the website the way that I would like, so in the meantime I will do my best to keep everyone up to date as best as I can. That means that I will continue to squeeze in the updates when I can, and that the descriptions that used to be lengthy here on the home page will continue to be brief. I have two updates and two new additions this time around, which are briefly described below...

    The first update is from Samantha's seventh soccer game of the first indoor session. Although her team lost the game, they gave their all throughout the contest. You can see a couple of pictures from this game by clicking on Samantha's La Forza Indoor I on the Current Events page.

    The first new addition is a page with pictures of a snowman that some of the kids worked to make in the back yard between their daily sporting events. You can see these photos by clicking on the Yard Snowman link on the Current Events page.

    The second update to the site is the sixth and seventh basketball games of Tyler's fall session at the Cage. His team continues to struggle, but they don't lack for effort. To see some pictures from each of these games, go to the Current Events page and click on Tyler's Cage Basketball - Fall.

    The second and final addition for this website refresh is a page chock full of pictures from not one, but two of Jayden's birthday party celebrations. One of the celebrations was held on her birthday with just our family, and the next party was the held a day later with our family and her friends.

Sunday, November 27th, 2011

    Even a four day weekend doesn't seem to provide enough time to get the things done that need to be done around the house, and that includes the website updates. Since the weather outside is rainy and I am feeling highly unmotivated, I found a few moments to sit down to work on getting the events from the past week online. I will get right to the updates...

    The first additions to the site involve Samantha's indoor soccer team. Since my last update they have played three soccer games, and finished with a 2-1 record in those games. You can see pictures from all three games by clicking on Samantha's La Forza Indoor I on the Current Events page.

    The next addition is from Drew's hockey game, which took place on November 21st. Drew scored the first goal for his team in the game today, and worked his butt off the entire time. You can see pictures from this game by clicking on Drew's Cross-Ice on the Current Events page.

    The final additions for this week are from Tyler's basketball team. They have played in two games since my last update, including their first victory of the season! As always, click on Tyler's Cage Basketball - Fall on the Current Events page to see these photos.

    To see what is new since your last visit, click on the Update List page - it lists all of the updates in chronological order so that you can easily find anything you may have missed since your last visit. As always, please enjoy the site and come back often. Thanks for visiting!

Friday, November 18th, 2011

    Life is as busy as ever at our house, as you may have guessed by the lack of updates recently. While I wish I could say that Tara & I have been doing something really exciting that keeps us preoccupied, the reality is that running from work to sporting events and practices keeps us about as busy as you can possible imagine. Once again today I will keep this short and sweet, and get straight to the updates.

    Up first is a new addition to the website... a page of pictures of the Chevrolet Corvette Grand Sport that I was able to acquire for the week through a program at work. Each and every one of us enjoyed this car immensely, all except the sticker price (and I'm sure the insurance if we had to foot that bill too!). To see these pictures, visit the Current Events page and click on Chevrolet Corvette.

    The remainder of the new items are all updates to existing pages. I have added two games each from Tyler's Cage basketball team as well as Samantha's indoor soccer team. I have also added pictures from one of Drew's hockey classes. To see all of these updates, go to the Current Events page and look for the Update! icon.

Wednesday, November 9th, 2011

    Just when it seems like things should be slowing down a little - the end of Tyler's football season and Samantha's outdoor soccer season - it just gets crazier and crazier. Tyler has begun another session of basketball at the Cage Fieldhouse in preparation for school basketball in the winter. Samantha's soccer team has moved indoors as well, as they have started their season at the Genesee Fieldhouse. With new activities means new activities for us. That means three new updates this week...

    Up first, in chronological order, is Samantha's La Forza Indoor I. You can find this page on the Current Events page, and it will contain everything you need to know about the indoor soccer season that Sam will be playing in this fall, including her first game, which was played on November 5th.

    The next addition to the site is Tyler's Cage Basketball - Fall. This can also be found on the Current Events page. Like Sam's page, it will have all of the information you will need for Tyler's basketball team in the fall session. He also played in his first game on November 5th, and they are included on the site as well.

    The final addition to the website is a set of pictures that Tara & I took while visiting the University of Michigan campus and downtown Ann Arbor on November 6th. You can find these pictures by clicking on Ann Arbor on the Current Events page.

Wednesday, November 2nd, 2011

    Things just never seem to calm down around our household, despite our need for occasional downtime. Just as Tyler's football and Samantha's outdoor soccer begin to wind down, they are replaced by basketball for Tyler and indoor soccer for Sam. Drew is still keeping busy with hockey (and will be for some time) while Jayden continues her dance lessons. Tara & I? Well, we just try to find a free moment to talk between all of the running around we do!

    I have two updates to the site this week... up first is the addition of Samantha's 8th and final outdoor soccer game of the season. This game ended in a 2-2 draw, but it wasn't due to a lack of effort on their part in some seriously miserable weather. As always, you can find these pictures by clicking on Samantha's La Forza on the Current Events page. The second update is a set of pictures from our time trick-or-treating on Halloween. As you may be able to guess, you can see these pictures on the Current Events page under Halloween.

Thursday, October 27th, 2011

    Since it has only been a couple of days since my last update, I am going to leave those descriptions up as well. For today I have added two new additions... the first addition is Tyler's final football game this year. Although the game resulted in a loss, his team finished the season a respectable 3-3. You can see the new pictures by clicking on Tyler's 7th Grade Football on the Current Events page. The other addition today is a set of pictures from the Boo Bash celebration at the kids school. I missed getting this set of photos included with my last update, so I figured I better catch up. Go to the Current Events page and click on Boo Bash to see these pictures.

Monday, October 24th, 2011

    Our schedule is getting more and more hectic, so once again I will keep the update descriptions short today...

    There are two updates this week, and two brand new additions to the site. First, the updates. Last Wednesday, Tyler's football team took on their arch-rivals in a football game. While the results weren't pretty, Tyler acquitted himself well on the field. You can see this set of pictures by going to Tyler's 7th Grade Football on the Current Events page. The other addition to the site is of Samantha's 7th soccer game of the season, which was her teams fourth victory of the year. You can see these pictures on the Current Events page by clicking on the Samantha's La Forza page.

    The new sets of pictures begin with the addition of a single picture (for now) of Jayden at her dance class. I will be updating this page as her lessons continue. For now you can click on Jayden's Dance on the Current Events page to see the latest. The other addition is from our trip to the Michigan Capitol Building following Sam's most recent soccer game, which took place in Holt. Click on Michigan's Capitol Building on the Current Events page to see this set of pictures.

Monday, October 17th, 2011

    Another busy week and weekend in our household, so once again the update descriptions will be brief...

    I have two new sets of photos to share this week, plus some new pictures that I have added to an existing page. First up, the new pictures. I have added a set of pictures from the homecoming parade that took place on October 14th. You can find them by clicking on Tyler's 7th Grade Football on the Current Events page. Next up on the 'new' list is the addition of Samantha's 6th soccer game of the season for her La Forza Ice team. You can see these pictures by going to the Current Events page and clicking on Samantha's La Forza. The final addition for this update is some new pictures from Drew's hockey scrimmage, which took place on October 8th. Tyler took them using Tara's camera, but I forgot about them until we had to use the camera again this weekend. Like the other additions to the site, you can see these by going to the Current Events page, this time click on Drew's Cross-Ice for the latest.

    Since it has only been a few days since my last update (I don't want to fall too far behind!), here are the previous updates as well... Starting with the oldest of the updates first, I have posted pictures from Drew's first cross-ice hockey game. Since the kids didn't have their uniforms, it was really more of a scrimmage with some kids in their dark jerseys and others in white/light jerseys. You can see these pictures by going to the Current Events page and clicking on Drew's Cross-Ice. Next up is a set of pictures from our trip to the orchard on Sunday, October 9th. Although the place was completely packed, everyone seemed to have a good time. These pictures are also on the Current Events page, under Spicer's Orchard. The final update are the pictures from Tyler's most recent middle school football game, which resulted in their first loss of the season. You can find these by clicking on Tyler's 7th Grade Football on the Current Events page.

Thursday, October 13th, 2011

    So, my last update included a much longer description of our recent activities than I had been giving you in the past. Well, today I will be back to the brief description thanks to our busy schedule and the fact that I have been getting up at 3:20am to get ready for work. Combine the early mornings with the late nights thanks to the Lions on Monday Night Football and the Tigers in the playoffs, and sleep has been scarce.

    OK... on to the updates. Starting with the oldest of the updates first, I have posted pictures from Drew's first cross-ice hockey game. Since the kids didn't have their uniforms, it was really more of a scrimmage with some kids in their dark jerseys and others in white/light jerseys. You can see these pictures by going to the Current Events page and clicking on Drew's Cross-Ice. Next up is a set of pictures from our trip to the orchard on Sunday, October 9th. Although the place was completely packed, everyone seemed to have a good time. These pictures are also on the Current Events page, under Spicer's Orchard. The final update are the pictures from Tyler's most recent middle school football game, which resulted in their first loss of the season. You can find these by clicking on Tyler's 7th Grade Football on the Current Events page.

Thursday, October 6th, 2011

    As you can imagine, life with four kids in a variety of activities can tend to keep parents busy. Because of this I have been fairly neglectful with keeping the website as up to date as I would like. I have also done a poor job of keeping everyone "in the loop" about how we are doing along the way. I have a little bit of time today, so I will make an attempt to make up for some of that...

    I am doing OK, keeping busy with work and running the kids around to their various practices and games. I'd love to find a new job, so if anyone knows of a fun and exciting career, please let me know!

    Tara is still enjoying her work, even if the hours she works are more than the part-time status she thought she was signing up for a couple of years ago. Like me, most of her free time is spent taxiing the kids around. Most nights it works out that one kid gets picked up from practice just about the same time that another has to leave, so we don't exactly get to spend much time together as a family.

    Tyler is keeping himself busy with school and football, as he is playing on the 7th grade team this season. For the most part he seems to is doing well in school, although his goal of making the honor roll all three semesters this year will be tough if he can't bring up his math grade. If he can achieve that Tara & I will be very proud of him.

    Samantha is in the same boat as Tyler, except for her it isn't football that occupies her time, it is travel soccer. She is really enjoying her first year with her new team, and when I jokingly suggested that the kids were going to have to give up sports next year she was devastated. She is doing well in school too, and is especially looking forward to her trip to Camp Tamarack in the spring.

    Drew isn't quite as busy as Sam and Tyler, but he too has his time filled with school and sports - in his case hockey, which takes place twice a week. He is enjoying his time on the ice and in the classroom, so things are going good for him this year.

    Jayden doesn't have quite as much to do as the rest, except to tag along to the various games and practices. She does get to enjoy her version of "school" - a weekly session at the library where she participates in a class with other kids her age. This is the event that she counts the days down for. Starting Monday she is taking a four week dance class, which just might lead to more in the future. Otherwise she enjoys hanging out at home playing in the peace and quiet that comes from having her siblings back in school after a long summer together.

    Just to give you an idea what our schedule looks like, here is our typical week: Sunday - nothing, except the occasional soccer game. Monday - Tyler's football practice, Drew's hockey practice, and the bi-monthly school board meeting for Tara. Tuesday - Tyler's football practice and Sam's soccer practice. Wednesday - Tyler's football game. Thursday - Tyler's football practice and Sam's soccer practice. Friday - Tyler's football practice. Saturday - Drew's hockey practice and the occasional soccer game.

    Now I'll move on to the updates. Since I just updated the website a couple of days ago, I will leave that information posted below. Today's update consists of the photos from Tyler's third football game of the season, which his team won 38-30 in an exciting game. You can find these pictures by clicking on Tyler's 7th Grade Football on the Current Events page.

    I have added two sets of soccer pictures from Samantha's La Forza team. In addition to these two updates, I have three new additions to the site this time around... first up is a bunch of pictures from our visit to Holly Grove for the Renaissance Festival on October 1st. The following day, while putting up Halloween decorations, the sky was graced with a giant rainbow, which I have included here as well. Finally, I was granted the once in my lifetime opportunity to attend a Tigers playoff game at Comerica Park. All of these pictures can be seen by clicking on the Current Events page and then looking for either a "New" or "Update!" icon.

Tuesday, October 4th, 2011

    Happy Anniversary to my wonderful wife. I love you with all of my heart, and I am anxious to spend the rest of my life with you!

    Now, on to the updates. Since I don't have a ton of time to keep things up to date, I am going to keep this short an sweet today. I have added two sets of soccer pictures from Samantha's La Forza team. In addition to these two updates, I have three new additions to the site this time around... first up is a bunch of pictures from our visit to Holly Grove for the Renaissance Festival on October 1st. The following day, while putting up Halloween decorations, the sky was graced with a giant rainbow, which I have included here as well. Finally, I was granted the once in my lifetime opportunity to attend a Tigers playoff game at Comerica Park. All of these pictures can be seen by clicking on the Current Events page and then looking for either a "New" or "Update!" icon. Enjoy!

Thursday, September 29th, 2011

    I haven't had nearly as much time as I would have liked to keep up on my website updates lately, but I figured I better get some done before I get so far behind that I'll never manage to catch back up! With that being said, I am not going to spend a lot of time describing things today... check out the pages to see the latest updates.

    I have three basic sets of updates this time... first up is two games worth of pictures from Tyler's football team's first two games of the season. Thankfully both games resulted in victories, although they were both heart-stopping nailbiters! To see these photos, click on Tyler's 7th Grade Football on the Current Events page.

Next up is two more set of game photos, this time from Samantha's soccer team's second and third games of the year. Unfortunately for her, neither game resulted in victory for the good girls, but signs of progress are there. Click on Samantha's La Forza on the Current Events page to see these pictures.

    The final addition today is of one of Drew's hockey practices. He is playing Cross-Ice Mites hockey, and that means games this season. Because he is playing games, I have decided not to post pictures from every practice like I have in the past. To see these pictures, click on Drew's Cross-Ice on the Current Events page.

Sunday, September 18th, 2011

    I want take a moment to wish my parents a happy 40th anniversary! I couldn't ask for a better set of parents or grandparents for my own children. We all love you guys!

    I don't have any exciting news to add today, so I'll get right to the updates. The only addition to the site this time around is pictures from Tyler's football scrimmage on August 14th. Click on Tyler's 7th Grade Football on the Current Events page to see this update.

Sunday, September 11th, 2011

    As I take a few moments from our busy schedule to reflect on those terrible events that took place ten years ago today, I want to take a moment to thank those men and women who serve us today - the men and women of the military, the police and fire departments, and everyone who loves and supports them.

    I have two quick updates to share today. First up are the pictures from Samantha's first league game with her La Forza soccer team. Although the final result wasn't what we were hoping for the game was exciting nonetheless. You can see the pictures from this game by clicking on Samantha's La Forza on the Current Events page. The other addition is of a new picture I took of a hot air balloon that was drifting above the trees across the street from our house. You can find this picture in wallpaper form simply enough by going to the Wallpapers page.

    To see what is new since your last visit, click on the Update List page - it lists all of the updates in chronological order so that you can easily find anything you may have missed since your last visit. As always, please enjoy the site and come back often. Thanks for visiting!

Wednesday, September 7th, 2011

    Man, am I on a roll! Three updates in a week! Being home over a long weekend, not participating in our annual Labor Day camping trip,  and waiting in the car while the kids have practice has allowed me the opportunity to get caught up on some things, such as this website.

    Today I am adding some pictures of the kids on their first day of school, which took place on September 6th. Tyler is in the seventh grade now, Samantha is in fifth grade, and Drew is now a first grader. You can see their before school pictures by clicking on the First Day of School link on the Current Events page.

    As some of you may be aware, Samantha played in her first soccer tournament during the last weekend of August in Livingston County. Tara & I decided that this would provide another opportunity to squeeze in another camping trip this year before school gets underway. While I do have pictures from our camping trip, which you can see by going to the Current Events page and clicking on Camping, the big addition to the site this time around is the pictures from Sam's soccer tournament. Sam and her La Forza teammates played in the Powerade Invitational. Not only was this their first tournament playing together as a team, it was their first ever game played together! While nobody was really sure what to expect from an entirely new team, they more than held their own on the field. In fact, they wound up winning the whole thing! Winning in impressive fashion too, going 4-0 and outscoring their opposition 23-1! It was an impressive effort by all the girls, but of course we are most proud of Sam. She scored her first goal in the first game of the weekend, and continued her strong play throughout all of the games. You can check out the pictures from the tournament by clicking on Samantha's La Forza on the Current Events page.

    After making promises for almost two months, I have finally gotten around to adding a bunch of wallpapers from our Mackinaw City camping trip to the site. And by a bunch, I mean 116 new wallpapers! Feel free to check them out by clicking on the Wallpapers link below.

    I will be having more updates coming over the next couple of months as well, as Tyler has already begun practice for his seventh grade team. You will be able to keep track of his game info, as well as see his schedule right now, by clicking on Tyler's 7th Grade Football on the Current Events page. In addition, Samantha's soccer team will be getting their regular season games underway soon, so remember to keep coming back to the website!

Monday, September 5th, 2011

    Man, am I on a roll! Two updates in two days! Being home for a long weekend, and not participating in our annual Labor Day camping trip, has allowed me the opportunity to get caught up on some things, such as this website. Of course it will probably be a while before I get around to another update now...

    As some of you may be aware, Samantha played in her first soccer tournament during the last weekend of August in Livingston County. Tara & I decided that this would provide another opportunity to squeeze in another camping trip this year before school gets underway. While I do have pictures from our camping trip, which you can see by going to the Current Events page and clicking on Camping, the big addition to the site this time around is the pictures from Sam's soccer tournament. Sam and her La Forza teammates played in the Powerade Invitational. Not only was this their first tournament playing together as a team, it was their first ever game played together! While nobody was really sure what to expect from an entirely new team, they more than held their own on the field. In fact, they wound up winning the whole thing! Winning in impressive fashion too, going 4-0 and outscoring their opposition 23-1! It was an impressive effort by all the girls, but of course we are most proud of Sam. She scored her first goal in the first game of the weekend, and continued her strong play throughout all of the games. You can check out the pictures from the tournament by clicking on Samantha's La Forza on the Current Events page.

    After making promises for almost two months, I have finally gotten around to adding a bunch of wallpapers from our Mackinaw City camping trip to the site. And by a bunch, I mean 116 new wallpapers! Feel free to check them out by clicking on the Wallpapers link below.

    I will be having more updates coming over the next couple of months as well, as Tyler has already begun practice for his seventh grade team. You will be able to keep track of his game info, as well as see his schedule right now, by clicking on Tyler's 7th Grade Football on the Current Events page. In addition, Samantha's soccer team will be getting their regular season games underway soon, so remember to keep coming back to the website!

Saturday, September 3rd, 2011

    It has taken me the better part of a week, but I finally have the updates ready from our families activities from this past weekend. As some of you may be aware, Samantha played in her first soccer tournament during the last weekend of August in Livingston County. Tara & I decided that this would provide another opportunity to squeeze in another camping trip this year before school gets underway.

    While I do have pictures from our camping trip, which you can see by going to the Current Events page and clicking on Camping, the big addition to the site this time around is the pictures from Sam's soccer tournament. Sam and her La Forza teammates played in the Powerade Invitational. Not only was this their first tournament playing together as a team, it was their first ever game played together! While nobody was really sure what to expect from an entirely new team, they more than held their own on the field. In fact, they wound up winning the whole thing! Winning in impressive fashion too, going 4-0 and outscoring their opposition 23-1! It was an impressive effort by all the girls, but of course we are most proud of Sam. She scored her first goal in the first game of the weekend, and continued her strong play throughout all of the games.

    I will be having more updates coming over the next couple of months as well, as Tyler has already begun practice for his seventh grade team. Samantha's soccer team will be getting their regular season games underway soon as well, so remember to keep coming back to the website!

    Like last time, I still have a bunch of wallpapers to add from our Mackinaw City vacation. Unfortunately time is becoming more and more of a precious commodity, so these updates have been pushed to the back burner for now. I am working on them in my, ahem, spare time, so hopefully I can include them in a future update soon!

Thursday, August 25th, 2011

    It has been nearly one full month since my last website update! Believe it or not, I have been working hard at it, amongst everything else that goes on in life. Unfortunately, sometimes the website gets pushed to the back burner in order to make sure other things get done on time. Besides, it isn't likely that anybody really missed it anyway...

    I won't bore you with the minutiae of our lives, instead I will get straight to the updates. I will do my best to list them in chronological order since my last update so as not to minimize the importance of any one activity in relation to the others. All of the events listed below can be found on the Current Events page... just look for the "Updated" or "New" icons next to the links.

    The first addition to the site actually belongs with an event that I have already posted pictures for, and that is the Journal from our trip to Mackinaw City and the surrounding areas in the upper lower peninsula and in the upper peninsula as well. The journal can be found on the Mackinaw City page under Camping.

    The first new event to be posted (or the event that took place furthest back in time) is about the trip to Comerica Park that Tara, Tyler, and I took to see Kid Rock with our friends Thad & Melissa. We all had a great time, and Kid Rock puts on a great show even if he did play more of the songs that I was unfamiliar with than I would have preferred.

    Up next are some photographs from the Morris Reunion that we attended in Lexington on August 13th. The kids truly love this event, because the hosts, Jim & Renee, have a nice swimming pool with a slide and a diving board. I know that as a kid I never got as excited to go to a reunion as they do to this one!

    The next addition is a set of photos from the latest vehicle I was able to borrow from work through the ambassador program, a Cadillac SRX. This was a really nice vehicle, although too expensive for my blue-collar blood, that's for sure.

    Perhaps the most important addition to the site this time around from a family perspective is the set of pictures that I have included from Tyler's 12th Birthday party held at our house on August 17th, his actual birthday. I think Tyler was just relieved to not have to be on the football field on his birthday this year. He got some really nice presents, and a lot of money that he is hoping to spend on a BB gun. We'll see... I guess it's OK as long as he doesn't shoot his eye out!

    The final addition to the site this time around involves an entirely new set of hockey pictures for Drew, as he moves on to the next level. No more "Learn to Play Hockey" for him, from now on it is all about Drew's Cross-Ice hockey experiences!

    One more note... I do still have a bunch of new Wallpapers to post from our Mackinaw City vacation, but as I said I am running short on time so they have been pushed to the back burner for now. I am working on them in my, ahem, spare time, so hopefully I can include them in a future update soon!

Sunday, July 31st, 2011

    Wow, what a crazy couple of weeks we have had! First, Tara & I recently returned from a fabulous week long vacation in Mackinaw City with the kids, my parents, and my sister's family. We had a great time, going over to Mackinac Island twice, visiting two forts and a discovery park, taking a trip into the U.P. to see the Soo Locks in Sault Ste. Marie and take a swim in the Tahquamenon Falls, and even riding our bikes over 30 miles over the course of the week, in addition to much, much more. I guess I can't truly speak for everyone in the family, but I think this vacation ranks as one of our best ever!

    Next, Tara & I participated in our first, but not last, Warrior Dash! It was one of the coolest things we have ever done, and now we know that we have a lot of work to do for the next one. It was a great time had by all. 3.1 miles through the woods, with 12 obstacles thrown in for good measure! Oh, and lots and lots of mud. Even though I broke my finger on one of the obstacles, I am already to do it again. The best news I heard today was that they are coming back next year, and Tara & I are already psyched!

    Now that August is almost here things will be getting hectic once again. There are four weekends in August, and we already have plans for all of them. A couple weekends of camping, the Woodward Dream Cruise and the Back to the Bricks car cruises, and a soccer tournament for Samantha! There is no rest for the weary, that is for sure.

    On to the updates... I have added 35 new pages of pictures from our vacation for your enjoyment. You can find all of the pictures by following the Camping link on the Current Events page. Just remember to keep checking back, as I still have several new wallpapers from our vacation to add to the site (somewhere around 100 at this time) and a journal of our activities that I am working feverishly to complete. If you find a favorite picture, I would love to hear from you which one it is. And remember, check back often in the coming for new additions, as well as the completion of the journal and wallpapers from this trip.

    The next update is the pictures from the Warrior Dash. Appropriately enough, you can find them by going to the Current Events page and clicking on Warrior Dash.

Thursday, July 28th, 2011

    Wow, what a week we had! Tara & I just got back from a fabulous week long vacation in Mackinaw City with the kids, my parents, and my sister's family. We had a great time, going over to Mackinac Island twice, visiting two forts and a discovery park, taking a trip into the U.P. to see the Soo Locks in Sault Ste. Marie and take a swim in the Tahquamenon Falls, and even riding our bikes over 30 miles over the course of the week, in addition to much, much more. I guess I can't truly speak for everyone in the family, but I think this vacation ranks as one of our best ever!

    Although it is hard to believe, it has been over two weeks since my last website update. While our lives have temporarily slowed down to a more normal pace, it seems as though we still have lots going on. The kids are spending this week at vacation bible school, Sam and Drew will be getting underway with their sports activities soon, and Tyler will be starting school football at the end of August, not to mention all of the attempts to get together with their friends and whatnot.

    On to the update for this time... I have added 35 new pages of pictures from our vacation for your enjoyment. You can find all of the pictures by following the Camping link on the Current Events page. Just remember to keep checking back, as I still have several new wallpapers from our vacation to add to the site (somewhere around 100 at this time) and a journal of our activities that I am working feverishly to complete.

    One last thing... if you find a favorite picture, I would love to hear from you which one it is. And remember, check back often in the coming for new additions, as well as the completion of the journal and wallpapers from this trip.

Wednesday, July 13th, 2011

    Once again, much to do before leaving for vacation, so not a lot of comments to add today. I will say that I have updated both Samantha and Drew's baseball pages for the final time this season, as their All-Star games are now officially in the books. I have also added a bunch of pictures from our first camping trip of the season, at Pinconning Park with our friend Jeff & Becky, along with their boys Thomas and Andrew. Thanks for having us guys - we had a blast! Although the pictures are available, the journal is still a work in progress and will be coming soon. In the meantime, enjoy the site!

Wednesday, July 6th, 2011

    Too much to say and not enough time get it all out... so today I will just leave it up to you to explore the website to find the updates. As always, look for the "New" or "Update" icons on the Current Events page, or go to the Update List page for the entire list of updates. Hopefully in the next week or two I can find the time to do a more thorough update. Enjoy!

Tuesday, June 28, 2011

    Just when I think baseball season is winding down, it pops right back up again. Thankfully it is good news that we have to keep worrying about it for a couple more weeks though, as both Samantha and Drew have been selected for their respective All-Star teams! Both Tara & I are very proud of them, as are Tyler and Jayden! They will both be playing on July 7th, and Tara & I are looking forward to watching them in one last game. I was also under the impression that yesterday's baseball game would be Tyler's final game of the season, but it turns out that there is one more to go this coming Thursday.

    The updates are fairly quick and easy this week... first up was Drew's final hockey lesson (we hope) this year, which took place on Sunday, June 26th. Hopefully in the fall he will be moving up to cross-ice, which is a more practice and game oriented level that the classes that Drew is currently taking. The good news about Drew's final class is that he scored a hat trick (3 goals) and almost netted a fourth! To see the pictures, go to Drew's Hockey on the Current Events page.

    Also on the 26th was the second attempt at sailing for Tyler and Samantha. Although Tyler got to sail the previous weekend, Sam did not due to her soccer tryouts. We were able to go again so that they both could get a chance, and they were even able to get out on a boat together! Both of them had a lot of fun, and enjoyed their time on the water. Too bad I wasn't born rich and couldn't afford to live on a lake, right kids? Anyway, go to Sailing Part II on the Current Events page for pictures from this exciting activity.

    Next up is the final regular season game of the year for Tyler, which was a thrilling 7-6 victory for his team. Although Tyler continues to struggle at the plate, he is determined to turn things around, coming back next season better than ever. Go to Tyler's Baseball on the Current Events page for more on this game.

   The final addition to the site this time around is a set of pictures of the kids together wearing their baseball uniforms. Nothing too exciting to report on this set of pictures, but you can check them out yourself by going to Current Events and clicking on Kid's Baseball.

Saturday, June 25, 2011

    Baseball season is winding to a close, and that means the updates will begin to slow down as well. Not that I have done a great job of keeping this up to date lately anyway, but this should at least make my job a little easier anyway. After a while trying to keep up on the website while going to a minimum of 6 games each week, plus practices and other activities, gets to be a little much! Although I love watching the kids give their all, I am in need of a break...

    On to this week's updates: Samantha has had two baseball games since my last round of updates, her final regular season game and the second-half playoff game. Unfortunately for her and her teammates, they really struggled as the year wound down, losing their last 7 of their last 8 games. Thankfully the win came in their last game, so they were able to end the year on a positive. Some players improved, and Sam was among that group. She stood out enough to be selected to the All-Star team for the second year in a row! Congrats, Sammie! Other players, well, some of them have room for improvement (to say the least)... To see the latest pictures, as well as pictures from all of her games this year, click on the Current Events page below and then follow the Samantha's Baseball link.

    Next up is the pictures from Drew's baseball team's final game, which was another loss. Even though they didn't win any games all year, the kids had a great time playing. Drew definitely showed signs of progress throughout the year, saving his best game for last. He hit his first double of the year in his final game, and also had a single in his only other at-bat. To read more about this game and to see the pictures (and his other games as well), click on Drew's Baseball on the Current Events page.

    The only other addition to the site this time is of Tyler's most recent game. His team had a couple of rainouts throughout the season, and for some reason these games were not made up - the schedule just got pushed back. The end result is that his team is about a week behind in finishing their season when compared to Sam and Drew. I can't say I was happy with Tyler's effort in this game, but with the circumstances surrounding it I cannot say I was surprised by it. Anyway, to find out about his latest game, please go to Current Events and click on the Tyler's Baseball link.

Tuesday, June 21st, 2011

    So, it has been a week already since my last update, even though it seems like I just finished it yesterday. Things have been so busy at home with a variety of activities that I never seem to have a minute to sit down and relax. I don't have a lot to say today, so I will go straight to the weeks updates...

    I have started this set of updates with two of Samantha's baseball games. She unfortunately lost both games, but she had a lot of fun playing anyway. To read more, go to Samantha's Baseball on the Current Events page.

    Next up is two games and some pictures from a pool party that Drew's baseball team had. Drew's team is winless so far this year, but they play their final game tonight and I have a feeling that this is the night for them! Go to Drew's Baseball on the Current Events page to see all of the pictures.

    I have also added two games from Tyler's baseball team as well, which of course you can see on the Current Events page by clicking on Tyler's Baseball. His team split the games, but Tyler played fairly well in each of them.

    The next addition to the site is one that will be updated quite frequently this year from now on, Samantha's La Forza page. This is the travel soccer team that Sam is now a part off. She participated in tryouts this past weekend, and was selected to be a member of the team. I don't really know how things work, but I will keep everyone informed as Tara & I learn the ropes. Go to the Current Events page to see more.

    There is another new addition to the site this time as well, as Tara signed herself, Tyler, and Samantha up for a free sailing day on Lake Fenton with the Lake Fenton Sailing Club. Things didn't work out exactly as we had planned, as Sam couldn't go due to her soccer tryouts, but both Tara and Tyler had a lot of fun. Sam wants to go next Sunday, when they have another free day. We'll see if we can fit it into our schedule, but we will try to get her a turn too. Go to Sailing on the Current Events page to see the pictures.

    The final update to the site this time is the latest class from Drew's Learn to Play Hockey class. Go to Drew's Hockey on the Current Events page to see the pictures from his latest class.

    Whew! That's it for now. As always, enjoy the site!

Tuesday, June 14th, 2011

    As you can imagine, a lot has been going on in our lives lately. It doesn't appear to be slowing down any time soon, either. Too much to do, and not nearly enough time to fit it all in is all I have to say...

    I will get right to the updates today, in no particular order:

    First up is a new addition to the wallpaper page, which you can check out for yourself by going to the Wallpapers page, appropriately enough.

    The next update involves two new sets of Tyler's baseball game photos. Tyler's team split the two games since my last update, bringing their record up to 3-6 overall. Not great, but not bad either. It surely would be better if only they would learn to stop shooting themselves in the foot with throwing and baserunning errors. Go to Tyler's Baseball on the Current Events page to see the photos.

    I also have two new sets of photos from Drew's baseball games as well. His team has yet to win a game, but signs of improvement are definitely there. Overall, not too bad considering that the majority of the team really should be playing another year of T-ball. Go to Current Events and click on Drew's Baseball to see these photos.

    Samantha's soccer team has played three games since my last update. They managed to win 2 out of the 3 games to finish their season at 6-2. Samantha definitely showed a ton of progress this year, and I think playing indoor soccer over the winter was a major contributor to that improvement. Click on Samantha's AYSO Soccer on the Current Events page to see the pictures from these three games as well as the others.

    The next update is also related to Samantha, but this time back to baseball. Her team played in only one game since my last update, which hardly seems possible! Her team is on a bit of a losing streak lately, and this wasn't the game to end that skid. Click on Samantha's Baseball on the Current Events page for the pictures.

    Up next is a set of photos from the trip to Comerica Park that Tara, Drew, Jayden, and I took on June 11th. Aside from traffic issues going to and from the game we had a lot of fun. Be sure to read the details of that trip in addition to looking at the pictures by going to the Current Events page and clicking on Detroit Tigers.

    The final update this time around is the pictures from Drew's latest hockey class. Not much to say here as each class follows pretty much the same formula. Check them out for yourself by clicking on Drew's Hockey on the Current Events page.

    Whew! I think that's it. As always, enjoy the site!

Thursday, June 9th, 2011

    OK, I know I have fallen way behind with my updates lately, but I am doing my best to keep up to date with everything. I have a ton of updates and not a lot of time to describe them all, so I am just going to point you to the Current Events page or the Update List page to see what is new.

    I do have one brief explanation for some of the delay in updating the site... it has been ungodly hot lately here at home, and our A/C unit is non-functional. Due to the heat, we have been attempting to do anything we can to stay out of our house (which has reached 89 degrees on occasion), which hasn't left me with much time to keep things up to date. Not to mention the heat has pretty much sapped all of our energy lately. Anyway, I am more or less caught up at this point and am hoping to stay that way. We did have three more games tonight (one soccer and two baseball games), and I am hoping to get them up in the next day or two...

    One more thing... I have been putting the schedule at this point of the home page, but we have had so many rainouts this spring that it has become an almost futile effort trying to keep up with the changes at this point. If you are interested in seeing the kids play, contact us and we'll let you know what is coming up. Thanks!

Tuesday, May 31st, 2011

    I never really thought that it would take me so long to get the website updated, but it has been yet another crazy week. Despite having several games rained out last week, I was unable to find the time to dedicate to the website because that time was available to catch up on other jobs I have been neglecting around the house lately!

    Tara & I had a great weekend planned for Memorial Day, with catching up on yard work and a dinner out on the agenda, among other things. Unfortunately, things didn't quite work out for us as Tara's gall bladder had other plans. We ended up in the ER Friday night, and didn't get out of the hospital until Sunday afternoon. The whole time there was just a comical disaster. We can laugh now, but we certainly weren't laughing when it was happening! Needless to say, the majority of our weekend was a waste as far as achieving our goals at home. We were able to spend a bunch of time together, which was a nice bonus out of it all. Plus, on Monday we went for a barbeque at our friends house, which was a great time for us and the kids!

    Since I am so far behind updating things, I am only going to leave a quick note about the additions. First up was the lone baseball game that Tyler's team played last week. Like Drew (all of his games) and Sam (one of hers), Tyler's second game for the week was rained out. Samantha's baseball team played their game on Friday, and I have added those pictures as well.

    The biggest update this week is the addition of Samantha's Lansing Field Trip to the site. Sam went on an overnight trip with her class to Lansing, the state capitol. She was a little nervous going without Tara or I, but she had a great time anyway!

    For all of these updates, click on Current Events and look for the "New" or "updated" icons next to the link.

    For quick and easy reference to the kid's schedules, I am attempting to keep an updated weekly schedule here on the homepage. This way, if anyone would like to attend any of the kids sporting events they can quickly see what games we have coming up without the need to search each individual page. Without further ado, our upcoming schedule...

Monday, May 23rd, 2011

    Things are beyond crazy in our house right now, so I am going to keep this short and sweet today. No big explanations, just a list of updates...

    To start the list of updates out, I will attempt to go in somewhat chronological order since the last update. First up is Drew's hockey, which took place on both May 15th and the 22nd. Next is Tyler's baseball. He played in his game on the 16th, but the one scheduled for the 19th was rained out. Samantha and Drew both had baseball games on the 17th, but only Sam played in her second game of the week on the 20th as Drew's game on the 19th was rained out as well. Samantha was supposed to have a soccer game on the 14th, but that too was rained out, leaving only her game on the 21st added to the site this time around. Finally, I have some pictures of a car that Tara & I got to tool around in for the weekend.

    The easiest way to see what I have added this time is to go to the Update List page. You can also go to Current Events and check out any page with an Updated or New icon next to the link.

    For quick and easy reference to the kid's schedules, I am attempting to keep an updated weekly schedule here on the homepage. This way, if anyone would like to attend any of the kids sporting events they can quickly see what games we have coming up without the need to search each individual page. Without further ado, our upcoming schedule...

Saturday, May 14th, 2011

    As you can imagine, things are beyond hectic in our household right now thanks to a steady diet of baseball and soccer related activities. Because of all that we have going on (6 baseball games per week, 1 soccer game per week, plus assorted practices on top of school for the kids and work and household responsibilities for Tara & I) I am attempting to limit my updates to the site to once per week or so. I will also attempt to keep my homepage musings to a minimum during this time. My fingers will wear out the keyboard if I keep updating things after each activity!

    You may have guessed that the updates this time around consist entirely of baseball related pictures. First up this week was Tyler, and he played in two games since my last update, one loss and one victory. You can see his scores and pictures by clicking on Tyler's Baseball on the Current Events page.

    Next on the list was Drew's baseball game. His team actually played two games this week, but Drew missed one due to a cold that resulted in him coming home from school early one day this week, meaning no game time for him that day. His team lost both games, but the scores got a little closer so hopefully that means a sign of improvement. Considering that most of the kids on his team should really be in T-Ball one more season, the need for improvement is to be expected. His scores and pictures can be found on the Drew's Baseball page under Current Events.

    The next update is from Samantha's two baseball games this week. Sam actually pitched in both games, which is fairly impressive (to us at least) considering that she is one of only two girls playing this level of baseball (the other is her teammate, who also happens to be the coaches daughter). Most girls her age move onto softball at this time, but she chose to tough it out against the boys. She needs to improve her aim, but all things considered she has held her own fairly well. Her team, much like Drew's, is made up entirely out of first year players at this level, so they have struggled so far this season against more veteran teams. Both of their games this week resulted in losses, but signs of progress are becoming more visible. You can see her scores and pictures by clicking on Samantha's Baseball on the Current Events page.

    One final update, which is vaguely related to baseball in that I took the picture from the ball fields, is a new addition to the wallpaper page. It is a picture of a sunset, and I liked it enough to make it my desktop and thought maybe others would as well. Go to the Wallpapers page to enjoy it yourself!

    For quick and easy reference to the kid's schedules, I am attempting to keep an updated weekly schedule here on the homepage. This way, if anyone would like to attend any of the kids sporting events they can quickly see what games we have coming up without the need to search each individual page. Without further ado, our upcoming schedule...

Monday, May 9th, 2011

    Wow! What a crazy, busy weekend. But it was fun! Friday night things were relatively calm around our house, which is unusual for us. Tara took my Mom to town for the "Ladies Night" that the local businesses put on, while Dad and I hung out at home with the kids. Saturday was when the real craziness began, as Samantha's AYSO soccer team played their second game of the year in the morning, and we followed that up with a ton of baseball related activities before getting a brief respite at home. Tara & I dropped the kids off at a friends house (Sam) and at my parents house (Tyler, Drew, and Jayden) before we headed out for dinner and dessert with some of our best friends. Sunday morning got underway early, as we headed off to pick up Drew from my folks before heading to hockey, as the third session kicked off in the morning. The afternoon was spent grocery shopping. (Great way to spend Mother's Day, I know... you look at our schedule and tell us when else we can fit it in! Plus, it had been like three weeks since we had gone - we were out of almost everything.) Sunday evening consisted of picking up around the house before giving Tara her gifts for the day, which she was very appreciative of. I know it wasn't the best ever, but Happy Mother's Day Tara! We all love you, and owe you so much for all you do for us. You are the greatest mother and wife ever!

    I think that the website is all back to normal as far as the menu's working properly, although I sometimes do get error messages about them when I update the site. If you notice something wrong, please let me know so I can get to work on it in my spare time (yeah, right!). Thanks!

    Before I start getting into the updates from today, I want to mention that I may be a little slow updating the site from time to time thanks to the abundance of games that we have during the week. I am going to do my best not to fall behind (at my advancing age I tend to forget a lot of details if I wait too long to write them down!), but it may happen from time to time.

    Without further ado, the updates! First up is Samantha's second AYSO soccer game. I have added the pictures from the game, which took place at 9:00am on Saturday, May 7th. You can find all of her soccer game photos under Samantha's AYSO Soccer on the Current Events page. In addition to Sam's soccer game, Tyler and Drew both played their first game of the season on Saturday as well. Samantha somehow got the day off, which is just as well because it was almost certain that her game would have took place at the same time as the boys, leaving me to make mad dashes between three fields to catch the action while Tara kept score at Sam's game. I have added pictures for both of the boys games to their respective pages, Tyler's Baseball and Drew's baseball, on the Current Events page. Finally, Drew has started another session of Learn to Play Hockey, and those pictures are also on the Current Events page, under Drew's Hockey.

    For quick and easy reference to the kid's schedules, I will attempt to keep an updated weekly schedule here on the homepage, that way if anyone would like to attend any of the kids sporting events they can quickly see what games we have coming up without the need to search each individual page. Without further ado, the week of May 8th (with Saturday, May 7th thrown in for good measure this time around)...

Thursday, May 5th, 2011

    I am still occasionally fighting issues getting the website uploaded properly, and my time is running out now that baseball season is getting into full swing starting Saturday. I will do my best to keep things moving along as best as I can, but there may be times when I am a little delayed in getting the most recent updates online.

    I am pleased to announce that I have finally been able to add the pictures from Samantha's first AYSO soccer game of the spring, which you can find (appropriately enough) under Samantha's AYSO Soccer on the Current Events page. I have also added the baseball schedules for Tyler, Sam, and Drew. Each of their schedules can be found on their respective Baseball pages on the Current Events page. In the meantime I have decided to add a weekly schedule to the homepage, that way if anyone would like to attend any of the kids sporting events they can quickly see what games we have coming up without the need to search each individual page. Without further ado, the week of May 8th (with Saturday, May 7th thrown in for good measure this time around)...

Monday, April 25th, 2011

    First things first... the only update this time around is of our assorted Easter activities, which this year took place at our home in addition to Jerry & Gail's. The kids enjoyed seeing what they got in their Easter baskets, and of course they enjoyed their candy. They also had a lot of fun competing in the Easter egg hunt at Jerry & Gail's house. You can see and read more about all of our activities by clicking on Current Events, and then on Easter.

    Now, since my last update I have been having issues with the links at the top of the page once again. I am working (and have been working) on getting this corrected. I have tried a few new things this time around, but if the situation still isn't corrected when I post this update I may have to work on something more drastic. At this point and time I am sampling a possible new piece of web design software that I may put to use (if I can figure it out). If I decide to stick with what I have, I may be forced to restart the website from scratch. I would keep things the way they are, but to start out with only the most current events would be available. The past events and other pages would return more slowly as time allows. Hopefully it won't resort to that, however. If you notice any other issues with the site, please feel free to let me know. Thanks!

Wednesday, April 20th, 2011

    Another week gone by means it is time for another update. For the next week or two things should be slowing down just a little as far as updates are concerned (the rest of our life - that's a whole 'nother story!). I think that all we have coming up is Samantha's spring session of AYSO and Easter. The rest of our lives at this point is consumed with practices for one sport or the other. Our week looks a little something like this until baseball season actually starts in May:

• Monday: Tyler baseball practice, Sam soccer practice (at different schools, of course)
• Tuesday: Drew baseball practice
• Wednesday: Sam baseball practice
• Thursday: Tyler baseball practice, Sam soccer practice (again, different schools), Drew baseball practice
• Friday: Tyler basketball practice
• Saturday: Sam baseball practice
• Sunday: Nothing! (For now... Drew will have hockey on this day in a couple of weeks)

    As you can see, even though the updates are slowing down, the activities are just beginning. Remember to check back in a couple of weeks when baseball gets underway, assuming I can keep up with the updates, that is!

    This weeks updates consist of the last of two events (for now, anyway) as Samantha's indoor soccer has wound to a close and Drew's hockey class is taking a brief break. You can find the last update for each of these events on the Current Events page. Also, Drew had some exciting news to share with us last Tuesday: he lost his first tooth! I finally remembered to take a couple of pictures before his adult tooth was fully in, and you can see them by clicking on Drew's Tooth, which is also located on the Current Events page. I have also added the page for Samantha's AYSO Soccer, which contains the schedule of her games this spring.

Wednesday, April 13th, 2011

   Sorry for the long delay between updates, but there really hasn't been too much for me to add lately. Baseball season is kicking off with practices starting last week already and Samantha's AYSO soccer team should be resuming their season soon, but the rest of our activities are winding down. Drew has one more hockey lesson to go this session, and Sam also has one more indoor soccer game to play.

    Speaking of indoor soccer and hockey, those are the updates this time around. You can find both sets of updates by clicking on the Current Events page and following the links with the Update! icon next to them. Enjoy!

Tuesday, March 29th, 2011

   Whew! After a very busy start of the year, things are settling down for Tara, the kids, and I for the next couple of weeks. Aside from the continuation of Drew's hockey lessons and the occasional practice here and there, sports have hit a low spot right now. That means that I won't have a lot to add to the website for a while, unless something comes up that Tara & I choose to do with the kids (or without the kids... who knows!). Frankly, I am looking forward to having some time to spend with just Tara and the kids without being in the van on the way to this game or that game or his practice or her practice. It will be nice to be able to sit on the couch and put my arm around my beautiful wife and enjoy 3 minutes of peace (before the kids interrupt it - I think 3 minutes is the longest they can go).

    On to the updates for this week. The first update is from Samantha's sixth indoor soccer game, which took place on Friday, March 25th. The girls had an excellent chance to move into a tie for first place with a victory today, but it just wasn't meant to be. A 1-1 tie in the game left the girls in third place, with two more chances to move up in the standings before the season is over. You can see pictures of the game and read a little more about it by going to the Samantha's Indoor Soccer page under Current Events.

    The only other update this time is from Drew's third hockey lesson from the second session of classes. His full class seemed to be in attendance today, which meant a little less strenuous of a workout for the three young men who made it last time (when they skated pretty much nonstop for the full class time). You can see pictures from this class by clicking on Drew's Hockey, which is also on the Current Events page.

Tuesday, March 22nd, 2011

   It is hard to believe, but Spring has sprung! The first three months of the year are almost gone, and I am more than ready to kiss Winter goodbye! Bring on the warm weather, the green grass, and the sunshine. I am ready to test out the new bikes that our entire family got for Christmas! Speaking of Spring... that means that baseball season isn't too far away for the kids. Tyler, Samantha, and Drew are all playing once again this year. Drew is going to be playing his first year of coach pitch baseball, moving up with his coach and most of his teammates after a single year of t-ball. Samantha is moving up a level as well, leaving behind coach pitch to play minor league baseball instead of softball so that she too can stay with her coach and teammates. Tyler is playing another year of major league baseball, although he thinks this might just be his final season of baseball (but this thought changes to this year being his last to possibly playing one more season after this one). We still have three more games of Samantha's indoor soccer league to play, and it appears that Tyler will be playing one more session of basketball at the Cage. Busy, busy, busy.

    On to the updates for this week... Tyler and his Cage basketball team played their playoff games on Saturday, March 19th. Their first game took place at 4:30pm, and with a victory they secured a second game that night at 6:30pm. You can read more about these games by clicking on Tyler's Cage Basketball on the Current Events page.

    Another update is from Drew's second hockey lesson of the second session of classes. You can see those pictures by clicking on Drew's Hockey, also on the Current Events page.

    The final update this week is from Samantha's soccer game that took place on Monday, March 21st. I think the 8:00pm start time caused the girls to be a little slow at the start of the game, but they managed to pick up the pace as the game wore on. You can see some pictures and read about the game by clicking on Current Events, then on Samantha's Indoor Soccer.

Tuesday, March 15th, 2011

    I have a two more additions to the website this week... one of which is the Upward basketball Celebration, which took place on Monday, March 14th. Both Tyler and Samantha joined their teams for the year end celebration, and you can see pictures and read more about the event by going to either Samantha's Upward Basketball page or Tyler's Upward Basketball page under Current Events. I have also finally added Samantha's Upward team pictures to the website, which can also be found on the Samantha's Upward Basketball page under Current Events. Unfortunately Tyler was unable to be there for his team picture due to a scheduling conflict with his Cage basketball team's games that particular day. Now, back to the update from two days ago...

Sunday, March 13th, 2011

    Before I get into today's updates, I want to address a question I posed last week. I brought up the subject of how much anyone uses the website and whether or not it was worth keeping. I am guessing that nobody really cares if the website stays or goes since I only got one reply, but I have made a decision despite the lack of feedback. I am going to keep updating the website, but not for the enjoyment of anyone except for myself. I created this website with the mission of sharing our family activities with those who were unable to be there with us, perhaps those out of state. As time has gone on interest in the website from others has waned, but to me it is now a chronicle of our families history which I hope to pass on to the children some day, so that they will have a vivid reminder of all of the things that they participated in during their youth. So, to all one of you who responded to my question, THANK YOU. To those who checked out the site and didn't respond, your input was unneeded anyway. I am still interested in your website opinions if you are willing to provide it. Send me an email here.

    Now, on to the updates... The first update for this week is Samantha's soccer game from Friday, March 11th. Her team played their second good game in a row, pulling out a 4-1 victory to bring their record for the year to 2-2. Samantha netted her second goal of the season in today's game as well! You can see and read more about this game by clicking on Samantha's Indoor Soccer on the Current Events page and then clicking on the Game 4 link.

    Next up is Samantha's final Upward basketball game on Saturday, March 12th. Unfortunately for the team they were unable to secure a victory, and they wound up with a record of 3-4-1 for the season. On an individual basis, Samantha played perhaps her best overall game of the season today (saving the best for last, so to speak), scoring 4 points while providing solid defense and ball-handling throughout the game. You can find more information on this game by going to the Current Events page, clicking on Samantha's Upward Basketball, followed by the Game 8 link.

    Also on Saturday (and at the same time as Sam's Upward game) was Tyler's Cage basketball game, in addition to two later games in the evening. Tyler had his strongest day of the season today, scoring 8 points in the first game, helping his team to a victory. He followed that up with 4 points in the second Cage game of the day, all on free throws. He went scoreless in the third and final game of the day (and session, barring any playoff games), but it wasn't due to lack of effort. I have much more information on all of the games on Tyler's Cage Basketball page under Current Events.

    Smack dab in the middle of the first two and final two basketball games of the day was Tyler's Upward basketball game, also his last. This game was against their archenemy team, the Celtics, who had beaten them twice already this season. Tyler's strong day of basketball continued today, as was able to help his team secure a hard fought 25-25 tie. Like the rest of the updates, I have much more information available by clicking on Current Events, and then Tyler's Upward Basketball.

    The final update this week (maybe!) is of Drew's hockey lesson. He began his second session of the year today, along with several new classmates. Tara took him to class today, so I don't have much information to provide. You can see pictures and get a little more info (very little from me) by clicking on the Drew's Hockey link on the Current Events page.

    That's it for now! Thanks for checking the website out. If you enjoy it, please let me know

Tuesday, March 8th, 2011

    I just updated the website two days ago, but I have one more addition to add for the week so here I am once again. Click on the Update List page above or below to see all of the recent updates.

    In addition to the new website updates, I have a question to ask everyone. Tara & I have been having a lot of discussion lately about whether or not RodandTara.com has outgrown it's usefulness. I have some changes in mind but I don't really possess the knowledge of how to make them happen nor am I certain I will have the time available to learn how to make them happen. So, my question to use is this: With the advent of social media such as blogs and Facebook, is RodandTara.com something that you check? Is it something that you would like to see continue? Do you have any suggestions on how to improve the site if I keep it? Please don't hesitate to critique or suggest ideas! Send me an email to let me know. Please!

Sunday, March 6th, 2011

    Well, it has been a crazy, exhausting couple of weeks in our household, and because of that I have fallen way behind in my website updates. Hopefully I am caught back up and can stay that way for a while...

    This week I have several new additions to the website, but rather than list them all here I am going to make it easy on myself and send you to the Update List page, which you can find at the top and bottom of this page, as well as in my page listing immediately below. Feel free to check out anything that is new since your last visit and let me know what you think!

Tuesday, February 22nd, 2011

    Continued from yesterday, with some changes...

    My next update today is of Drew's final hockey lesson of this session. You can see the pictures from his class by clicking on Current Events and then Drew's Hockey.

    The final addition to the site is a new page for Samantha's indoor soccer season, which started on Monday, February 21st. I have posted the schedule as well as the pictures from her first game. You can see the photos by clicking on the Game 1 link in the schedule portion of the Samantha's Indoor Soccer page. Enjoy!

Monday, February 21st, 2011

    I don't have any new or exciting news to report today, so I will get straight to the good stuff, in chronological order...

    First up is the Valentine's Day Dance that took place on Friday, February 18th at Samantha and Drew's school. Tara & I took the kids (minus Tyler, who chose to go to a friends house instead) for an evening of dancing and fun, and they certainly did that. To find out more about the dance and to see my pictures of the evening, go to the Current Events page and click on School Valentine's Dance.

    Next up is Samantha and Tyler's Upward basketball games. Both kids played on Saturday, and the results were mixed. Sam's team tied, although she was ecstatic with the result. Tyler's team wound up losing, but it was a good game nonetheless. You can get more information on these games by clicking on either Samantha's Upward Basketball or Tyler's Upward Basketball on the Current Events page.

    My next update today is of Drew's final hockey lesson of this session. You can see the pictures from his class by clicking on Current Events and then Drew's Hockey. Enjoy!

    The final addition to the site is an incomplete one at this time. I have added a page for Samantha's indoor soccer season, which starts tonight. I do not have a schedule to post at this time, but as soon as I do I will get it online for you. Check back soon for the pictures from her first game.

Thursday, February 17th, 2011

    Since it has only been a few days since my last update, I am only adding a brief comment about the last two additions and I will the rest of my past comments below. I have added pictures from Samantha and Andrew's school Valentine's Day parties that Tara helped out at, in addition to a new Wallpaper picture of Tara and Drew from the party. As always, check out the Current Events page or the Update List page to find the latest pictures. Today's update is listed under School Valentine's Parties. You can find the wallpaper addition by clicking on the Wallpapers link above or below. Enjoy!

Tuesday, February 15th, 2011

    Since it has only been two days since my last update, I am only adding a brief comment about the latest addition and leaving the rest of my past comments below. Today I have added pictures from Samantha and Andrew's school Valentine's Day parties that Tara helped out in. As always, check out the Current Events page or the Update List page to find the latest pictures. Today's update is listed under School Valentine's Parties. Enjoy!

Sunday, February 13th, 2011

   It has been another crazy week in our household, with an even more hectic weekend. Our week involved a variety of practices (both soccer and basketball, four practices in three nights) and an assortment of meetings for Tara. I spent the week working ten hours days, which leads to a lot of exhaustion on my part (how can I ever be expected to be in bed by 7:00pm, which is when I would have to be in order to get a good 8 hours of sleep?). Friday was our one down day of the week, and Tara & I took advantage of that fact by hiring a sitter and going to see the new movie "Just Go With It." Although we both thought that "Grown Ups" was funnier, we also agreed that this was a good movie as well. It was nice to see a show without the kids interrupting for more popcorn, pop, or to go to the bathroom!

    Saturday was when the real craziness began, as we decided to go to the second annual 97.1 The Ticket Sportsfest in the morning (doors opened at 10:00am, and we were there). This took place at the expo center in Novi. We followed that up with a mad dash to the church where both Samantha (1:00pm) and Tyler (3:00pm) had basketball games. After Sam's game was complete we raced to drop her off at a birthday party before returning to watch Tyler's game. After his game, it was back to pick up and Sam before going to Flint, where we had dinner at Outback. A couple of quick stops to look for a few necessary household items and it was off to Dwayne & Erica's house to swap kids once again. Since the Sam and Marissa came to our house last time, this time we got Tyler and Donovan (in addition to Drew and Jay, as always). Since I had to work today, it was off to bed by 10:00pm.

    Today, Sunday, was supposed to be spent with me at work and Tara taking Drew to hockey in the morning and then Sam to soccer in the afternoon. Well, it didn't quite work out that way. I managed to get to work without incident, but when Tara attempted to take the kids to hockey... well, things didn't go quite as smoothly. Nothing, and I mean nothing, on the van would work. Doors, lights, nothing. Of course it wouldn't start either. No problem, right. Thanks to a program at work I was spending the weekend driving around in a swanky Cadillac Escalade ESV, so we had two vehicles at home. She could drive the truck, or use the truck to jump the van, right? Wrong. In my genius foresight, I pulled the truck in the side drive first and parked the van behind it. Jumper cables don't reach the full length of the truck. Ask the neighbor, right? Wrong. He was just waking up, and apparently couldn't be bothered to help us out. Thankfully we have wonderful friends that we can rely on, one of whom was able to help Tara out while I was stuck in the doldrums of the factory. Thad, we owe you big time! At least the van was up and running, and Tara was able to move the truck in case we would need it at any point during the day. Isn't life grand?

    I have several updates to the site today, but rather than list them all here I am going to make it simple on myself (my fingers are starting to hurt after all of the typing I've done today!). One way to find the updates is to click on either of the Current Events links above or below, and then look for the pages that have a NEW or UPDATE! icon next to it. The second option is to click on one of the Update List links. From there you can see all of the updates since the last time you have visited nicely listed in chronological order. Nice, right?

Sunday, February 6th, 2011

   Wow, this weekend has really flown by! Here I am, on Super Bowl Sunday, watching football and putting the finishing touches on this weeks website update. Although Friday was a relatively peaceful day, with us eating dinner and following it up with with an in-house showing of "Despicable Me." Saturday is when the fun always begins for us, with me going to work for a majority of the day and Tara and the kids getting ready for basketball after they woke up. I met them at the church for beginning of Samantha's game before Tyler and I had to leave for his game at the Cage. With games at 1:00, 2:00, and 3:00pm between the two older kids, it was a lot of time on the road back and forth for Tara & I. After the games were all completed, we headed off to Red Robin to enjoy my birthday dinner. Once we returned home, I was blessed to have two great, loving, sons who voluntarily went outside to shovel the driveway! I couldn't have asked for a better end of my day. Sunday was more of the same for me, spending the day at work once again. Thankfully I was able to come home and get a nap before we ate dinner. That brings us back to now, sitting in front of the big screen watching the Super Bowl!

    Going back to the basketball games that took place on Saturday. Let's just say that it really wasn't our best day as a family on the basketball court. Samantha's team lost their first game of the season, losing in blowout fashion (33-11). Tyler's team didn't fare any better, getting blasted in their first game (36-17). His second game was a little closer, although the result was the third loss of the day in our family (a 37-26 score).

    As you can imagine, the updates this time revolve mainly around the sporting events that took place. Click on Current Events, and then either Samantha's Upward Basketball or Tyler's Cage Basketball to see the pictures (and read my summaries) from the kid's games. I do have one other update which was originally posted two days ago. It is of the big snowstorm that we experienced on Groundhog Day, February 2nd. We got a heavy dose of snow, although not as bad as the early predictions indicated that it would be (thankfully). For more, and to see the pictures, please click on the Snow Day! link on the Current Events page.

   Once again I am asking for your assistance. I have been having some trouble with the top and bottom borders on the website recently, which I think was related to an improper shutdown of my computer thanks to a faulty battery. I believe that I have discovered the solution and corrected the problem, but some pages may still load with the improper links or no links at all (especially the top links ). If you discover one of these faulty pages, please (PLEASE!) let me know so that I can correct it. Thank you for your assistance in making RodandTara.com the best site it can be.

Friday, February 4th, 2011

   OK... I have been having some trouble with the top and bottom borders on the website recently, which I think was related to an improper shutdown of my computer thanks to a faulty battery. I believe that I have discovered the solution and corrected the problem, but some pages may still load with the improper links or no links at all (especially the top links ). If you discover one of these faulty pages, please (PLEASE!) let me know so that I can correct it. Thank you for your assistance in making RodandTara.com the best site it can be.

    Now, for this weeks update. I should have had this added earlier, but I was trying to correct the other issues first. Now that I think I have that straightened out, I will add new pictures. With the weekend upon us, that means more basketball games for the kids. I will be making a single update for now. After this weekend I will have many more pictures to add to the site.

    This update is related to the big snowstorm that we experienced on Groundhog Day, February 2nd. We got a heavy dose of snow, although not as bad as the early predictions indicated that it would be (thankfully). For more, and to see the pictures, please click on the Snow Day! link on the Current Events page.

Monday, January 31st, 2011

   Well, we had another busy weekend full of sporting activities for the kids...

    It all started early Saturday morning for us, as Drew attended his third and final Holly Hoops basketball clinic at 9:00am. Since this runs for a full two hours and Tyler's basketball game at the Cage Fieldhouse started at 10:30, both Tara & I were obviously unable to attend each event. Since last weekend Tara went with Drew and I went with Tyler, this weekend we switched it up and swapped kids. Unfortunately for Tyler, Tara's presence didn't provide good luck, as his team lost for the second time this year.

    After Drew finished up his clinic, he & I headed up to the church for the Upward games that began that afternoon. Miraculously enough Tara had just pulled into a parking spot with the rest of the kids just as I pulled into the lot. We headed inside for another picnic style lunch prior to the start of Samantha's game at 1:00pm. After her game, another victory, we waited patiently for the start of Tyler's game at 3:00pm. Thankfully, aside from a quick trip to Sam's Club and the grocery store, we had the rest of the evening off! We did manage to lose one kid tonight, as Tyler opted to spend the night at Donovan's house. We replaced him with Marissa, so that she and Sam could play together.

    Sunday was slightly more relaxed, as we only had Drew's hockey lesson to deal with. Tara took Drew to hockey today, while I stayed home to watch Jayden. Tyler and Sam managed to convince Erica and Tara that they should stay at Erica's house and play together for a bit longer. The rest of our day was spent lazily around the house, as I seemed to be hit by the cold that felled Tara, Drew, and Jayden at various points during the week. I wasn't out and out sick or anything, just sapped of all of my energy.

    On to the updates... as you can imagine I have pictures from each of the kids games added to the site, as well as pictures of Drew's basketball and hockey lessons. You can see all of the updates by clicking on the Current Events link below or at the top of the page. From there you will see the "UPDATE!" icon showing you which pages have new additions to them. Please enjoy!

Tuesday, January 25th, 2011

   After working nearly three straight weeks of 10-hour days along with the weekends (even the MLK holiday!), I was really looking forward to weekend off. Turns out that never really happens at our house... Sure, I didn't have to go in to work, but I was up almost as early and I was away from the house for longer periods of time. This Saturday, for example, I was awake at 6:00am to get showered and to wake Tyler up so that we could be out the door no later than 7:30am, all so that we could be at the gym in time in time for an 8:30am basketball game. Meanwhile, Tara was back home getting the rest of the kids ready to go to Drew's basketball clinic at 9:00am. Back at the Cage, Tyler's team was putting the finishing touches on their game one victory and preparing to start their second game of the morning at 10:00am (which ended in a loss). Somehow I got "volunteered" to keep score during the course of both games instead of being able to watch and take pictures like I had planned. Back towards home, Tara and the other kids were finishing up Drew's clinic and were busy making their way towards Flint to meet Tyler and I in time for Samantha's Upward basketball game. We squeezed in a picnic lunch before her game started at 1:00pm. We had about 30 minutes of downtime after her team won their game and before Tyler's 3:00pm pregame meeting started. Tyler's team put up a fight, but wound up losing their first game of the season. After all of the games wrapped up for the day we were off to Red Robin for Drew's birthday dinner. We finished up our meal and made our way to Toys R Us to try to exchange a game for Tyler and to pick out a present for Drew. By the time we wandered through the entire store and finally settled on a gift, we were all beyond exhausted for the day. Unfortunately we had one more stop to make - at Meijer for some grocery items. We did manage to make it home, long after the sun set for the day though, around 8:30pm.

    Sunday was only slightly better as Drew and I left the house for hockey practice at 9:30am, returning home around 12:30pm in time to eat lunch, give Drew a haircut, and do some last minute cleaning before the guests began to arrive for Drew's birthday party at 3:00pm. By the time the last guest left for the day, it was once again well past dark, and time to put the kids to bed for school the following day. Whew!

    With all of that going on, you can imagine that I have a lot of additions to the website this time around. You are 100% correct. From Saturday's activities, you will find pictures from Game 1 and Game 2 of Tyler's Cage Basketball season on the Current Events page, as well as Game 1 from Tyler's Upward Basketball and Samantha's Upward Basketball. Sunday brings more pictures, this time from Drew's Hockey on January 23rd. Also, brand new to the website, is the addition of Drew's 6th Birthday. You will find over 35 new pictures from his party alone!

    Tara took a big cookie "cake" in to Drew's class on Monday so that he could celebrate his big day with them as well. I have added some pictures from that special occasion to the website as well, and you can see them by going to the Drew's School Birthday page under Current Events.

Monday, January 17th, 2011

   Although we remain an extremely busy family, this past weekend was our one "off" weekend this month. We still managed to cram it full of activities, however. Since we had no Saturday basketball games to contend with, we decided to attend the opening day of the North American International Auto Show once again this year. Besides attending the auto show, we also visited Greektown for lunch and stopped at IKEA in Canton and Target in Fenton on our way home. Sunday was slightly less hectic, at least for me (I was busy at work). Drew's hockey class was the only scheduled activity of the day, but Tyler also went to a friends house to work on homework (they had both missed the same day of class, although for different reasons). Tara & I were back to work on Monday, even though the kids had the day off from school. Practices also resume today as well. The fun never ends!

    Speaking of the auto show, that is my big update this time around. I have included three pages of pictures from our time in Detroit, so feel free to check them all out. You can find them by clicking on the Current Events link, either above or below, and then by clicking on the NAIAS - Auto Show link. Feel free to send me some feedback if you see something you like!

    I have also included some of the pictures that Tara was able to take at Drew's hockey lesson at the Polar Palace. Although I wasn't there in person, I know that Drew is having a great time on the ice. Now, if only we could cure that pesky falling-on-purpose problem! You can see these pictures as well, by clicking on the Drew's Hockey link that can be found on the Current Events page as well.

Tuesday, January 11th, 2011

   Believe it or not, the new year is now nearly two full weeks old. Although Tara & I thought maybe, just maybe, we would be able to have a little bit of down time. Of course that would be wishful thinking on our part, as the kids had other plans for us...

    We already knew that we had a couple of activities on our agenda: Tyler is playing basketball at The Cage Fieldhouse in Swartz Creek again, which I had mentioned in my previous update. I have included his schedule on the Tyler's Cage Basketball page, which you can find on the Current Events page. Samantha was also already involved in a soccer clinic, in the hopes of developing the necessary skills to try out for a travel soccer team in the spring.

    Although I knew this would be coming sooner or later, I had pretty much forgotten about Drew playing hockey this year. We even gave him his equipment for Christmas! Well, hockey has begun, with Drew's first lesson taking place this past Saturday at the Polar Palace. I have added pictures from this lesson, and I will hopefully be adding more pictures at various points throughout the year, so keep checking the Drew's Hockey link on the Current Events page for more.

    Drew has also signed up for a basketball clinic, known as Holly Hoops, that is for kindergarten through second grade. Although I was at work during his first lesson, Tara reported to me that Drew was one of the better kids in the class. Hopefully years of keeping up with his older siblings will pay off for him! I have pictures of his first lesson on the Drew's Holly Hoops page, and I am hoping to add pictures from his other two classes there as well.

    My final addition involves a long story... Tyler and Samantha chose to not play basketball in the league that I coached them in last year in order to chase other dreams (Tyler at the cage, Sam on the soccer field). When the opportunity to play in a basketball league, coached by their aunt and uncle and with their cousins as teammates, arose, well... they found it too hard to pass up. So now, in addition to everything else that we have going on, Tyler and Sam are playing in the Upward basketball league in Flint. Tyler is on Donovan's team, which is coached by Tyler's uncle Dwayne. Donovan was moved up to a 5th/6th grade team, and since Tyler is in the 6th grade this was going to be their only chance to play together. Sam is on Marissa's team, which is coached by Sam's aunt Erica. Marissa was also moved up to a 3rd/4th grade team, which made this paring a possibility. We found this opportunity too much to pass up, and now here we are! I have included both of their teams schedules, which you can find on Samantha's Upward Basketball and Tyler's Upward Basketball, both of which can be found on the Current Events page. Pictures from their scrimmage this past Saturday are already included!

Wednesday, January 5th, 2011

   Welcome to the 2011 edition of RodandTara.com!

    Last year was an amazing one in many ways, and we are hoping for even bigger and better things in 2011. Since the new year is only a few days old, I don't have much information to add to the website at this time. Things will be kicking in to high gear soon, with Tyler's new session of basketball starting up later this month and Drew's first "Learn To Play Hockey" class taking place this coming weekend. Samantha is busy passing the time taking soccer classes, and Jayden is biding her time before she requires being driven all over for her activities. For now three kids is enough!

    Since I have the information already, I have posted Tyler's basketball game schedule to the website. You can view it by clicking on Tyler's Cage Basketball on the Current Events page.