Family Pictures 2011

Our family pictures for 2011...our church is doing a new directory this year. I went with the intention of not getting any pictures...but how could I resist!

Playing in the park with Nana

It was so nice the couple of days that we were at Ron's mom's house, we went to the park both days...the boys had fun and so did Chip being able to walk around...poor guy gets around pretty good for being 15 in October and blind...he always enjoyed going to the park. I remember when he was a pup and we had Scamper who was slowing down and Chip would just run circles around Scamper. Well, now Chip is the one that isn't moving quite so fast anymore, but he still has moments of energy, not quite ready to let him go just yet.

Three and four generation pictures

Pictures of the boys and I with my grandmother...my aunt took the picture who wasn't familiar with my camera and both pictures Alex was stretching as if he knew she wasn't getting much of him in the picture (smart boy!)












We tried to get a picture with the boys, mom, grandma and myself...but Alex was being a little ornery.

Playing with their second cousin

The boys and I went back to Nebraska to visit my brothers and their families over the Thanksgiving weekend. The boys got to play with their second cousin who is 20 months old. She was trying to give Alex a hug and he didn't want to have anything to do with it as Ryan was holding him down...then toward the end he let her give me a hug, but they were facing the other direction.

Putting up the Christmas Tree

We're starting to put up our Christmas tree so that it is ready to be lit right after Thanksgiving. The boys did an excellent job of putting the ornaments on all by themselves!

Regional Track Meet

We're back again in Carmel, IN for the regional track meet. This time kids from Indiana and Illinois came to compete. The day was cooler, windier and misty in the air as we arrived and were getting warmed up. None of Ryan's buddies decided to come back, one went to the meet in WV today and the other just had other things to do, so Ryan was on his own. But he knew the coarse now...Ron stayed with him at the start...couldn't miss him in his florescent orange hunting stocking cap! We all ran up the hill to cheer him on as he came up the hill a little over half way through the first lap. Alex and I ran back down the hill to cheer him on as he came around the starting line for the second and final lap. Dad staying up the hill to encourage him at the end. Even though the weather conditions were a little worse than two weeks ago, Ryan finished 11 seconds faster in 14th place. He got a medal again and qualified to go to the national meet in Myrtle Beach in December...maybe in a few years we'll go.

Another Boiler Bridge Walk with Friends

Two weeks in a row the Purdue Boilermakers have a home football game and so another bridge walk...some friends met us there and we played for awhile on the bridge, elevator and stairs...who knew they could be so much fun!

Riding bikes on the new driveway

The boys are enjoying having a smooth, safe place to ride their bikes without leaving the house...of coarse Ryan is having way too much fun leaving skid marks at the end when he stops! And yes, we need to work on getting those training wheels off, Alex might ride a two wheeler before Ryan does at the rate we are going!