Do you remember this picture of Grady from last spring? Unfortunately, this is what he has looked like every spring since he was a toddler. After many years of trying different medications that didn't work, we FINALLY got a referral to see an allergist. The news isn't good - it seems he's allergic to Virginia! Every tree, grass, and weed that live here caused a reaction in him. He didn't really do any better in N.C., FL, or CA, so it's not really fair to blame VA! There is some hope for him ... he'll be starting allergy shots next month, and we're hoping that it may even help this spring. We are praying that this is the last picture we ever take of him looking like this!
Monday, January 26, 2009
A thing of the past?
Do you remember this picture of Grady from last spring? Unfortunately, this is what he has looked like every spring since he was a toddler. After many years of trying different medications that didn't work, we FINALLY got a referral to see an allergist. The news isn't good - it seems he's allergic to Virginia! Every tree, grass, and weed that live here caused a reaction in him. He didn't really do any better in N.C., FL, or CA, so it's not really fair to blame VA! There is some hope for him ... he'll be starting allergy shots next month, and we're hoping that it may even help this spring. We are praying that this is the last picture we ever take of him looking like this!
Thursday, January 22, 2009
Grady
I'm way behind in my blogging, as I'm just now posting about G-man's birthday! On January 3rd, Grady turned 9. He started celebrating on the 2nd, and the festivities weren't over until the 10th! His first "party" was a trip to Joe's Crab Shack with Mimi, Papa, and Chi-Chi. He had decided back in September that he wanted to go there and eat crabs for his birthday; he really enjoyed it! The next day we went to Pop and Nana's to celebrate Christmas with Dave's family - and we celebrated Grady's birthday, too. While we were there, he learned how to use his birthday gift from us - a Ripstick. It was pretty hard at first, but after some practice with Dave, he figured it out. He ended his birthday season with a "guys night" - he invited 2 friends to go to the movies with him, Liam, and Dave. They came home and had pizza, cake, and a sleepover. He was kind enough to let us girls join him for the cake! I still can't believe he's 9 ... where have the years gone??
Sunday, December 14, 2008
Christmas Letter
Dear Family and Friends,
We decided to save some paper this year, and send you all here to read about our year. Kirsten is a little bit old fashioned, and isn't sold on the idea - so you'll have to leave a comment and let us know what you think!
Here are some highlights of what we've been up to - you can read our old posts if you want to read more and see some pictures!
Dave just finished his first year at the Marine Corps Warfighting Lab. He spent the first three months at DARPA (Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency) as an intern and works with them as a DARPA transition officer at the lab. Dave is thankful for a great wife / mother / teacher / friend in Kirsten. He's also thankful for four kids that don't need diapers. Finally, he's thankful for over 12 years of unconditional love from two furry friends.
Kirsten kept busy much of the year with homeschooling the children. When she wasn't teaching them, she was driving them to soccer, baseball, basketball, AWANA, ballet, gymnastics, piano, and to their friends' houses. She still found time to meet up with her running buddies on the weekends, and logged a few miles. She made Dave join her for the Rock 'N Roll Half Marathon in August ... that's not the best time of year to run in Virginia Beach! She and the kids joined a homeschool co-op at our church this school year, and they are really enjoying it. She has enjoyed being close to her family and being able to visit with them regularly.
Erica turned 11 this year and is in 6th grade. She played basketball in the winter, but her true love is still soccer! She started piano lessons this year and is enjoying it - she hopes to add voice lessons sometime next year. She loves her cell phone, her friends, and is quite interested in the latest fashions! She reached quite a milestone this year - she is now taller than her Nana! At 5'2", she's taller than most of the women in Dave's family.
Grady is 8 and in the 3rd grade. He loves playing basketball and baseball, and was able to do both this year. He is a Lego fanatic, and is quite imaginative when he's creating things. He decided this fall that he wanted to grow his hair out, much to his father's dismay. He has no interest in playing the piano, or even the guitar - he would really like to play the drums. Dave will have to soundproof the basement before that can happen!
Liam is 5 and in kindergarten. He tried tee-ball in the spring, but was eager to pick up soccer again in the fall. He loved playing soccer, but would also like a chance to play football. He has become a football fanatic, and is a big fan of the Hokies. Dave took him to his first Hokie football game in September, and he loved it! He is learning to read, and is eager to write. He still loves to draw and makes many pictures each day - all of which have to be saved in his special bag.
Jenna is 3 and thinks she's in kindergarten. She is eager to be big like the other kids, but her mom and dad would like her to stay little! She started ballet this year, and is so cute to watch. She also started Cubbies at church, and we have discovered that she's a perfectionist - she gets upset if she struggles with learning a verse. She loves playing with Polly Pockets and Barbie dolls, and is hoping she'll get an American Girl Doll for Christmas.
Kadie and BJ, our first "babies", both passed away this year. They were great dogs, and we miss them a lot! The kids are hoping that we'll get a puppy sometime in 2009 ... we'll see what happens.
As we end 2008, we are thankful for all that we have been blessed with! We are thankful for our friends and family, for good health, for food and shelter. But most of all, we're thankful for the reason we celebrate Christmas - the birth of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. We hope that you have a Merry Christmas, and a Happy 2009!
With Love,
Dave, Kirsten, Erica, Grady, Liam, and Jenna
We decided to save some paper this year, and send you all here to read about our year. Kirsten is a little bit old fashioned, and isn't sold on the idea - so you'll have to leave a comment and let us know what you think!
Here are some highlights of what we've been up to - you can read our old posts if you want to read more and see some pictures!
Dave just finished his first year at the Marine Corps Warfighting Lab. He spent the first three months at DARPA (Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency) as an intern and works with them as a DARPA transition officer at the lab. Dave is thankful for a great wife / mother / teacher / friend in Kirsten. He's also thankful for four kids that don't need diapers. Finally, he's thankful for over 12 years of unconditional love from two furry friends.
Kirsten kept busy much of the year with homeschooling the children. When she wasn't teaching them, she was driving them to soccer, baseball, basketball, AWANA, ballet, gymnastics, piano, and to their friends' houses. She still found time to meet up with her running buddies on the weekends, and logged a few miles. She made Dave join her for the Rock 'N Roll Half Marathon in August ... that's not the best time of year to run in Virginia Beach! She and the kids joined a homeschool co-op at our church this school year, and they are really enjoying it. She has enjoyed being close to her family and being able to visit with them regularly.
Erica turned 11 this year and is in 6th grade. She played basketball in the winter, but her true love is still soccer! She started piano lessons this year and is enjoying it - she hopes to add voice lessons sometime next year. She loves her cell phone, her friends, and is quite interested in the latest fashions! She reached quite a milestone this year - she is now taller than her Nana! At 5'2", she's taller than most of the women in Dave's family.
Grady is 8 and in the 3rd grade. He loves playing basketball and baseball, and was able to do both this year. He is a Lego fanatic, and is quite imaginative when he's creating things. He decided this fall that he wanted to grow his hair out, much to his father's dismay. He has no interest in playing the piano, or even the guitar - he would really like to play the drums. Dave will have to soundproof the basement before that can happen!
Liam is 5 and in kindergarten. He tried tee-ball in the spring, but was eager to pick up soccer again in the fall. He loved playing soccer, but would also like a chance to play football. He has become a football fanatic, and is a big fan of the Hokies. Dave took him to his first Hokie football game in September, and he loved it! He is learning to read, and is eager to write. He still loves to draw and makes many pictures each day - all of which have to be saved in his special bag.
Jenna is 3 and thinks she's in kindergarten. She is eager to be big like the other kids, but her mom and dad would like her to stay little! She started ballet this year, and is so cute to watch. She also started Cubbies at church, and we have discovered that she's a perfectionist - she gets upset if she struggles with learning a verse. She loves playing with Polly Pockets and Barbie dolls, and is hoping she'll get an American Girl Doll for Christmas.
Kadie and BJ, our first "babies", both passed away this year. They were great dogs, and we miss them a lot! The kids are hoping that we'll get a puppy sometime in 2009 ... we'll see what happens.
As we end 2008, we are thankful for all that we have been blessed with! We are thankful for our friends and family, for good health, for food and shelter. But most of all, we're thankful for the reason we celebrate Christmas - the birth of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. We hope that you have a Merry Christmas, and a Happy 2009!
With Love,
Dave, Kirsten, Erica, Grady, Liam, and Jenna
Friday, December 12, 2008
The big decision...
Anyone who knows Dave and I knows that decision making is not a strength of ours. There are times that becomes a real problem ... like when we're trying to pick out a Christmas tree. It's not that we were too picky, it's that any of them would have been fine. It took us longer than everyone else we saw at the farm, but we did manage to make a decision - and we're very happy with our tree.
This is my first real Christmas tree - Dave can't remember if he ever had a real one growing up, so maybe it's his first real tree, too. Dave and I have always had a fake tree for practical reasons - because we had a male dog, and to him, a tree was a tree. BJ lifted his leg on a fake tree once - we knew we'd never be able to stop him from going on a real one. Here are some pictures of our first trip to a Christmas tree farm:
Dave and the kids in front of the one
Jenna and Erica all bundled up
Santa and Mrs. Claus
This is my first real Christmas tree - Dave can't remember if he ever had a real one growing up, so maybe it's his first real tree, too. Dave and I have always had a fake tree for practical reasons - because we had a male dog, and to him, a tree was a tree. BJ lifted his leg on a fake tree once - we knew we'd never be able to stop him from going on a real one. Here are some pictures of our first trip to a Christmas tree farm:
The boys are cutting down the tree while Jenna and I hold it
Dave and the kids in front of the one
Jenna and Erica all bundled up
Santa and Mrs. Claus
Wednesday, December 10, 2008
Missing our Kadie dog
On Saturday, we had to say good-bye to Kadie. Her health had been failing for a while, but by the end of last week, she was really starting to struggle. It has been tough to lose both of our beloved pups in such a short amount of time, but the kids are handling it well. Of course, they do keep begging us to get a puppy.:-) It will be a few months, but I'm sure we'll venture down that road again - we had so much fun with Kadie and BJ , we can't imagine not having a dog again. For now, we'll just enjoy our sweet memories - and be thankful for the (almost) 13 years we had with Kadie. We miss that girl!
Tuesday, November 11, 2008
Liam's Last Fall Soccer Game
These are pictures from Liam's last soccer game this fall. He had a great season. He learned a lot and had a lot of fun. Click on the video below to see him in action.Tuesday, November 4, 2008
Trick or Treat
The kids (and parents) had a great time Trick or Treating on Friday night. We met up with some neighbors, and the kids loved hanging out with their friends - even Jenna had a friend to go with! Last year she tried so hard to keep up with the bigger guys, but this year she didn't mind being a house or 2 behind. Here's what they looked like before we left:
Erica as Miss Stafford Lakes
Jenna, the Hokie cheerleader
Liam as a Redskins football player**
Liam REALLY wanted to be a Hokie football player, but we couldn't find a helmet anywhere - except the real ones that cost $200. His next plan was to be a Patriots football player, but that didn't work out either. When people asked if he was a Redskins fan, he let them know that he liked the Hokies and Patriots better.:-)
Grady as a Clone Trooper
Erica as Miss Stafford Lakes
Jenna, the Hokie cheerleader
Liam as a Redskins football player**
Liam REALLY wanted to be a Hokie football player, but we couldn't find a helmet anywhere - except the real ones that cost $200. His next plan was to be a Patriots football player, but that didn't work out either. When people asked if he was a Redskins fan, he let them know that he liked the Hokies and Patriots better.:-)
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