Vacation 2011

We just wrapped up our summer vacation and as always it was an adventure.

This was our most adventurous road trip to date. According to Google maps we travelled a minimum of 1,543 miles or the equivalent of 28 hours of driving. This doesn't include the side trips we took which I would say added another 3 hours to our journey. Below is a map of our journey.

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Shelley's blog contains a day by day account of our journey so I will just refer to that. This was an adventure and had a western theme as we visited Dodge City Kansas, road horses in Colorado, visited an actual ghost town and then ended our journey in Amarillo.

I imagine our boys wish we were like other parents and just took them to Disney but someday I hope they appreciate the adventures we shared.

A Good Sports Year

This past year has been a pretty good sports year.

It started right at a year ago when TCU made it to the college world series. They lost but it was still a big accomplish.

Then it was followed by the Rangers making it to the World Series. Again they lost but it was a big accomplish.

Then TCU won the Rose Bowl.

Finally, last night the Dallas Mavericks won the NBA finals by beating the hated Miami Heat.

The last time there was a championship in Dallas was 12 years ago when the Stars won the Stanley Cup. The Stars won the Cup right after Shelley and I got married and in fact they won game 3 on the day we got married. So, it was only appropriate that the Mavs won on our 12 year anniversary.

Happy Birthday Chase!

Today you are 6 and I can't believe it. I love you so much...

Piano Recital

This is just a note to Seth.

Friday night was another piano recital and I just have to tell you how impressed I am by you. You have worked very hard and it shows.

You have been playing the piano for a number of years and you have gotten very good. I know it has taken a lot of work on your part and I am very proud of you.

I love you

What Makes A Good Baseball Player

The best baseball players have been described as 5 tool players. Five tool players hit for average, hit for power, have speed, have a strong arm and play good defense. Well, I have been involved in the boys' youth teams since they have been playing baseball and I know have a new definition.

A five tool player doesn't complain, does what the coaches ask, plays with joy and excitement, are good sports and they try their hardest. I'm proud to say that Seth and Chase are both 5 tool players.

Reading

I just need to note this.

Last night I listened to Chase read Green Eggs and Ham for 20 minutes. It is amazing how well he can read. He reads the story with the proper emotion and I just love listening to him.

I know these moments go fast and I will miss them.

14 years ago

Fourteen years ago Shelley and I had our first date. We went and ate at Pappadeux's and saw the movie Absolute Power. Little did I know that Shelley didn't like seafood and didn't like to go to movies. I must have done something right because we are still together after 14 years. :-)

A Thoughtful Gift From Seth

Today Seth took is own money, almost $40, and bought Chase a DS game that Chase wanted. It was a very thoughtful gift.

Riding a Bike

I have been working with Seth to learn to ride his bike without the training wheels. Yesterday he made great progress and was able to ride about 30 feet without any assistance from me.

Progress!

Quote from Seth

As we were walking along, Seth said:

"I don't think many of my friends know the true meaning of Christmas."

I am impressed with my little man and his concern for others.

A Quote from Chase

This weekend the boys went to the grocery store with me. As we were going down the frozen foods section aisle, Chase saw some TV dinners for kids.

Chase - We had these at Mama's and it was GOOOOOOOOOOOOOD. (A strong emphasis on good).

Always looking for anything they would eat, I made a step toward the freezer to pick out a couple when Chase continued.

Chase - But the only thing I ate was the pudding.

A Special Gift

Last night when I came home I was immediately greeted by an excited Seth carry a small gift bag. He was so excited Shelley had to tell me that he had bought me a gift. My expectation was that it would be either something from his room that he had just "gifted" me or something that was actually for him like a small lego set. But to my surprise it was a mug like the one pictured. He had purchased it from a store that has been set up at school to help the kids buy presents and he had picked it out especially for me. I was also shocked to find out he had spent $10 of his own money on it. This is a lot of money in a 7 year old's economy. It equals either 5 teeth or 2 months of allowance.

Seth has a very special heart and the mug will always be special to me.

Is Santa Real?

Shelley and I made a decision early on that we wouldn't lie to our kids and that included topics such as Santa Claus. We explained that Santa was just a character like the Easter Bunny. This caused us to take some grief from other adults but the boys seemed fine. Christmas still seemed to contain all the joy and excitement.

But, as Seth has gotten older, he has struggled with being one of the few in his class that doesn't believe in Santa. He doesn't like being different.

Yesterday, he told me he wanted to put cookies out for Santa this year to determine if Santa was real or not. If the cookies get eaten, then Santa is real, was his reasoning.

I asked him, "You don't trust Mommy and Daddy?"

He replied, "I just want to prove it myself."

Well, there you go.

3 Days, 3 Women, 3 Needs

We spent the Thanksgiving weekend in College Station, Texas and Houston, Texas. I will document that trip at some other time but we did have something happen that I wanted to document. I don't know if we will ever know the significance but I believe God was working in some manner.

On our drive to College Station, Chase had another run in with car sickness. This time he gave us enough warning that Shelley was able to give him a bag to get sick in. As the smell became a little intense, we sought out a random gas station to pull in and throw away the bag. As Shelley got out of the car, a woman with a small child asked if she could have some money for gas. I pulled out a wad of cash and gave it to Shelley.

On day two in Houston, we were staying in downtown and had gone walking to find something to eat. On our way back to the hotel, it had gotten dark and I was anxious to get back as quickly as possible. I had told the boys to walk with a "purpose". I noticed a woman with a stroller behind us and it seemed the faster we walked, the faster she walked. She finally caught us and asked for some money so she could get her kids some food. I reached in my pocket and gave her another wad of cash.

On day three, we were on our way home from church and were experiencing car trouble. I was pretty stressed and was trying to get my family back to the hotel before our car quit running. We were stopped at a stop light and were approached by another lady in a wheel chair asking for money. Again, I handed over a wad of cash.

I think God put these women in our path because they had a need and we could fill it. But, also, I had a need and that was a reminder of how blessed we are.

World Series

Well last night, the Rangers lost their first trip to the World Series. It was a great season and a great run in the playoffs. While I am sad the Rangers lost 4 to 1 to the Giants, I am greatful for the experience.

It was thrilling to watch my "little" Rangers make it to the World Series but it was even more fun to watch what it did to our household. Our household caught Ranger fever and I loved it.

Shelley and the boys all took an interest in what was happening and even got their own Ranger shirts. They also even watched some of the games with me.

But the biggest thrill for me is the interest the boys, in particular Seth, took in the Rangers. They both started learning the players and Colby Lewis became Seth's favorite Ranger (along with Michael Young since he got a Michael Young shirt). We would go out in the backyard and play the Rangers. Last night Seth was Colby Lewis, Chase was C.J. Wilson and I was Josh Hamilton. Then once it got dark, the boys would play in the living room. They were even including the Rangers in their prayers at night.

I will remember this World Series forever not because of the outcome but because of what we shared as a family. I hope the boys will have fond memories and maybe this will be the beginning of a new generation of Ranger fans.

Baseball

I have been a fan of baseball all of my life. I played it my entire childhood, either just pick up games in the park or organized baseball. My Grandma Dowdle loved baseball and it was one thing we connected on. She loved the Cincinnati Reds so I became a Reds fan. She talked to the players like they were her sons. She would call them Petey (Pete Rose), little Joe (Joe Morgan), and Johnny (Johnny Bench).

This has been a good baseball year for me. My TCU Horned Frogs went to the college World Series and now my Texas Rangers are going to the World Series. I have suffered a long time with my Rangers and I am enjoying every minute.

But, also the boys have been playing baseball and we have spent a lot of time playing catch and taking baseball practice in the backyard. I love this time we have together and I love watching them improve. I just hope they have fond memories of these times.

The Sports Weekend

This past weekend was setup to be a great sports weekend but turned out to be a bust. First, the Rangers had an opportunity to win the ALDS either Saturday or Sunday and lost both games. Then the Cowboys played at home on Sunday against Tennessee and also lost. My only win was TCU which beat Wyoming.

But, the two best games was Chase's braves versus the Blue Jays and Seth's Longhorns versus the Tigers. Watching their games are my favorite and they both are doing so well.

Chase has a lot of natural ability and Seth has so much heart. They both are out there doing their very best. I look forward to their games every week.

Quote from Chase

Chase and I were talking about the girls in his class and I was kidding him about getting married.

He replied "I don't know who I'm going to marry because I haven't met that many girls yet."

Retiring

We went to Oklahoma this weekend, and I took the opportunity to explore some of Marilyn's property. She has 100 acres, and our dream is that we could build a vacation/retirement home there one day. Here are a few pictures of where we might build.

Sound of Silence

Silence is not a sound we have in our house. There is a constant buzz of light sabre fights, brothers fighting, TV, video games, and many other noises. But, the other sounds I actually love are the sounds of little boys laughing and talking. I'm not sure how we got two boys that talk so much but we did.

Yesterday we went to the Ranger game and we had a long walk from the car to the stadium and I'm not sure if Seth ever took a breath. His mouth was going non-stop. Then during the game, we were getting question after question, commentary after commentary. While quiet is nice, I would much rather hear the voices of my little boys.