Duct Tape Glasses...Who Knew?

Brecken is all about duct tape lately...he makes bracelets, wallets, purses, necklaces and the other day...DUCT TAPE GLASSES.

It is a good thing this creative and over active mind is in school this year.

The only thing he didn't like so far about school...he has to wear shoes and a shirt all the time.

Ken Block Gymkhana 4.

I have posted the first 3 of these to my blog in the past...Gymkhana 4 is the same megamercial for DC Shoes, Ford cars, Monster Energy Drink and they shot it at Universal Studios this time.

Love Ken Block's driving skills, and his businessman mentality.

My Son Is Goofy-footed.

With Maxim's selfish use of the boat lately everyone else's riding time has been cut, but I knew this was coming some day.  It is what happens when you play the same sport as your children at the same time...you start to sacrifice, don't get me wrong, I couldn't be happier than when I get to see my kids ripping behind the boat.

So with kids, the oldest one does something and the younger follows...right away, setting the standard for the youngest to do it too.  No, Kolby didn't wakeboard at 2 years old, she is still just a skimskier, but Brecken has been wakeboarding lately....but only about 20 or 30 feet before he would start to be pulled over the front of the board.

I was getting super frustrated that he couldn't lean back and ride once he was up.  So last night we went over to a section of beach that is pretty open and I wanted to pull him on the wakeboard by running beside on the shore, hoping that he would figure out just how hard he needed to pull to stay behind the board instead of falling out the front all the time.

So my trusting 5 year old laid back in about 2 foot of water and I readied myself to be "the boat"...he said hit it and I took off running......you know that moment in life where you had "the enlightenment"....like the way you were trying to do something HAD to be the right way, but then you did it the exact opposite and it worked perfectly?  Yeah, I had that moment last night as a frustrated coach, dad and wakeboard bro.

Everyone, even if you don't know what a wakeboard is, has a surf stance...you are either regular or goofy footed.  The easiest way to tell what you are is to pretend you are on a skateboard and then figure out what foot you would push off the ground with. The foot you push with is your back foot in the wakeboard.

 I am a regular footed rider (left foot forward) when I skateboard and wakeboard, but when I snowboard I ride goofy or right foot forward.  I have no idea why I differ between the 2, I am a bit ambidextrous with my feet... I punt left footed, but can kick field goals pretty equally with either foot...I am sure it is my soccer background.

So back to Brecken, I had been teaching him for the last 2 weeks, with much frustration, to drop his right leg back and ride out of the water on his starts with his left foot forward.  Much to my surprise last night when he popped up out of the water on his own, without dad coaching him...he came up GOOFY and was solid as a rock.  So he went behind the boat and got a couple of short pulls in before he got too cold.

I guess sometimes we have to cast our nets on the other side of the boat in order for things to work out.

So for the record my sons are both left handed hockey players and goofy-footed wakeboarders...I'm the odd man out now...but there is still hope for Kolby!

Brecken's First Day Of School.

Brecken's first day of school was today so I have to post some photos to our blog to keep Grandma Reece up on what's happening.  He was excited to put that backpack on and wanted to wear it in the car...he settled for putting it in Kolby's car seat, "Because she isn't old like me for going to school."

Maxim was being a great older brother this morning, he had a day of school under his belt this morning, so he made sure to let Brecken know that this was his 2nd day of school.  They went running off to the playground side by side.  Pretty sure Brecken will think he is in the 3rd grade too.

This is Maxim's photo right before we left for school yesterday.  I made him put his glasses on.  He was really happy about getting to wear them again.  As soon as the picture was taken, the glasses were back in their case and in his backpack.  I don't know if he put them back on or not!

Grandpa Bob Update.

Grandpa Bob is doing a lot better, he NOW only gasps for air while he is coughing, laughing, getting up from sitting or sitting down from standing and I think mentally he is with it.  But then again I question the last part of that, because he and Grandma offered to take Maxim and Brecken over night tonight.

One "last hurrah" of summer before school starts...let's hope Brecken doesn't give Grandpa a flying cross body slam off the couch and the "last hurrah" will turn into another trip to the ER.

Also I need to extend our disappointment/excitement to Brad and Sally this weekend...Brad's first day in the pulpit as a head pastor is Sunday, and we were supposed to go down for a big family party at the Burkholder's, but since Grandpa wouldn't do well on the bumpy roads of Kansas, we are staying home.  The boys are bummed they don't get to go to Carson's house, but we know we need to keep Bob home.

Congrats...and do I have to call you Reverend B-rad?  Kinda like Rev. Run from RUN D.M.C...now you need a reality show. 

Bucked Off.

My dad is a cowboy, well, actually he is a banker who has horses, guns, a chuckwagon, 14 saddles, a bull whip, 20 some pairs of spurs, 3 or 4 pairs of chaps, a few cowboy hats and a tack room full of stuff to do cowboy stuff on.

He is a fan of throwback era. Not the Johnny Unitas, Babe Ruth, or Bobby Orr throwback era...I'm talking further back than that. Like Wyatt Earp, Jesse James and more currently Roy Rogers type throw backs...the cowboy type.

He rodeoed for a while, and had roping calves at the arena, but I guess when cowboys get old and slow down they like to do things more simple, like they did in the 1800, back when life was "easy". They haul around a chuckwagon, sleep on the ground and cook in the heat of the day over an open fire on cooking utensils that weight 40 to 50 pounds. Easy?

Lately he has just been riding his horses, taking Brecken to Old West historical celebrations and competing all the time in Cowboy Fast Draw Competitions.

Sunday was like most other days, church, eat, then some time at the horses, but the one little difference was that he put spurs on to ride a horse that he usually doesn't wear spurs while riding.

As he was getting up on the horse, one of the 2 of them lost their balance (I'm not saying who I blame) but dad had to squeeze with his knee that wasn't yet in a stirrup and ended up spurring the horse high in the back. The horse bucked about 4 good pops and that is about all dad remembered.

He came to, and had the sense enough to call mom, who called Aunt Gloria and Uncle Lynn for help. She got out to the arena and found dad in a heap and short of breath. The ambulance came out and took him to the hospital where he found out what a concussion, 2 broken ribs a broken scapula and an overall beat down feels like.

He got out on Tuesday AM, and rambled into his favorite napping chair, and that's where I left him today. Pretty sore, sometimes short of breath and still trying to figure out if he could have had the horse settled down in a couple more bucks.
65 years old and he is still playing rodeo and wondering how that bronc put him on the ground...Get well soon, dad. Brecken needs his "friend" back.

Maxim's Day Behind The Boat

Nobody else really got a turn today...he used up a half tank of gas...and I'm not complaining one bit!

Mid-Summer Sweetness!

Ninja Bible Camp

My past is catching up with me.
Over the weekend Steph and I took senior pictures of a gal who's folks grew up in the area.  Turns out her dad was a councilor at the summer camp I went to growing up.  I mentioned that our oldest son was going to his first week of overnight camp at that same camp...Byron Bible Camp.  Then the dad of the gal asked if he was bringing his throwing stars.

I was a bit confused and wasn't sure the connection, but then he reminded me that when I was 10 or 11 he was a councilor at camp and 10 minutes into the registration process he noticed some boys throwing something at the wall of the boys dorm.  So he came over and busted me and some buddies practicing our ninja skills with some throwing stars.  I didn't really remember the incident, but I remember having a bunch of knives, homemade nunchuks and throwing stars and wanting to be a ninja.

I don't know what possessed US (for the record it was probably Tim and Eric's idea to bring the basic weapons of a ninja to Bible camp) to bring and throw stars at the building, but wouldn't a Ninja Bible Camp be a good combo?

I am sure Maxim will be super well behaved and win all sorts of "best behaved boy" awards and the councilors will rave on his kind heart...but I am going home tonight to make sure that the wooden crossbow that he asked to take to camp is still in his bedroom.

The After Party.

So the 4th of July epic celebration at LakeHaus Production's head quarters, also known as "home", went off without a hitch.  If you consider almost burning down the house from a firework named "The Day Of The Lord", only a few physical causalities...one burned foot and the non-business end of a punk in a 7 year old's eye, about 4 or 5 good cases of sun burn and my jacked up back...otherwise it was all good.

My dad, Steph, Grandma Penny, Angie F., Grandma Cherrlyn and Darryl rocked the food prep end of the show, I didn't even fire my grill up.  Dad cooked out of the back of his chuck wagon the whole weekend...great food and the atmosphere is always great with the chuck wagon in the yard.

The party cleared out around 10:30 last night and today there was this strange "after party" feel to the house...all quiet, the lake was still and empty...made me want to go out with the Anderson Boys and catch another 6am wakeboard session.  Thanks for waking up early Pat and Nathan...well worth the lost hours of sleep!

The picture says it all...empty swim deck...we have some time to rest up and heal up for the next party.

Happy 4th of July Week.

Probably won't post much this week, but hope you have a safe and fun 4th of July.  If you are on the lake stop by to say "hi".  If you come by on the land locked side of the house at the right time you might even get watermelon and a burnt hot dog.

This picture pretty much sums up what we will be up to.

He's 9.

Hard to believe that on June 17, 2002 Steph and I had no children, we lived in our brand new house on the west side of Sioux Falls, and I was still working in TV.  Then that afternoon it all changed.  Maxim Thomas was born.

If you remember the birth of your first child as well as I do, the only thing you remember is confusion.  I was 29 when Maxim was born, but still a kid in a lot of ways...heck, I'm still AM a kid.  It is at that instant that you realize your life is different, and in an instant your priorities change.

Maxim changed my life, and it is safe to say he will change the life of most everyone that he is around.  Steph and I were always amazed at the care, love and heart that he has for people, and now that he is older and away from us more, we get unsolicited reports back about how good of a kid he is, and how nice he is.

He has a super gentle spirit, and he can make my day brighter with his smile and hug.  Well, he is 9 now and to celebrate he wanted a week of birthday parties, we negotiated down to just 2 parties.  Last night was the first with our family and a few people who might as well be family.  I think the party broke up at 11:30 p.m. while Steph took 30 minutes to cleaned up, he put together a 250 Star Wars lego.  We think it might be a record.  Then to cap off the night the birthday boy and I sat on the couch and watched X-Men: Wolverine until about 1:30 A.M. when I fell asleep...he was wide awake.

He slept in his favorite spot on the couch with the SDSU Jackrabbits blanket.

To The Man In The Flag Bandana....

Dear Mr. Flag Bandanna and Backpack Runner Guy,

Yesterday afternoon as I was about 3 blocks into my 4 mile run through the quiet blocks of Huron's west side neighborhoods you overtook me with a running pace that most 17 year old cross country runners would be drooling over.  I have no idea where you came from, but there you were on the other side of the road, startling me and then waving and flying by at your 7.5 mph pace.

I could make up excuses of why you, at your age, overtook me sooooo easily...I was still getting into my stride, I really hadn't been feeling too good yesterday, I was carrying extra technology (an iPod, a heart rate monitor and watch, and my keycard that lets me back into the building) that made me heavier by at least 24 ounces...but really you just smoked by me and smiled and waved.

Then I took notice of what you had on...it was flag day yesterday and to celebrate you had a bandanna on your head that was designed like a flag...cool, I'll give you that, I have been known to rock a bandanna now that I am a long hair.  The other thing that totally wipes out my thoughts in the above paragraph...I thought I was carrying extra stuff, you were rocking a backpack.  I assume it was a "hydration-style" back pack, but in the mesh carrying compartment I could see a cell phone, maybe some keys, I think I saw a baseball hat, and a copy of War and Peace...along with a gallon of water.

So what did this do to me?  Well, first off I realized my pace was pretty weak and I should have stepped it up a bit, so I did, and you never were more than a block and a half in front of me on the entire route, which by the way is MY route and I found it first so no more passing me on MY route, if I want to have a slack run I should be able to enjoy it alone, not have some uberfit older guy sprint past me with his American flag bandanna waving to me in the dust....only to make me run faster and get in better shape.

When I did finally catch you around the Roger Kasa Baseball fields it was nice to exchange pleasantries with you...it went like this.

(Mr. Flag Bandana was now walking at a slow pace)

TOM:  Hey good day for a run?  So now you are walking so you can pass me in a block or 2 again?

FLAG BANDANNA DUDE:  Naw you are good, I'm just cooling down, almost done...hey, keep at it, have a good one!

I enjoyed our little exchange and got a little jump in my stride for the next block or so, well...at least until I felt like he wasn't watching me anymore, then I kicked it back down to my 6 mph stride/jog.

In all reality it was nice to see someone else out running (and out running me)...and it is only the 3rd person in 4 years I have encountered running on the streets of Huron, besides the time I ran into the entire Huron High School cross country team and as we met they all wanted to high 5 me...that was cool.

Well I'll be out again today at about the same time, same route...I'll wave when you go past.

Kayaker

The kid would kayak to Grandma's house if we would let him.

Danny & Stephanie...AND PARTY!

We are going mobile...

If you are reading the Living On Liquid / LakeHaus Productions blog on a mobile device we made things a bit easier for you.

After 5 years of publishing and over 52,000 hits we have realized that people read this blog while in cars, in school, during meetings and yep, even in the bathroom.  So that means a lot of you are hitting us up on your phone.  So now when you click into Living On Liquid / LakeHaus Productions on your iPhone, BlackBerry or Droid-based OS...we SHOULD come up a little cleaner and easier to read on your smaller screen.

Just another way we take care of you...making it more convenient to read our boring blogs when you should be listening to the guy reading, word for word, the PowerPoint at the front of the room.

Boat Photo Shoot

I wish I could say that Moomba Boats hired me for a photo shoot...or any boat company for that matter...but this picture was actually taken with my BlackBerry while I was in the water with a life jacket, swimming with one arm while not letting the phone get wet.

I snapped a few, (did I mention this was taken with my phone?) and then final edited this picture...no this wasn't taken in the night or evening, 3:00 p.m...full sunlight.  Proving what I have told many people...an expensive camera doesn't make a person a professional photographer.  (AND For that matter a great wakeboard boat doesn't make a great wakeboarder!)

Tyler & Jessica Glanzer

Riding In Cars With Kids.

Steph, Maxim, Brecken, Meatball (more on that later) and I piled in the car on Saturday after shooting a wedding and headed south to Hesston, KS to see my sister and her family and bring home my 16 year old niece.  The tailwind was great and we pushed 22 mpg in the Expedition all the way down..that was THE enjoyable part of the drive down. 

After listening to 4 movies the kids were watching, one of them 2 times, listening to Brecken ask every question 5 times, witnessing him eat everything in the car, and watching Maxim run the battery in his iPod down 3 times...we rolled into H-town around 1:30 AM and it was party time.  Meatball (AKA Kolby) and Maxim were up until 4:30 AM and they were loud and rambunctious.  We didn't sleep too much that night.

Went to church at Rev. Brad's and Sally called us out during "sharing time"...Sally with a microphone to the rest of the church throws me under the bus...
"this is my brother Tom and his family from South Dakota...they haven't been down to see us for 7 years." 
OK I know it was a while, but after the last drive it might be another 7!

Sunday afternoon we went swimming at some friends of the family...beautiful pool and property and the kids loved it.  Hit Applebees in the evening and had a delightful time with the Burkholders.

Monday we packed up Cassidy and the kids and headed to Omaha for a halfway stop and to see Steph's brother's family...more of the same as far as movies, and yapping.  Brecken at one point had the quote of the day, "Mom, I am hungry AND sweaty."  We laughed at that one for a while.

We finally rolled to the WESTSIDE of the lake around Tuesday night, and the kids all crashed out right away...Steph and I watched the NBA Finals and went to bed.

MEATBALL Explained.

Uncle Brad = FUN

He loves to make the kids laugh and run.  He and Kolby hit it off pretty quick, and when you are Uncle Brad's favorite you get a nickname...not sure where it came from but Kolby was "Meatball" for the weekend.  She would say, "I not Meatball, I Kolby Capri."  Pretty sure in Uncle Brad's eyes she will be Meatball for life.

Life Is Better With A Boat...

Reading On The Phone.

I'm in Montana for work and in the evenings I basically work out at the "Y" and then watch full sporting events in my hotel room without interruption from HGTV, DIY or DISNEY Channel.

Tonight after I worked out I called Steph...thinking that the kids would be asleep, but Maxim was awake reading one of his new library books to Steph.  He asked me in the kindest voice if I wanted him to read to me.  "Of course I said."

Let me just tell you there is nothing like listening to your child read to you, especially on speaker phone when you have been traveling for work all week.  Shortest 30 minute call I have ever been on!

Home Thursday night!

Happy Birthday CBB.

We can't wait to get to hang out with you this summer!

Cool Glass

If you know me at all, you know I am a gadget/tech hound...our IT Department at the office knows this and sometimes asks me for help on things...or asks me to test products to use later for mass consumption.

So naturally when my buddy Studer sent me this video, I was drooling for the entire 5 minutes.

One thing that still ticks me off, is that in the future we are supposed to have flying cars...INVENT THE FLYING CARS ALREADY!

Spring = 2 Days

I know, I know, I know...don't complain about things that only God can change, but enough with the cold Spring already.  I am pretty sure that crummy weather makes me blog less too.

I think we had one day about 3 weeks ago where it was 60 and then last night it was about 55 without the 55 MPH wind so that felt like 80.

School gets out in 2 weeks for Maxim and 3 weeks for Brecken and all they can think about is SUMMER...but when will it come, we are still waiting for it's good friend Spring and it is already May 4.

CINCO DE ROGERIO...that brings me to my next point...happy birthday Grandpa Roger.  The family will eat at a Mexican restaurant tomorrow in celebration of your birthday on Cinco de Mayo.

Lake Byron's First Swimmers

After 37 straight days of snow and or rain and no sunshine, the sun came out on Saturday...for like an hour.  We went right outside to soak it up and the boys went right to the dock to play by the water.

Maxim begged and begged his mom to let him go swimming...she said "no" a bunch, then she said, "I don't care...go get your swimming suits."

Water freezes at 32 degrees, I am assuming the water temp was 38, but both boys ran into the house got their swimming suits and started to enjoy the dock, their water guns and they got their feet wet.

Then Maxim got brave...he got waist deep and learned the power of cold water...he screamed, and then wondered why his mom "made" him go swimming.  I think they will wait for a few days before they go again.

But Easter Sunday the boys were out in the kayak for about an hour while Steph and I did our yearly shoreline clean up...which involved 2 stinky dead carp this year.

Oh yeah, Kolby slept the whole time this was going on.

Easter Photo Shoot

He's a handful.

Brecken turned 5 today...when Steph showed him that he can finally pop his thumb out to show folks how old he is, with all the fingers on one hand extended, he said, "I'm a handful!"  Yes, little buddy, you are a handful...in more ways than one.

Last night we drove to Mitchell with Grandpa Bob to pick up his big present...a kayak.  Today the kayak is in the living room and he and Kolby have been paddling around all morning.

He's not as bad as we make him sound it's just that his motor never stops running, unless he is crashed out in bed, and even then he still moves more than any normal sleeping person.  The other thing that makes him a challenge is that his motor runs way longer than ours does...think Energizer Bunny here.

Call it middle child syndrome or just the fact that he has some of his dad in him, but if full-body motion is involved and the spotlight is on Brecken, the world is right.  Well, today the spotlight is on him.  Happy Birthday, Brecken!

I'm running....

Sunday was day 2 of the dreary and misty weekend so the kids were getting a bit bored with going out side in their rain gear and then coming inside and cleaning up, so I said...put on your sweat suits and running shoes, we are gonna run a mile.

I really didn't know how this would go...do kids run...will they quit and I'll have to carry them back...will they be faster than me?  All legit questions, right?

Well, we took off, with Kia the wonder dog on the leash.  (Side note: if you want the kids to enjoy running take your dog with!)  They loved it and Maxim blew past Brecken and I and didn't look back...he was at least 600 yards in front of poor little-legged Brecken.  Breck was basically in a full sprint the whole time and was pretty tired last night.

So I might take them out tonight too.  P90x in the morning with Steph, 3 mile run over the noon hour and a mile at night with the boys...how am I still a fat tub of goo? 

LakeHaus Productions...Going Coastal.

For those of you involved or interested there is a lot of non-wedding shots posted to my Flickr site....on the right hand side of this website you can see the photo stream...just click on those pictures and you will be taken to LakeHaus Production's Flickr page

Windswept Love...

Saturday Is The Day.

Just a shot of the rehearsal from Friday afternoon.  This is basically the spot where Darin and Gretchen will be tying the knot tomorrow.  Can't wait, should be a beautiful day.

California Dreamin...D&G

Kudos To Jail Escapees.

You know in the old movies where a guy whittles away at concrete with a tooth brush handle to make a hole in the wall of a jail cell, then digs a tunnel for a few hundred feet that leads to freedom?  First off, I'm here to say that after all that work the guy probably deserves to be let go...and secondly, the guards should be thrown in jail for not knowing the work was happening.

I knocked out a 24" round by 6" deep hole in our basement on Saturday to install a sump pump hole, and let me tell you...even with a sledge and shovel and no worries about someone hearing me it is a TON of work.

Not to mention digging a hole 30" deep.  The good news is, I now have a sump hole, the even better news is...it is still dry...for now.

The Knights Roll On.

So I was trying to keep up with James Valley's run in the State B tournament and I know they beat the Ranchers last night, but as I read the story in the Aberdeen newspaper I kept seeing a team being referred to as the Knights.  Was it a mistake, or did Assistant Coach Mark Knight rename the team to honor his last name?

READ THE STORY HERE.

I don't know, but I bet the paper gets it right tonight when they knock off Corsica-Stickney to advance to the state title game.

Happy PI Day...3.14.2011

Grandma Olive's Pride.

Goodbye Grandma Olive.

We lost Grandma Olive last night.  She was 91 and was sharp until the day she went to Heaven.

Last night Maxim prayed, "Dear Jesus, I hope you are having fun with Great Grandma Olive in Heaven."

It dawned on me last night after grandma died that I don't have any grandparents left.

I don't really remember any of my great grand parents, but I know my boys for sure will remember Great Grandma Olive...they loved to go visit her and watch the birds and play with all of her toy dogs.

Read her obit here.

Underwear...the newest swear word at our house.

So if you have been around him you realize that Brecken has quite the mouth...it never stops.  I know you are thinking, "oh, all kids talk a lot."  NO, not like the motormouth we call Brecken.  Most of it is just yappity, yap, and has no real meaning, and some of it is really, really funny.  Like a well written and timed stand up comic.

Now, I don't know where the whole underwear, underpants or underhead, understinky, etc...any word with the word "under" in front of it started to be funny or the main buzz word that Brecken embraced, but I would estimate that on average he says some form of the word underwear in a sentence or just by its self at least 60 to 80 times a day.

The first time he said it in a sentence, we laughed SUPER hard, and here was the sentence and its context.  He saw something strange happen and he said, "Well, that's weird underpants!"  I don't even remember what he was referring to, but it is our new family saying.  (So this is partially parental shortcomings)

So everything became "weird underwear" or "weird underpants" or "underwear pants head"...just anything with the reference to tighty whities...gitch...underoos...da-dant-ta-das...whatever you call them.

Another time when this word got him RAVE reviews as a comic was at grandma and grandpas house one night.  He was running around the house in his underwear doing flip tricks and gymnastics.  Aunt Sally called and he was talking to her on speaker phone, and she asked what we were doing....he replied, "Well, we are just having an underwear party!"

So it really solidified in his 4 year old mind that this word "underwear/underpants" is SUPER FUNNY.  So now it is his go to phrase.  Kind of like his comedic shtick.

Well, I guess Steph grew tired of his under garment talk and banned the word last night.  If he says the word he gets a 2 minute penalty for inappropriate language and is sent to his bed.  He spent quite a little time in bed last night and this morning he was in the penalty box again.

Now I am trying to figure out how I'm going to go through life saying, "Hey, baby do I have any clean clothes that I wear under my clothes?"

So with that said, Brecken has a birthday coming up in April, I thought it would be cool if he could get a bunch of underwear from people....so if you feel led to give him a present go ahead and buy him some gitch.  He wears boxer briefs, and they usually have Sponge Bob or SuperHeroes on them.  I would love to see him open a bunch of packages and not be able to tell anyone what he got for his birthday, for fear of heading to the "sin bin".

Our life is exciting!

Congrats Jordan and Heidi!

Sled Trip

Steph running through the trails.

Our annual "team photo" just up from Spearfish Canyon Lodge.

No Angie didn't ride all day on the back of Gus' sled, her sled ran into some equipment issues about 20 miles from home. 

Steph and Angie had an epic game of Scrabble in the lodge after spending all day in a helmet with the sound of an engine as the only noise...surprising how peaceful that is.

My favorite "cabin" on the trail system in the hills.

Gus actually riding on the trail.

This is me, exactly where I wish I was today.

Random Picture In My Desk

I opened my desk to find my stock of 3M sticky notes and found this photo of my dad, mom and big sister Sally.

No idea why I have it, but I bet mom and dad wish they were that young this weekend.  They are getting a helping of "Triple Trouble" as we once again are letting them Grandparent.

Wonder if my mom ever got anything to eat back in 1970-something.  By the way dad, that white tie...BACK IN STYLE!  You should have kept it.

Sledneck

For most of the winter Maxim has been content to be a rider on the back of the snowmobile or being pulled behind on a sled.  That changed yesterday...here are the pictures.  He actually charged it pretty hard a couple times and might have touched 25 mph at one point.  I have to admit Steph and I were a little scared at that point, but he was all smiles.

Stages Of Life.

Someone once told me, after watching our active children, they missed "our stage in life".  Meaning their kids were in college or just about in college and they missed the days when you had to dress each child, feed them, change at least one in diapers, etc.  That is my stage in life...the "young family" stage. 

I tried to think about the different stages of life and what they should be called so here they are in case you are wondering what stage you are in...or on.

Baby Stage...you don't remember this stage, but there is pictures to prove you were once fat and cute at the same time.

Toddler Stage...you remember about 4 things about this stage and most of them involve toys, something your grandma did and hating going to day care.  It is the stage where you get all the attention in the world whether you are good or bad.

School Age Stage...you played with your buddies at recess and during PE and then pretty much just existed in your desk until 3:30.  You lived for Summer and Saturday morning cartoons.  Diet was pretty much chocolate milk and PB&J.

Middle School Stage...pretty much erased from memory because of chemical imbalance, but you learned how to brush your teeth on your own during this time.  Also wondered why your parents yelled so much.  Sports and activities ruled your every thought.  Diet was anything with nutritional value...or that your dumb buddies dared you to eat.

High School Stage...you played with your buddies during study hall and lunch, pretty much existed in your desk until 3:30.  Got your own car and lived for Summer and Saturday nights.  Diet was Mountain Dew and Pizza.  Sports, activities and the opposite sex ruled your every thought.

College/First Job Stage...You played with your buddies while skipping class at college, learned that studying until 3:30 AM was now necessary.  Found out what rent was.  Bought a suit...like one with pants that matched the coat.  Diet consisted of food that you cooked yourself...mostly of the Kraft Mac & Cheese variety cold cereal or anything cheap.

Newlywed Stage...You hang with your wife all the time and your buddies wonder why you don't hang with them anymore.  Found out what a mortgage really is.  Bought another suit because that old one got smaller.  Learned how to plumb a house, wire a house and do laundry.  Also learned that dishwashers aren't just "loaded" there is a method to how you load it.  Forgot a birthday and an anniversary and paid dearly for it.

New Parent Stage...yes, your child is the cutest....you don't remember much of this due to lack of sleep but there is a computer full of photos of you and the baby....you devote all your attention to your new little bundle of a human, and your bride or groom wonders why you don't hang with them anymore, forget about your old college roommates.  You spend a fortune on strollers, diaper bags, onsies, and primary colored toys.  You obsess with controlling the environment of your child...ie...cleanliness, personal safety space, stranger danger...etc.

Young Family Stage....usually you have about 2.5 kids by this time.  The oldest is usually in grade school and also doubles as some super cheap babysitting for short stints of 15 to 20 minutes.  The middle one is into everything and has a mouth that doesn't quit...that child is usually responsible  for sayings like, "Well, that's weird underpants!"  The baby isn't pampered, only diapered, it has hand-me-down everything and a stroller with 2 broken wheels.  Your thought goes from, "Ohh the safety gate at the top of the steps is open....to...you know if she falls down the steps once, she won't do it again."  You are on the board of everything and a night at home means the kids think one of you is sick.

High School Family Stage...a lot of yelling, sporting events, chorus and band concerts and at least one wrecked car.  Your kids don't hang out with you...they hang out with their buddies all the time.  Family vacations are spent trying to convince your children to stand by you while waiting to go on a ride or sitting in the same booth as you while eating at Applebee's in some strange town.  Homework is a family affair and you realize that staying up untill 3:30 AM is necessary again so you understand what you kid is learning in H.S.

Empty Nest Stage...This is when you focus on your job/office/career, or your Temple of Peace & Quiet as you used to call it when the house was a wild kid party.  During this time most men buy a Harley or an old car and pretend they are still in their 30-somethings.  Women remember that you can do laundry in 3 or 4 loads, until the college kids come back.  This is also the stage in life when most kids come back to live in their parents home.

Grandparent Stage...This is when you focus on your kid's kids hoping that the 4 to 5 hours a day your kid dumps them at your house is enough for you to impact their little lives before your kids go screwing up your grandkids again.  You NEVER tell the little tots NO to anything and when you do it is because after 3 days of "babysitting" your grandkids you are starting to wear thin.  Most evenings are spent watching something on the History Channel at a very loud volume.

Nursing Home Stage....See Baby Stage, pretty much the same thing.

OH, by the way, Tyler and Heather, welcome to your next stage in life...note Tyler Wipf's blog.

OUCH...That Hurt.

I missed a birthday...I didn't really miss it, I just didn't post anything about my loving wife on her birthday, which is why I titled this, "OUCH".  Unfortunately I think she is used to me letting her down all the time.

Steph turned 29 again on the 30th, she told me tonight that she was jealous of my mom and Kolby, and almost everyone in my family that has a birthday.  AND I FORGET HER!

Well, we did celebrate her birthday with about 200 other strangers a Maxim's hockey game, I even commandeered the microphone during the first intermission to have the entire rink sing happy birthday to her...that probably doesn't make up for not posting about...the most amazing, loving, hard working, best friend that I have on Earth.

Do I take her for granted...all too often.  Honey, you rock and I love you.  Remember that one year I forgot your birthday all together, well, I haven't forgotten it since, right?  You are a great mommy and the best wife I could ever have been blessed with.  I'll love you for the rest of my life.

PS-Thanks for dragging my butt out of bed each morning to work out with you...some of my favorite times of the day!

Koko is 2.

Kolby Capri...aka...Koko is 2 years old today.  Pretty amazing how having a little girl changes your life.  I am sure if we would have had her first she would be into cooking toys and dolls, but she wrestles, throws things (including the dog), and likes to watch hockey with me on the couch.

She is having a Princess Birthday Party tonight, but all the pink toys and dolls will probably sit in her room so she can play with her brother's Lego Hero Factory toys.  In fact, that is what her brothers bought her for her birthday.  I am sure she really wanted it.

She is soft at times and "all girl", she will curl up on your lap all day to have her 3 favorite books read to her over and over and over, and she likes to dress up too.

So "brown eyes" here is to you on your birthday.  We love you tons, and we are so glad that God blessed us with one beautiful little girl.

Minus 27.

The dog's heated water dish froze last night....I'm sure it had something to do with the "insulation" of snow around the outside of the bucket, but I'm sure it had more to do with the fact that it was a bit chilly.

Think about what it takes to operate just your home in conditions like last night.  if you had your home's thermostat set at 70, and it got to -25....that is a heating temp differential of 95 degrees to keep you somewhat snug last night.

I'm not sure why Ma and Pa Ingalls settled here, but my guess is that the first couple of winters were mild and then they got "The Long Winter".

I HAD TO POST THIS!

I don't watch wrasslin' anymore, but I might after watching this little gem.

Quick Draw McBob.

This is my dad during a quick draw exhibition  form last year.

The slow-mo is pretty impressive. But the blast from the "cap" gun isn't...and those are real .45's!

They need louder primers!

I have to learn how to do this before Kolby starts dating.

Happy Birthday GMA PEN.

Mom, Gramma, Mamma!! (That is Kolby's title for Grandma...WITH THE EXCLAMATION POINTS), Nurse, The Penster (That is Brad's title for Penny)...she has many names and she lives up to them all. 

Our kids love her house as much as ours, and to see her on the lazy boy rocking, reading to, singing to and praying with Kolby, Brecken or the occasional big 8 year old Maxim is one of the greatest things you could ever ask for in a Grandma.  She takes the time to forget her life and dives into the life of our kids...that is something that doesn't happen too much in this busy world we live in.

She is the most beautiful, loving, even-keeled, patient, kind and giving person I have ever been around.  She is a chip off of Grandma Lil's block, and God was showing off when he made my mom.

Did I mention it is her birthday today, I really don't remember how old she is, not that it matters.  HAPPY BIRTHDAY MOMMY.

Dizzy Brecken.

Hockey Weekend.

Maxim has a big tournament in Huron this weekend, and he says he wants to score another goal...because if he does he says I will buy him a new toy.  I like how he makes deals for himself, maybe he will be a sports agent someday???

Standing on Planks...

This is pretty boring video of the boys skiing on Tuesday night...all for Grandma and Grandpa to see.

Brecken Playing Goalie

I usually don't go to the Plainsman Online which is our version of the hometown newspaper, because usually the online version has less info than the info-starved regular version.

But since I am in Montana I checked it out the other day and saw my son...playing goalie...on the front page of the site...it has been bumped down a bit now, but here is the link.  CLICK HERE

My mini-mites played a fun game during the 1st intermission of Sunday's varsity game, and while they do that the crowd laughs at the little skaters as they fall over each other and try to hit the puck around.

I told Brecken to go play goalie for a little bit...but I said, "go lay down in front of the net...so he did.  He even had a save and the crowd LOVED it, and Brecken loved it that the crowd loved it.

He is sooooo much like his mom!

Dear Snow...

Dear Snow,

It seems you and I have a bit of a love/hate relationship.

I love you when you are new and you make everything look clean.

I love you when you fall straight down.

I love you when you are powdery.

I love ALOT of you under my snowboard or skis.

I love sliding through, over and under you on my snowmobile.

I love the way you make the night more bright.

I love the way you make my kids laugh.

I love the crunchy sound you make under a pair of boots.

I love the way my dogs jump through you.

I love the way Granpa's horses look when they run through you.

I love the way you give my kids a reason to go outside in the cold.

I love how you go hand in hand with Christmas.

Now the part where I give you some constructive criticism...

I hate you when you fall sideways...I know it is more of the wind's fault...but it takes two to "tango/blizzard".

I hate you when you fall on the seat of my car even after I have brushed you off my door jambs.

I hate you when you find the holes where my gloves and coat don't exactly seal up.

I hate you when you get all packed up after the plow goes by my house.

I hate you when you are slushy and hard to run through my snow blower.

I hate you when you leave behind that muddy mess sometimes known as late-March.

I hate you in April.

AND...I hate you in November for that matter...December 1...you are welcome anytime, but before that and I cuss you.

I hate you when you can't decide who you want to be, ice or flake...pick one, I prefer you flaky.

Last but not least...I hate you when you come over too often, like the last few days, when I put more miles on my snow blower than my snowmobile.  I think your work/play ratio should be 80% play 20% work...lately it has been the opposite.

Take these statements with love, and know that I really like your season of the year, just in moderation.

Love,

Tom

Alexander Christian Schneider!

By the way...Penny text messaged me that Aaron and Sheila's boy was named Alexanderia Christian...I doubted that when I posted so I called him Alex...Aaron set the record straight here!

Oh, and for others that are coming here instead of there (facebook), his name is Alexander Christian Schneider and he was born on 1/7/11 at 5:13am, 7lb 1oz, and 20 inches long - Proud Papa Aaron

Congrats.

Congratulations Aaron and Sheila....and welcome to the family little guy.  Be nice to the dogs.

Happy New Year!

So the weather threw a wrench in our New Year's Eve concert tonight, but we didn't sit around the house.

We had a fun last day of the year!  I mean really fun, listen to how many times Steph says, "WHOOOO!".

ALSO...look at KIA's FACE!  She loves the snow.

Christmas Video 2010...mostly for Gmas and Gpas!

Merry Christmas to OHIO!

Shoot The Moon.

In case you slept through the lunar eclipse last night...I stayed up for you!

Danny & Stephanie...

He dropped her on the ice, and then for one split second we thought he was falling through the ice.

BUT we got great images on a perfect winter day.

Congrats Joe and Allison!

Christmas Gift Buying.

The year was 1997 or 1998, Steph and I were celebrating one of our first Christmases together.  I don't recall what we did that year for Christmas, I probably worked over Christmas and Steph probably went to Huron to be with family...I was working in TV at the time and spent every holiday on the air.

My gift buying for Christmas has never really been a strong suit...it is something that is handed down from a father to a son, I think.  I also think Penny would agree with me that Bob isn't the world's greatest at this annual challenge for a man.  So back to the late 90's...Steph was playing a lot of volleyball at the time and I always noticed that she was the only one on the floor that didn't wear those really big knee pads...sooo that is something every woman wants for Christmas, right?  She also used to steal my baseball hats all the time and when a girl wears you hat, they change the size and get make up on the brow.  It's kind of pain, right?

So I walked out of Scheel's with a pair of insulated Russel sweatpants, a set of volleyball knee pads and a Minnesota Gophers hat.  I ROCKED, RIGHT?

Let's just say, she was a bit disappointed...not that I didn't put some thought into it, but she has never worn knee pads while playing volleyball, and a hat?  The sweats got worn, a lot.  1 out of 3 isn't bad, but I have never lived down the volleyball knee pads.

Right now as I sit in my hotel in Montana, I have all of her shopping done, the gifts are lying on the bed...and my goal this year was to make her forget about that first Christmas.  I bought everything except one thing at totally "Montana" stores, stuff you won't find anywhere else.  Some of it handcrafted...that is the end of my hints, so after Christmas ask Steph how I did this year, I think I have erased the "Ghost's of Christmas Past"!

By the way those volleyball knee pads came in handy when she was doing all the tile work in our house...I knew they would come in handy.

Post surgery

Hi Grandma...

Ready For Christmas.

Ice Time.

Sometimes I Don't Photograph People.

Many of you know I have a side business off our photography business called "HIS Signature".  It is an outlet for my artwork photography.  For most of my life I took pictures just for my own enjoyment, until the day someone told me they would pay good money for some of the work I had done.

That started with the famous Snow Barn picture and now had taken a life of it's own.  Today I am home with the 2 younglings as Steph and one of her girlfriends took off for MLPS.  I caught a glimpse of a blue jay outside and I grabbed my camera to get a shot and the bird never really gave me the opportunity to get a great shot, so I just started snapping off photos.

I was once told you are drawn to photograph things you love...that's why we all have pictures kids, family, vacations, our motorcycles, etc. pasted all over our homes, offices and computer desktops.

Well, I love my drums and today I photographed them...artistically.  If you want to look at the pictures they are HERE...just click on this text...I know of about 2 loyal readers that are also drummers that will follow this link.  For the rest of you I owe you the 45 seconds of life you took to read this post.

Loader Tricks!