Ty's First Communion

This past Saturday was a very special one for Tyler as we all got to celebrate his First Communion with him.  After preparing formally for two years, it was neat to see him take this next step in his journey.

Since we had a small group, we got assigned the very front pew which made Ty very happy.  The Mass was very nice and Fr. Tom did a wonderful job connecting with the kids and making it very special for them and their families.  

We weren't able to take pictures during the Mass itself, but did get some before and after.  For more, click on the photo above.

To celebrate his occasion, his journey so far, and the faith of the people that surround him, we made this book for him.  We really look forward to seeing where God takes him from here.

Click here to view this photo book larger

Build your own high-quality photo books at Shutterfly.com.

Spring Break 2014

With busy work (and Ironman training) schedules, we weren't sure what we were going to do for spring break and waited until the last minute (we're talking day of) to make any decisions.  It turned out great!

On Tuesday, we stayed in Houston and travelled down to Battleship Texas (which happened to be getting ready for its centennial celebration).  We kept the destination a surprise from the kids and it was a lot of fun to see both of the kids' eyes light up when they saw the battleship.  That afternoon we stopped by the Houston Zoo.

The next morning we got up and decided to drive to Corpus Christi.  When we got there, we went to the Texas State Aquarium which is right on the bay.  The kids enjoyed seeing the dolphins, the bald eagle, the sea turtle, and touching the stingrays and the shark.  The next day we visited the USS Lexington (two warships in 3 days!) and the next day we visited the beach at Mustang Island State Park and had lunch in Port Aransas before we took the ferry across the channel and headed home.  All in all, it was a very fun trip with lots of memories.  For more photos, click on the top photo above.

Megan learns to ride a bike

It's funny how different two kids from the same parents can be.  As you'll hear in the first two videos, Megan shouted at Jeff to "Let go!" (even though it was her first day on this bike after moving up from her balance bike).   We're very proud of her and look forward to many fun family bike rides.  Enjoy the videos.

Christmas 2013

We had a wonderful time in Palatine at Christmas.  We got to spend 6 days having fun with Granny and Grandpa and the Chernesky's and Burke's (and we got to see and play in the SNOW!).  We also enjoyed new traditions (Chippy the giving elf!) getting ready for Christmas and the time off of school and work once we returned from our trip (during which Treehouse Masters became our new favorite show).  For more photos, click on the one below.

Megan is 5!

How did this happen??  Our little girl is 5?!

She's still as sweet as ever, giving hugs and kisses at just the right time.  She loves to play with her brother, can be very independent, enjoys Taekwondo, and loves to sing along with the radio in the back of our car.

She had three birthday celebrations this year: one with Granny and Grandpa and the Shripka's, one with Jeff, Tyler, and me, and a Team Umizoomi birthday party with her friends.  All were a lot of fun.  For more photos, click on the photo above.

Thanksgiving 2013

We had a wonderful time at Thanksgiving as the Shripka's and Granny and Grandpa all made the trip out to see us.  The kids loved being together, spending time making inventions, posting diagrams of them all the way up our stairs, seeing Longhorns, shooting a bow, launching rockets, climbing on our wall, playing football, and swimming in a pool that was still a little bit too cold.  We had a lot of fun and are so thankful that everyone made the trip.

For more photos, click on the photo below.

Visit to the Houston Children's Museum

A few weeks ago the kids and I visited one of the best Childrens' Museums that I've ever been to; it was full of opportunities to create, learn and play.  And, since it was before Halloween, we got to trick-or-treat through the museum.  I hope we'll get to go back soon.

For more photos, click here: https://plus.google.com/photos/111368886757968637183/albums/5947111196833177921?banner=pwa