Epic battle - round 4

If you have been following this seesaw battle between these two seasoned fighters than you know that Ken took the lead in the third round. At the end of the third Theresa came back with a flurry of punches which made Ken weak in the knees when she caught a bad cold at the end of her trip. She would later go to the doctor to find out that she had bronchitis which is hard on her with her previous lung problems, so the judges awarded her a couple of extra pity points. She also came home to both of her girls being sick and that was a hit below the belt.
We now move ahead to this round which finds Theresa springing out of her corner with a look of determination on her face. She is floating like a butterfly and acting like an OT. Maybe it is knowing that this is the last week away before her eight week rotation at the end of May or that she did not leave as explicit notes for Ken as she has in the past. I think we will see what Ken is really made of this round. The girls have a light schedule this week which will give Ken a huge advantage, but Theresa has strategically maneuvered the cookbooks and recipes to a place where Ken cannot find them. Sucker punch! Ken knows some of the recipes, but beef stroganoff can easily become, "Uh...Dad? Can we order a pizza?" We will see if he can remember to keep his cooking mitts up after this blow. Ken is coming out of his corner looking a little to comfortable in his apron. Luckily between rounds he was able to get in a little male bonding out on the golf course and seems to be getting his hairy manly legs back underneath him. If he has to have his nails painted, do another french braid, (which he thought was a type of bread at a fancy bakery), or go buy any type of feminine product we could see him hit the mat for an extended period of time. We will know how this round is going to play out by Thursday, so tune in to see who is left standing.

Throwing in the Towel

Where to begin....

I truly thought I was ready to throw in the white towel and surrender....but not just yet! Ken is doing a wonderful job and keeping things together as I am venturing out into the unkown. If I have another women say how amazing my husband is I think I am going to start to get a little suspicious:) (just kidding) He is amazing and the girls and I would not be where we are today if it were not for him.

Ok enough about that...lets talk Long Beach, CA. Awesome is the one word I could use to sum it up. We arrived at around 2pm and went to opening ceremony at an Occupational Therapy Conference we returned to the Queen Mary Hotel at around 10pm. Attended the conference all day on Fri. and had dinner at PF Changs (chinese). Returned back to the hotel and had wine and walked the (haunted) ship for the night returning for bed at around 1am. On Sat. we went cruising in the rental car to Hunting Beach where we played in the hot sun and lived life to the fullest. Had lunch on the Pier at Rubys and then headed to Knotts Berry Farm for a wonderful dinner with my fabulous father-in-law and Sandy. Then it was back to the hotel to pack and prepare for an early flight home. There are many stories in between but I choose not to write them all as I would probably bore you and my hands would be tired. We drove home in the mini-van with extra luggage and 6 adult women (this was fun).

(Dinner at PF Changs) (Roomates with Queen Mary behind us)

When I returned home Mikaela had the flu and I ended up with Bronchitis.

The girls are doing great. Today is Mikaela's 8th birthday!!!..and we hope to finish the year out with a bang!!

One more rotation starting this Monday in Billings MT.

Please keep the prayers coming as this has not been easy but we have all grown in our own way and our love is stronger then ever right now!

Love to all

An epic battle

In this bout of two equally talented fighters we have seen a split decision from the judges so far. The first round unanimously went to Theresa when she was in Gillette for a week and her young inexperienced opponent forgot to take the laundry out of the dryer. The second round Ken battled back with a definitive win when he masterfully navigated an overbooked week of children's events. We are now in the middle of the third round and Theresa has taken a hard hit to the jaw for being gone on their wedding anniversary..OUCH! I do not know if she will be able to get up from that shot. Things are really stacked against Theresa this round with it snowing in Casper and her being in seventy degree weather out in Long Beach. Theresa is letting her guard down by enjoying a day at the beach while Ken keeps throwing jabs and hooks by going to the grocery store, doing laundry, and getting the kids to events on time. Let's hope she gets her head back into this match before she has to throw in the (beach) towel. Uh-Oh, It looks like a T.K.O. that's right (T)heresa, (K)endra, and (O)pa are going out to dinner tonight while Ken and the girls are having mac and cheese and hot dogs. I do not see how Theresa could pull this round out, but luckily for her there is still nine more rounds after this. She will be up in Billings, MT at the end of this month for round four and we will see what these two are really made of, because then she is off to Thermopolis for the last eight rounds. You better get the smelling salts ready and another bag of buttered popcorn because it is going to be a long bout that neither of them wants to lose. In two weeks we will update you on round four of this epic twelve round battle.

This next line is for Opa: It is an outdoor venue so we hope it does not reign and that Ken will continue to rein, so that Theresa does not tighten the rains on Ken. lol

Invitation!

GRADUATION DAY FOR THERESA ANTHONY

MAY 16TH, 2008 AT 7PM

PLEASE LET ME KNOW IF YOU WILL BE COMING INTO TOWN. WE WILL ALSO BE HAVING AN OPEN HOUSE...WATCH FOR MAILED INVITATIONS!

Where did the time go......

I have been back for a little over a week now and have just finally been able to find a minute to post an update. My week in Worland for physical disability was awesome!! I found that I truly enjoy the hospital setting when it is not me laying in the bed. Also old people ROCK (even when they are crabby)! I returned home safely on Friday only to attend the Spring chili bingo at the kids school. I was greeted nicely and told what an awesome husband I have...not only was he mister mom for a week but he pulled on Spring chili bingo with only a few issues and they were only noticable by him. The house was still standing and everyone did very well with only a few melt downs.

My host for the week was also very wonderful and it was nice and relaxing. I do not like being away from home but it is nice to know that you truly are needed and not just around because you can multi task.

What this week entails..... Not only do we have gymnastic, band practice, and church throughout the week but it is once again soccer season. Liz starts up this week so now we go Mon-Thurs with an activity everyday. I cannot wait until May!!!

This week I am off to California for an Occupational Therapy conference. I leave on Weds night and return on Sun. I will be going with some friends for school. During my visit I will be also visiting with my father in law and Sandi for some socializing. Then I return only to leave again at the end of april for my last one week rotation in Billings MT.

Love to all

All points bulletin

HELP!!! This is an all points bulletin. I have lost the following items: My mind, time, sleep, and temporarily my wife. The last time these items were seen with me was around Sunday afternoon. If you locate any of these items, besides the wife, do not try and apprehend them on your own for they maybe armed and dangerous. In case you have not guessed, Theresa is doing her field work in Worland this week. Even though she has been gone for only 3 days it seems like a month. I swapped schedules with a couple of guys so I could be here in town all week. Wait..Shhhh! Did you hear that? I think that is the sound of my wife laughing echoing around the void in my head where my brain used to be. What has brought me to this state of temporary insanity? When you combine the gymnastics, dinner preparation, dishes, cleaning up around the house, band practice, youth group, PTO, wasp nest the size of a regulation football in your attic, dog messing in the house because you got home late, work, showering children, homework, potty training a puppy, earring holes closing up and then having to re-open them, carpet cleaning, animals that refuse to eat, and the minor meltdowns of girls who miss there mom. The frustrating thing on the meltdowns is that they do not tell you that they are crying because they miss mom, NOOOO!!! you have to play the guessing game and this game usually begins 30 minutes after they were supposed to in bed. The youngest one came out on Sunday night and said that I had forgot to turn on her radio and the tears started to flow. I told her I was sorry and that I would happily come and turn it on. Fifteen minutes later through the blubbering and sniffles I was finally able to get a confession out of her that she missed mom. It is hard to play good cop, bad cop when it is just yourself. All is going well and we only have two more nights and the cleaning crew I hired will be here on Friday afternoon.

Purity Class

Liz has attended a 7 week class through our church for young adults. This class is about staying pure and how to deal with the challenges sex through prayer and self-confidence. At the end of the session they had a ring ceremony and acknowledge that they will lead the life of abstinence until marriage. At this time mom and dad had the privelage of putting a purity ring on her finger and praying for her. We ask all of you in her life to also pray that this is the life she will continue to follow and that the challenges that are to come will be made easier with the Lord and all us by her side. Her daddy cried like a baby!! It has been decided that when the time comes for marriage he will not be allowed to make any type of speech:) Now that is the love of a father!

Weakened Trip

Not to much to report for the weekend. We headed to Thermopolis (hot springs) Wyoming. This is a 2 1/2 hour drive from Casper. Purpose of the trip was to see the house and meet the neighbors of the couple that she will be house sitting for when she is away on her 8 week rotation this summer. We spent 20 minutes in the hot springs and then headed back for home. The couple is very nice and this worked out great for them and us. They leave the 2nd week of May and I arrive at the end of May, I will finish my rotation in July and they return home in August. The town is small and very homey. I will be heading in the same direction over Easter weekend for my physical disability rotation in Worland WY. This is another one week adventure that leaves the girls and husband to fend for themselves. I will update you on how they handle this trip when I return.

Party Time

A 13 year old party is always best when everyone remembers to wear deodorant:) The house was packed with 17; 12 and 13 year olds going through puberty...this was not only entertaining but would have made a great experimental project. All in all in was great, we did a scavenger hunt and the kids brought back 36 non parishable items to give to Joshua Storehouse (shelter facility in our town), we played giant jenga, sardines (hide and go seek game), and did a little dancin where mom and dad showed off their moves!!! Now this was true entertainment. Cake and Ice cream was the traditional event of the eveing. Except Liz got introduced to having to take the first bite without her hands...these are what you call real friends.

(first bite without hands)

(gift time surrounded by friends)

13 at last!

Today was the big day...thank you to everyone who helped to make it special, I do not believe the phone has stopped ringing since I walked in the door at 4pm. The big party is on Saturday but here is a picture of the birthday girl today!

Gymnastics Meet

Yep another gym meet. This was Mikaela's last time as a level 3, after this weekend she officially moves to level 4. This entails all new routines on all equipment. At this meet she took first over all her team. Out of 20 girls in different teams she took a 2nd, 3rd, and 5th. It was a good meet and judged very hard.

It's the Final Countdown

I think it was Frank Sinatra that summoned it up best when he said, "And now, the end is near" My father reminded me of one of the first times he ever met Liz and she was pushing on my rear-end trying to get me into her playhouse we had set up in the living room. She got me in and then joined me inside which made it a full house. It seems like only yesterday that she was helping Theresa and I paint our house in preperation for sale. Theresa and I were painting the shed to match the house when the dog came by with green handprints on his black coat. As I followed the trail down the path along the side of the house I came to the large tree by the front door also decorated in small green handprints. As I came up the newly stained porch with green handprint highlights I encountered a blond haired, blue eyed, three foot nuthin little girl with green hands, shirt, shorts, legs, and shoes. All those things were fixable and were cleaned up with some soap and water, but I don't know how to stop the next couple of hours from coming. I have faith that Theresa and I have done a good job teaching, learning, and raising Liz to be an awesome young woman who will continue to make me proud that I am her father. It will take me some time to loosen the grip on the reigns, but she proves to me everyday that she can and will make the right choices in the challenges she will face in the near future. She did not learn to ride a bike until we let go and went inside and she tried what we had taught her. Love You Lizzy more than you know and always remember you were chosen.

Love, Dad

Mikaela Spring pictures

Definitely has her Daddy's eyes!

Liz School Spring Picture

2 more days until she is officially a teen!

These are her spring school pics. Copies will be mailed soon!

Revolve Tour 2008

This past weekend we headed to Denver. This weekend was the weekend of the Revolve Tour, this is a teen/mom function and I can honestly say was well worth it. Liz and I (along with Kendra/sister; Carley/friend from school; Brenda/Kendra's Grandma; Rhonda/Kendra's step-mom; Tiffany) attended the event together. This is a women of faith conference that talks to girls about self-esteem; the difference between boys and girls at this age; and how to let Jesus guide us and live through Him. Liz bought the place out....new girl teen bible; magazine; bag; books; and a t-shirt, this is all thanks to grandma and grandpa Light and Opa as well as lots of babysitting:) Special speakers were....Max and daughter Lucado, Natalie Grant (awesome!), KJ-52, and Hawk Nelson (girls go crazy over this one), Chad Eastman (excellent speaker on boys). This was a two day event and both Liz and I came back spritually filled and emotionally ready to deal with new life issues (like the boy down the street giving her flowers and is a bikini swimsuite really appropiate at this age).

Mom and Liz partying hard!Kendra and Liz loving every moment!

Mikaela and dad were very busy as well....they went out to dinner and played at fat city (indoor spend all your money on video games, putt-putt golf, and a foam ball room.

On Sunday, the girls went to church with Deb and Dennis and family, Ken got stuck home (no car keys to dads car) and I took a visit to see Brett( he is doing well and making excellent progress).

Then it was a slow drive back to Casper in the newly fallen snow.

Dad 's preparation

As the doorbell rang tonight I got a cold feeling down my spine and the hair on the back of my neck stood at attention. Something was wrong or was about to go wrong. As my little girl answered the door I caught the glimpse of a male figure standing in front of the door hiding behind flowers. Not a carnation or a daisy, but three roses to which my little girls face matched the colors of the pink and red ones. I quickly ran to the closet to obtain my emergency-boy-come-a-calling kit. I ripped off the plastic cover and flung the lid open with reckless abandon. No time to read the instructions. I was relying on Fatherly instinct now as I put the rubber gloves and pulled the gun and file out of the box. As my daughter stood talking to this animal I knew I had little time. I began to franticly file the serial number off the gun and laid it on the table. Not wanting to appear as inhospitable I asked this degenerate to give me a hand and to place the gun back into the box for me. He asked what it was for and I told him future evidence,...accident,...I mean insurance. Unfortunately I am going to have to buy another twenty kits for Lizzy over the next couple of years and then I will have to get ready for the youngest one. He really is a nice young guy, but Liz nor her parents are ready for her to date yet.

Sincerely, Ken,9mm dad

Valentines Day

Okay...this day was not to come for a long time, but it happened anyway! Liz recieved her first Valentine from a boy, and no it was not one of thoughs cutesie cards you get at school. This is from a boy down the street and Liz says there is no "crush" on either side of the friendship but I think the flowers she recieved today said lots lots more. She turned about 7 shades of red.Try not to tease....this was so darn cute!

HAPPY VALENTINES TO EVERYONE!
I spent the evening baking 70 cupcakes for school parties today, so now it is time to hit the school books.

Toby Fits In

Toby (Yorkie) has adjusted nicely. Of course it is like having an infant back in the house:) Ojo was not liking this idea at first.....but now.....it is her new best friend. Instead of "chase" the kitty its "get" the puppy. She is so gentle with him and he fights back (just barely got his first tooth).

The cat is ok with him until the other day when he so nicely found the cats tail and assumed it was a chew toy!

Welcome Toby

Some call me crazy some call me insane...I just call myself busy:) We have added a new addition to the family as of 2-6-2008. We call him Toby and he is adjusting nicely. This pet will be Mikaela's, she makes a good mommy, however I have not been able to convince her that if Toby sleeps during the day he will not sleep during the night. Life for me would not be fun if I did not have some kind of craziness all the time. Enjoy the pictures:

Judges Cup

Sorry the blogs are coming so slow...school is currently occupying my life and the other half is with the family.

This past weekend was another gymnastics meet. Here is a video clip of how she did. She took 9th out of 22 girls aging up to 9 years old. Their team to overall champions for the 4th time this season. We have one more in March and then it is down time. With her scores she is now eligble to move up to level 4 this Spring. Most kids do not get to move up until they are 9 but Mikaela's team of girls are very motivated.

Enjoy the clip and I will try to stay updated on the blog. After the meet we had a get together with my classmates here at the house, this consisted of board games, WII machine time, and just hanging out until midnight or so. This was wonderful and I am so glad to have the small group as classmates and the unit we have become.

http://s249.photobucket.com/albums/gg231/babybean-33/?action=view&current=385b26b7.pbr

Love to all