Doc's Birthday Present

Jeff Kriet & Doc

For Doc's birthday, my mother and father gifted him with a guided fishing trip hosted by one of B.A.S.S. Master's greatest...Jeff Kriet. Jeff is an Oklahoma boy from Ardmore with a gift of finding prize winning bass on lakes all across the world. I had the pleasure of attending an all expense paid dinner (thanks to Jeff's manager) at one of Grand Lake's yacht clubs. After meeting the man, it's was evident that fishing is his passion and consequently, Jason would be privy to some of the best tricks and tips that money can buy.




At the age of five, Jeff knew he wanted to make his living as a fisherman. He pursued an economics degree from the University of Oklahoma (go Sooners!) and worked in the professional world long enough to save enough money that he could go on the pro circuit. Even after all these years and after many wins that amount to hundreds of thousands of dollars in prize money, Jeff is still a humble Oklahoma boy who is so giving of his time and talent that he donated this experience in the spirit of United Way fundraising. He is a husband and a father and admits that the most difficult part of his job is being away from his family (and the long hours on the road pulling a boat are equally challenging).




Doc's experience was one that comes along once in a lifetime. Jason was able to invite a friend, J.P., on the trip with him and when the day was done, the three of them (Jeff, Doc, J.P.) had hooked over 100 fish!



Many thanks to Jeff to donating his time to the worthy mission of the United Way and to my parents who knew that Jason would be ever grateful for such a positive experience. The only down side I can see is that Jason has reignited his passion and is in desperate need of a bass boat...whatever.





Jeff & J.P.





Pictured left to right - Doc, Fisherman 1, Jeff, Fisherman 2, J.P.

Halloween 2007

What a fun holiday! Jason and I went to a costume party at the Boone's residence along with our friend Sean. We were decorated up in our traditional 70's attire but I must say that I was impressed by some of the other costumes. You can check some of them out here (these people must have spent a small fortune!).

And the kids had a ball. I took them to my work for some festivities and then we trick-or-treated in the neighborhood. Elle was dressed as Ariel the mermaid and Dakota was a ninja. He requested the purchase of a ninja sword which stayed in the wagon most of the time because it was too burdensome to carry. I'm so glad to have pleased him with that purchase. :-)

Anyhow, Jason also had much fun (lol) carving this year's pumpkins. Dakota's was a bat hanging upside down in a cave and Elle's was a silly face (what else?).

Hope you all had a Happy Halloween! Chat soon.

Happy Halloween

Make your own slide shows and scrapbooks

Photos From the Past Few Weeks

Erika accompanied me on my business trip to Reno, NV. I wondered if she would have a good time considering all the work I had to do while I was there. She went with me to my customer's hospitality party at the National Automobile Museum and we enjoyed a couple of nice dinners together. Despite the work, we had a good time. Although, I can't say that I recommend Reno as a destination city...what a s**t hole!

Mom, Mandi and cousin Cheryl at the Missouri vs. OU game (our won by 10 points!). A little too close for comfort but a good time was had by all.

Elle at the pumpkin patch. A freakin' $4 pony ride and this is the photo I get! WHAT?




But I guess I'll take it if I get this photo too...best friends (mostly).

Missouri vs. TU again...I love this one because we're very "real" here. No made up prom queens...just two cousins having a good time together.




Me and Papa...of course I had to include this one. Note: Modelo Especial is real good stuff.

And as you can see, Kara went with us and she had a ball. I enjoyed having her and I think she enjoyed listening to Jason and me bicker (what else after 10 years of marriage?).




And last but not least, a photo from the Dakota/Garrett annual trip to the fair. Please note: Elle is an addition this year. She really thinks she can hang with the boys. It won't be long before they absolutely positively won't have anything to do with her.

Love to all!

Nothing Special

It's been so long since I did an update that I figured I'd add a little something, even if it's nothing special. I'm traveling so much that I don't have access to my camera and all my recent photos but I'll add some later, I promise.

Speaking of travel, have I mentioned that I have the best husband EVER? My work has been very demanding over the past few weeks and while I knew it would be hard, I didn't realize I'd be so melancholy when I stepped on another airplane. Being on the road is tough. There's no glamour. The only benefits are good meals and a good night's sleep (because there are no children climbing into bed and no dogs pawing at my arm needing to go out for a pee). Then again, isn't that what being a mom is all about? I mean, won't there come a time when I'll wish I could hear the pitter patter of small feet walking into my room to snuggle with me? And someday I'll be sad when dog breath isn't greeting me as I crawl out of bed. But the thing is, I know that everyone is taken care of because Jason is a wonderful father. AND, we have wonderful grandparents and aunts that are always willing to pitch in when needed. I'm so blessed.

Meanwhile, I've been trying to fill the gaps with super mom stuff. We've had a great time with the kids lately packing our days with activities and fun. I went with Dakota's school on their field trip last week and Elle and I had a special mother/daughter breakfast at Daylight Donuts the other morning. We made a family appearance at the Missouri vs. OU game last Saturday and I woke the kids on Sunday morning for a quick swim in the hotel pool. They felt like they were on vacation. One stop at the OKC IHOP and then we were off for Tulsa.

Everyone cross your fingers that I can get it together enough to round up some decent Halloween costumes and that Jason maintains his sanity. Did I mention that we want to throw some home improvement projects into the mix? We're absolutely crazy...

Off to a trade show...I'll be in touch.

Picaso

Elle and I have had some good times together lately. She's by far my most demanding and needy child (but when compared to Dakota almost everyone would be). She's also very charming and funny and manages to make me laugh at every turn. Which is confusing when you consider that she's also very shy and often takes a while to warm to strangers. But my point (for this entry anyhow) is that surprisingly, she's also very artistic...in a 3 year old kind of way.

Here you see her working on her latest watercolor/finger paint/stamping project. See what I mean? She's so creative that she's meshed three different art forms into one (ha!). I kept waiting for her to ask for some side walk chalk. Oh, and isn't her art smock adorable? My friend Tonya got it for her and it's monogrammed with her initials. You can get one of your own (plus other excellent gift ideas) at http://tatermash.com/.

I also took Elle to her first ever Disney on Ice - Princess Wishes. She was SO excited and said that Ariel was her favorite. She was a good girl and behaved the entire time. Her only need was popcorn which was fabulous because I expected to walk out with a $24 flashing toy and some $16 princess t-shirt just like the ones at Wal-Mart for $9.99. When she was ready to hold the drink instead of the popcorn, she got a little bossy. "Mom, listen to me!. You have the popcorn, and I'll have the drink now. Okay?". Well, okay my little princess. Anything your heart desires...

Go Pirates!

I'm so excited that I just HAD to share it with you all. Dakota scored 3 soccer goals today! He started soccer in the Fall of 2006 in an under 5 program which involved kicking the ball around amongst a giant group of little people. Spring 2007's under 6 program was more successful but Dakota still didn't get too excited about playing and rarely got contact with the ball. But Fall 2007 is here and he's got a new attitude.

He is getting several touches on the ball, getting more assertive and confident in his play and has even become a pretty good defender. The Pirates won 5 to 4 and Dakota scored 3 of the 5 points! I couldn't be prouder of him...and not because he scored or that they won...but that he tried. He really, really tried. I got tears in my eyes when I saw the calm, confident smile he wore as he walked off the field and into my embrace.

OU (62) vs. TU (21)

We had another great weekend of OU football. Hosted in our own back yard, the TU Hurricanes hosted the OU Sooners in last night's game. Our dear friends TG and Beau got us all tickets and we set out from their house just before kick off. TG was sporting some cute jeans and cowboys boots which she later regretted wearing (but she looked good). She teased Beau the whole way there for his scrunchy socks; to which he admitted that he's not "cool" and doesn't really care (Go Beau!).

Anyhow, along the way I encountered two different girls who I cheered with in middle school which was a complete blast from the past and frankly, I've held up okay over the past 20 years (all thinks considered). We had an excellent time with our friends and even met up with Doc's cousin Blake (who also wore cowboy boots that he later regretted wearing).

We rounded out the evening with a stop in at the Bearden home and saw the fabulous job they did at renovating their new home. It's brings me joy to see loved ones lives come together so nicely. What an excellent start to the weekend!

Been there, done that?

Would someone like to tell me how to teach a kid to ride a bike? It seems like we've been working with Dakota all summer. Now the truth is that we might work on it for 15 minutes and then go inside because of the heat or the mosquitos and then not try again until three weeks later, but the point is that we've been up and down the sidewalk lots of times and he's still not riding the damn bike!

What's most amazing is that this child can be one of the most courageous kids I know. He tackled kindergarden like a champ and he's not afraid to go up to a house and ask a neighbor kid's mom if his buddy can come out and play. But when it comes to anything physical (e.g. riding a bike) he lacks even a smiggin of confidence. Well, that's not entirely true...if I jump up and down and clap my hands like crazy if he goes five feet then he's beaming with a beautiful smile. You get the idea.

So, if you have any tips on how to keep of kid from bailing into the grass everytime the handle bars sway, or how to keep a kid from crying every time his mom shows a look of frustration, I'm all ears!

Making Memories

OU (54) vs. Utah State (3)

Jason and I took the kids to their first OU football game versus Utah State (we spanked em'). Elle lasted one quarter in the heat before I had to take her downstairs to watch on the TVs in the concession area. She and I retired to the tailgate around half time.

Jason and Dakota had 3rd row seats in the player recruit area...tickets scored via BTW connections! They had private access in the Switzer Center and entry via the player guest gates. They sat three seats away from Courtney Paris and right next to all the OU women's volleyball and basketball teams. As Jason put it, they had plain view of the Aggies sideline. Dakota lasted into the third quarter before he was ready for more food and drink. So we all met back at the Little's tailgate party which is OU football first class.

The Littles do the tailgate up right. They're equipped with a large TV, Dish network satellite, four tents, a futon, an American flag, and Oklahoma flag, a gas powered cooler on wheels and plenty of food and drink. The kids enjoyed playing in the horse trough with their new friend Olivia

and we enjoyed chatting with the Littles, the Harders (including Scott who it was great to see) and plenty of their friends. There are so many details that go into planning this event and we're ever grateful for them sharing in their hospitality with us. We stuck around long enough to help with loading the trailer (it was the least we could do) and even that had it's own entertainment value.

Everyone had a good time and I think the kids had a memorable Sooner experience.

Labor Day 2007

We had another great weekend at the lake. The Hudsons came up and we got to spend some time with the Zahns as well. The water was too rough for much time on the boat but the weather was perfect for spending time on the back porch. Of course, we fit in some OU football and witnessed a North Texas butt woopin. GO SOONERS!

Labor Day & Buddy

I had to add this one of Buddy at the lake. It reminded me of Scooby Doo for some reason...

Grand Lake Family Reunion

We had a fabulous weekend at Grand Lake spending time with family. The Littles and the Harders came in from out of town and introduced cousin Hal to his first ever boat ride.





Hal got to play with Elle and Dakota and us grown ups got to sample an assortment of beers. On Saturday, the Zahns and the Gernhardts came into town for a wonderful family luncheon. I applaud my mom for organizing such an event; we had a blast.

Kindergarten Mom

It's official. I'm a sucker. They've already got me making homemade play doh. Primary colors only...red, green, yellow and blue. Something tells me there is a lesson on blending colors coming up soon. Don't you remember? Yellow and blue make green and red and yellow make orange, etc. Dakota helped stir and Elle bit the tube of blue food coloring and wiped it all over her dress. Typical.

1st Day of School

Today was a success. Dakota is officially a Westwood Wrangler. His transition was smooth and much easier on him than on mom & dad. We're very proud of our brave little guy.

Elle's Three Year Update

Dear Friends and Family,

Another year has gone by and now I’m 3 years old. Actually, I was 3 years old back in June but who’s counting? What a great six months it has been!

I’ve had a fabulous summer. I’ve spent time at the lake (both Nana & Papa Ellis and also a weekend with Gammy Sandy & Papa Herman). And one of our friends gave us a water slide for the back yard and I’ve spent a lot of time on it. In fact, we played on it during my birthday party and had a blast!

I also took my first airplane ride ever! My Aunt Kara’s soccer team made it to the regional championship and my whole family went to Florida to watch her play and also so we could play in Florida. It was a fun vacation. I got to stay in hotel, swim in the swimming pool and even play in the sand on the beach. I came back brown as a little bean! And all of Kara’s friends just loved me and gave me tons of attention (and Dakota really liked Kara’s friend Lauren but that’s another story).

A few friends of ours had babies so now I have more friends to play with. Hank Boomershine, Kate Brannon and Isabella LeCrone are some of my newest friends. There are so many babies that I’ll have lots of practice with helping and with bossing. I’m really good at bossing.

Oh, and yes I did learn to potty train. I was fully trained by January or maybe early February. And I even got a big girl bed. It’s so pretty and it has flowers all over it. I just love it!

I weigh 34 pounds I measure 39 and ¼ inches. Mom was shocked that I ranted 80th percentile and 92nd percentile in both my measurements. That’s quite contrary to my brother. Maybe that means I’ll be able to kick his butt if I want to.

Love, Elle

A New Leaf

The summer is drawing to a close and that means a fresh start on lots of fronts. For one, this blog. I've had such a difficult time keeping our family website up to date and this seems simpler for now. Secondly, Dakota is starting Kindergarten on Monday. Miss Smith is his teacher. Both she and Dakota are handling it better than I. Imagine that. And Elle will now be one of the oldest kids at her daycare. I have a feeling her independence will continue to grow. And lastly, Jason will begin his new role as Assistant Athletic Director for Booker T. Washington H.S. Go Hornets!