Missy L. is Expecting a Baby

Missy found out she’s going to have another baby, her 4th.  The due date is April 17th.  Cole wants a brother, Makayla wants a sister.  We hope everything goes well and that Missy and Phil have a healthy, happy baby!

Vickki, Ben and Sam Visit – Oct 17 – 19

Vickki arrived with the boys on the 16th.  We had bought a couple Big Wheels for Ben and Sam so they jumped right on them.  The boys legs were a little too short to reach the peddles but they sure could make the Big Wheels go by using their feet on the ground.  At that age, kids think things are cool even if they don’t work quite right.   The next morning,  the boys rode their Big Wheels down the sidewalk out to the main street and then they decided they wanted to walk to the park.  Papa had to carry the Big Wheels back to the house while I walked the boys to the park.  The short walk took a long time because the boys had to keep stopping to watch the traffic.  They love watching trucks, cars, ambulances, or whatever goes by.  Then we had to inspect a creek we passed.   In the meantime, Neil got the car and drove to the park so we’d have a ride back.  We spent about an hour at the park climbing on everything and sliding on all the slides.   The phrase “one more time” was used quite a bit.  In the meantime, Vickki got to relax at home by herself.  Dexter, Stephanie, Ryan, Norma and Bubba stopped by later that night to see Vickki and the boys.  Ryan had just returned from China and was sporting a beard.  Ben and Sam didn’t know what to think of that.

The next day, Neil and I took Ben and Sam back to the park.  After playing on the playground for awhile, we decided to take a walk.  We came to a steep bank and I asked the boys if they knew how to roll down hill.  They didn’t know what I was talking about so I showed them.  That got some serious rolling started.  Sam caught on quick and was rolling pretty fast.  Then he started laughing.  It was hilarious listening to him.  By then, I’d gotten dizzy and nauseous from rolling so I had to stop and start taking pictures.  I made a couple little videos that you can see on the video page.  Once everyone was dirty and dizzy we decided to walk around the park on a track.  At intervals along the track are signs telling what kind of tree is planted there.  The signs flip up and have a little knob on them.  Ben found out right away that the knob could be unscrewed.  So he proceeded to unscrew each one we came to.   To make things fair and to avoid a meltdown, Sam got to screw the knobs back on.  I think we came across about ten of the signs.  Needless to say, it took awhile to get around the track.  People were setting up a Halloween trail so the boys got to see some ghosts, witches, mummies, etc.  Once we’d made the circuit, we played some more on the playground.  Vickki got a lot of alone time that morning and Papa and G had a great time with the grands.  We couldn’t stop laughing at their antics.  All this led to a long nap.  We played some more that night and then Vic and the boys had to go home the next day.  It was a great weekend and we really had a lot of fun with the boys and enjoyed talking with Vic.

Click here for pics.

Matt in Chicago – Oct. 5-7

Matt went to Chicago for a seminar on scanning.  He works for a company that stores records in caves under Louisville.  A cave acts like a climate controlled building.  The company also scans the records so they’re available digitally.  Matt’s job is to sell storage space and scanning to people or companies who may need that service.  He’s been doing a lot of traveling to learn more about the job and to go to seminars.  So far he’s been all over Kansas, to Missouri and to New Orleans.  He’s pretty excited about what he’s doing.

Sonny and Matt at Notre Dame – Oct 4

Tara got two tickets for Sonny’s birthday to the Notre Dame/Stanford football game.  Sonny drove to KY on Thurs. to see his mom.  The next day he went to New Albany to help Matt celebrate his birthday.  They took off early Saturday morning to go to South Bend.  On the way, they toured what used to be Ft. Ben Harrison to see our old house on the circle, where they lived when they were age 10 and 12.  It’s expensive civilian housing now.  When the boys got to South Bend, they had seats in the end zone next to the tunnel where the Notre Dame players enter and leave the stadium.  Most of the touchdowns were scored in that end of the stadium so we got to see Sonny and Matt on TV every time there was a point after attempt.  That was pretty cool.  When the players ran through the tunnel, Sonny and Matt high fived them.  At the end of the game, the players threw gloves and sweatbands and stuff into the crowd.  Matt caught a glove that he sent to Trae.  That was even cooler.  Notre Dame won and Matt and Sonny had a great time.  We were really happy for them, especially Sonny.  He’s been a rabid ND fan for a long time.  We’re glad he finally got attend a game and even better that he got to go with his brother.

Aunt Peg Visits – Sep 23 – 27

Aunt Peg arrived on the afternoon of Sep 23.  She had driven in from Columbus, OH and was pretty tired when she got here.  After a good night’s sleep, we took her to the lake.  It was a beautiful day so we sat in the breezeway and talked with Dexter and Tammy.  Aunt Peg was surprised at how big the barn was and what a nice setup we had.  When we got back to the condo, Aunt Peg and I played cards for awhile.  Later, we decided to have a sundae supper and got ice cream sundaes for supper at our local dairy restaurant.  The next day, I took Aunt Peg on the tour of Paris.  She got to have her picture taken in front of the Eiffel Tower but declined a pic with the big fish (Paris is the home of the World’s Largest Fish Fry and there’s a big fish on sign stating that fact as you enter town.).  On the way home, we picked up some barbecue plates at Trolinger’s.  I also got Aunt Peg a fried pie since she’d never had one before.  They’re not exactly a NY staple.  Aunt Peg really enjoyed the pork barbecue and her pie.  Later, we played some more cards.  On Friday, we toured Paris Landing State Park and then had fried catfish buffet at Cindy’s Restaurant.  Aunt Peg fell in love with the black eyed peas and had them instead of pie for dessert.  I thought that was un-American!  Next, we toured Dover and Ft. Donelson (a Civil War Fort).  Aunt Peg learned some new things about the Civil War and was satisfied with the day.  On the way home we decided to drive through Land Between the Lakes a little way so she could see what that was like.  We stopped at the Bison preserve to see the bison (buffalo).  There was a foot bridge over to the fence where the buffalo were standing.  You’re probably not supposed to go near the fence but we did anyway.  A calf came over and Neil and Aunt Peg petted it and let it lick them.  Meanwhile, a big old bull came up to the fence and gave me the hairy eyeball.  Neil told me to get closer for a good pic.  Yeah, right!  The bull was scary and had a huge head.  I figured if he decided to charge through the fence to attack us that I only needed to be able to outrun Aunt Peg.  Since she was walking with a cane, I think I was in good shape.  The bull would have gotten her first while she tried to whack it on the nose with the cane.  After all that excitement, Aunt Peg decided to leave early the next morning, so we took her photo in our hallway studio and sent her on her way.

Click here for pics.

Tara Hangs Out With the Brass

Tara runs with a high ranking crowd – a Colonel and a Brigadier General.

Visit to KY – Sep 11

We took a trip to KY on Sep11.  On the way, we stopped at Oak Grove Cemetery to visit Pops’ grave.  Then we went on to Granny’s house.  We picked her up and went to the new KY Veteran’s Cemetery  across from Ft. Knox.  That’s where Neil and I have decided to be buried.  It’s a pretty and quiet place.  After that, we took a quick trip to Camp Carlson, the Ft. Knox Campground.  They’ve really done a lot of work on that place and it’s a whole lot nicer than when we used to stay there.  There is a new main office, shower/laundry room building, cement pads, and cabins.  From there, we went to Vickki’s house to see her and the boys.  We talked and played with the boys.  The boys kept climbing on their dresser in the bedroom.  We old folks took turns watching them.  I think it almost gave Granny a heart attack but she had some good quality alone time with the boys.  Granny had a great day and was pooped by the time we got her home.  It was a good day for all.