Historic Holiday

Nostalgia, history, and holidays are a fantastic combo.

David and Sheryl hosted a Christmas party at their new new living quarters - not a bad little shack.  Officially called Mattapany, the original portion of the house was built in 1723 on what is now the Patuxent River Naval Air Station located on the Chesapeake bay.

If the walls could talk of that house, I would love to sit and hear the stories.  

  

You know it's a good party when this guy shows up...

Little Lady of the Night

She got into her momma's lipstick...

Christmas Pageant

Our church, Mountain View Community Church, held their annual children's Christmas pageant last weekend.  After weeks of intense begging practice and great direction from the pageant directors, the kids pulled off a great musical pageant.  Jaxson is dead-center back row and little Colt is front row, towards the right (gray shirt).

I think Jaxson enjoyed looking through the crowd for us more than participating in the program...attention span of a six-year-old at work.

  

Old Town Christmas Evening

Throughout the month of December, the Downtown Frederick Partnership coordinates the entire downtown area each weekend with outdoor live music / performers, free hot cocoa and smore's, later hours of operation for all the stores, and a general "togetherness" for the entire town.

To see the streets filled with kids, adults, pets, out-of-towners, residents - along with the sounds of the holidays - is a small-town treat that we have the privilege to experience.

On His Big Red Sleigh

An occasional fire truck and/or ambulance in front on my house isn't the norm, nor do I ever want it to be.  This one occasion it was a good thing that multiple ambulances, fire trucks, fire fighters, and observers lining the street of our neighborhood.

The man in red rolled through our hood last night.  For a small donation to the local volunteer fire department, they will bring Santa to your house so your kids can talk to him one-on-one.

Our neighbors across the street were the ones that actually booked him, but we grabbed a few photos as he left on his modified red sleigh.

Taste Buds of a Three-Year-Old

Cheerios.  Animal crackers.  Cheetos.

Don't you wish your life was so simple that this is what your brain thought sounded good for dinner.

Simply Impacted

Last year for Christmas, my mom gave me the Steve Jobs biography.  I knew very little about Steve prior to reading the book and was extremely intrigued by his life story, his persona, and where his passion came from.  I'm not a die-hard Apple guy, but I love Apple products - their ease of use, their creativity, and most of all - their simplicity.

The products from Apple are simple because their leader kept things simple.  He was extremely complex inside himself, but his thought process on business and design stayed close to the old saying, "Keep it simple stupid."

I came across these two videos that sum up his thoughts; only lights a bigger fire in me.

He's Back...!

Our little behavior monitor and current attitude enforcer Elvis the Elf has returned.

For his seasonal introduction this year, he brought syrup and spaghetti noodles (with sprinkles) and a side of Coke; chased with marshmallows and hot cocoa.

It's too early in the season for Elvis to be dropping these sugar bombs all over the house - could be a long December.

Up and Decorated

Post Thanksgiving means one thing, Christmas decorations go up...

Kids at Play

Kicking The Turkey - Round Two

The second annual Kicking the Turkey kickball game took place this year in Jefferson, Maryland - just down the street from our house.


The group has grown and new faces joined in this year.  We had family, friends, and new friends.

Best part of it all...my team won.

I'm thinking sponsorships and draft parties next year...go big or go home...

Be Very Quiet, I'm Hunting Wabbits...

Man Of Few Words

Almost half-way through the school year and Jaxson has progressed an incredible amount.  We knew heading into the school year that his teacher was one of the tougher ones (even at the kindergarten level); and I was glad he got the tough one.

Starting off the year, he knew his letters and numbers and didn't have the ability to put them together.

Now, a whole different world.  He reads, writes, and they have started simple math.

In the spirit of Turkey Day, the Bambino put together a turkey sentence/picture.

Pretty soon, he'll be teaching me things.

Exercised Our Right

For the second consecutive presidential election, my partner has been by my side; hopefully we win this one like we did the last one.

Say what you want to say about the past four years, either way it was a turning (and tipping) point for our nation.  I believe, in general, the nation has become more aware of the political impact their votes have.  We've learned as a nation, we've started the process of recovering, and we are trying to pick our spot in the global merry-go-round...we aren't what we once were, but it is not to late to get back where we were.

Hopefully you voted today; it is a privilege you/we shouldn't take for granted.

Halloween 2012

Dressed As Party-Goers

Miss Charlee turned 2 years old a few weeks ago; her mom and dad asked for all to dress up and come celebrate - which was great except for the fact that her mom and dad (Sam and Casey) were just about the only ones NOT dressed up...