Return of the Jedi Concert

Christopher and I went to the Return of the Jedi Concert tonight.  The Cincinnati Pops played the music while the Star Wars movie played over head.  It was a great time and we ran into a handful of friends also at the concert.

Oct 30, 2021 in two parts

We went down to Lexington on Saturday October 30, 2021 for two very different experiences.

One part was spent with extended Howard Family celebrating the birthday of Aunt Chris.

Shopping for a fish

Lucy desperately wanted a fish. So, after saving up all her money (about $55), we went to the pet store where she picked out a small tank, two orange fish and some fish food. We went home and tried to follow the instructions to allow the fish to get to know their new environment but alas, they died. We took them back, got two new fish and I'm proud to say as of this morning they're still living. More photos to come.

Back to school

11 years ago I dropped Christopher off at kindergarten. This past week he went to his first class at Gateway where he is taking two dual credit classes as a high school junior.

The days are certainly long, but the years are short.

Clay Shooting on Father’s Day

It was terribly hot, but the kids and I went out to break some clays with my dad for Father's Day this year. We kept shooting till a spring on the thrower busted on us. Sabrina was able to hit several clay targets and so was Clara. We're still working to get Christopher where he can hit them consistently and Pops' gun jammed on the first shot. Annette was quite the crack shot and apparently this type of shooting is her favorite. Who knew?

Mothers Day morning

All the chicks in the nest gather for Mother's Day 2021.

More fish stories

Something fishy going on in these pictures.

These were snapped during 2021 Spring Break. The reds wanted to go fishing so we did up at the front pond.

Loveland Bike Trail

We had our longest bike ride to date during 2021 Spring Break.

Fishing with the Reds

Sabrina, Molly, Lucy and I went fishing on Saturday. Unfortunately the fish were so small they stole the bait right off the hook. We were using marshmallows which in hindsight maybe not have been the best idea. The fish liked it, but we didn't catch too many of them. Each girl caught one, but unfortunately I don't have a photo of Molly with her catch.

Reason #560

This is reason #560 why it's good to have a truck. We took the kids to Loveland for a bike ride yesterday on their first day of Spring Break 2021.

Everybody chips in

Even Lucy got in on the shutter painting action this weekend. First she held my paint from inside the bedroom and then later she painted the side of the shutter that I couldn't reach.

Painting the shutters

Out with the green and in with the brown.

Clara was kind enough to share in the fun painting the shutters this weekend.

Sweet light

We played a game at the park called "Fire" which primarily consists of me being "it" and walking around trying to find them while pretending I have my eyes closed. Yesterday there was some sweet light coming through the trees and fortunately the girls were kind enough to oblige me with a photo.

Ice Cream - the great motivator

I came downstairs and discovered these 5 bowls in the sink which delights me for a few reasons.
1) Its a sign of the times that we're living in right now at our home and 2) they put the dirty bowls in the sink!

We can get a lot of cleaning down around this house so long as there's ice cream in the fridge.

Working the fish fry

Whenever Annette had to step away from her station, there were three reds who were ready to pick up where she left off. This photo was from the 3/12 Fish Fry.

Molly’s new glasses

Molly got some new glasses this week.

Milk Shakes for Papaw

Papaw loved his milk shakes. Here the kids celebrate a man that none of them ever met with a frosty from Wendy's on his birthday, 10/29/2020. Clara is wearing her karate gi because she just started taking lessons.

Just Molly

"It would have been funnier if Molly had said it."

Clara’s Confirmation

Clara was confirmed in February, 2021 by Bishop Foys. It was a beautiful ceremony though different because of COVID-19. Nevertheless, His grace abounds.

Cold but fun

It was cold when we went out for the last 2020 Youth Hunt with Guy and Christopher. The temps that morning were barely in the double digits. Zach shot a young buck and we enjoyed processing and later eating his harvest. Good times with good peeps.

Coyote Hunting

We went coyote hunting back in January. Had a good time but didn't see anything. We got barked at which was encouraging!

Almost

She's almost taller than her mother at age 11. Almost...

Creativity

Sabrina is showing her mother's creations from knitting. Here she's modeling the first hat and holding the first pillow cover ever made by Annette.

Snapchat Filters

It's funny to see yourself through the lens of a Snapchat filter. To me it's funnier to see what goofiness looks like without the Snapchat filter.

Suntan Snowman Dan

Lucy was very proud of Suntan Snowman Dan. She, Sabrina and Clara were all part of the creation of this snowman who enjoys the sun.

Baby steps

This is a photo Annette snapped last night when Christopher and I were working on his first online job application last night. Even though he doesn't yet have a resume, he could easily have some accomplishments to share with the working world such as his MinecraftCamp in the summer of 2020 and multiple provisional patents through his efforts with FIRST Lego League. It will be exciting to see where the world takes him and hopefully his next stop is as a clerk at Union Kroger.

Adventures in Bicycling

Today we took a bike ride from our house to Sonic. We took many breaks and walked the bikes part of the time but we made it there and back again. By the way, don't order large milkshakes at Sonic. Big mi$take.

Visit to Pyramid Hill Sculpture Park

Yesterday we went to the Pyramid Hill Sculpture Park as part of our Staycation 2020.  We had a good time and even got to meet one of the volunteer docents!  Apparently they don't want you touching any of the artwork due to COVID-19.

Lucy's First Communion

Lucy received her first Holy Communion last Saturday at St. Tim's last Saturday, July 11, 2020.  Afterward we had our first family gathering in 4 months at our home thanks to the COVID-19 Pandemic.