Volleyball

My cousin Deborah invited me to play on a league volleyball team 2 weeks ago. I love volleyball and was very excited when she asked me, even though it is about 25 minutes from my home, it is a double header, and the first game doesn't start until 9:30 pm. It did not take me long to agree to play on her team and what a great decision it has been. I have only played two weeks now and am enjoying every minute of it. The first night I played the competition was tough but our team held our ground considering we are the oldest team out there. Our team name is the "Young Guns". I got tired and my legs got sore but the adrenaline kept me playing until the end. I forgot how much I love playing competitive volleyball. The first team we played that night had all played volleyball for ASU. I thought our team did great considering it was the first time we had ever played together and some of us had not played since high school. This past Tuesday was a blast and we actually won our first game. The only down side was Deborah broke her filling, ouch! More volleyball updates to come.

Dean Update

I just thought I write an update on Dean's development the past couple of weeks. Dean has been crawling (a real crawl, not army style) for the past few weeks and is getting very quick. He loves to crawl under the table and if he sees a door open he is going that direction. He has been trying to pull himself up from sitting, kneeling, and finally to standing. He does great when I am sitting on the ground and he pulls himself up using my body as support. He also has been able to pull himself up from shorter heights, like my parents fireplace. This morning he finally was able to pull himself up using the couch as support. I was sitting on it and he was holding onto it in kneeling position, which he has been doing the past week. Then he just stood up and what fun it was for me to watch! He did it one other time tonight at my parents house after dinner. What little joys I get from watching Dean do the simplest(big for him) things! I love being a mom!

Noah is a Bear Scout

Tonight at the Blue and Gold Banquet Noah received his Bear Scout badge. It was a fun night with food, awards, friends, and a lot of scouts. Noah was excited to get his badge and will hopefully earn some arrows in the next couple of months. Brian is great at helping Noah with his requirements along with Noah's Den leaders.

Dean was very excited for Noah!

Dean is 9 months

Our baby boy is 9 months old. We went to the doctor today and he is healthy and is on track with his development. His growth slowed down since his last visit. He weights 22lbs 6oz and is 29 1/2 inches. He is only in the 75th percentile for weight and 90th for height. He is crawling and is so fast, especially when he sees something he wants. He is still so pleasant and is very talkative. He loves to say "da da". He has four teeth, two on the top and two on the bottom. He gets so excited when Noah is around. Noah is great at making him laugh. The past 9 months have gone so fast. We love our baby Dean so much!

Noah's Piano Concert

This past Saturday Noah participated in the Piano Ensemble. This is his 3rd year participating in this yearly concert. There are a variety of students from a variety of teachers who play. There were about 11 groups that played. It is fun to listen to so many play the piano at the same time. Noah's group was first and they played "Take Me Out to the Ballgame" and a piece called "Balloon Pop Polka". They popped the balloons at the beginning of the piece. The concert was very enjoyable and Noah did great! Noah is playing the piano on the left in the front.

Happy Birthday Brian!

It is my Birthday today. I am 1/10 of the way to completing my goal of living until I am 350. As I reflect upon the times of my life there are several memories that stand out. First and foremost, I must thank my loyal fans. Without all of you I could not have come this far. Well, actually I could have, but I did want to give you a shout out. Holla!!! Many of you are probably thinking...."What is the secret? What is the wisdom that Brian can pass on to the generations?" Let me tell you. I don't like vegetables. Nope, not a single one. (except potatoes, but that doesn't really count, does it?) My point is this....I spent most of my early childhood discovering ways to avoid eating them. I would hide them in my pockets, bury them in my napkin, and I would put them on the plates of my siblings when they were not looking. The result is that I have become very resourceful. I have been trained to survive against all odds. I have gained the confidence of a Spartan warrior (all 300 of them) and I have the skills of a ninja master. All of this and I remain a master of servant leadership. I have been called by many names, 'Giver' 'Extreme Lover of the Universe' and 'Big Daddy'. I would encourage each of you to dig deep into your hearts and think of the many ways that my life has touched yours and then be thankful. Happy Birthday to me!

This is but a small sample of the generations who celebrated my arrival to Earth.

Dean's First Haircut

Dean had his first haircut today and Daddy got to play the role of the barber. I decided that we should take care of this in the bathtub since it seems to be a place that Dean enjoys so much. I was surprised when Dean was alright with me using the clippers. I attached the 4 guard and went to work. Dean's hair had grown quite long and no son of mine is going to grow up and become some tree-hugging hippie. In the first picture you can see that at the top of the head I was cutting off well over an inch of hair.

The results are obvious and everyone was happy, especially Dean. He squirmed a bit, but those of you who know Dean will not be surprised that he endured the whole ordeal quite well. Oddly enough it was a much more of an emotional experience for Becky. I am sure she is not the only Mother to shed a few tears at this momentous occasion. Fortunately, she is better now also.