In January the parental units escaped to -er, visited - the Bahamas!  Sun, sand and lots of blue water were just what they needed!  Gramma & Grampa held down the fort and everyone survived!

In 2008 the big boys participated in "Destination Imagination" with their school -- they had TONS of fun!  Kevin was "King Elvis" and Patrick was an agent that protected him.  Their theme was Egyptian and they sang a song to Elvis' "Jailhouse Rock".  February is also the big month for Cub Scouts with their Pinewood Derby.   Harry made a "Mystery Machine" and won a trophy for its design (it actually ran really slowly & wobbly LOL!) and the boys each won either trophies or plaques for their cars / races.   This year we didn't make it to the Districts, but there's a few more years of races to come!

We had our normal fun in March with St. Patrick's Day.   The end of the month found the boys eagerly awaiting the Easter Bunny - Ryan REALLY got into the whole candy thing this year and walked around the house, picking up Easter eggs, shoving marshmallows into his mouth!

April & May found us thick into soccer season.  Practices, games and a super group of kids meant their team ended up 2nd in their league!   This was the time to transition from indoor to outdoor activities, and boy were we ever glad to get outside!  At the end of the month Michelle & the boys walked in the "Relay for Life" in memory of Uncle Donald & (cousin) Peter, and in honor of Michelle's friend, Kristi.  

It's true -- Ryan is TWO!    June is the month for birthdays in our house -- Hannah on the 3rd, Michelle on the 5th and Ryan on the 7th!   We celebrated with a few of his little friends and everyone had fun.   We joined a different swim club (one more toddler friendly) and Michelle is still in shock that she doesn't have a swimmer out of the bunch of them!   They love playing in the pool, but just don't "get" the whole swimming thing.   The big boys went to their final week at Cub Scout Day Camp (next year is an overnight camp) and also went and spent a week at Camp Gramma Grampa & attended their church's VBS.   Ryan enjoyed being an only child!

July started off with a bang - literally!   We had a blast at the neighborhood 4th of July party & fireworks and the boys were having a great time with sparklers!  The highlight of the month, though, was traveling to St. Louis (where Daddy is working) to spend a week with him.  We weren't sure that they were going to let him continue to STAY at the hotel after our visit, but the folks there were just great & really catered to the little ones!  We spent the time with Family (Gramma & Grampa went with us, and then Aunt Vicki, Uncle Joe, Joey & Maria drove in for 2 days from Kansas) and also family of the heart (Scott, Sheila, Cameron & Garrett drove all the way from IDAHO in order to spend the week with us!).   Ryan kept his record of not cooperating during any cousins or grandkids photo shoots -- why mess with perfection after two years of throwing a hissy fit during those pictures??

The kids were thrilled to get to play paintball with their Dad this year.   At the end of August they went with Aunt Cathy & Uncle Bill to the Ruel Family Farm and spent a few days camping.   It was also the start of their THIRD GRADE YEAR and Ryan was also off to "school" (he goes to the nursery at our church for a few hours one day a week). 

September is the other big birthday month in our household; it's Daddy & Twin Birthdays!  (We just humored Ryan by letting him blow out candles on a cupcake.)  Kevin & Patrick turned NINE this year and Harry had an anniversary of his 40th birthday (won't say which one LOL!).   The big boys had their karate test and earned their brown belt, so they are now about 3 quarters away from their black belt -- when they have to break boards!

October passed quickly because the kids were just so excited for Halloween to come!   Ryan REALLY got into the whole candy experience this year and had fun going up & down our street.  He could say "arrrgh" and "me matey" and would tell everyone he was dressed like a pirate ship.   The boys wore monster masks (ugh) and we all enjoyed our second annual Candy Swap party on Halloween, where the neighbor & friend kids get to switch out candy they don't like for candy they do like. 

Early in the month we headed up north to visit with Grandma Mac for her birthday and the kids got to visit the Detroit Science Center.  November, of course, brought Thanksgiving.  We went to Camp Gramma Grampa (aka Meemaw & Papaw) where we encountered enough food for an army... and got to spend the holiday with Auntie Doris and Grandma Mac, too!  Hannah didn't score any turkey legs but she did get lots of scraps and quality time with Papaw!   Speaking of Thanksgiving, we are VERY thankful that during this time of economic uncertainty, that Harry has been able to keep the company up & running.   We're also thankful for all our family and friends, because you all certainly enrich our lives with your love and support!

So now it's December and the boys are anxiously awaiting Santa's arrival.   Ryan has requested a candy cane and the boys want everything on the Top Ten Expensive Electronics list (like a laptop LOL!).    They have the last two weeks off of school and the last three weeks off of karate, so they'll be spending some time starting their DI project, working on Pinewood Derby cars and if they behave... playing with the new toys Santa will be bringing!!

For more photos and up-to-date happenings in O-Ville, send us an e-mail requesting the blog address!