The Wright Clan

T-Ball

2010-04-24T20:23:00.006-04:00

Kallsen and Parker started T-ball this year. Here's a picture of them each running the bases and one of the them together in the field. The last picture is of them killing time before a game begins recently.

Disc Golf on the Wii

2009-12-30T23:49:00.002-05:00

Are family Christmas gift this year was a Wii gaming system. We were able to find a 'Family Pack' bundle that included multiple controllers and five additional games. One of the extra games is Wii Sports Resort. It includes Frisbee Golf.

This particular version was the highest rated Disc Golf Game in a review of Disc Golfer Magazine earlier this year. It rated highest for disc flight and feel. It didn't rank very well for graphics. It also doesn't include baskets bu instead you putt at columns of light in the middle of a ball golf course green.

With all that being said the game really is a lot of fun. My two youngest boys found it the most fun out of what ended up being 11 games we started with after all their presents they opened. We even have a 'Frisbee' remote for the Wii.

The discs fly well and the feel is good. It seems to be easier to get a hole-in-one on this game than in the real game...at least for my family. My wife, my youngest son Parker and my oldest son Joseph all have had a hole-in-one all ready. I, however, have not.

If you have a Wii and you like Disc Golf, I would recommend Wii Sports Resort.

Playing in the Snow

2009-12-27T22:39:00.007-05:00

Christmas in Minnesota meant the first time since we lived in Iowa for my boys to have a chance to play in the snow. Kallsen (5) and Parker (4) don't remember Iowa and the snow. So for them, this last minute trip to Minnesota provided lots of news and exciting adventures. In this first video, Kallsen attempts to make a snow angel...

In this next video, Joseph (13) gets to try his hand at Snow Blowing. I think he learned it isn't as easy as it looks...

In this last video, Parker struggles to pull his sled back up Grandpa and Grandma's drive way. The boys all had a blast playing in the snow.

Tomorrow were going to go down to the lake and let the boys walk on water. Frozen water but still walking on water.

Minnesota Christmas Snow

2009-12-24T19:42:00.012-05:00

Our Christmas Eve day in Minnesota was filled with lots of snow, sledding, snow blowing and making snow angels. Here's a few pictures of our snow filled Christmas Eve day...

Kallsen making Snow Angel

Kallsen dragging his sled back up the drive way

Grandpa Tom Snow Blowing

Joseph using the Electric Shovel to clean the deck

Parker playing in the snow

The boys walking up the driveway

Grandpa Tom pulling Kallsen down the driveway...while running!

Our first Christmas in Minnesota since 2006 is going to be filled with lots and lots of snow. The forecast is for 20 inches over the four day Christmas weekend.

Merry Christmas!

1st Place in Costume Contest

2009-10-31T21:42:00.003-04:00

Tonight at the annual City of Seneca Halloween on the Green, Kallsen and Parker won 1st place for the Most Original costume(s).
They, if you can't tell, went as Rubik's Cubes. Kallsen was the solved cube and Parker was the mixed up cube. We bought two boxes, some black spray paint and construction paper. The idea was Momma's and the costume's were put together by Dad.

Some parents asked if our kids were the Dice from last year. The boys won first place last year for their Dice costumes. Two years ago they got second place for their crayon costumes. Below is a picture from last year's contest

Happy Birthday Parker!

2009-10-05T21:29:00.005-04:00

Parker's 4th birthday was a pretty special day. It started with his Daddy taking him out for a father son breakfast at Parker's choice of restaurant. Can you tell where we went?

After breakfast, Daddy took Parker to school. Parker decided his treat for his classmates on his birthday would be Fruit Roll-ups and cookies. After school, once everyone was home, he opened his presents from Mommy and Daddy. He also opened presents that his 5 year-old brother Kallsen had for him. Kallsen had taken some of his toys and wrapped them for Parker. It was really sweet.

After a nice dinner, the family went to Dairy Queen for birthday blizzard. Once we got home, it was a call to grandma and grandpa in Minnesota. Below are some pictures from today.

Hats Off

2009-10-02T22:33:00.004-04:00

The boys decided that tonight was Hat Night. To make Hat Night even more special, we let Parker, who turns 4 on Monday, decide what we would do for dinner. He wanted to go to Golden Corral. A Buffet restaurant in Anderson. So a trip to Anderson it was for Parker.

This this first picture, Kallsen is sporting a hat that came with an outfit when he was just a baby. As you can see, the hat was a bit small for him...that didn't matter...he decided not to wear it into the restaurant.
Parker decided on a bit more flare with his hat. It is a bit too big for him but it really fits his personality. Parker decided he would WEAR it into the restaurant. Needless to say, he provide some entertainment for other patrons of the restaurant. Parker was very proud of his hat.

They Cleaned Their Room

2009-09-27T17:46:00.004-04:00

Kallsen (feeling MUCH better) and Parker decided to clean their room. Cleaning their room meant moving everything in their room to their closet. EVERYTHING.

If you're still curious or not quite understanding what EVERYTHING means, it means everything. Their pillows. Their bedsheets. Their comforters. All their toys from their toy box. A table. Two chairs. Blocks. Lincoln Logs. Radio. CDs. EVERYTHING.

They were quite proud of themselves. They were really proud of themselves.

Then they became confused. They didn't really understand why Daddy and Mommy wanted them to put their sheets back on their beds; why they need to put the toys back where they belong.

As I type this...they came out of their room...asking it it was okay, that while they put stuff back, if they could rearrange their room. My answer? 'No.'

MTA's already?

2009-09-24T19:33:00.001-04:00

While Kallsen was in resting (he has pneumonia) and my wife was lining up a sub for tomorrow, Parker and Daddy went outside to play catch with the Dodgebee. A Dodgebee is a soft but firm flying disc. There purpose is for kids to play dodgeball but with a flying disc. Less hurt kids with a Dodgebee than a red rubber ball.

I love playing with the Dodgebee because I can play catch with Parker...he's three...because I can throw the Dodgebee pretty fast and hard and he can catch the Dodgebee without fear (his or mine) of him getting hurt. He throws really well and catches really well. We had five or six exchanges in a row tonight with no drops and great throws!

Anyway, on his own, Parker decided to throw and catch himself. Those that are disc players know this as Self Caught Flight. In competition you get judged three ways...by how long the disc is in the air (MTA for Maximum Time Aloft), how far you run to make a catch (TRC for Throw Run and Catch) or a combination of each.

Parker threw the Dodgebee into the air and caught it three of four times. No more than a second and a half and he didn't take more than one or two steps...how awesome is that? We'll wait to work on the one-hand grab in the future.

Most that know me know that I love all disc sports...Disc Golf, throwing MTAs, Double Disc Court (DDC), Discathon, Ultimate and Dodgebee. I love that my kids all seem to enjoy playing too.

One more plug for Dodgebees...they're so soft that you can teach kids how to catch without having to worry if they'll get hurt...because they won't. My sister has Dodgebees for her boys and my friend Matt has Dodgebees for his son. I think they'll agree.

First Day

2009-08-18T07:20:00.003-04:00

Yesterday was the first day of Kindergarten for Kallsen. We now have three boys all at different schools. Joseph is in Middle School; Kallsen's in 5k and Parker is in pre-school. This makes mornings a bit different.

Joseph gets up on his own and is out of the house every morning by 6:30. I'm getting up about a half hour earlier to be available for Kallsen...he leaves with Momma at 7:00. I get Parker up, get him breakfast and take him to school.

Today is only day 2 of the new school year and new schedule. So far, so good.

Boys @ Smokey Mountains National Park

2009-08-13T23:18:00.002-04:00

We took this picture at Smokey Mountains National Park while on vacation. I think it captures both of the boys personalities very well. Kallsen and Parker are both very playful and Parker tends to be real animated. I really do love this picture.

Side Trip to the Dells

2009-08-02T17:03:00.003-04:00

On our way back from Minnesota, we took a side trip to Wisconsin Dells. Wisconsin Dells is to central Wisconsin what Gatlinburg is to the Smokey Mountains, Branson is to Missouri and Myrtle Beach is to South Carolina. The Dells, as the area is referred to, is known for Duck Boats and water parks. We stayed at a Water Park called Great Wolf. Great Wolf Lodge is a resort where one can go for a vacation and never leave. They have the water parks, restaurants, bars, arcades, laser tag, story time, a candy store and lots more, I'm sure, if we had looked. We were there for one night mostly to rest and have fun in the water park. We arrived about three in the afternoon. We checked in, played for 2 hours before meeting my nephew Chris for dinner and then played several more hours after dinner and then played for three or so hours the next morning before hitting the road.

Our trip to Great Wolf Lodge in Wisconsin Dells was really a good trip for Kallsen. It was the first time he was tall enough to do most of the bigger slides and rides by himself. He was able to climb the stairs, go down the large water slides and do all the really neat stuff by himself. Here's a video of Kallsen and Joseph coming down one of the slides that requires you to ride face first on a mat.

In this next video a large bucket fills with water and every so-often it dumps a bunch of water down on the people below. You can see Joseph, Kallsen and Parker running to get drenched right before the water falls.

A couple of side notes...we bought an AquaPack camera bag from National Camera Exchange in Golden Valley, MN. The bag allowed us to take pictures and film the boys without worrying if the camera got wet.

If you're reading this on Facebook through a note, you can go to AdamandSaraWright.com to see the videos.

The Dells

2009-08-01T12:02:00.008-04:00

On the way back from Minnesota to South Carolina (we're in Kentucky as I post this) we stopped in Wisconsin Dells at Great Wolf Lodge...an indoor water park and hotel. Here are some pictures of the boys having all kinds of fun...

Kallsen and Parker in water tree house

Kallsen dumping water on someone below

Joseph right after getting hit with large amounts of water

Kallsen getting soaked

Parker sliding down small slide

Parker walking across bridge

Minnesota Zoo

2009-08-01T10:04:00.014-04:00

One of the things we did while in Minnesota was go to the Minnesota Zoo (the New Zoo). I had never been. I think it opened when I was 10 or something. We always went to the Como Zoo...maybe because the Como Zoo was free and the Minnesota Zoo wasn't.

Grandma Judy, Joe, my sister Sarah and her three boys, my sister Kara and her daughter and my cousin Brianna's son Jay all went. Below are some of the pictures from the day at the Zoo.

Parker, cousin Derek and Kallsen

The Snake crossing the path might have been the high light for the boys

Kallsen (I LOVE this picture)

Jay and Joseph

Parker being Fierce (I LOVE this picture)

Joseph checking on cousin Jackson

Derek and Parker

Sara Beth and her two youngest

Sara Beth and the boys marking what they've seen so far

Parker looking at fish

Grizzly

Joseph, Jay, Kallsen, Amelia and Parker

It was a great day at the Zoo. My sister Sarah and her boys Davey, Derek and Jackson had to leave early...I wish they all could've been in this last picture.

Juicy Lucy

2009-07-28T00:27:00.008-04:00

As planned, we (my wife and 3 boys) headed to the 5-8 Club Monday night to have our first Juicy Lucy. The 5-8 is one of two restaurants in Minneapolis that claim they were the establishment that 'created' the first Juicy Lucy. We took a poll on Facebook and the 5-8 Club won out as the place to go...by 1 vote.

We invited several friends and family through an open invitation through Facebook to join us for dinner at the 5-8 Monday night. When we got there, it was a line up out the door with a seat your self sign. So people stand inside the back door waiting for someone to get up and then a dash to get to the open booth before someone else gets to it. My sister Sarah, who goes to church next door, went and found the patio on the far side had open seats that couldn't be seen from the door (and if you've not been there before, you don't know about the patio) and got plenty of seats for everyone. We couldn't all sit together, but that was fine.

A quick apology for anyone that came a little late and didn't see any of us because we were on the patio, that was not well marked. Some pictures below...

The 5-8 Club in Minneapolis

The Top 10 at the 5-8

Friends Dave, Tonya and Carrie at the 5-8

Friend Matt and his son Tommy at the 5-8

My Juicy Lucy at the 5-8

(you can already see the cheese oozing out)

The video below is when waiting in line at the backdoor...a quick scan of the 5-8 Club's dinning room. Not a big place, but a popular place.

One of the patrons, who was in line behind our group, said he had never seen it this busy before and had never seen so many kids. He was wondering what the deal was. I wonder if a mass invitation through Facebook had any reason for the crowd Monday night.

A Great Sunday

2009-07-27T13:27:00.008-04:00

Our first full day in Minnesota was Sunday and it was a great day. It began with my friend Matt and I hitting two disc golf courses. One in Plymouth, where I grew up, and one in Eden Prairie. The course in Eden Prairie is a pay-to-play course surrounded by a lot of courses that are free to play and well designed. Needless to say, as a long time player, I was looking forward to the experience.

The pay-to-play course is part of the Three Rivers Park District. They have three pay-to-play courses in Minneapolis. The course we played is at Bryant Lake Park. It is not a course for the faint of heart. It is both physically challenging and mentally challenging.

Here's the info board at the first tee

Looking back at a hole from the next tee

Following the disc golf outing, we held Kallsen's 5th birthday party. My grandpa Kallsen (age 96 and Kallsen's name sake) came along with my sisters and their husbands and kids. My friend Matt (who played Disc Golf) came over with his wife and son. It was a really fantastic day.

Me reading Kallsen one of his birthday cards

Kallsen's cupcake birthday cake

Kallsen blowing out the candle

Following the party, Kallsen wanted a sleep over. So my sister Sarah's boys Davey (5) and Derek (3); my boys Joseph (12), Kallsen (5) and Parker (3); and my twin sister's daughter Amelia (11) slept in the basement of my parents house with me as the one adult chaperon downstairs.

That meant that all the other adults...my Mom and Day; my wife; both my sisters and my nephew Josh (19) and Joe (visiting from Ireland) all slept in regular beds upstairs.

We woke to a great breakfast of pancakes, bacon and muffins that my wife Sara Beth cooked from everyone. A truly great day and a wonderful birthday for Kallsen.

A Chicago Side Trip

2009-07-24T23:19:00.002-04:00

We took a side trip to the Sears Tower (now the Willis) in Chicago today. Here's one picture of Parker on the glass looking down. I love this picture.

Tripping to Minnesota Part 2

2009-07-24T09:33:00.011-04:00

Here's some more pictures as we travel across the mid part of the country on the way from South Carolina to Minnesota. We've not visited Minnesota since April, 2007. I'm looking forward to visiting my parents, seeing my sisters, brother-in-laws; friends; Joe from Ireland; playing a round of Disc Golf in Minnesota; going to the Minnesota Zoo; having my first Jucy Lucy and some RR time.

Later today we're going to the observation deck of the Willis Tower in Chicago. 1,350 feet above the city. Below are some pictures of the trip so far...

Giant cross in Tennessee

Rough looking welcome sign

Parker & Kallsen shading their faces from the sun in Kentucky

Picnic time at rest area in Kentucky

Crossing the Ohio River going from Kentucky to Indiana

When we crossed into Indiana, the Southern Indiana Welcome was closed...this was the best we could do...Parker and Kallsen in front of the Smart Car.

The Boys acting silly in Indiana

Tripping to Minnesota

2009-07-23T13:40:00.005-04:00

We left today for our vacation to Minnesota. Here's a couple of pictures as we post from the road.

Kallsen, Parker and Joseph just as we crossed into Georgia

Kallsen & Parker as we enter North Carolina

All three boys at the top of Smokey Mountain National Park

Heavy Money Part 2

2009-07-22T10:02:00.015-04:00

We took our "Minnesota Bucket" to Ingles and used the Coin Star machine to change the coins to cash. Below are some pictures from our adventure.

Strike a Pose

Hard at Work

Parker pushing the money in

Parker is so happy about his money

Look at me! While I look at someone else.

Our money totals $113.97

Heavy Money

2009-07-20T23:27:00.003-04:00

For the past several months, maybe even more than a year, Kallsen and Parker have been putting all the loose change that Mommy and Daddy have at the end of each day in their 'Minnesota Bucket' for our up coming trip to visit Adam's family in Minnesota. Here's a picture of the boys posing with their money in a pumpkin.

The money weighed in at a hefty 23+ pounds...

Our Recent Past

2009-07-05T23:12:00.006-04:00

Here are some pictures of the boys taken over the past week. If you're reading this on Facebook, you can see all the pictures at AdamandSaraWright.com

Joseph enjoying a cold drink

Parker on slide in Easley

Parker and Kallsen at Sertoma Field

Me and my boys coming down giant slide

Kallsen in his race car

Kallsen Driving

2009-06-28T18:03:00.005-04:00

Looking for some fun this weekend, we found an amusement park in Greenville. On Saturday, we went to Frankie's Fun Park. At Frankies children as young as 4 are able to drive their own go cart. Parker was about 3 inches too short. In order to drive, he would need a booster in the back to allow him to reach the pedals. With that, his face would have been too close to the steering wheel and unsafe. He was upset about the situation, but he cheered for his brother.

Kallsen was able to drive without incident. Kallsen did a great job. He started out slow, but in the end was able to go around the track at least 4 times. He only hit the wall once, when another child tried to pass in a turn..Kallsen was aggressive and didn't want the other child to pass him. He did a great job! We are so proud of him. Here is a clip of him toward the end of his driving experience.

The 'Fix' Was In

2009-06-13T22:27:00.003-04:00

Tonight after a great day that included a trip to Wal Mart, Zone 7 Nursery and Pizza Buffet; planting new flowers in new flower pots and a nice dinner; Momma, Kallsen, Parker and Daddy played Uno Spin. Daddy thinks the 'fix' was in.

We played seven games of Uno Spin. Momma won three games, Kallsen won three games and Parker won one game. Daddy won no games. None. Nada. I was shut out.

I tend to believe that Momma and the boys had worked on a conspiracy. There's no other way that seven games could be played and Daddy not win at least one game. I'm asking for a rematch tomorrow!

Joseph's Week

2009-06-11T14:10:00.003-04:00

Joseph has been hanging out with Mom all week long. He has been growing his hair out and needed to figure out how to fix his hair.(His hair is really long and curly, but it frizzes all the time.) So I took him with me to my hair dresser. He got a wash and trim and watched as I had my eye brows waxed. Then he pointed out that he has a UNIBROW! So I offered to pay for him to have his unibrow waxed. TOO FUNNY!!!! He pulled both feet up and jumped from the seat and screamed. Audrey (the hairdresser) and I laughed so hard that I was crying.

Then he needed to go to the doctor today for shots. When his height was measured, he came in at a whopping 5ft 8.25 inches. Oh my gosh! He weighs 128 pounds. The doctor said that he is in the 105th percentile for height and 90th percentile for weight. He is getting TOO big. Then the doctor went through the exam. Part of the exam was where he needed to check Joseph's abodmen. Joseph was totally caught off guard when the doctor said his stomach was fine and then playfully slapped Joseph on his stomach. Then the doctor asked Joseph to drop his pants so he could check on other things. The look on Joseph's face was of horror! Joseph was so stunned he just looked at me and had to be asked again. I excused myself to help Joseph to be more relaxed. If he could be relaxed!

Next were the shots! Joseph chewed 4 pieces of gum and tensed up. It was a sight. This tall guy with a twisted up face awaiting a shot.

The car:
In the car I received a play by play of the occurences in the office. He was totally morified at the words, Turn your head and COUGH! I can only imagined the way in which his life has now been changed.

Sometimes it is fun to laugh at your kids!

I will post some pictures once I can get them off of my phone.

Sara Beth

A Dry Night

2009-06-11T08:52:00.004-04:00

Wednesday was a very eventful day! Parker participated in Water Day at the daycare, Joseph and I spent time working on my research paper at the local library, and Adam sold 2 or 3 clients. After work, Adam picked up the kids (I was at school) and brought them home. They played, ate dinner and got ready for bed. As the night wore on, Adam put Kallsen and Parker to bed. (Joseph was spending the night at a friend's house.) Adam decided that he should go to bed right after them since he needed to be at work at 4:45am to participate in the company fun day. Everyone was in bed about 9 pm. When I arrive home at 10:15pm, Kallsen meets me in the kitchen while Adam is sound asleep in the bedroom. (I was not surprised at this! Kallsen is a night owl!)

With today being Kallsen's water day at school, I need to get the boys to school before taking Joseph to the doctor for a physical. I went to help Parker change his clothes and realized that he slept all night in Big Boy Underwear! I asked him if daddy put underwear on him and he said, "NO". According to Parker, he waited until daddy went to sleep and took off the pull-up, threw it away and put on underwear for the night. He was still dry this morning. I am so proud of my big boy! I have no more babies :(

Sara Beth

A Picture of Health

2009-05-29T15:51:00.003-04:00

On Thursday the radio station did a Senior Living Expo for the community. One of the sponsors was a chiropractor that was doing free NASA neck scans. I had one done. You can see the results to the left.

The NASA neck scan shows where pinched nerves might be causing problems or where you might be having some complications. The more red and the longer the red lines are, the worse you are.

They told me they've never seen a scan this bad before. At least I can say, 'I'm Number One!'

I've been suffering from headaches recently and been a bit over-stressed. This might be reason enough for me to start seeing a Chiropractor again. I saw one for several years from about 1999 - 2003.

Pre-School Graduation

2009-05-23T10:32:00.004-04:00

Kallsen graduated pre-school last night. It was a wonderful program. This is just a little snippet of him 'Walking The Line' and getting his diploma.

An Interesting Blast from the Past

2009-05-18T05:56:00.004-04:00

As many of my friends and family know, my main hobby for most of my life as been the sport of Disc Golf. That is golf with a flying disc. Many of my friends from over the years play and I enjoy playing league on Mondays through the summer months and the occasional tournament. I also run the South Carolina Disc Golf Doubles Championship.

Years ago Disc Golf led me to South Carolina. There was a promoter named Bill Boylan that had Christmas Tree Farms in North Carolina. Bill and his family lived in Greenville, SC. Bill had his own private Disc Golf course on his tree farm in Laurel Springs, NC. Bill's course was only open to play one weekend a year. His course is no longer available to play and has become a 'legendary' course.

Bill would hire only disc golf players to come and harvest and sell his trees every fall. I thought what an excellent opportunity to see another part of the country! I answered his ad that appeared in Disc Golf Journal and Disc Golf World News. Bill hired me and I drove to Greenville. We set up tree lots then headed to the NC Mountains to cut and bail trees and then back to Greenville to sell trees. This was back in either 1990 or 1991.

One year, I want to say it was 1992, a friend of mine (This is the Blast from the Past) Dave Myers, decided to travel with me to Greenville to harvest and sell trees. Dave ended up meeting a lady and shortly after we got back to Minnesota, Dave moved down to South Carolina to be with her.

Dave and I along with others (Matt - you're included) used to play Disc Golf regularly at Northwoods Park in New Hope. I haven't seen or heard from Dave since sometime in the mid 1990s. That until recently.

I was checking the online forum as part of the Upstate Disc Golf Club's website and there was a post from none other than Dave Myers! Apparently Dave Myers moved to New Jersey several years ago. I learned that Dave is the original member of the Upstate Club (001) and the one responsible for the course at Timmons Park in Greenville. Timmons is probable the course in the upstate that gets the most play. It's also the course that led to the course in Easley that led to the course in Seneca.

I had wondered from time to time what happened to Dave. Back in the day we used to meet up at the course in New Hope and play Disc Golf. We also traveled to tournaments several times together. It was good to learn that he was so instrumental in the growth of the sport in South Carolina.

Another note...after beginning my career in radio, I was working my second full-time job in Detroit Lakes, MN when I really felt the need to not work there. I called my friend Bill Boylan and asked if I could come down to SC and harvest and sell trees again. That was back in 1996. That led me to my job as a radio newsman in Greenwood, SC. I'm still working for that same company today. That job in Greenwood is what led me to Union which led me to Sara, my wife, of the past 8 1/2 years.

The Quiet Game

2009-05-14T23:00:00.002-04:00

On Sunday we were driving home from the in-laws when Kallsen decided we should play the 'quite game.' The Quiet Game is when we try to see who can be quiet the longest.

I think I won every game. Kallsen decided he would be the 'official judge' of the quiet game. So here is how of went...

Kallsen: Okay everyone...time to play the quiet game...let's start right NOW!...okay, everybody be quiet, it's the quiet game...nobody talk, it's the QUIET GAME...Parker, Parker, make sure you don't talk because we're playing the quiet game...that means you can't talk. Okay, are we ready to start? One, two, three...okay everyone be quiet...we're playing the quiet game...time to be quiet...alright lets start NOW...everyone be quiet...no talking...we're playing the quiet game...

These went one most of the way home. I think Kallsen lost every game.

Why, Hello There...

2009-04-20T09:29:00.004-04:00

Sunday afternoon, shortly after the Direct TV guy had left and my wife and I were playing with the HiDef, something happened that really caught us off guard.

Kallsen and Parker were in our bedroom watching Dora or Diego. They came into the living room and said there was a dog in our house. My wife told Parker (the one that offered in the info) that no, there wasn't a dog in the house. The boys looked at their Momma and said, "oh, okay". They then went back into our bedroom.

Shortly there after, a large black and white dog came walking out of the boys bedroom and into the living room! Apparently the dog walk into the house when we were 'airing' it out. It was a nice day and we had the front and back door open to create a nice cross breeze. Low and behold...a dog came in with the breeze!

Momma and Daddy had to tell the boys we were sorry for not believing them.

Of course, this gets me to thinking, if other things the boys tell us - like stories of 'imaginary friends' - how real are they to the boys? If they so easily accepted the answer, 'There's not a dog in our house.'

Makes you wonder.

New Jammers

2009-04-18T21:47:00.004-04:00

Kallsen and Parker each got new pajamas today. They wanted a picture in their new pajamas to show Grandma and Grandpa and Nana and Papa. Being that all four check the blog from time to time, this is the chosen way to share the picture.

New Look

2009-03-26T22:31:00.002-04:00

Here's the new look. After trying several pairs of glasses at Seneca Optical, bringing four pair home and my wife and I picking our two favorite, I left it up to friends and family on Facebook to decide between the top two frames. This picture is a self taken-photo right after arriving home with my new glasses.

This is Parker

2009-03-23T23:51:00.000-04:00

Parker was playing Monday night and put this on his head and was playing nicely on the floor. He look so cute, I had no choice but to take a picture. I took about 10. This is my favorite of the photos.

Ladybug Fabulous

2009-03-22T08:23:00.012-04:00

A girl Kallsen goes to school with had her birthday party Saturday. It was a Ladybug theme party. They held the party at the park near our house. The party started with kids just playing on the playground. Then the fun began!

The girl's parents painted rocks red with black spots and had them hidden through out the area surrounding the playground and they did a Ladybug hunt (similar to an Easter egg hunt) then did Ladybug theme cupcakes and ice cream. After doing the cupcakes and ice cream they played a Pin the Ladybug on the Leaf game. After the game playing, all the kids watched Clara open her gifts.

Each child that came to the party got a gift bag that included a bug display case (for the bug catching), a scoop to dig in the dirt while looking for bugs and some pieces of candy. Here are a few pictures taken during the party.

Kallsen looking for Ladybugs

Can you see the Ladybug?

Ladybug Closeup

Kallsen found three Ladybugs

Pins the Ladybug on the Leaf

Contestants wore masks

Giftbags for the party guests

I commend Clara's parents for coming up with such a creative and fun birthday party. This morning, as I edited pictures and wrote this post, Kallsen and Parker were 'hunting bugs' through out the house.

As a parent, you're always looking for fun and creative ideas. This is one that I really liked.

In The Wall

2009-03-16T20:18:00.004-04:00

A week ago, when Nana and Papa were in town, we took the boys Go-cart racing. While we don't race go-carts often we do race them enough to have an on-going battle between Joseph and his Momma about who is a better driver.

Joseph claims he can prove he is ready to drive real cars on real roads by his ability to beat his Momma on a go-cart track. The below pictures tell the story.

This is Joseph, in the wall, with the go-cart operator walking out to pull Joseph from the wall. The box, the operator is holding, kills the engines of the other go-carts so he can safely walk across the track.

This next picture is of Sara with Kallsen celebrating their victory after Joseph went into the wall.

Stumphouse Tunnel & Isaqueena Falls

2009-03-10T17:49:00.012-04:00

My in laws, Frank and Bobbie, came to visit this past weekend. They came to watch the boys play basketball in their final game of the season. They spent the weekend in Oconee County. It gave them the opportunity to see Stumphouse Tunnel and Isaqueena Water Fall north of Walhalla off of Highway 28.

Stumphouse Tunnel is a railroad tunnel that was in the process of being built in the 1850s when construction was halted due to the civil war (or the War of Northern Aggression as it's known in the South). Construction was never finished. Locals say if the tunnel had been completed, the south would have won the war.

Isaqueena Falls is one of the highest and most beautiful water falls in the Southern United States. Unlike a lot of the other water falls in the area, this one is easy to get to where just about anybody can see the beauty of the falls. It is less than a half mile from the parking area to the over look of the falls. No several mile hike up and down difficult terrain.

When our friend Joe from Ireland visited with my parents in October 2007, we took them to the falls and the tunnel as well. Enjoy the pictures.

Nana holds Parker's hand while walking to the tunnel

Looking at the Entrance to Stumphouse Tunnel

At the entrance of Stumphouse Tunnel

Looking back out Stumphouse tunnel

Kallsen & Joseph going down the steep mountain side instead of following the service road like everyone else

Kallsen at the top of Isaqueena Falls

(He's not as close as he looks, but closer than made Mom & Dad comfortable)

Joseph at the Overlook of Isaqueena Falls

Kallsen looking at the Falls

Isaqueena Water Fall

If you're ever vacationing in upstate South Carolina, Northeast Georgia or Western North Carolina, Stumphouse Tunnel and Isaqueena Falls is open year round, is free of charge and you don't have to hike a long way to see the tunnel or the waterfall. And it's only a few miles from where I live...a great reason to come for a visit!

The Drag Strip

2009-02-22T23:24:00.003-05:00

The kids in the neighborhood have 'built' their very own drag strip on the block we live on. It's about two lots or houses long...beginning at the corner of our lot and going past our drive way to half way in front of my neighbor's house.

In this first picture, you can see the kids (including Kallsen, Parker and Joseph) lining up for a race Sunday afternoon. In this particular race, Kallsen and Parker were on trikes, Joseph was on his skate board,one of the neighbor kids was on a bike and the others ran. You'll notice that a neighbor girl was lined up behind Parker...her goal was to 'push' Parker to a win. The drag strip goes slightly down hill...and Parker isn't one for 'full speed' so pushing him down the hill didn't go very well for Parker.

In this next picture, you see Kallsen and Parker heading back to the starting line after finishing a race. Kallsen is more daring than Parker...going as fast as possible with his feet just above the ground. If he starts to lose control (realllly lose control) he'll put his feet down to slow his momentum.

Here's Parker, in one of my favorite pictures of the day, in reflection after a stunning defeat to his brother. Better luck next time Parker.

I love that we live in a neighborhood where the kids still have some imagination and they don't spend all their time indoors playing video games.

Go Fly A Kite

2009-02-15T22:30:00.002-05:00

I took the boys to fly kites this weekend. Unfortunately neither Kallsen nor Parker took much interest in flying kites and when they did they had enough problems that I didn't get more than a couple of pictures...this is the only decent one I got. It's Parker with his dollar store Spider Man special kite.

Matt...please notice that Parker is wearing socks with sandals...yes, he makes me proud!

Best Weekend Ever!

2009-02-09T10:09:00.010-05:00

There used to be a show on VH1 called The Best Week Ever! While I never watched the show I imagine it was a look back on the week in entertainment and was presented in a way that it was The Best Week Ever!

In the spirit of the show that I've never seen I want to say this past weekend was the Best Weekend Ever!

It started with Joseph's basketball game Friday night. On Saturday we went to Kallsen & Parker's basketball game. Then it was a quick trip to Wal Mart (always fun for children) and then home. While Momma, Joseph and Kallsen got lunch ready and prepared for the day, Parker and I had some one on one time going to the dump (another big event in the life of a child) and then it was off to Moonshine Mountain.

Moonshine Mountain is about two hours away. We spent a majority of the time in the car on Highway 11 going across the most northern part of Oconee, Pickens and Greenville Counties. Beautiful views of the mountains and mountain lakes on an unusually warm February day. There were lots of motorcycles and regular bikes taking in the beauty of the day.

Once we arrived at Moonshine Mountain there was a wait of 45 minutes to begin tubing due to the large crowd. We took that time to do a helicopter ride. Joseph rode with another group and Kallsen & Parker rode with me. That was a lot of fun and something that I had wanted to do my entire life...a helicopter ride. Once the helicopter rides were done, it was time to start snow tubing. You can see pictures and a video on the previous post on the blog and see more pictures and video on my facebook page.

Joseph on Helicopter

After snow tubing we grabbed dinner at a local restaurant before the drive home. We got home Saturday night sometime after 11:00.

Sunday morning the radio station had some issues so I ran to the station the fix the problems. When I got home, the boys were having lunch with hopes of finishing before Daddy got home so I could take them to the park.

Kallsen & Parker at bottom of slide

I grabbed a protein bar and off to the park we went. We spent time sliding and playing on the playground before moving to another part of the park to swing. After swinging the boys wanted to go to the picnic shelter, where all the dry leaves were piled up, and play in the leaves. After playing in the leaves we headed back to the playground where some kids from the boys pre-school were playing and they played even more. Between all these events the boys also found time to play Frisbee.

Parker Close Up on Playground

Once we got home, three hours later, we had a snack of apple slices and then it was back outside where we rode bikes, played basketball, played Frisbee and taught the neighbor kids the finer parts of disc golf putting and driving. The day outside ended with a great game of Frisbee 500 with Joseph and some of his friends.

Sunday night, with the boys fully worn out (no naps for any of them...and our boys always take naps on the weekends) they went to bed really well and my wife and I enjoyed watching an episode of West Wing before it was our bedtime.

It simply was the best weekend ever.

Snow Tubing at Moonshine Mountain

2009-02-08T10:46:00.006-05:00

Saturday we had a family fun day at Moonshine Mountain. It started when Sara renewed a friendship with a friend from high school through Facebook. Plans were made for a group to meet at Moonshine Mountain, a snow tubing place in the mountains of Western North Carolina.

Moonshine Mountain is about an hour and 45 minutes from the house, so not too far to drive. It is a bit shorter than driving to Sara's hometown of Jonesville, SC...where everyone that was invited still lives.

We had some miscommunication with the group. We thought we were snow tubing from 4-6 Saturday afternoon. The group was leaving at 4:00 and snow tubing from 6-8. While it would have been fun to be in a large group, it offered our family a great day of family fun and we were able to visit with Sara's friends once we finished snow tubing and they began.

By the way, the day was unseasonable warm at 71 degrees when we arrived. Being that Moonshine Mountain makes their own snow, their 9' base means they continue to offer snow tubing even on really warm days.

Parker being pulled up the mountain

Kallsen being pulled up the mountain

Joseph going down the mountain solo

Sara Beth being pulled up the mountain

Daddy, Kallsen, Joseph, Momma and Parker going down the mountain as a 'Train'

Family Train of Daddy, Kallsen, Momma and Parker

In the first picture of the 'Family Train' above, I'm taking the video you see here

I'll be posting more pictures and video on my facebook page. There probable will also be some pictures and video as well on Sara's facebook page.

Basketball Picture

2009-02-06T21:36:00.003-05:00

This is Kallsen and Parker's picture for basketball this year. Being the prices were really high, we decided to get theirs taken together.

What!?

2009-02-04T09:33:00.005-05:00

Not many things I hear or see cause me to really wonder 'What in the world..." I got one of those questions yesterday from my 4 year-old son Kallsen.

Every Tuesday I pick Kallsen up from school early and take him to dance class. This is nice because it gives me some one on one time with him.

Anyways...we're on our way home from dance and Kallsen asks me, "Daddy, why does food come out your butt?" All I could manage is a 'What!?' Kallsen then asks the question again.

I asked him why is he asking me that question. Apparently he asked my wife the same question. I asked Kallsen, "What did your Mommy tell you?" He said that Mommy told him "because that's the way God, Jesus and Barack Obama made you."

I asked my wife about this later in the evening and what Kallsen asked his Mommy was, "How come poop comes out your butt?" The conversation was about eating food and cleaning your body of things in the food that your body doesn't need...and that's the way God made you."

Kallsen added the part about Barack Obama himself.

Parker's counter part

2009-02-01T22:47:00.024-05:00

The basketball program that Kallsen and Parker (and Joseph) play in is Upward Basketball. I'm not sure of the back story of Upward Basketball but here is what I do know: Upward Basketball is a played primarily in Baptist Church family life centers and is designed to mix learning team work, sportsmanship, and the gospel through the sport of basketball. Practice and games all include Bible lessons and the score is not important.

I tend to feel there needs to be more of a competitive environment, but this is not the time to share those views.

In Upward Basketball each player is given a color they wear on their uniform. During play, they are matched up with a player from the other team with the same color. Normally the coaches try and pair up players of similar skill sets and height.

On Saturday a little redhead girl had the same color as Parker and she stuck to Parker like glue. This was new to Parker being the 3-5 year-old basketball game consist of running with the ball and everyone getting a chance to shoot and score. Very little defense is played and most of time no one is even focused on the other player with their color. Below is a couple of pictures taken Saturday morning and a short video.

A player from the other team (a girl!) get's into Parker's head

Kallsen comes to Parker's rescue

As you can see, Parker didn't like being covered so tight. Watch as Parker keeps his head down and keeps on walking away from the little girl. I was worried that Parker might actually cry...and I am proud to say that he didn't cry.

Boogie in the Bed

2009-01-29T08:25:00.002-05:00

Yesterday morning I woke up in a normal way...with my son Kallsen in the bed next to me talking with his Mommy. I usually ask that Kallsen not press up against me while I try and catch just a few more minutes of sleep before my alarm goes off. (My wife gets up around 6am each morning and I get up at 6:30 most mornings.)

Kallsen starts to tell me he has boogies in his nose. His Mom tells him to clean out his nose...a few moments go by and I hear Kallsen say, "I dropped it!" Mommy asks what he dropped. He answers "My Boogie!" Kallsen then tells me, "I've dropped my boogie in your bed!"

Needless to say, I didn't get to sleep until my alarm went off. We never did find the boogie. We did, however, strip the bed and wash sheets last night.

No, Daddy's not going to die...

2009-01-25T13:01:00.004-05:00

That's the conversation my wife had to have with my two youngest children this morning. She had to have the conversation because they were worried because Daddy doesn't feel well and because the fascination with death of a 12 year-old boy who happens to live in the same house with the rest of us.

The story began back in October when Joseph, my oldest son, toured downtown Walhalla with his 7th grade class. Part of tour included one of the oldest cemeteries in Oconee County, SC...dating back several hundred years. While walking through the cemetery, Joseph saw a headstone of someone named Joseph that died a couple hundred years ago on August 7th...which happens to be Joseph's birthday. So began Joseph's fascination with death.

Despite our pleading with Joseph to stop his talking of death all the time, it apparently continues when we are not in earshot.

So this morning, with a head cold, a sore throat and no ability to talk above a whisper, my two youngest were advised that their Daddy didn't feel well and that he was sick. To which they posed the question to Mommy, "Is Daddy going to die?"

Simon Says

2009-01-22T09:48:00.003-05:00

If you ever want to have lots of fun and laugh a lot while having lots of fun...play Simon Says with a 3 and 4 year-old boy.

Kallsen learned Simon Says in school yesterday and with last night being Boys Night, we try and play a game. Kallsen wanted to play Simon Says. Parked had never heard of the game and was a bit confused when he couldn't find the game in the game cabinet at the house.

I honestly think we could have been the big winner on America's Funniest Home Video had I taped Parker when he was Simon.

Pollack, not Sherlock.

2009-01-14T10:32:00.002-05:00

Last night while reading a book to Kallsen and Parker there was a lot of back and forth discussion with the boys about the book and the pictures. Some where in the midst of my back and forth with the boys, I called Kallsen 'Sherlock'.

Kallsen said to me, 'I'm not Sherlock, I'm Pollack...Parker is Sherlock.'

That was very funny.

Parker Was Very Proud

2009-01-12T12:30:00.002-05:00

This morning Parker surprised his Daddy by getting to the bathroom and putting tooth paste on his tooth brush and brushing his teeth all by himself! He was very excited.

Normally I brush his teeth for him. When he brushes his own teeth, I still have to put the tooth paste on his brush. With Parker doing this on his own, Kallsen then needed to also put his own tooth paste on his tooth brush.

Kallsen always brushes his own teeth but Daddy normally puts the tooth paste on the brush.

My boys are getting older. They're not as dependent on Daddy as they were yesterday...

Kallsen & Parker's first basketball game

2009-01-10T20:08:00.015-05:00

This morning was Kallsen and Parker's first official basketball game. It was a lot of fun to watch them run up and down the floor and to watch them dribble and to shoot. Here is a short video of the team being introduced. I thought it was a lot of fun, the way the Upward Basketball program gives each player an introduction.

I'll try and post some more video of them in action on the court through the season. They have practice every Monday and games every Saturday now through mid March. This picture below is of Parker and Kallsen with two teammates before the game began sitting on their bench. For those that don't know my boys, Parker is second from the left and Kallsen is the third one from the left.

Some more video is posted on my Facebook profile page...for those that are friends of mine on Facebook. For what ever reason, videos post quicker onto Facebook that they do onto Blogger.

Joseph Shoots and Scores

2009-01-09T21:45:00.004-05:00

Joseph had his first basketball game tonight. He was 2 for 4 with a couple of assists and four points. His team won 25-8.

Christmas Pictures

2008-12-27T12:06:00.004-05:00

Here are some pictures of the boys from Christmas. All the boys had a nice Christmas.

Parker takes a shot with his new basketball. Notice he is wearing a Minnesota Vikings sweatshirt. A gift from his uncle Heath.

Kallsen at his Nana & Papa's house with his Christmas Head Light.

Joseph with his guitar.

A Christmas Basket

2008-12-25T19:10:00.003-05:00

Parker and Kallsen have been playing basketball through Upward Basketball. We decided that they needed extra practice at home so they received basketballs and a basketball goal for Christmas. During Daddy and Kallsen's naps, Parker and Mama went out to try the new goal. Here is his 4th shot of the day. After this shot, he consistently made baskets. He is now known as Parker "basketball boy" Wright.

Posted by Mama (aka Sara Beth)

A Present

2008-12-20T17:57:00.003-05:00

Friday morning, on the way to school, I asked Kallsen and Parker what they wanted for Christmas. The answers normally have been the same when asking. Which I do at night time right before bed and on the way to school. My belief has been these are times when they're not being influenced by images from magazines, suggestions or advertisements.

Kallsen has been asking for a baby doll and on Friday that changed to a doll house. Parker had been asking for a pink choo-choo. On Friday he just said he wanted a present for Christmas. I asked what kind of present and he answered...just a present...that's all.

I think that will be easy enough.

We're Still Standing

2008-12-20T09:05:00.005-05:00

December was the busiest month for our family in a long time. With Sara's (Masters) school schedule, the boys' basketball practices, Kallsen's dance class, my Nutcracker rehearsals, Christmas parades to broadcast at the radio station, my parents visit from Minnesota, Sara's after school activities at work, Joseph's band concert, my company Christmas party, Sara's company Christmas party, dish washer repair man visits and some unscheduled events on top of all that, I am proud to say...everyone in my family is still alive, still kicking and neither my wife or I have been put in an asylum.

WOW, that's one realllly long sentence.

From November 30th through December 20th, we had somewhere to be after work or on the weekends. While that wasn't somewhere for both of us (me and Sara) it did mean that whomever didn't have an event to be at was home, with the kids (or my parents), and no help.

I'm glad that this long month is almost over. I'm looking forward to Christmas and the break we'll get. Then comes January.

In January the boys have basketball practices on Mondays and Thursdays with games on Fridays and Saturdays. Kallsen has dance on Tuesdays and Sara has class on Mondays, Wednesdays and Thursdays. Oh, and I have been invited to serve on the board of the Foothills Center for Performing Arts. It's going to be a busy month again.

We're Flying It Through The House!

2008-12-19T08:16:00.003-05:00

Yesterday morning while getting the boys ready for school a little blue metallic plane, similar to a Match Box car, was thrown from the kitchen into the living room. I told the boys...no throwing things in the house. Kallsen then told me, "It's a plane Daddy. We're not throwing it, we're flying it!"

I guess I need to be more aware of what those small metal objects are that almost hit me in the head before I jump to conclusions.

Match Maker

2008-12-18T21:44:00.004-05:00

Looking at this picture of Parker, one might wonder about his fashion sense. The more you talk with Parker, the more you learn that he always knows what goes together in his wardrobe.

I asked Parker this morning, after he chose his clothes, if he was sure he wanted to wear his Nemo Pants (camo) and his Tigger Shirt. He did. He confirmed his choice. I said, 'Parker, I don't think they go together.' You see, Parker is very aware of what goes together and what doesn't. So he explained.

Parker pointed to the blue dinosaur on the behind of his red underwear (as he pulled down his pants) and then pointed to the handle of the baseball bat Tigger is holding on the shirt. They are the same color of blue. So, in Parker's world, it didn't matter that the pants didn't match because the blue dinosaur on the red underwear worked with Tigger's bat handle.

And that is Parker's World of Fashion Tip For Today.

Momma's Your Daddy

2008-12-17T10:15:00.002-05:00

This morning, while eating breakfast, Kallsen looked at me and said, 'My Daddy!' Parker then said, 'My Daddy!' with a bit more excitement. Kallsen then told Parker, 'That's My Daddy, not your Daddy.' Parker, with a bit of hurt in his voice, said, 'My Daddy!!!'

Then, a bit to my surprise, Kallsen said, 'That's my Daddy!...Mamma's your Daddy...your Mamma's your Daddy!'

Christmas Picture

2008-12-16T22:10:00.004-05:00

Joseph had his Christmas concert tonight for the Walhalla Middle School Band. He dressed is a nice black shirt and blue tie. He looked so sharp I took a cue from my Mom and made sure I got a picture (actually several) of Joseph with the Christmas Tree.

The concert was very nice. His 7th grade band is really good. Joseph plays the trumpet and has a gift when it comes to music.

End of the Run

2008-12-15T16:20:00.007-05:00

The Nutcracker Suite at Clemson University's Brooks Center ended on Sunday. I played the role of the butler.

Kallsen (my 4 year-old son) takes dance at the Foothills Dance Conservatory in Seneca and his instructor is the artistic director of the Nutcracker and when she heard I was a trained actor, she asked if I would play the role of the butler. Rehearsals were one day every-other week for my role and then the dress rehearsal and performances this weekend.

The show was good and it was a nice mix of professional dancers, students and others from the community. My parents came from Minnesota for the show and they were very impressed with the show. My Dad said it was a much bigger show and production then he thought it would be. I think he was expecting something along the lines of a community theatre production. What he got was a professionally produced production from a Dance Conservatory that knows how to put on a show. My mom was very impressed with the costumes and the set.

One thing I was worried about was whether or not my two younger kids (Kallsen and Parker) would sit through the show without getting restless. I was pleasantly surprise to hear both boys were mesmerized by the show. Kallsen really locked into the show and talked about it that night and a lot the next day. Parker didn't talk much about the show other than to say he liked it.

The Foothills Conservatory for the Performing Arts puts on the ballet the Nutcracker every December. If you get the chance, make sure your make the 2009 version. I'm sure you'll enjoy it.

All County Band

2008-12-15T16:16:00.004-05:00

Joseph made all county band this year. The concert was in November. I had tried to upload video of him playing with the band but for what ever reason, it didn't work.

Joseph was the first 6th grade student (last year) from his school to get two superior ratings in band. He got one for a solo he did and one for an ensemble he was in. Joseph's band director thinks Joseph is good enough to make all region band and all state band. He is currently working two days a week after school preparing for all region and getting mentally ready for all state band.

This picture was taken while Joseph waited for the concert to begin.

A Quick Update

2008-12-09T08:30:00.003-05:00

It's been a while since I've given any sort of update on the kids. Let's start with Joseph.

Joseph made All County Band and is currently practicing for All Region Band. Try outs are in January. He also started Upward Basketball last week.

Kallsen and Parker also started basketball through Upward Basketball. Watching them practice is a lot a fun. I'm looking forward to the games starting in January.

Today is Kallsen's last dance class. We are not sure if we will sign him up for classes that start in January. We know he liked dance but with basketball with all three boys, Sara's master classes and other activities, time may not allow him to be in dance.

I'm in the Nutcracker this weekend and my parents are flying in on Thursday and spending the weekend. Should be a nice visit. I'll post pictures of all the above soon.

The Merry Christmas Club

2008-11-30T23:00:00.005-05:00

A couple of weeks ago, at work, my sales rep Courtney and I were talking about Christmas promotions and decided, while listening to Bill O'Reilly's Radio Factor, we need a local 'Christmas Club' similar to Bill O'Reilly's 'We Say Merry Christmas' campaign. We decided to do our very own "The Merry Christmas Club" promotion. We had a design made (thanks Matt), made posters, buttons and a website.

We thought in this very conservative area there would be a lot of businesses that want to say 'Merry Christmas' to their clients and/or customers. Please look at the website and let me know what you think of this idea. I think our local businesses like it.

Wanna See the Magic?

2008-11-28T17:49:00.003-05:00

This post is rate PG-13.

Parked has not been doing very well with his potty training lately. He's decided he doesn't need to use the big boy potty and prefers to go in his pants. We decided that Parker can start wearing a pull-up during the day. He was upset. Momma told him if he went all day today with out going pee pee or poop in his pull-up he can wear Big Boy Underwear tomorrow.

When I got home this afternoon, Parker asked me, "Do you wanna see the magic?" I look at Parker and confirmed the question. Parker then unbuttoned and unzipped his pants to show me he hadn't pee peed or pooped in his pants.

I saw the magic.

My Daddy

2008-11-23T09:01:00.002-05:00

My Daddy. That's what my two youngest boys are all about. My Daddy.

My wife was telling me the other day that when she was pulling into the drive way with the boys they informed her that..."That's My Daddy's place...you can't park here..."

Yesterday morning I got a chance to sleep in. When Momma said something about it being morning she was informed the it's not morning because, "My Daddy isn't up yet. It's not morning tell My Daddy is up..."

When we go to restaurants the boys fight who gets to sit next to Daddy and that have to take turns sitting behind Daddy in the car.

I love my boys.

Me, in tights?

2008-11-05T08:03:00.002-05:00

I will be taking the stage for the first time in 18 years. I will play the part of the Butler in the Nutcracker this December at the Brooks Center at Clemson.

Kallsen takes dance at the Foothills Dance Conservatory. They have a foundation that brings in professional dancers for this annual production. When Kallsen's dance teacher, who also owns the business, heard that I was once a performing arts major, asked me to be in the production.

The role has no lines but is a very physical role. Only one dance scene for me...and that's a group scene. So if you ever have wanted to see me in tights, this December is your chance.

Winners!

2008-10-31T22:42:00.003-04:00

Tonight was the annual Halloween on the Green in downtown Seneca, SC. Kallsen and Parker won first place in the 'Most Creative' contest. First prize was $50.00! Here's a couple of pictures of them in their costumes.

Playing BB

2008-10-31T20:19:00.008-04:00

Last weekend I took the boys to the park on Sunday. They wanted to play at the 'old' park, which is the park in Seneca we used to go to before we moved to Walhalla. When got to the play ground we played there for about 15 minutes when Kallsen said he wanted to play Golf BB. That's code for Disc Golf. I asked Joseph and Parker if playing was alright with them and it was.

So we got into the car and drove to the other side of the park and played. Below are some of the pictures from our round. Notice in the last picture the skill that Kallsen is showing at only 4 years-old!

Let's Play

A nice picture of all three boys

Kallsen rips a drive on #2

Empty Head

2008-10-23T09:41:00.003-04:00

I was driving the boys to school the other day and Kallsen decided he didn't want Daddy to drive by the library. There are three ways we can go to school. One way takes us by the library, one down Main Street Walhalla and one takes us by the pool. We normally go by the library because it is the quickest way to school in the morning traffic.

Kallsen most days makes a request to drive by the library. This particular day he didn't make a suggestion because he was too busy talking with Parker. Once we get right by the library, he yells, "I don't want to drive by the library!" Which I respond, "You didn't make a suggestion so Daddy decided which way we would go today." Kallsen then responds by calling me an 'Empty Head!'

Caught off guard, I say, "What's an empty head?" Kallsen politely tells me, "It means there's nothing in your head!"

More Weekend Pictures

2008-10-21T21:01:00.003-04:00

Here are some more pictures from the weekend. The first one was taken at the Union County Fair on Saturday. The others were taken Sunday in Walhalla at Oktoberfest.

The Kids in the 'Copter

The Boys and their Sandy Candy

Parker with his Lollipop

Kallsen Looking Cool in His Shades

Their Day at the Fair

2008-10-21T07:30:00.006-04:00

While I was working on Saturday broadcasting live from the Walhalla Oktoberfest Celebration in downtown Walhalla, Sara took the boys to the Union County Fair. The Union County Fair is one of the few true agricultural fairs left in South Carolina. The boys enjoyed the midway with their Momma and Nanna on Saturday. Joseph spent most of his day at the fair running around with some of his cousins and was not in many pictures.

Parker on the Froggy Jump

Kallsen drives as Parker tells him where to go.

Papers Important

2008-10-19T11:42:00.003-04:00

He must have papers. He must have papers everyday to share, to show, to hold on to. If he doesn't have papers, he just doesn't measure up.

I'm talking about my youngest son Parker.

A few weeks ago I went to pick up Parker and Kallsen from school. It was after 5:00 and their classrooms had been combined. When I arrived, Kallsen was excited to see me and ran and grabbed his papers from a table to show me...as I looked at Kallsen's papers, I asked Parker to grab his papers from his cubby (both boys normally have papers to share/show) and he had none.

Parker collapsed to the ground in tears...because he had no papers. Now this was not the first time Parker didn't have papers but it was the first time he didn't have papers on a day that Kallsen had papers. Ever since, the biggest part of Parker's day is showing his Daddy his papers.

Oconee Trip

2008-10-06T19:53:00.009-04:00

My parents came to visit this weekend. They came in part because it was Parker's 3rd birthday and because they wanted to see their whole South Carolina family. It was a quick visit, lasting Thursday night through Sunday morning. On Friday, while the kids were at school and Sara Beth was working, I took my parents to Chua Ram Park. One of three county parks.

Judy reaches

Tom takes a picture of one of the seven waterfalls in the park

Judy finds a hiding place

Tom & Judy posing for picture

This park is 10 minutes from our house. Oconee County is in the 'Golden Corner' of South Carolina. It has three huge man made lakes and several rivers that are popular for kayaking. One of the local lakes has hosted Pro Bass Fishing Tournaments and is one of the most picturesque areas of South Carolina.

Parker's Birthday

2008-10-05T16:11:00.007-04:00

Today is Parker's birthday. Here are a few of my favorite pictures of Parker.

Cupcakes for Everyone!

2008-09-18T08:33:00.002-04:00

My Mom and Dad are coming to South Carolina for a visit in a couple of weeks. I told Kallsen this morning that Grandma Judy and Grandpa Tom are coming to stay with us for a while. Kallsen said to me, "Do you know what that means?" I said, "No, what does that mean?" He said, "Cupcakes for everyone!"

A little later, I told Parker that Grandma and Grandpa will be here for his birthday. He said, "They can come for my birthday but there will be NO PARTY!"

I'm not sure what that means or what he meant. Both comments were very fun to hear this morning.

Dodgebee Catch

2008-09-13T21:56:00.004-04:00

The Dodgebee discs I've talked about in earlier posts have given me a opportunity to teach Kallsen and Parker to catch flying discs at a much earlier age than I would've taught them otherwise. I've included a short video of both boys (and Joseph) catching Dodgebee discs.

The video was about twice as long...but it didn't want to load...so I edited it down to include the very beginning of Parker's catch and the last throw, which Kallsen caught. As you can see, the Dodgebee discs are so soft, the boys are able to catch'em and I can feel comfortable throwing them at the boys with out worrying that someone will get hurt.

When we go to the park, both Kallsen and Parker make sure Daddy brings the 'Dodge Frisbees' as they call them. I really think Dodgebee discs will introduce a lot of children to disc sports at an earlier age because they're so easy to catch and throw for kids.

Jonesville Town Festival

2008-09-06T22:19:00.003-04:00

We went to Jonesville today for their town festival. Jonesville is where my in laws live and where Sara Beth grew up. It was in the low 90s with a slight breeze. The kids had a good time and got really worn out playing and running.

Here are some pictures taken at the Jonesville Town Festival...

Kallsen & Parker with their cousin Paiden on the Trackless Train

Parker sitting between his uncle Heath and his Mama

My niece Paiden jumping in a bounce house

Kallsen & Paiden cooling off with an Icy

Parker, cousin Blythe, Kallsen & cousin Paiden cooling off

Boys Night Out

2008-09-03T21:44:00.006-04:00

Wednesday night is boys night. Sara Beth has her Master's class on Wednesday nights. The boys (Kallsen & Parker) know when Daddy picks them up from school, it's boys night. Sometimes that means a trip to the playground and other times it means we'll read books and play at home. This week on Tuesday night the boys asked if I would take them to the 'old' playground (by our old house in Seneca) on boys' night because that playground has swings. The 'new' playground (by our house in Walhalla) doesn't have any swings.

So we get to the playground at the park by the old house and the boys did everything at the playground EXCEPT play on the swings.

Parker in a Tree

Kallsen running really fast

Boys proving there's more than one way to play with a Frisbee

Joseph reading his book

The boys also spent time running up and down a hill, playing Dodgebee (I even got some of video!...it's just not very good video), going down the slide and playing tag. They just never got on the swings.

Big Boy Underwear III

2008-09-02T22:49:00.004-04:00

Parker has just really begun potty training full force this past week. He has shown some interest in the past, but it hasn't lasted more than a day or two. Now he is going all day (while at Pre-school) using the potty. He is even using the potty at home some of the time.

Recently he decided he wasn't going to get off the potty until he was sure he was done going. I think he spent a half an hour sitting on the potty. It's just nice to know that pretty soon the cost of pull-ups is going to be a thing of the past.

One last note to Parker...I know this is the last picture a boy wants of himself on his parent's blog. Just know this...Daddy loves you very much and I just want to share the excitement as you become a Big Boy.

2008-08-23T16:06:00.003-04:00

Here's some recent pictures of the boys. The one of Parker was taken Thursday as I worked on learning some features on our new camera. The one of Kallsen was taken at the park the other day. I wish I had some of Joseph...he's at that age where his main goal is to not be in a picture.

A Dodgebee Game

2008-08-20T21:55:00.005-04:00

I took the boys to the park tonight. We played for about two hours before heading home for dinner. We played on the playground for a while and then my boys along with several other kids headed to the open field and played a rousing game of Dodgebee.

The kids ranged in age from 2 years-old to about 13 or 14 years-old. In the below picture, Kallsen shows his grit and determination as a Dodgebee player.

If you haven't seen or played Dodgebee yet, I highly recommend you buy Dodgebee discs if you have children and want to have a lot of fun, in a fast game where your kids can throw something hard at other kids without the worry of someone getting hurt.

Right now Dodgebee discs are not available anywhere outside of Japan. If you go to HeroDiscUSA.com, you can order Dodgebee discs. They're about $10 per disc and come in three size. The Dodgebee disc in the picture above is the large size. I think the medium is best but any size Dodgebee is better than no Dodgebee at all.

Kallsen's Dance Class

2008-08-19T20:17:00.003-04:00

Kallsen started dance class today. All the girls are required to wear pink leotards and the boys have to wear black sweat pants and white t-shirts.

They began with tap...in this picture you can see the white tap shoes that Kallsen is wearing. They worked on tap for about 15 minutes and then spent a half an hour working on ballet.

There are nine kids in the class. Eight girls and Kallsen is the only boy. He was fine with it and I think he really enjoyed the class.

This dance school is not a competitive dance school like most but a classical dance school. The owners and instructors are all former professional dancers. Foothills Dance Conservatory is a client of mine, that's how I met the folks that run the conservatory.

Most dance classes for kids are very competitive. This training is to teach kids to dance...the only competitiveness (according to other parents) comes when they do shows. All students are invited to audition. Several parents, who have older children that attend Foothills Dance, said that Kallsen is likely to get decent roles in productions because so few boys take dance.

I do hope he enjoys dance enough as he grows older to continue with taking these classes.

Goodbye Pumpkinhead

2008-08-17T07:55:00.004-04:00

Our cat, Pumpkinhead, died this morning.

Sara woke this morning at 4:22 and heard a deep quacking type sound and some moaning. She woke me up and we began searching the house. We found Pumpkinhead in the closet in the boys' room. He appeared to have already passed away. Sara ushered the boys into our room and I got a towel to go wrap him up and move him. When I picked him up he made a gurgling sound. Sara called the vet and off we went to Anderson at 5:00.

By the time we arrived, Pumpkinhead had passed away. I'm glad I was able to hold him before he passed.

I got Pumpkinhead in August of 1999 when he was 6 weeks old. He was a bit of a rascal when dealing with a lot of folks...specially Sara. Over time he became more of her cat than mine.

He lead an interesting life...from learning to adjust to Sara and Joseph when we got married, to learning to live with babies in the house when Kallsen and Parker were born.

In 2006 when we moved to Iowa, Pumpkinhead decided to stay awhile in the North Georgia Mountains. He was found by a friend and had a trip from Atlanta to Houston and then on to Minneapolis before a three hour drive to Iowa. While on his flight to the midwest, he had a 24 hour layover in Houston.

Pumpkinhead...we love you. Rest in Peace.

An Orange XD

2008-08-12T20:30:00.003-04:00

It started like a normal Monday...a little less energy going to work than you like. It started to pick up with a sale before Noon and I left work a little early to pick up my kids from their first official day at their new preschool. We headed to the park where we were to meet Momma. Momma came to the park and took the boys for pizza. I headed to my Monday evening Disc Golf league.

Our league is a random draw doubles. My partner, Mike, and I were not playing very well at all. We started on hole 8, a birdie hole, and started with three pars before hitting two birdies on hole 11 and freely based # 12. By the time we made the turn off of 18 to hole # 1, we knew we wouldn't be in the running for the night.

With no aces being hit for several months there was nothing left but to 'go for it' on aceable holes. On number 1, a 165' straight, slightly downhill through the woods hole. I got out my trusty orange XD and hit the ace. I split the ace pool with another player. And with that, my 39th birthday began.

Picture taken from the tee of hole #1 in Seneca

Zoomed in from tee on hole #1 in Seneca

Without the Bread

2008-08-08T18:05:00.004-04:00

Sara and I are in Hilton Head this weekend attending the South Carolina Broadcast Association's Summer Convention. While we're here, the boys are staying with Nana and Papa.

Sara called earlier this afternoon to see how everything was going. At lunch time the boys (Kallsen and Parker-Joseph was at a friend's house swimming) informed Nana that they wanted Banana sandwiches without the bread, Cheetos and Koolaid Jammers. I guess I should be happy that they wanted/ate bananas.

Just another reason I love me boys...

Happy Birthday Joseph!

2008-08-07T11:24:00.007-04:00

Living in a house full of boys

2008-08-04T21:41:00.002-04:00

When a woman finds out she is pregnant it is the great feeling. The day she discoveres that she will have a son..she thinks life is great. Then the second son is born...WOW a playmate for the first son. When the third sons makes his debut the woman is overjoyed. We have saved all the clothing, shoes, etc. in order to make the transition from a family of 4 to 5 much easier. How was that woman to know that in a few short years, her life would consist of...
"Don't throw that in the house!"
"Leave your brothers' ears alone."
"Ouch, can someone pick up the millions of cars and blocks on the floor."

Or my favorite question to ask..."Honey, do you think you should teach them that?"

Recently, I came home from the grocery store. (Evidently I was earlier than anyone expected.) I found my husband and 3 boys THROWING dodgebee discs in my living room near the curio. Needless to say my husband thought that everything was okay because "the dodgebee won't hurt". Now it is later and the kids today were throwing REAL frisbees in my house. They got stuck on top of the refrigerator, cabinets and behind picture frames. Luckily, nothing was broken. When I questioned the boys, their response was "BB's don't hurt". How can I compete with the COOL dad? I have become the boring mom who doesn't allow her kids to throw things in the house. What am I to do?

A couple of pictures

2008-07-30T20:52:00.005-04:00

Kallsen and Parker enjoy a slip and slide on Kallsen's birthday.
Parker plays a game of 'guess who?'

Dodgebee

2008-07-28T12:58:00.004-04:00

Many of you know that I am a flying disc fan...playing Disc Golf, throwing MTAs and playing any disc sport I get a chance to play. I'm so into playing disc sports I recently was the tournament director for the South Carolina Disc Golf Doubles State Championship.

Several weeks ago I traveled to Rock Hill, SC to pick up golf discs for the tournament at Innova Disc Golf's east coast distribution center. My sales rep. gave me a set of three Dodgebee discs to test.

Dodgebee is a game that is hugh in Japan but hasn't made its way to the USA yet. It is essentially dodgeball with a flying disc. The discs are very soft and washable. The large disc (pictured here) is about the size of an Ultimate Disc or normal catch disc, the medium size is the size of a Fastback and the small disc about the size of a golf disc.

Since receiving the set of three Dodgebee discs, I have played with my three sons and others. The game is an absolute blast. We played over the 4th of July weekend and at Kallsen & Joseph's birthday party this past weekend. I'm currently working with HeroDiscUSA to try and get the game implemented where my wife teaches school.

The great thing about the Dodgebee disc(s) is they don't hurt when they hit you and they are easy for young arms to throw. You're going to have a lot of fun playing this game and your kids are going to love it!

The discs are not available on the retail market yet. There's one place I've found online to order these discs...and that's the Japan company that invented the discs.

I've ordered a couple of more...just to have and I'm looking forward to some serious Dodgebee games in the future. I'll post some pictures in the future of the kids playing...maybe even some video.

I'm this many...

2008-07-26T11:50:00.001-04:00

Kallsen's 4th Birthday

2008-07-26T00:56:00.007-04:00

Today is Kallsen's 4th birthday. I found some of the pictures that I think tell the story of Kallsen. He is a very energetic little boy. He's had his challenges. Every challenge he faced head on and is stronger because of those challenges.

I really hope he has a good birthday.

Pictures of the boys

2008-07-23T20:01:00.003-04:00

Here's pictures of the boys taken just the other day.

Big Truck

2008-07-09T19:57:00.004-04:00

On Monday Sara Beth headed to her Mama's for a memorial service. On the way there she stopped off where her young brother DJ works to show the boys a big truck. This first picture is of Kallsen and Parker at the wheel...
Uncle DJ having fun with Parker...

Finally...pictures...

2008-07-09T19:42:00.005-04:00

After two months of no Internet at the house and a little longer with a digital camera that doesn't works, we finally are back online and have purchased a new camera after several months of researching and setting aside some money.

These posts over the next couple of days (or even hours) are mostly for our parents and family and friends in Minnesota who haven't seen the kids since October in some cases and more than a year in other cases.

This first picture is of Parker doing his 'Speak No Evil' best as he can.

This next one is Kallsen with some nice lighting from the back door of our new house. Kallsen is really becoming a very nice boy.

This picture of Joseph was taken at the 'new park' as the boys call it this past Sunday. I take the boys to the park on Sundays to give Sara Beth some piece and quite for her to work on homework for her Master's program she began a few months ago.

We've capturer a lot of really nice pictures with this new camera. I hope to have time to not only get alot of good pictures but to also find time to post those pictures.

PS-These pictures are also for our family in Jonesville and across South Carolina.

Orange Mudd

2008-07-06T21:33:00.002-04:00

We traveled to Nana and Papa's for the Independence Day Holiday on Thursday afternoon. Papa had the pressure washer out to clean the driveway and tables for their annual 4th of July Barbecue.

Once Papa was done pressure washing, Kallsen and Parker got to playing with the hose. Turning the water on and off and pretty much getting soaking wet. After the boys were thoroughly soaked, they decided to run down to the dog pen (Papa breeds Mountain Kerrs) when they saw Papa heading toward the pen.

After looking at the dogs, one boy scooped a handful of Carolina Red (dusty) Clay and poured it on the head of the other. I can't say who dumped the red clay dust first but I do remember hearing Papa say to the boys.."you'll might not want to be doing that..." as he walked from the dog pen to his shop. I walk toward the pen and I see my boys covered from head to toe in what now can only be described a reddish-orange sludge.

My wife says they looked like two giant walking cheese puffs. I only wish I had a picture to share.

A Happy Place

2008-07-01T22:17:00.003-04:00

This picture of Parker was taken a couple of days ago. I took the picture because I loved the way he had curled inside of the boppy and was hugging his baby buddy. That's the name of the frog he is holding. He has another, bigger and older frog he calls buddy. So when he got this one he named it baby buddy.I don't have any real good recent pics of Joseph or Kallsen. I will attempt to get some nice pics of them over the next couple of days and post them.

Finally!

2008-07-01T20:26:00.003-04:00

We are finally back online. Sara went to town today and set up our new internet connection.

We now have high speed internet through our cell phone plan. The cost was a one time fee of $100 for a high speed phone, $10 a month for an additional line to our plan and $25 a month for unlimited internet access. The connection is faster than dsl but a little slower than cable.

Soon more pictures of the kids and stories too!

Back online (almost)

2008-06-19T16:45:00.004-04:00

My wife and I are close to being back online at home.

After moving from Seneca to Walhalla recently (7 weeks ago) we discovered that DSL and cable Internet was not available in our area. What is one to do without high speed, broadband Internet?

Alltel. We are buying a high speed phone (Hue by Samsung) from Alltel. The phone is $50. Unlimited high speed Internet through Alltel is $25 a month. Where ever we get a cell signal (most everywhere, other than the mountains in NE GA) we can surf the 'net.

What this means is where ever we are we can plug our cell phone into any computer and have access to the Internet. This will be very nice when traveling. Being able to email and surf on the Internet while driving across county. Which also means being able to actively blog on the road.

This will be nice. Our plan is to have everything up and running by early next week.

Can I Help You?

2008-06-06T11:32:00.002-04:00

Last night I stayed overnight in the mountains. I was staying at the Old Clayton Inn in Clayton, GA. I have stayed there several times over the past eight years or so. So much that it is kind of like staying with family.

Last night more like family than ever. I had just taken a shower and was lounging on the bed in my boxers reading a book when all of a sudden the door to the room opened and the over head light came on. I looked toward the door and a lady and her husband were walking in to the room. I sat up on the bed and looked at them and said, "Hello, can I help you?" The lady screamed and her husband covered her eyes and back her out of the room.

Apparently the front desk had mistakenly given them a key to my room.

Freedom Weekend Aloft

2008-05-27T17:09:00.002-04:00

On Saturday night we took the boys to Greenville for Freedom Weekend Aloft. A hotair balloon show that comes to the upstate of South Carolina every year. I wanted to take the kids not for the hot air balloons but for the Frisbee Dogs that were suppose to perform. The website for the event said the dogs would be preforming until 7pm. We got there at 5:30 and the dogs were done for the day.

Eitherway the kids did get to watch the hot air balloons.

Parker is pointing out his favorite balloon.