During the past week our family has been apart of some serious Halloween celebrations. The fun started off last weekend with Fun Night and ended last night with trick-or-treating. Enjoy the photos.

It has been a couple weeks since our last update and with good reason: not much is going on.

Mikayla
Mikayla is going strong with soccer (with two goals last week) and will start basketball at the Y in a few weeks. She is currently “this close” to getting straight As on her report card.

Kennedi
Kennedi is having fun in soccer (most of the time) but doesn’t enjoy how the other kids try to take the ball from her. She had me over last week to her preschool for a “Gentlemen and Games” day where we ate snacks and played Candyland (she won, twice).

Julian
Julian is beginning to talk in complete sentences. The most recent example I heard was when I asked him what he wanted for a snack and he said, “I want a granola bar becuase it is good”. Of course it wasn’t quite that clear, but I heard every word of it.

Andi
Andi has been retaliating lately against us for leaving her in the backyard too long. She is digging up grass and putting holes in the yard. On a brighter note, she graduated dog-training school last week (where digging wasn’t covered) and is very good at sit, stay and come (on command).

Juli and Michael
We are hanging in there, busy with schedules and activities. Last weekend we decorated the house for Halloween, took kids to soccer games/practices and managed to get household chores done. Next week is all the same. Most of the time, it’s a blur.

If you’re in the neighborhood sometime, give us a buzz. We’d love to chat!

Each year the Maize Parents As Teachers program invites an assortment of companies out to show off their big trucks, loud sirens and hard core equipment. This year while Juli and Mikayla were at soccer practice, Julian, Kennedi and I ventured out for some fun with big trucks, drippy Rocket Pops and a biker gang. Enjoy the photos.

Over the July 4th holiday, we took a trip to visit The Felix family in Littleton, Colorado. The trip started off Wednesday night after I got home from work. As I arrived, Juli had the Pilot packed up and ready to roll. We packed up the kids and the dog and off we went. Arriving in Littleton around 2am Thursday morning, we all went in and dropped like flies.

On our first day, we hit the pool and loafed around the house trying to recover from the 9+ hour drive the previous night. That night we ate Chinese food for Jackson’s birthday and topped it off with an ice cream cake from DQ. On this morning we introduced Lucy (Amy’s dog) to Andi (our dog). Initially Lucy dominated the relationship (even though she is a MUCH smaller dog), but after a few hours of socialization, Andi understood that Lucy just wanted to play. From then on, Andi was the alpha-dog and REALLY enjoyed Lucy’s playful manner.

Day two was a bit more adventurous with a trip to the Denver Zoo. After 4 hours of looking at animals and walking around the park, the kids were exhausted (and it showed). We headed back to The Felix house for naps and relaxation. That night was Jackson’s birthday party with the whole family. We had a great time catching up with family and playing games. The night ended with fireworks and fun. View Our Photos

Day three started off with intentions of a hike, but after the women headed to the flea market, we knew there just wouldn’t be enough time. That afternoon ended with a trip to the park, with lunch and then back for naps and relaxation. That night we headed up to Opa’s place for a live band at the Red Rock Country Club and to watch some fireworks. The kids had a blast dancing and watching fireworks in the sky. View Our Photos

The morning of day four we all jumped in our cars and headed up I-70 to St. Mary’s Glacier for a nice hike to the top. Once we reached the top we stopped and ate sandwiches and enjoyed the view. Snow was still ontop of the mountain and we hiked up a bit further to play in the snow a bit before hiking back down. That night we headed over to Melissa and Lance’s place for food and entertainment. View Our Photos

The fifth day we went to the park in the morning to try and wear out the kids before packing up the car and driving back to Wichtia. We left Littleton around 1:30pm, pulling into our driveway in Wichita around midnight. After an exhaustive drive, I passed out in anticipation of returning to work the next day. View Our Photos

Last Monday mom watched Kennedi and Julian for the day. Juli dropped them off around 7:30am and from then on, the adventure was on. They spent the day playing, coloring/drawing, cutting paper and doing fun projects. In addition getting Sonic for lunch, mom also helped them make Easter cookies to take home.

When I arrived at Mom’s to pick them up, I was greeted with two plates of Easter cookies to take home and share with the family. Needless to say, they lasted just a short while. Kennedi and Julian did an amazing job of decorating these cookies (you too Mom). Not only did they look festive, they were incredibly delicious (the cookies…not the kids).

Wish you had some delicious cookies? Leave a message for Jay and Kennedi and maybe they’ll make a batch for you!

Julian used the potty chair for the first time today. After a small whimper and plea for help, Julian and Juli ran straight for the bathroom. He sat up on the big potty chair like a big boy and Juli read books. Kennedi was there for moral support and to help keep company.

A little confused by what all the excitement was about, Julian kept looking into the toilet in anticipation for the big event. After several minutes of reading and talking, he finally went peeps and poops in the potty chair.

After several minutes of being praised and glorified, Julian strutted out of the bathroom with a large grin on his face. For his work, he received a sweet potty chart and a sticker to keep him motivated.

Want to tell Julian how proud of him you are? Leave him a message.

So it is official. I’m lazy. Well, at least when it comes to updating this site with new photos. If you go back through the past year of posts, you’ll see a pattern. It goes like this. Make a post. Post again a few days later. Then again a few days later. No post for a month. Post again a few days later. Then again a few days later. No post for a month.

So here it is, 2009 and I’m this close to setting a New Years resolution about how often I’ll update the site. But in all truth, we all know I slip up from time to time. So to save a little face now, I’ll skip the resolutions.

Anyway, since the last post we have had quite a few adventures, from Christmas Concerts to visiting the Denver Aquarium. Below is a list of a few photo libraries for each of those adventures:

• Christmas Concert
• Christmas Morning at the McClure’s
• Denver Aquarium
• Family Trip to Denver
• New Year’s Day

We downloaded a bunch of photos off of Juli’s Blackberry last night. After looking through them all, we decided to post a few of them to the site. Take a look and let us know how much you enjoyed them. Who knows… you might just find a photo of yourself.

A few months ago as Mom was cleaning out the attic, she ran across my Bat Boy uniform I had when I was about 2 years old. She gave it to me to bring home in hopes of seeing a few entertaining photos of Julian dressed up as a Bat Boy. Well Ma’, here you go. Take a look at these entertaining photos of Bat Boy Julian.

The next step will be finding a photo of my in the uniform when I was about 2 years old and doing a side-by-side comparison of Julian and me. I think it will be interesting.

The other night while we were all sitting down at the dinner table eating pizza, Julian began his usual routine of humming while he eats (it is a sign that his taste buds are pleased). So I thought I would capture it on video for everyone to enjoy. But when the video started recording, he began one of the world’s longest drinks. Watch Julian as he just can’t get enough milk below.

Get the Flash Player to see this player.