Yes, Yes, it has been a while...

...But I have been busy doing something important, I'm sure. Anyway, lots to blog about.  Marcus and Molly got to visit Santa for the first time ever!  Marcus was quite hesitant and took a LOT of persuading to go sit on his lap.  Molly on the other hand, kept going back to see him. She would put her hands up for him to pick her up.  She was very interested in him.

Love the background, don't you?

Marcus helped me bake some cookies the other day.  And they both helped me frost and eat them. of course.  Notice Molly's work area is in complete disarray.  And she has eaten all her cookies.  She is definitly my kiddo.  Marcus is a bit more like his dad.

Mmmmmmm... cookies.  Molly likes to eat hers, frosting side first. That's right. It's kinda messy.

My good little helper!! Most of the time!

Me and the kids. Not my best look, but the kids make me cute, right?

Papa's Birthday and Thanksgiving at Aunt Jessi's....

So today is Grandpa Jim's birthday!  We wanted to go to his house to make sure he got his gift from Marcus and Molly, mostly Marcus.  He got a fishin game for ages 4+.  Marcus says they have it at church and he wanted to get that! So HAPPY BIRTHDAY PAPA!!!

 Aren't they cute?!

 Molly says cheeeeeese, and wants you to take her picture.

 Look another picture with all of us in it!!!! It is a Christmas miracle!!!  We took this picture at Jessi and Casey's house in front of their tree, cuz I didn't think it would ever happen at our house, in front of our tree!  Thanks Aunt Jessi's for hosting thanksgiving, we had a great time!

Love, Kalee.

Happy Thanksgiving!

We went to Philladelphia the first week of November.  Molly had a perfect checkup.  No new tumors. The old ones still look dead.  No treatments of any kind.  Come back in 6 months.  We could not be happier!  Molly is horrible on the plane rides, but other than that, pretty uneventful.  Marcus always has so much fun at Grandma and Grandpa's house, he doesn't want to come home.  Hope everyone had a great thanksgiving.... I know we have a lot to be thankful for.

Halloween 2010 and some other stuff...

Here are some pictures from this weekend.  We had the flu, missed our trip to Tulsa, but managed to go to Grandma Micki's house and hopefully not get everyone there sick!

For only being at Grandma's for just over 24 hours, we got a lot done... Played playdoh, rode trikes around the block, walked the dog, looked at jackolanterns, tirck or treated at walmart, climbed the tree, roller skated, visited gracies house, ate lots of candy and almost no real food at all.

 Here is Molly using the steps from the bathroom, just like her brother used to do to find herself a snack! 

 Gracie, Charlee and Marcus laying on the deck at Grandma's house.  All picking their nose! Perfect picture.

 Marcus and the others trying on the good on fisher price roller skates!  That Grandma has everything.  Fortunately she had the helmets too!

 All the kids in their Halloween costumes before we went to Walmart to trick or treat.  Kinda ghetto, but overall successful. 

 Marcus loves to climb trees.... there just aren't any around here for him to climb! This one is perfect, hope the neighbors don't' mind.  I am pretty sure I have been in that tree too!

10,005

So yesterday morning, I checked my Open Source software site on Source Forge and it finally happened.  SAFMQ has now been downloaded more than 10,000 times.  Today, the count is to 10,005 (as of the writing of this entry).

New pics by Jessica Richter

Love these pictures Jessi.... Thank you so much!

My naughty little children!!!
I Love's em!

Molly got a hair cut...

Molly will not keep a bow in her hair. At all.  So I cut her bangs.  They have all ready grown since this picture.  So cute!

Molly likes oreos.  And she is super messy.  She never thinks she needs a bib.  She takes it off every time I put one on her.  Most of her shirts are ruined. 

Marcus asked if I would take his picture with Molly this morning.  I wish Molly's eyes would have been open, but pretty good considering I only had one chance.  And yes, Molly has on Marcus's pj's. 

Vala's Pumpkin Patch 2010

Here are some pictures from our annual trip to Vala's.  Annual, because we went last year too!  This is Matt's first time to go with us.  I think he had fun.  Especially watching the pig races!

 Marcus giving Molly a ride on the tractor that doesn't move!  What fun!!

Look, for once in my life I am not a pig or a cow!

I thought this would be a cute place for a picture... but this is a close as I could get them, while being somewhat still!

I love this picture of Marcus and me!

And the, same goes for this one of Molly!

Happy October!!!!

Visit to O'Niell...

I snapped this picture of Marcus on the way home from Great Grandpa Richter's house.  Looks very similar to a previous post of Colby.  Kinda funny! (really funny if you axe me, -Matt)

Marcus did not stop talking till he fell asleep! 

Classic family photo at Grandpa's house.  The kids were looking at the dog. This was the best one. Impossible.

Rock Star Molly!

Marcus's official first day of preschool picture.
It is at his usual daycare, so he just thought I was nuts!  But he smiled anyway!

Bales From Beyond (the fence)

Ages ago I went on a fishing trip with my father-in-law, grand-father-in-law, and a couple of my wife's uncles (I'm sure they're some sort of in-law's, but who really knows).  I was joined by Colby (b-i-l, below-right), and another outlaw, Torry, seen here.  We had a pretty good time, but I didn't catch any fish.  I can't say why, but my best hit was when I was dangling a spoon over the side and a white bass jumped out of the water, hit it, and must have caught the treble, because that spoon ripped right off the line.  I think I had that spoon for like 26 years.

So Colby couldn't keep it together for the ride home and as you can see was pretty sleepy.  I think the picture is a classic, and should probably be framed and hung above our mantle, but Kalee has another idea for what should go there.  Anyway, props Colby.  I don't think I could sleep like that.

We're heading to O'Neill this weekend, and maybe we'll see some more bales like these on the way.  It's been a pretty wet summer so who knows, they may have gotten so many cuttings they could be littered across the highway.  I jest, but can't wait to take that mini vay kay.

Zooalicious

Marcus and I went to the zoo while I was on vacation last week. We had a really great time. He kept asking me to take him to the bubble monkeys, but I have know idea what those even are let alone where to find them at the zoo.  We did find the "budgie" parakeets though.  It's a net enclosure that we could enter and interact with the birds.  They even sell popsicle sticks with something like caramel and sesame seeds on one end to feed the birds.  Marcus convinced one of the yellow ones to perch on the end of his while it ate away at the seeds.  I think some if not all had at one time been pets, because a number are willing to rest on your hand if you're gentle and direct enough.

I don't know who this fine fellow on the left is.  He was kind enough to pose for us while we were at the Gorilla house.

The Battle of [the] Midway

The fair at night is always a battle; especially when you're young.  We fought our way through the hoard of secondary school students, only to be attacked by cotton candy and snow cones.  Fortunately we had fast bikes and a natural resistance to spun sugar and green colored ice.  As for the hoard, we had no defense.

The onslaught of the midway left us ready for a good night's sleep in preparation for our pilgrimage to the holy tarmac to witness not 1 but three super planes.  If you look closely, you can see the two sailors inside their careening Hornet, and no I didn't flip the image, they were inverted over the strip.  The amazing ones saw fit to make their newest creation all the more silent then their previous birds of prey.  Both Hornets and Raptors are capable of 50 mph power stalls the length of a runway.

F-18 Super Hornet

P-38 Lightning & F-22 Raptor

Molly's Vision and a cute new hair do...

As far as a vision update...  All I know is that Molly can get around just like any other kid.  She seems to see everything.  I know she can see as small as a piece of rice.  She likes to point at things, big or small.  She walks pretty steady.  She does not run into things.  And she very much likes to wrestle her brother.
We will go back to Philly in November for a check up. She just had an MRI in August, and the tumors all looked dead and there were no new tumors.  We will visit the ped. Ophthalmologist here in Omaha in a couple weeks.  I am sure he will address her slightly crossed eyes.  Surgery to correct this is still up in the air.  We are still trying to figure out if that is how she sees the best.  She seems to use each eye about 50% of the time.
She has decided to start communicating with us. 
uhm....a sound of agreement, was probably her first "word".  Now she sounds like she says thank you.  I feel like one day she is gonna wake up and tell me everything that has been on her mind!

Hair Do.....
I picked Molly up from school and new that her teacher Jill was there today!  Molly had cute little pigtails in.  Her teacher Kristi said it took both of them to hold her still long enough to get them in.  Which is why I never do it!!!

Jill used to get Marcus's hair like that!Except his were all over his head.

Molly also likes to sport the "something about mary" do.

This is the result of the bow being pulled out.  At least she always brings it to me.

Marcus's First Fish!

My dad sent me this picture that he took with his malfunctioning camera.  The shutters didn't quite open, but you can see that marcus caught his first little fish over Memorial weekend.  My dad is holding it, and taking a picture of Marcus, so there is a little magnified.  I am equally proud!!

Once upon a time

So way back when, apparently there was a major throw down involving the "I'm squishing your head!" and the hand dragon.  I don't remember who won.  Probably the hand dragon.

Maybe the random strangers did...


I wonder if there's a psychological condition for the need to take pictures of random people in airports with out them knowing.

Spitting and Kicking and Yelling and Screaming

So why is it we're programmed spit and kick and yell and scream?

Maybe it was some sort of original sin or evolutionary necessity, either way passed down by our ancestors.

Maybe we do it just because we can.

Either way, grandma still loves us.