2015 - Summer / Fall Updates

What a fun fall this has been. Here are some highlights Spencer played traffic soccer for the first time this fall - we had a 3 way car pool going with Will / Landon - he had a great season and fun time playing soccer . He played a tournament in Decatur Alabama and Clarksville - my first time to spend anytime in both of those cities. He also had friendly in Portland TN. Hadden entered 6th grade not knowing what to expect. Most of his friends from Bethesda ended up going to another school because of zoning. The good news is from sports he knew a lot of the kids and has made a lot of new friends this first fall in middle school. Spencer - outdoor soccer / practice 2 times a week / indoor soccer and now basketball - I was coaching the indoor soccer and basketball Hadden - school tennis - played number 1 doubles and peaked at the right time / outdoor soccer (coaching) won the championship and had 4 goals in the final game / Indoor soccer/ school soccer and now school basketball. The first game of the sixth grade season hadden started the game. Nash - really like's playing outside and dribbling the basketball, playing football, dribbling the soccer ball. He has some friends that live right next door carter , Berkley Clare that he loves going outside, running around and jumping on the trampoline. Inside he runs around chasing his brothers…Nash really likes his preschool… he has lots of friends and he tells me every week how much he like's his school. all 3 of the boys like to wrestle around. Nash still like's to try and "take" me down and also do sit ups together. Carrie and I still enjoy working out - she does Taboe and boot camp type classes with time or 2 on the elliptical when classes don't fit her schedule. I run and lunch with the same group of guys I have been running with for 10 years - Hugh, jimmy, and Todd --- it is a 5-6 mile run in the rain, snow, or heat normally 3 days a week. This summer / fall my friend Mark and his wife Kristen came to visit with several of their friends from Boston - it was fun catching up and hanging out with Mark. We also had Colin and his wife Anna with their 2 boys Luke and Andrew visit from Austin - all the boys had fun together - especially Nash since Andrew was his age…. Both visits were fun for me to visit and hang out with 2 my closer friends that don't live in Nashville --- we don't get to see each other often but I stay in touch with both of them on calls while driving home from work. Trips: The annual trip to the beach with the family - this year we went to Santa Rosa are for spring break - we stayed a place that had a lake "red fish Lake" that then would feed into the ocean - the kids liked kayaking and paddle boarding and it made a great skim boarding area. The trip in the summer was to Fort Walton to stay in my friend Hugh's place right on the beach. Both trips were spent on the beach and at the pool. We also had a fall break trip with the kids to Chattanooga - to visit the aquarium and run around with the kids .. We went with our friend John / Kristy / John / Katy / Jeremy / Jennifer.. It was a nice fall break. We went on the 3rd year Thanksgiving break down to gulf shores with carrie's parents and 2 sisters along with Roberts Parents Linda / Melvin who hosted everyone… it was a great time to have all the cousins play and it was a in the 70's so volleyball (nuke them) on the beach and football… Nash had a blast digging with Judd right at the waters edge. We visited Birmingham to see Nini and papa in July and November and had good times frying the turkey and making fires in the fire pit to roast marshmallow.. There also was a lot of football on the thanksgiving weekend... Greg to Houston to visit Brent and then to Dallas for a work training. Orlando for a work training and a side trip to Tampa to visit Buzz for long weekend. The school year is going really well for both hadden and spencer.. They both have straight A's and enjoy school. Spencer's favorite subjects are Social studies, Science, and Math. Hadden's favorite subjects are girls, sports, girls. Math, Social Studies, language arts, Science -- Hadden was nominated by his 6th grade English teacher "holiday Student Successor": Mr Norman. Hadden leads an active, busy life and now is on the SSMS basketball team. Despite his busyness he always has his work done, always has a smile on his face and is always willing to help others. Hadden is a wonderful mode of student athlete excellence and I am proud to be his teacher. And we are almost to Christmas now!!! It is hard to believe that another year has flown by.

6 month update - WOW - I am a slacker

so i guess we have had quite a bit of things happen since the last update---Christmas and Thanksgiving were good as always.. December / Jan / - lots of basketball for hadden and spencer - i coached both teams. hadden had a good season and did not lose until the end of the season. They won the heritage tournment and lost in the semifinals to a team that was huge - Spencer played on a team where he learned a lot and was able to handle the ball r quite a bit - he was on the younger side of the group - a few wins a good season and looking forward to next year. Nash continues to follow what his big brothers do and seems to get away with a lot more than his brother did at this age. My mom brother Craig had a heart attack at 54 and died in February so an unexpected trip back to kansas with jena and my parents... it was good to see my grandma but a sad reason to go visit. I was able to see marco and his family and clint as well - so that part was a positve..my mom has had a hard time with his passing as to be expected. Nash has enjoyed riding his green john deere tractor - this is probably is favorite thing to do - laps around the house until the battery dies. We took a trip to Sand Destin for Spring break in march. This was our first time visiting desin as a family .. this was a good trip - we visited jeff and his family and the kids had fun playing on the beach / pool - the pool was 90 plus degrees. Lots of movies at night, march madness, and eating out.. as well as a few trips to shop.. the kids must have were some slides / flip flops -- hadden got addidas / spencer reebock... i am coaching haddens soccer team and helping with spencers. both the kids really enjoy and excel at soccer right now. Also they have started to show an interest in Tennis so we will try to go to the courts some this spring and summer...April took me to Mt Leconte where we hiked 5 miles to the top and stayed in the lodge at the top.. there is no electricity or running water.. the hike was beautiful and the ran held off. i hope to do the hike sometime with the kids in the future....Carrie and i continue to enjoy working out, running, and doing stuff with the kids... the culdasac and playing over there occupies some of the nice days during the weekend. Nash has started potty training and through some ups / downs seems to be getting the hang of it. Spencer has had a birthday and we went to see captain america 2 and then to buffalo wild wings to eat dinner...school is finishing up in a few weeks wtih hadden getting ready to take the t-cap test this week... until next time.

September / Oct

Here are a few things going on over the last couple months with the family: The summer has ended with the kids starting a school a few months ago - hadden is in 4th (Mrs. Looper) grade and has turned 10 while spencer is 7 and in 2nd grade (Mrs. Peck). school is going well for both kids and the first 9 weeks has ended with hadden as an all A student. Spencer has not received his report card but I am sure he will not disappoint. Both kids are playing flag football and both team are undefeated at this point with a few games to go in the season.... both are actually the TN titans too. Hadden and spencer like to play outside - football, riding bikes, playing airsoft guns and just running around in the neighborhood...both pull for Alabama in football and are sitting here right now reading in the bama PJ's (awesome). Nash is in Bama PJ's too but is already in bed otherwise I would add a picture today. Spencer is playing center / defense on his football team and his best game was where he saved 3 TD's with flag pulls and caught 5 passes with a TD, a 2 pt conversion and a 40 yard run. Hadden plays defense and QB and has had some nice throws and a couple interceptions - 1 for a 30 yard return for a TD. I took them to the haunted woods this past weekend - Millers / Thrillers -- it was our 2nd year to go and it was a great time... Nash has started really talking and is a funny 2 year old who looks up to his brothers and wants to do everything they do. today he put on his football helmet and got in his little red car ( you know the kind you push with your feet) and told carrie he was driving to football practice. from there he grabbed a basketball with the football helmet on and started dribbling... then switched gears to the baseball helmet and bat.... he likes to say mine a lot and has recently really become interested in everything to do with blocks and building things / stacking / domino's etc...he likes for us to help him. some cute sayings from Nash - "Carry you" or "I carry You" means pick him up.... likes to ride the horsey, hop to the barbershop to get a piece of candy.. and really likes to ride his green tractor outside which he says he is mowing... also "miss you all day" We went to visit Birmingham last weekend for fall break and carrie went to visit her mom and dad with the kids yesterday while I went to basketball assessments for both spencer and hadden-- I am coaching both their teams this year -- it should be fun.... Carrie is doing great we both continue to enjoy working out in our spare time...

8 months - time flies

Let's see here are some things that have happend: carrie and i took a trip with 3 other couples to Punta Cana / Domican republic, Hadden and Spencer both went undfeated in basketball. Hadden played with Steve wade and his twins,(i helped coach) won the regular season and the beat everyone in a 68 team county tournament, Spencer team won the regular season ( i coached with jerry walling) and the only game that was close was the championship - a come from behind victory. My grandma Meyer passed away as she battled memory loss and lived in Lincoln for the last several years - while a tough time on the family it was good to come together and see everyone - all my dads brothers and sisters were there and it was good to visit. All my cousins were there too. As a family we have gone to the beach a couple times - gulf shores - Birmingham several times, hadden and spencer took tennis lessons this summer and played soccer this spring. Both there teams did well and both enjoyed tennis. Summer was a lot of swimming and playing outside. times in the tisdale culdsac playing with the kids friends. Nash has changed a lot since i last wrote on here. He still looks up to his brothers and wants to do everything they do. Spencer has turned 7 and Nash turned 2. SPencer birthday we went to a movie and out for pizza in franklin, nash we had a pool party and carrie's sisters and parents came up to celebrate while we passed through b'ham we celebrated with my mom dad. Some of Nsah's sayings -- a song -"light it up up up", "i am on fire", "I don't care, i love it", What happpened? Mine, Thats, mine not yours,... sometimes he is sitting in the car and blurts out..."ROOLLL TIDE""""i have trained him well. Summer of work on our house - carpet steps turned into hardwood, house painted, deck redone and painted, then our hot water heater, washing machine and dishwasher all went out within 30 days - dishwasher flooded our hardwoods so eating out for a few weeks without a kitchen this summer got old real quick. at the end we will have new hardwoods. Favorite things - Hadden/spencer - playing outside, kindle, mindcraft, ipod touch, airsoft battle, playing in the creek, -- Nash - anything with a truck / ball remote control/ writing on things... nash nickname - the destoryer -- has leaked a ink pen all over our hardwood - note - do not use a wet rag to try and clean, that same ink marked on our nice chair in the living room, used crayons all over our carpet (sneaky little kid), used a bobby pin he must have found under the couch to scrach the new dishwasher mentioned above which is stainless ( carrie was not happy) carrie and still work at the same places - Maxor and Deloitte and enjoy it at both places. We both work out - i most run - she enjoys boot camp classes, taboe, etc. until next time

Things Kids Say

Spencer came home from school and said that he like having the bus seat to himself. Carrie asked him where was Sam? Spencer said he was home with the "sharts". a couple days later he said Sam was back but he didn't sit too close to him because he had had the sharts and didn't want them again. Nash's favorite words are "mine", NO, Stop, get it, and go. He loves it when his brothers get off the bus. Candy is another favorite word. At dinner he loves to mimic what his brothers do. spencer will fake chew, Nash will follow, hadden will laugh, Nash will follow. hands in the air - Nash follows. this make dinner time entertaining for sure. Hadden and spencer have basketball games today. both their teams are undefeated and both are playing well and enjoy it. Carrie and I are going out for some friends birthday’s tonight. it has been cold in Nashville and rainy for weeks. Maybe we will get a break from that tonight.

January 14 - Geno's 61st Birthday

61 years old - my dad is today. happy birthday. he is spending it in Ohio which is probably colder there than it is in Nashville. Today it was 30 degrees with a nice 10 - 15 mph wind. it made running at lunch frigid. When I was coming in from running with guys (jimmy, Hugh, Steve) someone commented that my hat had ice cycles forming from sweating with it freezing outside. it is funny. we see people coming in from smoking outside that say - you guys are crazy for running when it is (hot, cold, raining, snowing) and yet they walk to their car to drive around the corner to smoke. mmmm..... on days like today I have a blue long windbreaker (rain jacket) that I wear and have been for years. folks have called this the blue tent, smurf, the parka, - but you know what - i would rather be hot than cold. who is ready for spring.... hadden and spencers basketball teams continue to excel. i think the scores were hadden 38-13 and spencer 44 - 4. They both are playing with a good group of kids and having fun. Nash is talking a little more each day. he knows where is belly, toes, knees, head, eyes, ears, nose etc are. He sometimes says No No No. when carrie and i try to sing him a song when we are putting him to bed. He loves it when his brothers get home from school - he runs around and chases them.

Report Card Day

hadden is in 3rd grade and made all A's for this semester. Spencer is in first grade recieved all 3's and 4's and his teacher commented he is a good leader. 3rd grade is the first grade where our kids get grades. nash has stepped it up a level. the other day wehn i was going to change his diaper i thought he was doing his typical run away move but he was going to grab a kroger sack for his stinky diaper. then he laid back down and we made it happen. count down is on for Carrie and our trip to punta canta with some friends in Feb. School started back yesterday. They have been out of school since December 21. It was a great break with lots of good memories....The tide has won their 2nd National title in a year with QB chesty at the helm.....and they beat the team i have never liked growing up or now - ND.