Just Gotta Dance

I have been taking Dance and Gymnastics for about 9 months. My first recital was last night at Shawnee Mission South High School. In order to be ready for my recital, my class had extra practices, work rehearsals, and dress rehearsals. All of the hard work paid off. I had so much fun and loved being on stage.

My gymnastics class routine was performed to the song Centerfield, by John Fogerty. During this performance, I was able to showcase my one handed cartwheels and back bends. This is what I wore for my gymnastics routine.


My dance/tap routine was performed to the song Down in New Orleans. I love to tap and dance. Our routine ended with a "kick-line" and I heard someone say that we looked like the Rockettes. My tap costume is pictured below.


I loved getting flowers at the end of my performance. Mom and Dad even took me to Sheridan's for a fruit smoothie. I had so much fun!

Sydney

Splish Splash

Moriah loves to splash in the pool.




We have a summer pool pass for the Overland Park pools. This pass allows us access to 6 different pools. The kids love to use the diving boards and ride down the numerous water slides. Going to the pool has become a daily activity for our family and an activity that we all enjoy!

Soccer on Saturday...

Everyone knows that I love to play soccer. Well, I also love to watch soccer on TV. My favorite team is Barcelona. My favorite player is Messi. Lionel Messi is the best player in the world. This season he scored 53 goals in 54 games! I only scored 4 this season. I think that it will be a long time before I score 53 goals in a season!

On Saturday, we watched the UEFA Champions League Final. Manchester United versus Barcelona. No one in our house likes Manchester United, so we were all rooting for a Barcelona victory. Mom made loaded nachos and Dad made fresh homemade salsa. I was very happy when Messi scored a goal. Barcelona won the game 3 - 1 and are the champions of the league.

Perhaps, my straight A's from 4th Quarter will earn me a Messi jersey.

Marshall

A goal achieved...

Marshall's hard work has paid off. He spent the first three quarters of the school year on the Buffalo Honor Roll. 4th quarter, Marshall met his goal and made the Principal's Honor Roll. He finished the year with STRAIGHT A's. Marshall also was recognized, during the end of year assembly, for his scores in the district math Pentathlon. Marshall received a medal for scoring in the top 20% of the district.

His mother and I are very proud of the effort that he put forth this school year.

Way to go, Marshall!

Sterling

I'm 9 months old...

I weigh 18lbs.

I am 28 inches in height.

I have one tooth and more on the way.

I love to crawl, swing, splash in my water table, and eat!

I will be walking soon.

Moriah

"Situation Room Photo" - from Sunday

Are they watching the Bin Laden raid or is Obama and his administration watching a U.S. citizen retrieve their gas receipt after filling up?

For those of you keeping track...

1. People are still out of work. 120 Days and counting since House Republicans have had the Speaker's gavel. Zero (0) job creation bills. ZERO!

2. Healthcare is still a total mess.

3. Gas is currently $3.89 a gallon (KS price on 5/5/11).


Still waiting for Republicans and Democrats to address/fix the real issues.


Sterling

Rent and Pass

RENT - The King's Speech. Super acting, and a great story. Good movie!

PASS - Little Fockers. Uninspired, unoriginal, and unfunny.
Watched exactly 20 minutes of this movie before shutting it off. Awful! Worst movie that I have seen in a long time.

Sterling

4 day Birthday Celebration

This year, Sydney did lots of celebrating for her birthday. In addition to getting her ears pierced, she had a 4 day long celebration.


On Friday, we celebrated Sydney's birthday with a meal of her choosing. This year, the menu was popcorn shrimp, broccoli cheddar rice, and ice cream cake.

On Saturday, we started the morning with soccer pictures and Sydney's soccer game. She played her heart out and hustled as usual. Then, we were off to her Birthday Party. This year, Sydney invited of few of her closest friends to a private Hip Hop Dance Lesson. We then shared a sugar cookie cake,sang, and opened presents. Finally, to conclude the day, Sydney and Marshall went to her grandparent's to continue the celebration. There they had cake, opened gifts, and played at the Foam Factory.

On Sunday, the fun continued. She opened family birthday gifts. She immediately chose to wear her new Dwyane Wade jersey, as the Heat played the Celtics.

Finally, on Monday, she celebrated with her classmates. Sydney brought, the family classic, cake in cone to share with her friends.

WHAT AN AWESOME 7th BIRTHDAY!

Shauna

Talent Show

B.B. King, Carlos Santana, Slash, Hendrix, Eric Clapton, Marshall Hammett? Well, maybe someday.

Marshall had his first public performance last night at the school talent show. To say he was nervous would be an understatement. Not only was this his first time to play in public, but he was listed as the first performer on the program. He had to kick off the talent show by going first. Marshall played "Ode to Joy" and was very happy to receive a round of applause by the audience.

We are proud of Marshall. Way to go!

One Wedding and a Funeral

Our family attended a wedding this weekend. Oddly enough, what marked the "Beginning" for two also marked the "End" for others. See, some people fail to realize that "Family" is more than just a word. Family is more than just a poem, a song, a lei, or a paddle. Family is a way of life, an action! You either are part of a family or you aren't.

Real families love, support, encourage, listen, laugh, cry, and learn together. Shauna and I are a REAL family. We do not have to pretend, be fake, plot, sneak, embarrass, or intentionally hurt others in order to feel better about ourselves. Shauna and I will continue to be our own family. We will ensure that our children understand the TRUE meaning of the word family.

As this weekend comes to a close, we offer our sincere congratulations to the Bride & Groom, and we say goodbye to those that will never EVER understand the true meaning of the word FAMILY.

Sterling

Off and running...

Soccer is off and running.

Last Saturday's games where cancelled due to soggy field conditions. Needless to say, we are all ready for Spring weather! Marshall played his first game last night and helped his team secure a victory. The final score was 2-1 and Marshall had the game winning goal.

Sydney has a game scheduled on Wednesday. She is very excited to start her season. Sydney's coach (Dad) is expecting good things from her and her team this Spring.

Stay tuned for pictures, game updates, and to find out who is leading the house in scoring.

Jalapeno Boats and Headbandz

I love to eat stuffed jalapenos. I used to not like them. I thought that they were slimy and gross. I tried them when they were made like a boat, and found out that I love them. I like them stuffed with sausage, cream cheese, and Velveeta. I even like them wrapped in bacon. I can't believe that everyone in our family now likes jalapenos. My dad used to eat them all by himself, but now he has to share.


Yesterday, I ate jalapeno boats and played Headbandz. Headbandz is a game where you pick a card and place it on your head without looking. The person who is wearing the card has to ask yes or no questions to try and guess what they "are". The other players get to see what your card is and answer your questions. It is a really fun game and we all laughed a lot.



Sydney

Mo's first Royals game...

Here are pictures from Moriah's first Royals game.




We decided to take advantage of the nice weather and tailgate before the game. The kids played catch and I fired up the grill.



After we ate, we made our way inside the stadium and snapped more pictures.



We all enjoyed our day at beautiful Kauffman Stadium and we even got to see our "boys in blue" capture another win!

Sterling

The Lemon...

Three swings, three misses...

Memo to MIZZOU fan:

Time to fire Mike Alden!

Your university & athletic department has become a JOKE.

1. You got played by Jim Delany and the Big Ten.

2. You got played by Mike Anderson.

3. You got played by Matt Painter.

Who is running the Athletic Department at Missouri? What a mess!



I'm sure you alumni and fans will figure it out.

Until then, stay classy!


Sterling

The Friday Suprise...

In 1994, Shauna was still in high school. I was working at night and attending college during the day. I had Friday’s off, so Friday was a planned “date night”. One Friday, I stopped by The Jones Store and purchased Shauna an outfit. I bought her jeans and a shirt, wrapped them, and went to pick her up from school. I told her that I had a “Friday Surprise” for her. She opened the packages and the “Friday Surprise” was born. The “Friday Surprise” was not a weekly occurrence, and wasn’t always clothes. The “Friday Surprise” was anything from a card, concert tickets, a cd, stuffed animal, snow globe, ice cream, flowers, and etc. The “Friday Surprise” is a memory that we both cherish. Several times a year the “Friday Surprise” returns and it always puts a huge smile on Shauna’s face. Last Friday was one of those occasions.
I love to buy Shauna purses and have personally picked out the last 4 in her collection. I surprised Shauna with a beautiful Latico bowler bag style purse. Those of you that know me, know that I found a great deal on this bag and did not pay anywhere close to the $269 MSRP.



Shauna rarely does anything for herself. A “Friday Surprise” is a unique way to thank her for all that she does for me and our children.

Sterling

Shopping at Sam's Club...

Way to go...

Marshall once again made the Honor Roll. Marshall brought home 5 A's and 2 B+'s. Marshall was disappointed that he did not have all A's. Nevertheless, Shauna and I are very proud of his academic achievements this year. Marshall will be working extra hard this quarter to achieve his goal of straight A's. When he succeeds, he will receive the Adidas F50 soccer shoes that he has had his eyes on.


Sterling

Life...

Shauna and I talk. I mean really talk! We always have and always will. Our ability and willingness to talk has gotten us through good times and bad times. Talking has allowed us to openly and honestly communicate our expectations, wants, needs, and desires. Shauna and I are almost always on the same page. We have talked about our expectations for our relationship, for our family, for how we treat others, and for how we allow others to treat us.

Through the years, Shauna and I have realized that we can only count on each other. Unfortunately, both of our so called “families” have been one disappointment after another. It truly does take more than blood to be a family. Shauna and I do not have unreasonable expectations. In fact our expectations are pretty much common sense.

1. Do not lie.
2. Do not hide things (sneak).
3. Communicate openly and honestly.
4. Treat us like more than just an option.
5. Do not talk badly about us to other people.
6. Share with us your love, support, laughter, and strength.

A relationship is a two-way street. Simply, do not expect things from us that you are not willing to do. How can you expect us to not always be mad when you refuse to treat us how we deserve to be treated?



A person can only and should only take so much…

Relationships are not easy, they take work. At some point you find yourself asking these questions…

1. What am I getting out of this relationship?
2. Does the good outweigh the bad?
3. Does this person value me?
4. Does this person ultimately value our relationship?

At the end of the day,life is about choices. Choices about what you do and who you choose to do it with. As I frequently tell our kids, make a decision and then live with that decision.

Shauna and I talk. We make decisions together regarding the people that we have relationships with. As time goes by, many more relationships will be evaluated and decisions will be made.

One thing I can say for sure is, that when it is all said and done, we are at peace with our decisions, and that my friends, is all that matters.

Sterling

My new swing...

I recently discovered that I like to swing. My brother and sister have a trampoline, basketball goal, and sandbox for outside. This time, it was my turn to get a toy. So here I am, using my new swing. Now, all I need to do is get a pair of sunglasses.


Moriah

Memories...

The Big 12 Tournament is in Kansas City this week. The Big 12 tournament brings back memories and provides the opportunity to make new ones. I remember when Shauna was a senior in high school, the tournament (Big 8, back then) was held at Kemper Arena. Shauna's mom released her from school early so that we could attend the early session games. Shauna and I drove down to the Kemper, bought tickets from scalpers, and spent the day watching basketball together. To this day, at tourney time, we still reflect back on the fun that we had that day.

The first year the Big 12 tournament was brought to the Sprint Center, I pulled Marshall out of school so that we could go together. We spent the morning in the Power and Light District attending the fan-fest. Marshall chose to eat at Famous Dave's BBQ. I remember sitting down and having "lunch" at 10am so that we could be done in time to see tip-off at 11:30am. Marshall and I talked, ate kettle corn, drank slushies, and watched some great basketball.

This year, Marshall had testing on Wednesday and Thursday, I was unable to pull him out of school to attend the morning games. When he got home from school on Thursday, I surprised him with tickets to the evening games. After walking around the Power & Light District, taking in all the fan activities, we made our way inside the arena to our seats. Our seats were located in the last row of the upper level.

During warm-ups, a representative from Phillips 66 came and told us that we had been chosen as the Move of the Game. The representative upgraded our seats to center court, 6 rows off of the floor.

We were given a backpack with special shirts, hats, and lanyards. During the under 16 minute time out, we stood up and were recognized on the JUMBO TRON.


The seats were incredible and the whole experience was absolutely amazing. I told Marshall that I am 35 years old and have never had seats that were at center-court, and 6 rows back. It truly was a once in a lifetime opportunity.

What more could a dad ask for? Special time with his son, and center court seats to MIZZOU getting drilled by Texas A&M. What a perfect evening!

Sterling


Special thanks to Phillips 66 for upgrading our seats!

Winner, Winner Chicken Dinner

Marshall competed in the Shawnee Mission Regional Mathletic's Competition today. The best three students in each grade level were invited to compete with eight other area elementary schools. Marshall was so excited to be chosen to represent the fourth grade from Comanche. Sterling, Sydney, Moriah, and I were all there to cheer him on.

Marshall's Team received third place honors. He received a mathletics medal and will present the principal with a trophy for the school tomorrow. We are so proud of of our son's hard work, teamwork, and determination.

WAY TO GO, MARSHALL!

Shauna

I like being outside!

It was a beautiful day today, so I got to spend some time outside.

I watched my brother and sister jump on the trampoline. I also went to the park and got to swing.

Moriah

A different take on taxes...

I did our taxes this week and thought of this...


When I was younger, I can remember my Great Uncle Joe saying that he never minded paying taxes. His philosophy was if he was paying taxes, it must have meant that he had received an income to pay taxes on. Uncle Joe took something that most of us dread and decided to put a positive spin on it.

**On a side note, Republicans need to stop complaining about the Obama budget/deficit. Republicans made sure that they got their precious "rich people" tax breaks. You have no right to complain about the deficit when you gladly added hundreds of BILLIONS of dollars to the deficit with your top 2% tax breaks.**

Sterling

It's me...

I have been talking to Moriah for a year. Moriah may only be 6 months old, but we have been communicating for a long time. I vividly remember when Shauna was pregnant, laying my head on her stomach, singing and talking to Moriah. Shauna would be trying to sleep, and I would be wide awake playing with her tummy. Moriah would respond by moving, kicking, punching, and eventually waking Shauna up. Shauna would raise her head and say, "Stop playing reindeer games with our daughter". Our late night "reindeer games" became a ritual, much to Shauna's chagrin. I would talk to Shauna's stomach, lay my hand on her, lean down and say, "It's me, your dad". Moriah would respond by kicking or pushing her hand up to where my hand was. Awesome!

Moriah loves music. When Shauna was pregnant, I made numerous mix cd's of Rockabye Baby music that we played while we slept. Rockabye Baby takes rock music and then turns it into lullabies. Moriah's favorites were/are Guns N Roses, Metallica, Journey, and Bob Marley. As Moriah grew in Shauna's stomach, she became more and more responsive to the music. We eventually had to stop playing the music at night, because Moriah would be up "dancing" all night and not sleep. A pregnant wife on no sleep was not good for any of us.

I cannot explain to you the joy that I receive from walking in a room, Moriah seeing me, and then her face lighting up. Sometimes, out of habit I still say, "It's me, your Dad." and she just smiles and laughs. Other times, I don't even get a chance to get it out, because as soon as she sees me she says "Dad" and my response is always the same, "Yes, I'm your Dad".

I'm the richest man in the world...


Sterling

Valentine's Day

Turtle, I love you!
Happy Valentine's Day!
Nala

Website of the week...

Just in case you were wondering what Speaker Boehner has accomplished.

www.whenarethejobs.com



When the jobs numbers came out last Friday, Eric Cantor, the number two Republican, tweeted this, “Today‘s jobs report reveals far too many people remain out of work. That‘s why all our efforts are centered around jobs.”

That is hilarious, considering that the majority of the House's committee meetings this week were regarding abortion.

Sterling

Super Bowl Sliders

We made sliders for the Super Bowl. Everyone had their own creation.

Marshall - I tried 2 different sliders. I made a chili-cheeseburger slider. However, my favorite slider was a Goober slider. The Goober slider consisted of a hamburger patty, a fried egg, bacon, and peanut butter. (Pictured above) Yummy!

Sydney - I made a slider with cheese, ranch, and cucumber.


Shauna - I enjoyed the Jalapeno and cream cheese slider.

We had so much fun creating sliders that we decided to make this a Super Bowl tradition.

I'm 6 months old...

Snow, snow, snow...

This is what Overland Park looked like at about 1pm on Tuesday. There was about 4 inches on the ground. It was still warm enough for the kids to enjoy using their sled. Moriah was swinging in the window enjoying an afternoon nap. I had a moment to enjoy the beauty. I got a big eye full, when I noticed a handsome young man starting to work on our driveway. He had on his Carharts, a stocking cap, and receiver gloves (as always). He was looking so hot and the best news of all is he's mine! After all this time, I am still hopelessly in love with my irreplaceable husband. Shovel in hand, I stood out there waiting to fend of any other on-lookers. When all was said and done we had 12 inches of snow, and we are on our 3rd snow day in row.

Shauna

Best Birthday Ever....Part 2

I had a very specific birthday request this year, I wanted fried calamari. The closest and best place to get that is Cinzetti's Italian Buffet in Overland Park, KS. All day, I looked forward to eating calamari. We drove to Cinzetti's only to discover a sign on their door that said they were closed due to the bad weather. Well, at 5pm today there was NO bad weather. There was nothing falling from the sky. NOTHING! So why did they close? What a terrible way to run a restaurant. I would understand if there was ice or lots of snow on the ground but there was neither. So, no calamari for me! Instead, I chose to go to eat Chinese at Fire Wok. Fire Wok is a small family operated restaurant and they were open! So a big thumbs down to Cinzetti's, I will never eat at your restaurant ever again! We had a great dinner at Fire Wok, and then we went home to open my presents.

For my birthday I got some video games that I wanted, the Flat Stanley book series, electric guitar lessons, and I got the home and away Kansas City Wizards Jersey's. I do not like birthday cake. Every year, Mom makes me dump cake instead. The best gift of all came about 8:30pm, we got a text that school is cancelled tomorrow!


Marshall

Best Birthday Ever...part 1

I love to celebrate my birthday. Tonight was awesome. My Grandma Pat and Pappa John gave me my birthday present. I got an electric guitar and amp! I was so surprised when I got it. I immediately opened the box, tuned it, and started to play. I'm not very good, but I know that with practice I will get better. I think that I look really cool playing my guitar. The louder the better, you know?

The second surprise that my grandparents had for me was taking me to the Comets' game. We ate hot dogs, nachos, and had Sierra Mist to drink. This was my first time to see a soccer game inside. I was shocked at how fast and exciting the game was. At one point the ball flew out of bounds and landed right by me. Even though the Comets lost, I still want to go again. Mom & Dad, how about season tickets next year?

Marshall

The REAL State of the Union

Memo to the President:

Time to wake up to what reality really is!

1. Gas prices are $3 a gallon. When you took office it was around $1.78/gallon. That was not the change I voted for.


2. You said last night that you do not want the tax cuts for the rich to be permanent. Well...you were the one who made a deal with the devil to extend the cuts in the first place. Now you have second thoughts? You should have ended them when you had the chance!


3. EDUCATION...You want the US to compete with China. Really??? How??? Federal stimulus money for schools is expiring. The new proposed Kansas budget reflects that school districts stand to lose $107 million next year and $85 million the year after. Also, base state aid to public schools could drop by $232 a student, nearly 6 percent. School districts are in a total free-fall. Schools are being closed, class sizes are increasing to potentially 30 kids in a class, and teaching positions are being eliminated. So your "I want our students to compete" talk is just that....TALK!


4. JOBS JOBS JOBS...last month the unemployment rate went up in 20 states. A year-over year 0.6 percent decrease in employment put Missouri third-worst among states in percentage job loss last year. Missouri's jobless rate was 9.5% last year. How about putting Americans back to work? Jobs that disappeared in the Bush era are not coming back. Americans are still out of work! Companies still receive tax benefits for jobs that are OVERSEAS. Here is a crazy idea....put Americans to work and see how the economy responds.


5. Health care is still unaffordable, still unavailable, and still being run by the big drug companies. You have done NOTHING to combat this issue. Your health care bill is worthless and does nothing to control out of pocket costs to Americans.


So, on the issues, the real issues, you have done NOTHING! Zero, zilch, nadda!


Sterling