Happy Father's Day, Dan!

A recent picture of Dan and Trevor on the golf course.......

I'm a little behind on my posts. I did write this some time ago...... but am just now getting around to sharing. :)

Dear Dan,

Happy Father's Day! Although I cannot pick a "favorite" dad between you and MY dad, I wanted you to know how great I think you are. Not many people in the world are so lucky to have a father like you. Trevor's the only one. I love watching the two of you interact, and helping you guide him along the way, as he grows into a young man, and help shape his future.

The way that the two of you laugh together melts my heart, and I love seeing you smile when you're with him. Even though Trevor is 14 years old, he still says "I Love You, Dad" on a regular basis. I hope he never gets too "big" or too "cool" to do that...... because I know that it means more to you than we all will ever know. Even though I give you a hard time about it, and tell you that he's old enough to make his OWN egg sandwiches, I think it's sweet that you love to make his breakfast for him, and I know he loves that you spoil him with that.

Even though you're not a "dad" or a "father figure" to them, I love the way that you love Olivia, Gage, and Savannah. And they ALL love you to death. I loved last weekend seeing you up at the lake with a baby girl in each arm, and Gage on your lap. The girls wouldn't leave you alone. I smiled inside when I heard my uncle say to a family friend, "Those kids just LOVE Dan. All of them. They think he's the greatest thing ever.....they can't get enough of them. And he loves them, too!"

There are two men who get the "BEST DAD IN THE ENTIRE WORLD" award. You are one of them. I hope you don't mind sharing the award with my Daddy. If there was a "HUSBANDS DAY", I would certainly give you that award, too..... :) I love and admire you, Dan. Happy Father's Day. You're simply the best.

Love Always,

Sarah

To all readers wondering why I didn't mention my OWN father: I wrote him a note in his card..... he doesn't read this blog....so I saved myself all the typing. :) Ha!

Plane Ride......

Trevor has a keen interest in flying. Always has. When he was much younger, he lived in Florida with his mom, and Dan flew him back to Indiana one or two times per month, and he was flying alone when he was very small. (Seriously. Like 4 years old.)

A good friend of ours is a pilot, and has a plane himself......and offered to take Trevor up for a ride sometime. He picked him up last week and took him around. They flew over Benton County to see the windmills......

Trevor couldn't wait for Dan and I to get home from work so he could tell us all about the ride, what happened (yes, we got a play-by-play) and everything that he saw. He even got to fly the plane a little by himself! It was great......

Derek took some pictures, and sent them to us. Here are just a few:

Is it just me or does this kid look like his Dad?

In the photos, the windmills don't really look all that large....but when you compare them to the things on the ground, (ie: houses, trucks, cars, etc.) they're enormous! Pretty impressive.....

Trevor and Dr. Sharvelle. Thank you, Derek, for taking him. He'll remember it forever, and had a great time!

More windmills.....

We're back..... :-)

Well, it's been a while again......we're finally getting settled into the new house, and trying to get everything in place, unpacked, and smoothed out......I've got some catching up to do, huh? :)

Things are starting to slow down a little bit.....in the last couple of weeks, Dan has worked a tremendous amount of hours.... a lot of them unexpectedly, due to another doctor getting injured at work and being unable to work. BUT, that week is over, and we had a great 4th of July! (More about that later!)

Things at the house are coming along nicely. Don't look in the garage (although, Dan indicates that he's going to have the garage cleaned up today!) because there is boxes everywhere, and quite a bit of stuff that we need to put up in the attic....but, other than that, everything in the house has been unpacked, and semi-organized. We did bite the bullet and buy a new plasma tv, which is hung up on the wall, and a good friend of ours, Matt, came over and hid the wires behind the wall for us, to please my obsessive compulsive neatness disorder. :)

Anyway, I have lots of pictures to share, and a lot to write, so look out for more to come.....but, I wanted to share this photo of Trevor. He's in love with our new jacuzzi tub...... I think he'll be visiting more often, even if he does have to mow. :) He loves it. Dad and Mom, however, do NOT love the mess that the bubbles make all over the floor. :)

Up, up and away!!

My Nannaw, who many of you know is very close to my heart, is 94 years old. Her entire life, she has dreamed of going on a hot air balloon ride. She has always said that she wanted to do this before she died. While she is in great shape for a 94 year old, she is undoubtedly getting up there in age, so this past weekend, my mom arranged for all of us to take her on a ride. :)

We went down to Indy and rode the hot air balloon, which went up to 400 feet! It was sooooo neat, and she loved every minute of it. She is STILL talking about it, a week later! While I enjoyed it, the best part of it, for me, was seeing how happy she was, and how much SHE loved it. :) It's a memory that I will always have of her, and I couldn't be happier that we got to share that moment with her before she isn't around anymore. Here are some pictures of the day:

Note: Dan hates heights, and is afraid to fly. He did get on the balloon, with much pleading from Trevor. Without sharing the details, let's just say that it's safe to assume that he did NOT enjoy the ride as much as the rest of us. :)

Nannaw and I before the big ride. Isn't she beautiful?

Mom and Dad with all their grandbabies. Trevor, Gage and Olivia. Gage, Grandma Moss, and Elizabeth opted to stay on the ground. The rest of us went.

Our little family, right before boarding the balloon.

The whole group (minus Trevor and I) before getting on board.... (Brent, my brother in law, Nannaw, Mom, Olivia, Dad and Dan.)

Dan and I before we took off. This was when we were still on the ground, and he was still comfortable. :) Ha!

Nannaw, Myself and Brent. I still can't believe that she is 94. I hope I look that great when I am 94 years old!

Olivia also rode the balloon. She is 2. We thought for sure that she was going to get scared when she got up there, but instead, she kept looking down and announcing in amazement that we were "SOOOO HIGH!" She was so brave, and loved every minute of it! :) She's been telling people for a week now that she "rode really high in a big balloon"..... :)

Trevor and I up in the air. He loved the ride! :)

Take some time to do special things with those people that you love. It makes memories that you will never forget. Have a great week, everyone!

Haircut!!!

In case you didn't know, Dan cuts his own hair. I've always been REALLY impressed with it. He stands in front of the mirror, clippers in one hand, and a mirror in the other, and a comb in his mouth, and cuts his hair! It's pretty impressive, really. :) He always does a really good job, and aside from a few goof ups here and there, you wouldn't even know he cuts it himself.

We're always trying to get Trevor to cut his hair. He likes to wear it long.....and well, we just don't really like it. Although, we have never MADE him cut it. While he was here for Spring Break, he actually ASKED Dan if he would cut his hair. Now, for any of you who know Trevor, you would know that he has the THICKEST hair you can imagine. It took FOREVER! Seriously, I would bet that it took about an hour to cut it all and get it short. :) But he has short hair, he likes it, and it looks great. Although, now, we have dull clippers, but that's okay. Price you pay, I guess. Here's some pictures:

Yes, Dan is in his bathrobe, and yes, that is the vacuum behind him.

Work in progress. (See? Doesn't Dan's hair look good?)

The mess. :)

Definitely a couple of camera hams.....

There is never a dull moment where these two are concerned..... :) They're definitely a couple of camera hams. :) And I have to admit, they're pretty CUTE camera hams! I'll keep 'em!

P.S. Notice Trev's new haircut? Compliments of his dad. :) I have some pictures of that, too....am a little behind on the downloading. Pretty funny stuff!!

Trevor is driving!!!

Trevor turned 14 on January 12. He's been dying to learn to drive. It's a tad bit early, I know, but I do remember my Grandpa Hinkle (mom's dad) letting my sister and I drive his old grey Pontiac 6000 around the country roads by their house when we were much younger than 14. (Well, maybe not "much" younger.....like 12, perhaps!)

Anyway, a while back, it was just the two of us in the car, and we were going to Wade and Deborah's house from my parents, which is all country roads. I took a leap of faith and allowed Trevor to drive my car (it was when I still had the Orange Grand Prix). He was a pretty good driver. Granted, we didn't come to any cars in the road that he would have to pass, but he still did fine. He was really nervous, and often had a terrified look on his face. (I'm not sure what on earth MY face looked like.) But we made it, and there were no damages to the car, and no bodily harm to either of us. He's been begging to drive ever since. Dan keeps telling him "no". I think reality set in with Dan that I was now the "Cool parent" (step-parent) who lets him "DRIVE", when his Dad wouldn't. Ha!

So, Dan took him out today and let him drive the Jeep around the country. This is the photo that I got..... :) I wish I had a picture of Dan's face! :) Ha! Watch out, Cass County. He'll be on the road with a permit in less than a year, and with a LICENSE in less than TWO!! WOAH!

Fore!

Dan and Rick took the boys (Trevor and Eddie) golfing this past weekend at Deer Track Golf Course in Frankfort. I think that they had a great time, but the golf game was a little slower than what they had anticipated.......six hours!!! :) The weather was beautiful, and they did indeed have fun! I'm looking forward to getting out on the course sometime soon!

Growing Up.....

Trevor went to his first school dance a week or two ago. He and his friends wore pink. I never thought I would see the day that this kid was willingly wearing pink. :-)

Welcome, Freeney!

We did Christmas here at our house with Trevor the day after Christmas. Of course, he was super excited to open all of his presents.... Clothes, MP3 player, motorized scooter, pull up bar, more clothes, a stocking full of stuff, he didn't do too bad. Dan and I exchanged gifts (a navigation system for him, and a Wii Fit for me), too.

After all the presents were opened, Dan announced that there was one more present.....then I heard him. Freeney. A kitten. Meowing from the small bathroom. :) I had mentioned a few times that I might like to have a kitten, so Dan started the search to get one for me. And that's how we ended up with Freeney. And I must admit, as I sit here and type this right now on the couch, with the laptop on the coffee table, he is cuddled up in my lap, purring away. He's definitely a mommy's boy. Here's some pictures, definitely the first of many more to come, I'm sure......

Morning after Christmas.....

He didn't have a name yet at this point.

Sittin' up on Dad's lap.

And on his back under the coffee table, trying to bite Dad's shoe.

With Dan at the clinic...... This was the day after he got declawed. He was crying and hurting so bad, we kept him sedated, because I couldn't stand it. It made me want to cry. So, he went to work with Dan a could of nights so he could watch him. His little hands were all bandaged up, and we called them his "boxing gloves". He kinda' skiied around with them. It was pretty funny.

Sitting on the couch at Dan's work with his boxing gloves on. Look at that sad face.... :-(

And perhaps, just perhaps, he enjoys Coors Light. :)

And enjoys playing in boxes, too.

Note: Our house is not a disaster. Dan was throwing newspapers at him in the previous two photos,......we're really not slobs. :)

Colts vs. Texans

As part of the package of tickets that we bought to Colts games, we had tickets to the Colts vs. Texans game last weekend at Lucas Oil. Dan took Trevor, and Rick went with Eddie. It was a good thing for the 4 of them to do together, as a "Dad/Son, Uncle/Cousin" thing.......They had a really good time, although the seats weren't nearly as good as they were for the Bears game! :) The game ended up in the Colts favor, thankfully.......

Dan and Trevor

Rick gets a little overexcited about the games. He definitely amused those that they were with. :-) They all enjoyed his passion for being a "fan", and his enjoyment of beer.

See, he can even do "the wave" and drink a beer at the SAME TIME! Wow!

Rick and Eddie

The future Mr. and Mrs. Baker. Just a few more days, guys! :)

Boiler Up!!

Or whatever that means..... (If anyone actually knows what "Boiler Up" means, I'd be interested in knowing. Is that like "Fire Up?" or something???....)

Purdue played Central Michigan this past weekend. I was able to get some good tickets from work, and Dan took Trevor with him. (I was still recovering from the 5K the night before. Well, maybe not the race, but the activities AFTER the race.)

It ended up being a great game, that came down to the last minute or so....Trevor said that he brings Purdue luck, because every time he's been to a game, they have won. :) They both had a good time!

At the game. Doesn't he look JUST like Dan?

TOUCHDOWN!!!

Olivia and Mommy tailgating. She was exhausted. Elizabeth was tailgating, even though she is due to have a baby any second. Maybe throwing a few cornhole bags around would provoke that little guy to come on out here! :)

Before the game......

Fall Update

Thought that I would send another update, downloaded some more pictures to share….
Can’t believe that we are nearing the end of the summer. BUT, fall time is here, and that’s definitely our favorite season. Fall weather, and most importantly, FOOTBALL……

I spent some time traveling recently, but think I’m finally done for a few more weeks. I was in Williamsburg, VA for a week, and then turned around and went to San Diego for a week. The weather in San Diego was beautiful, but unfortunately, I was so busy the entire time that I was there that I didn’t even leave the hotel but once, just to walk to a Starbucks for a coffee and a mug for my dear cute friend, Chanin. :) Definitely would like to visit again sometime when I can actually do some sightseeing.

However, the second night of my conference, another vendor sponsored a party with the American Idol Rejects. Remember them? She bangs! She bangs! (William Hung…..who looks like William Hung OVER in this picture) and some other guy named Renaldo something or another. These guys are known for their horrendous singing. They came to this party and sang. (The name of the party was “I HUNG with Trace Security”….very clever.) And yes, it really is that bad in person. It was pretty much a train wreck, that you couldn’t quit watching. Anyways, they took their picture with me. (That hat does not belong to me. It belongs to Renaldo.)

Most of you probably know that there are two little girls who smear a smile all over my face. My niece, Olivia, and my goddaughter, Savannah. Savannah just had her first birthday. It’s hard to believe that she’s already ONE! She’s growing so fast, talking, and walking all over the place. She’s an unbelievably beautiful and sweet baby. She had her party a couple of weeks ago. Although she wasn’t really sure about the cake at first, she definitely had icing everywhere. (Including in her ear!) Dan bought her a sock monkey for her “special” present from him. The thing was ugly as hell, but she seemed to like it. (Here she is with it below!)

I can’t recall the last time that I sent an “update” but things with Olivia haven’t changed much, I’m sure. She still loves Uncle DAAAAANNNNN the best, and tends to like him above everyone (cept’ her Mom, of course!) the majority of the time. Although, she does still remembers my name (“Titi”), and Dan assures me that this is just a phase for her. She’s getting ready to have a new baby brother sometime REALLY soon. Although her mom is about to pop any second, Elizabeth is still gallivanting around town, working, and was even reportedly spotted TAILGATING this past weekend…..although that’s not really that odd, as Elizabeth, (who purely LIVES for shopping the day after Thanksgiving) sped around the mall on Black Friday, only to go into labor with Olivia later that night. BUT, she got her shoppin’ done! :) We’re not sure exactly how Olivia’s going to do with all of this, as she’s pretty used to being the one to rule the house the majority of the time. I do think she’s excited about the baby, though. She knows EXACTLY where Baby Gage is at, and if you ask her, will promptly run to Elizabeth and pull her shirt up…..to expose her belly. And the kid is still rotten. If you ask her, she’ll proudly announce: “I’M NOT ROTTEN!” Ha! Does she LOOK like she’s not rotten….??

Trevor is back in school, and doing great! He had a fun time this summer at the lake. He finally got his dad on the tube with him this past weekend. They flipped the tube and ended up crashing into the lake at a high rate of speed, but he thought it was awesome, and couldn’t wait to get back on there! :)
He’s started football. He had a game last week against Pioneer. Although his team didn’t win, he had a great game. He had 1 sack, 5 tackles, 1 interception, and a fumble recovery. He’s doing so well, that the coaches have asked him to start practicing with the Varsity team on Wednesdays. He’s the only one from his team who got this privilege. He was nervous, as an 8th grader, practicing with seniors, but it seems to be going o.k. We’re really proud of him. (That’s him #52 in the pictures below.)

We went on a canoeing trip with our friend Chanin for her birthday. Drove down to Turkey Run and canoed down Sugar Creek. Of course, Dan and I didn’t follow directions very well. The guide told us after crossing under the suspension bridge, to stay to the LEFT, because there was a tree sticking out into the water that would suck you in and upset your canoe. Pretty simple instructions, right? Well…..if you can believe this, I was talking….. (No way!) and not paying attention. Yeah. We ended up in the tree. And before I knew it, we were also in the water. My shoes were floating downstream, we were soaked, our canoe was full of water, and the biggest bummer of all, our camera was gone. It’s probably somewhere in Kentucky right now. We weren’t so upset about the camera itself, but the great pictures from the day that were on there. Dan did manage, however, to save the most important item from the canoe. Our camouflage cooler of beer. :) I stole this picture from Chanin (thank you!), it’s one of the few pictures that we have from the day. :( We did have a great time, though!

Hope this finds everyone well……and enjoying the end of summer and beginning of fall. We’re looking forward to some tailgating time rooting on the Boilermakers, the birth of Baby Gage, Monday Night Football, some quality time catching up at family reunions coming soon, and a weekend trip to a SURPRISE destination (Well, it’s a surprise to Dan. I know where we’re going.). Fall is here, and we couldn’t be more excited!!