Rangers and the ladybug

No, not the title of some odd children's book, these were the themes for this year's Halloween. Yup, before I get 2 full holidays behind, I figured it was time to share a few more pics from October. :-)

Owen and Patrick, having discovered Power Rangers over the summer, were thrilled with their full body Power Ranger costumes. We've seen so many kicks, karate moves, tumbles, and other stunt moves in the past 3 months you'd think we were living in action movies. But they love it, and haven't broken anything (or anyone) yet!


Kate, on the otherhand, was quite content to to be something a little less action packed. So what better for my little lady, than a little ladybug costume. She was, of course, adorable but she wasn't quite sure what to make of all the weirdos running around her neighborhood in costumes.


After a night of chasing everyone around the neighborhood (and a few of my parents neighbors too), I was glad to be done. The boys on the other hand were ready to plow through some sugar, and Kate was just enjoying all the attention. Check out some of the neighborhood gang, and a few more pics of the "loot patrol" on picasa.

From Halloween 2007

Fun on the farm

Catching up on some pictures. The day after the bonfire I shared previously, we headed out to a farm market with a whole lot more. A hay bale maze, a barrell train, miniature horses, and lots more kept everyone entertained.

First up was the hay bale maze. The boys were determined to find a corn or hay maze, so we were happy to find one that was just their size. Well, ok, as you can see from this shot of Patrick, it was actually a little bigger than them!


A zip line in the hay maze was a major highlight. Patrick, Owen, and even Jakey took turns whizzing down the line. Grandpa Mike and Aunt Brianne were the grounds crew helping the boys get going.



Even the little angel had a great time, as she got to check out all the fun. A big highlight for her was getting to sit in the "corn pit" playground filled with --- wait for it --- corn! Picking it up and running it through her fingers, and even standing in it up to her knees as you see here was quite the experience.


More pics on Picasa, including all the boys on the zip line, Aunt Debbie, Beth and Kate hanging out, and a teaser of this picture of grandma and her angel baby.

From Fun on the Farm

Say "Uncle!"

Its baby time again. I'm twice the Uncle I was 2 days ago (there's a nice softball for you wise-acres out there). Yup, my brother Mike and his wife Betty Ann are the proud parents of a handsome baby boy, Aidan Michael. (He even has a name now!!!)

Born 10:45am this past Saturday, he weighs in at 6lbs 15ozs, and was 20 and 1/2 inches long.

First a picture of two very proud, but VERY tired parents.


Aidan gets uncovered for the obligatory photo session with Uncle Andy.


Aidan's grandparents are decidedly pleased with their newest addition to the families.



Head on over to the album on Picasa for more pictures of the little guy and oodles of family there to see the little guy. His Uncle Andy even managed to work his way into holding the baby and getting a nice photo too!

From NewBaby

Bonfire in Lexington.....catchin up on pics.

Back in October (I know, nice and timely Drew), we had a chance to head up to visit the in-laws. While we were there, we headed over to some friends of Grandma Linda's for some playtime in the leaves and a big bonfire.

Naturally, the boys (cousin Jake included) loved playing in the leaves.


However, with a bonfire this big, they were duly impressed. Needless to say, marshmallows and s'mores were in order later in the evening. It took a very big stick and daddy's long arms, but there were going to be roasted marshmallows by golly.



And when you're hanging all day with the guys, its fun to have a silly faces pose for the camera....


As per usual, several more pictures here on Picasa, with some nice action shots of the boys in the leaves.

Patrick's first tooth came out!

I came upstairs to make sure the boys were getting dressed this morning, but I found Patrick in the bathroom admiring his tooth that was barely hanging by a thread. I brought him a paper towel so he could get a better grip, and on the very first pull.....SUCCESS!!!!

Here's one very pleased-with-himself little guy, along with his tooth, and a brand new gap on the bottom.


It was quickly secured in his tooth pillow, where it will await a visit from the tooth fairy.


Owen was extremely impressed with the tooth, and Patrick even let him have a shot at holding it.


There are a couple of additional pictures on Picasa, including a close up of the newly released tooth. Yay for Patrick!

Pumpkin patch visit in October

I'm a little behind on updates, but I'll try to catch up quick. First off, we took a trip to the local pumpkin patch along with some friends in mid-october. We decided to go on a Sunday afternoon and watch the Bengals game on DVR. That turned out to be a really good choice, and continues to be the case as the Bungles appear to be returning to old form. Can't win em all, but I'd like to at least see em win a few. :-)

Anyway, on to the cute kids (I know I know, that's what you're really here for....).

The place had everything from wooden playsets that looked like castles or trains, to a haunted house, to a hayride through the forest. Patrick even took a quick break to make sure that Kate got a chance to get out of her stroller...


Later, Owen led the way through the tunnels on one of the playsets, with Patrick close behind.....


Can't have a pumpkin patch without pumpkins of course....say cheese!


Kate had fun, but was not to sure about having the silly pumpkin hat on her head.


As usual, lot's more pictures to see here, or check out the slide show:

Cereal time for Kate

A couple of weeks ago, Kate got her first taste of cereal. She wasn't real sure what to make of it at first.....



But after a while she's starting to get the hang of it, and she's even had a chance to try some other stuff (squash.....*shudder*) and is really starting to enjoy it.

Of course, her big brother's think this is cool, and being the helpful little angels that they are, they want to get in on the action as well. So Patrick took his turn feeding Kate, and yes, he determined that it was necessary to use his other hand to provide some 'guidance and support'. (No babies were harmed during filming. :) )



Of course, anything worth eating is also worth wearing all over your chin.


Owen lends his services to feeding time as well.


Gotta keep it soft mushy cereal for now, but I'm sure she'll be knocking back grapes and bologna just like her brothers in what will seem like no time. But what fun along the way!

Kate's 1st professional photo shoot

So last week SWMBO tells me that she is taking Kate to a new photo place at the mall. "You can do 5 outfit changes, and they take 60-odd different poses, and then you can pick one and get a full package of photos for just $10."

Rrrriiiiggghhhhhtttt.....

But we were in need of some good four month old photos of our little angel, so how could I possibly say anything other than "sounds like a great idea." Needless to say the resulting photos were awesome, and needless to say it didn't cost us $10. But all things considered it could have been much much worse. :-) I got an email shortly after the shoot with a link to the pictures that Beth had uploaded. I'll include Beth's captions here in bold. Her captions have this photo shoot nailed.... (Follow any of the links to see more photos and captions on Picasa.)

After all, I can hear Kate saying "I know I am cute."


"I can fly" is definitely the way to go with this little angel...


"Look out I am TROUBLE" I have nothing further....


"SWEET BABY" Yep, no doubt about it.


And so that brings an end to what I shall refer to as the "Look! We can get daddy to give us anything we want" photo series. How can I possibly resist....

Who Dey!!! (ok, besides freakin Cleveland....)

OK, let me start this by saying that this posting should have been done a week ago for the Monday Night home opener against Baltimore. A game where the Bengals came out fighting and managed to claw out the big W against a division rival. That made these pictures of the kids even cuter. And then there was this weekend against the Browns. A game my father-in-law went to and sat in the Dawg Pound. A game I quit watching as it became apparent that our defense was on the team bus sitting outside Paul Brown Stadium wondering why nobody was in Cincinnati for the game. But phooey on them. I'm not letting them spoil my fun. Check out how cute these kids are. Surely the Bengals can pull together the rest of the season and make it all worthwhile. hmmm....

So that aside, here's the boys showing off their Palmer jerseys and the cutest little cheerleader you've ever seen.



Owen's happy holding his sis, but perhaps Patrick and Kate had a premonition about the Cleveland game?


At least I know I'll be able to smile for the rest of the games with these two handsome football fans, and a cheerleader that's as cute as a button.

From 2007 Who Dey ...

Click the picture above to see a few more pictures of Palmer's and the Ben-'Gal'. Its off to Seattle with the Bengals to restore the roar. Then back to Cincy for a Monday night showdown with the Patsies and their video cameras. WHO DEY!

Our Kindergartener heads off to school...

Its hard to believe that this little guy (taken a month after he was born)...


...is now 5, and on August 30th headed out for his first day of Kindergarten. Patrick was all set bright and early, and very excited about heading off to ride the bus to school.


Once the time came, he was out the door and on the move to get to the bus stop.


Looking awfully handsome in his new school outfit and backpack, and excited about the new adventure....


And after a short wait for the bus, off Patrick goes to start another chapter.


Mom and Dad both held it together and resisted the temptation to follow the bus through neighborhood and all the way to school....although I was somewhat relieved that I passed it on my way to work as it was leaving his school so I knew he had made it off the bus. So far, he seems to be enjoying school, loves riding the bus, and is even enjoying (more or less) doing his homework. They sure grow up quick.....

More pics on Picasa.

Vacation Part Deux

After a great week in North Carolina with Beth's family, we decided to break up our trip home with a stopover in Virginia to see Uncle Mike and Aunt Betty Ann and their new house. As Mike said in his blog the boys did some on-the-fly childproofing to help Mike and Betty Ann prepare for their lil' bambino. Kate even helped by testing out the exersaucer and stroller.

In addition to all that fun, the boys got to play on the swingset in the backyard and wander through the "forest" behind Mike's house. As they were playing, there were 3 deer that came wandering through the backyard to check out a salt lick the neighbor put out. The boys got to do some up close and personal nature watching....



We also took the whole gang out to play mini golf at the "Perils of the Lost Jungle", which it turns out is rated one of the top 5 mini golf courses in the nation by Newsweek or something like that. From the price, they obviously thought pretty highly of themselves, but I have to admit, it was a pretty impressive course. Here's both Linegang clans getting ready (all 7 1/2 of us!) to start our 'expedition'.


Kate was along for the ride giving Mike and Betty Ann's stroller a test run.


The course was filled with animatronics, so every hole had monkeys or alligators or other 'perils' waiting around every corner. Our favorite sign though was on the 18th hole. Hard to know whether the bigger danger for "volcanic activity" comes from Owen....


Or Kate, who by this point was a very cranky baby seester...


Anyway, a great end to our vacation. We really enjoyed hanging out at Mike and Betty Ann's. And Mike, from a childproofing perspective, the combination of bubble wrap, packing foam / peanuts, and the grabber toys.....probably not a good long term idea. :-) Cheers!!!

Oh, and as usual, more pictures on my Picasa gallery.

Family vacation in North Carolina

We had a fantastic time in mid-August with a week long vacation in Rodanthe, North Carolina on the Outer Banks. In a sight that would be common through the week, we started out with a beautiful day, and the boys following Aunt Debbie out to the beach to enjoy the scenery.


The condo we had was great, right on the beach, and with a nice pool. Baby Kate even got to enjoy her first swim. We tried heading out to the beach with her later in the week, but the wind and blowing sand was a bit much for her. She was content to be the center of attention in the house and on the decks most of the week.


Uncle Greg and I managed to have a little fun, much to the chagrin of others, tossing our empties into the pool. They were retrieved though, and a couple were left out by accident. Later on Owen noticed that the local insect population had discovered the empties, prompting the line: "Is this why they call it 'bug' weiser?" Yup....that's my boy....


Lot's of fun throughout the week. We had a mini-golf trip at the request of the boys. Yeah, 3 kids under the age of 6 in the blazing sun in the middle of the afternoon....sounds fun, eh? A boat ride, kite flying, some surf fishing, and lots of relaxation. A few of us even managed to sneak in a fishing trip, catching a fresh fish dinner for the whole gang.



We had an awesome time. Click on the link or the picture below to check out the whole album with lots more pictures.

From Vacation at t...

'Boys' day out at the Dayton Air Show

Last Saturday, we ventured out on a rather cloudy Saturday to see the Dayton Air Show. Patrick, Owen, Grandpa Dave, Grandpa Tom, Uncle Greg, and I all loaded up the car and headed out early to get a good seat and have plenty of time to check out the displays.

I'm sure many of you saw the news about the unfortunate end to Saturday's show, which happened directly in front of us and our thoughts and prayers went out to all involved.

However, we still had a wonderful time at the show. The clouds helped make things a little more tolerable to wander around and check out all the airplanes. The boys had a blast. They got to check out everything: old planes like the Wright-B Flyer and Memphis Belle, massive cargo planes, military planes, and helicopters. In the air, they particularly enjoyed the smoke trails from groups like the Brazillian Smoke Squadron. We set their chairs up on their wagon to give them their own little grandstrand to watch the show. The Stealth Bomber and Stealth Fighter were very cool to see in the air, as was the heritage flight with planes from 3 different eras.

Here are the pictures, and be sure to hang for the last 2 pics of two very happy aviation enthusiasts. :-) Click on the title above or the slide show while its playing to see larger versions of the pics and browse through on your own time.

Fond memories of Stephen and Janice through the eyes of children

11 weeks ago, my cousin Janice passed away after 29 years living with CF. This past weekend, my cousin Stephen, her brother, also passed away after 26 years living with CF. This has been tough for their family, and for my entire extended family, and many friends and others that Janice and Stephen encountered in their life. The one thing that has been emphasized about both Janice and Stephen is that they lived. And so, as I looked through a few pictures, I thought I'd share a couple more slices of how they lived, through or in the eyes of my kids.

For starters, our family Christmas gathering, and my boys running wild with pirate gear and a new fisher price camera. The most frequent subject, and ready with a willing smile....Stephen of course. Patrick snapped a couple candids of Stephen minding his business on the family-famous gold chairs.

After some pirate sword play, Cap'n Owen came to rest with Stephen and was once again captured by Patrick's quick eye.

And just because Stephen had changed places, didn't mean Patrick couldn't track down his photogenic subject and click away again.

Always the teacher I suppose, Stephen took the opportunity to show Patrick the art of self portaits on his new camera.


Of course, this also got me thinking of another frequent guest around the boys, especially upon their arrival. In 2002, just a few days after we had come home with Patrick, Janice stopped by after work to check in on the newest member of the clan.

And a few years later, and again a few days after our return home with Owen, Janice brought her Mom in tow this time to check on the latest addition.


A small window into some very special people. Thanks to them for all the memories.

Here, also, is a link I found to the poem titled Child of Mine (To All Parents)