THANKS - RECEIVING?















I came home and thought "whoa - who's house is this?"















Same response. You should have seen the desserts that were on this table - I tried to get a picture but they were gone!















Sweetie pie Drewby wants more Pumpkin pie.....















Princess Belle and her cousin drink punch and wait for their scraps to eat.....















Gabe is so excited to sit next to Jordyn....















Sonya and Brian are happy.....the boys on the other hand are a little camera shy















Okay - the dinner is done and the cards are flying. Ringers, Nolan & Adam cleaned out the field and have now quit school to be professional poker players.

Noelle, our moms and P-square (Dad) did an awesome job decorating and preparing the meal for today. I did clean up though :)

Today I am thankful for my family. I'm thankful for my parents, my wife, my children, my brothers and sisters, my uncles and aunts, nieces and nephews, cousins, other extended family, and friends. Most of all I am grateful to God for His grace. We have so much and deserve so little.



POKER STAR or DONKEY? YOU DECIDE!!















Mark checks his hole cards and is thinking about how he can steal the blinds.....




















Reaching for chips - Mark decides he is going to bluff his opponent out of the pot....




















Down to the felt, Mark pushes in with his wired pair only to find that his opponent (who is on a double-belly buster straight draw) hits on the river and sends him to the rail to sing the blues......

It is so funny that my rocker brother has a new found interest in poker. It was only a couple of years ago that he was making fun of us that played so frequently - now he has joined the "fun"....

THE RETURN OF THE ROCK STAR UNCLE















Gabe shows Uncle Mark his new online pets....















Sports fan and rocker - they must be brothers.....















Kara thinks....Is this guy really going to stay with us?
Gabe thinks....Is this guy really going to stay with us?
See they really are saying the same thing....





















Now this is a great picture!

Uncle Mark came into town to share the Thanksgiving holiday with his family from Michigan. We are glad that the engines on the plane decided to start working again before crashing into the city....(ugh - scary story)

I mentioned to Mark that while he's not home it seems like forever, but when he is here it is like he never left. We miss you bro and look forward to your next visit. We are thankful that we were able to see you - even if it was for less than 48 hours.

THE PRINCESS and THE PLAYER















Gabe as Mike Hart (Michigan Running Back) and Kara DD as Belle (Disney Princess) star in the feature presentation - The Princess and the Player




















"Yes - I just got three snickers and a kit-kat"















Left to right: Kate "who is that weird guy taking our picture?" Gabe: "Man! that flash always makes me blink!" Colin: "Whoa - three snickers and a kit-kat?" Kara: "Can you hurry up already - Colin's making a play for my candy"

Halloween night was a smashing success. The kids brought home a ton of candy that somehow disappeared two days later (Noelle you are the ONLY suspect!) We did save on some dental bills (we hope) and had a great time trick-or-treating with our incredible neighbors.

Halloween Warm Up




















Gabe & I split for the Michigan game while Kara prepares to go get candy















Come on - just one more piece of candy, my mom will never know.....















Princess DD waves to the crowd

Gabe and I went to the Michigan v. Minnesota game at the Big House while Noelle took Kara to hang with Jenny & Alex at the Huckleberry Railroad Halloween thingy. We were all just warming up for the big day....

Garrett the GREAT!




















Garrett poses with his pop and proudly displays the game ball that was presented to him by the coach after the game.















Barry Bonds? Heck No! - No "juice" necessary for this guy




















Gabe and Garrett pose for a post game picture (I like the coats - "go blue")


I think the pitcher knew what he was doing on this pitch....

When Brian called me to invite us to Garrett's double-header baseball game, Gabe and I couldn't get in the car fast enough. It is hard to believe how fast these kids are growing up! Garrett was the all-star in both games. As the night rolled in, Gabe and I left the park, but the best had yet to come at that point. From all accounts, Garrett made a game saving / spectacular (curtis granderson-like) catch in center field while bases were loaded with 2 outs. That boy is good!

We were honored to be invited to Garrett's games and look forward to the spring when the season starts again. We got a glimpse of what is to come for this rising star. I just hope we can get his autograph before it costs us too much.... :-)

HEAT WAVE - OCTOBER STYLE.....















Slip-n-Slide in October? What the.....???


Gabe performs the "run, jump and slide..." I think he missed the "roll" after sliding...

Yes - I know that I'm way behind in my blogging responsibilities, but - I have good excuses ;-)
Being on the road more these days doesn't give me as many opportunities to blog. My "backlog" is growing and I need to get back up to speed....

The kids got a chance to bust out the slip-n-slide again because it was 91 degrees (in the shade) on OCTOBER 7th!!!! We were inside the house with the air on when Gabe suggested this idea. It turned out to be a great idea and the kids added to their fall tans.