Trek 100

Fat Man on a Little Bike (training for my 100 miler)

Me and my good friends, Steve and Taylor before Trek 2008's ride

Every year the first weekend in June, myself and some good friends do a 100 mile bike ride, called the Trek 100. The purpose of this ride is for raising money and awareness for childhood cancer. "Today, up to 80% of children with cancer can be cured. But cancer still remains the leading disease-related cause of death in children. Help us continue the battle against childhood cancer and related blood disorders during the 20th Anniversary Trek 100 Ride for Hope!" Click here for some childhood cancer facts. I can't imagine one of my boys having cancer or anyone of my loved ones...help me as I raise money for the cause. Please make a donation at my site...click here. My corporation will match up to 300 dollars of your donations.-Ben Hale

Lance Armstong

"We're not in Kansas Anymore Toto"

Me and the boys made it back home safely...."There's no place like home!" We really had a great time. Valerie is one of those friends that you just pick up where you left off. We spent most of our time in the kitchen....between my boys eating her out of house and home, trying our hardest to keep the kitchen clean with five little ones, and learning new recipes...the whole while talking and laughing about old times, our kids, struggles, and ideas...it was fun! Valerie is one of those friends that makes me want to be a better person...you can't have too many friends like that...thank you! Here are a few pictures of our week:

One of the first places they took us was a this little farm called, Deanna Rose. The boys loved it, they had playgrounds, farm animals, and little tractors the boys good ride.

It was so cute watching how well my little ones responded to some older friends. Max adored Jackson and he was so great to let Max be his shadow.


Another afternoon we took the kids to this rec. center that had open gym time. It was basically a gymnastics gym and they just let the kids have at it. What a great place to get some energy out!

I guess our gymnastics we've been taking this year has paid off...Max hopped right on the beam and handled it like a pro.

I loved Valerie's backyard...it's fenced in...need I say more. They kids had a blast playing in her yard. They even got to watch as Jackson and his Dad shot off a bottle rocket...pretty cool!

I was so excited to learn a few new recipes...like freezer jam! I've already been making several batches since I've been home the last two days to give to friends and neighbors...it's some good stuff!

Last, but certainly not least was getting a pedicure. Valerie's husband was so great to watch all or our children while we stepped out for a bit to be pampered and carry on a conversation without interruptions...thank Jeff...and thanks for sharing your family with me!

Visiting Friends and Family

I'm comin' to you live from Kansas City! One of the many reasons I love visiting with family and friends is so I can pick their brains. I love to see what other mothers are doing with their children and what their different relationships are like. I learn what works for them and what they love about where they live. I feel so refreshed and come away with all sorts of great ideas and projects I want to do for me and my family. I love for my children to make new friends and have a little change of pace.
On this particular trip I'm visiting with a dear friend, who has three children, 7yrs., 4yrs., 14mos. We are having the best time here with their family. Maxton loves playing with her oldest, he has learned so much about dinosaurs and light sabers. Seth is so great, he always rolls with whatever crowd he's with...a very easy going child.
So (apparently that's how Kansas folk start all their sentences...with the word "so") here is one of the little ideas I've learned from my friend. It's called...COOPERATIVE BABYSITTING! If you click here, it is explained nicely. After reading, comment if you would be interested in starting this up when I get home. I think it would be a great idea!

Rockaby Baby

Back in March, I was out with my mom one night and left Ben home with our kids. When we got home, Ben was upstairs checking on the sleeping boys, I run upstairs to help since it's so cute to see little ones asleep...it's one of the best times of my day. We checked in on Max and he was snuggled up nicely and then we opened Seth door to find an empty crib...WHAT!?!?

As we searched the dark room for our baby, we found him here:
For the next three nights he continued with this process of being put in his crib by one us and then after a few minutes climbing out of his crib and rocking himself to sleep. After that he stopped climbing out of his crib, almost like it was just a phase and forgot how to do this little trick. About two weeks ago it started up again, and I don't think he will ever stop. He never cries, and he doesn't bang at his door, he just snuggles up and rocks to sleep. I've rocked both of my boys while they were little, sometimes to sleep and sometimes until they were just relaxed...so that's probably why he finds comfort in our well used glider. It's so fun to check on him after he's fallen to sleep because he's always in a different position. After I take his picture, I gently pick up my big baby and put him in his crib.

Somethin' for the little man

I got to feeling a bit bad that little Seth got left home from the game while Daddy and Max had fun and got their very own post, plus I found some more pictures of Easter so here is a little tribute to our little man.

But we'll start out with a token picture of the big boy and his daddy.  This is Maxton and Ben at the neighborhood Easter Egg hunt.  It was pretty cold so we left early but not before Max soaked himself in a puddle and had to grab spare pants and boots from a neighbor. 

And here's the boy of honor.  About the cutest little egg hunter you've ever seen, right?  And I must say I'm not looking to shabby either.  Those pink pants are smashing.  And if you want the name of my hair stylist I'm happy to share.  Call me.

We went to another egg hunt at a friends and once Seth got hold of an egg it was all I could do to get him to put it in his bag and hunt for more without stopping to eat the goodies out of each one.

But he found enough to keep him happy and looked pretty dashing doing it.  I tell ya, I've got to have the best looking boys around.  I mean, the blond hair, eyes like the sea after a storm, you can't beat it.  They're like little cherubs.

Alright, I have to fess up:  This isn't Tara typing (although I do think Seth's pretty cute).  This is her friend.  Tara was over at my house today using the computer and tonight when I came to blog I found myself logged in as her . . . the possibilities abound--but I settled on just giving her a late April Fools and owed her these pictures anyway.  Enjoy Tara, and I won't steal your blog again.

To the rest of you:  I leave you with a last trilogy of Seth--don't get in the way of this boy and his chocolate, hoards it like a chipmunk!

Opening Day

Last Friday was Opening Day for our Cleveland Indians...Go Tribe! Ben was able to buy two tickets and we thought it would be fun for him and Maxton to go together. I packed a little bag for the boys that contained their Indians blanket (yes, it is still pretty cold here), his glove, and camera. I met Ben at his office and off the two of them went...poor little Seth was stuck with me.

The most amazing thing happened...they caught a foul ball! Well, Ben's shoulder caught the ball and it bounced off his shoulder and the usher picked it up and gave it to Max. It was so cute to hear Max tell his version of the story...he was excited! Here's to a great baseball season and warmer weather!

Easter Eggs

I'm so excited to report a few things:

1-Easter was in April this year (meaning that our chances for better weather are greater...we've still had snow this month, but not a blizzard)

2-There was no snow on the ground for our hunt

3-This was the first year Max and Seth hunted eggs outside

4-Both of my boys are old enough to hold their own basket and get into the fun

5-There's a ton of chocolate floating around

I hope everyone has a Happy Easter with their family and friends. Here's a few pictures of our attempt at dying eggs with a 1 and 3 year old.