The VS Family

Bro and Sis

2011-11-18T22:15:00.003-06:00

They're buds.
Brother.
Sister.

Family Pics

2011-11-18T22:01:00.003-06:00

Love these pictures. I'm not going to upload them all, because they take forever. But here are some of the family ones.
There are some that are more posed. But let's be honest...that's not really our style.
Seems like we added another kid since the last bridge photo.

Visit from Grandpa Gary and Grandma Kerry

2011-11-18T21:38:00.003-06:00

So what happens when a 4-year-old spends too long unsupervised in a bathroom that also contains "tub crayons"?
Birthday presents from Grandpa and Grandma: cold-weather clothes! You have no idea how exciting this is for the boy who prays for snow.
We love visitors!

Unwrapping Presents

2011-11-18T21:32:00.003-06:00

Yeah, Quinn figured that out pretty quickly. She had her brother to show her.

Birthdays

2011-11-18T21:22:00.003-06:00

Live, from the fireman/dalmation birthday party. Probably the first and last co-birthday-party they stand for.
Before. Isn't she dainty and proper?
After. Doesn't she look like a little like a jr. circus clown?

Cookie Monster

2011-11-18T21:17:00.001-06:00

Tate got to help his mom make ginger snaps.
Yes, I believe that's sugar on the side of his face.

Pumpkin Patch

2011-11-18T21:08:00.003-06:00

After the summer fried our own personal pumpkin patch, I guess it was back to the place where the pumpkins grow in mowed fields with no vines attached. Sigh.
This pumpkin may have weighed more than the one trying to lift it.
Our little cowgirl.

Boomer!

2011-11-18T21:02:00.001-06:00

They do look pretty good in red...

Big Kids...

2011-11-18T20:53:00.003-06:00

So, it's been a few months since we last posted. And these pics are a couple months old.
But holy cow, these kids are big, right?
How do these things happen?

More Hiking

2011-08-05T08:24:00.004-05:00

Brandon and the kiddos, some of Tate's favorite people in the world.
What a good dad.
We had a picnic lunch with a beautiful view of Lake Dillon.
So, my theory is that for every person you add to a photo, the chance of everyone:

a. having their eyes open

b. looking at the camera

c. smiling properly

...Goes down exponentially (if that is such a thing). As far as this photo goes...close enough!

Munks and Fish

2011-08-05T08:16:00.004-05:00

What could hold the attention of two preschoolers at the same time?
Maybe a hundred chipmunks scurrying around.
Family hike by Lake Dillon.
What trip is complete without some games of Go Fish (rules may vary).

S'more Hiking

2011-08-05T08:07:00.004-05:00

Nothing ends a good hike like s'mores on the deck.
3-year-olds aren't exactly the most efficient or proficient hikers.
So, it's best when they hold their dad's (or mom's) hand.
Yes, I wore this, and I'm not ashamed. Okay, maybe a little, but our cute little girl is worth the shame.

COLORADO!!

2011-08-05T07:55:00.005-05:00

What's better than a trip to the beach with the Witt's (2010)? How about a trip to the mountains to escape the furnace that is Oklahoma?
Mountain man.
Quinn of the Rockies.
Here's the view from the deck of the cabin we rented; we are at about 10,600 feet elevation. I get winded just going up a flight of stairs here. Actually, I think I got winded just typing this sentence.
Seems like a great place; we have to go, right?

Sprinkler

2011-07-28T22:11:00.002-05:00

The pool is closed on Monday's and during mild to severe thunderstorms. And yes, this sprinkler picture was taken somewhat during a thunderstorm.
Sharky is very proud of his shark towel, especially when it's wrapped around him like a toga.

Quinnie & Brody

2011-07-28T21:58:00.003-05:00

Kristen's friend Tara and her boy Brody came down from St. Louis last weekend to hang out. Brody is about 3 weeks older than Quinn, although Quinn is a monster compared to him. We had a good time, although I'm sure they regretted coming to Tulsa and our 107 temps.
Quinn & Brody. Totally a package now.
By the way...she crawls. She stands. She claps. She is awesome.

Church Softball!

2011-07-28T21:33:00.004-05:00

This is what 3-year-olds do after they've been at church softball games in 95+ degree temps for a couple hours.
This is us before we got our awesome matching shirts (Cardinals colors). This particular pose is titled "potential energy," which, when it becomes kinetic energy, translates into towering shots that are usually just slightly foul.
This is the profile of greatness.
This is "Quinnie" with her honorary big sis Lanie.

Stepping Stones

2011-05-09T21:57:00.003-05:00

Two lovebirds, cementing their eternal bond in a mosaic of beauty for all perpetuity. Or something.
Tate did the border. Can you tell?
Tate helped with this border, as well. We take the stepping stones out of the molds tomorrow; they turned out pretty well, I think.

Mothers' Day

2011-05-09T21:50:00.002-05:00

We got to spend a little time making stepping stones on Mothers' Day. Tate was a big helper.
And he loves his sis.

Blue. Eyes.

2011-05-09T21:37:00.003-05:00

Quinners loves to be outside.
Did I mention she's beautiful?
And this guy's handsome. Although he would be more handsome had he not eaten red vine licorice in such a manner as to make it appear as though he had a bloody nose. You don't want to know.

The Thrill of the Hunt...

2011-05-09T21:12:00.002-05:00

If egg hunting was an olympic event, our kid would be recruited and enrolled in an elite training facility and groomed for greatness. I'm just saying.

Easter Egg Hunt

2011-05-09T20:56:00.003-05:00

Hydrating with his favorite color drink before the intensity that is the Easter Egg Hunt...
Playing Easter games...
And attempting to flee the terror that is the Easter Bunny.

Cereal

2011-04-13T21:41:00.001-05:00

She's not actually that good at eating it yet. I don't think she's quite ready. She pretty much just spits it back out. But it made a good photo op!

Before and After...

2011-04-13T21:34:00.002-05:00

He's such a good big brother...usually...
This particular instance, he decided to say "CHEEEESE!!!" a little too loud.
And here was the reaction. If it's any consolation, he felt bad.

Spring Pics...

2011-04-13T21:19:00.004-05:00

The tulips are beautiful at Woodward Park. And the kids aren't bad, either.
Tate held his sister for many, many pictures, and she wasn't dropped on her head even one time.
We do good work.

Duluth w/ the Gehrk's!

2011-01-21T22:09:00.005-06:00

Aaron: what a natural.
Man, we miss these guys!
Tate and his (non-fairy) godmother.

Pretty far north, but a fun city.

Sledding!

2011-01-21T21:55:00.004-06:00

What can we say? We felt the need...the need for speed.
The common denominator in every errant sledding run was wearing an orange coat. I'm just saying...
Tate was not a fan, but he took a couple of trips.
Aww, sisters.

We Like Snow!

2011-01-21T21:41:00.002-06:00

This kid never gets cold...never wants to go inside. He may have been born in Oklahoma, but he's got MN and SD in his blood.
Throwing snowballs with Auntie Jill.
Grandpa's house had lots of snow.
Good for jumping...
...and throwing.

Gauffin Family Christmas

2011-01-21T21:17:00.002-06:00

Tate's Christmas presents from his Auntie Jill
Showing "Sister" her presents from Auntie Jill
Another fun gift from Grandma and Grandpa
He was so excited to open his BIG, BIG present-A Playmobile Noah's Ark
Couldn't wait to get into the presents!

We rarely get to be with family on or around Christmas simply because of the nature of Eric's profession! ;) However, this year we decided to make a very concerted effort to get back to Mora because my sister Jill was going to be home!!! We were able to spend a few days with her before she had to go back to Aberdeen. We love you, Auntie Jill!

Our whirlwind tour of SD, ND and MN

2011-01-20T22:22:00.002-06:00

924 12th street-My old college house.....Ah, the memories
Concordia's Bell Tower
Snow and pine trees-doesn't get much better
My alma mater

Christmas Morning! AND Quinn's first Christmas!

2011-01-19T23:15:00.003-06:00

He LOVES these pajamas so much that he still wears them.....and he's already growing out of them!
Love this picture!!!!
Yes, I know it looks like she hates it, but I promise that she was just tired!

There aren't many pictures from Christmas this year....simply because it was INSANE! Eric had two services Christmas Eve night. We had Christmas Eve lunch at our "Tulsa Mom's" (Michele) house, went home to change for 7.00 PM Christmas Eve service, went to our friends' house (James and Ann) for a little Christmas Eve party, Eric went back to church for the 11 PM service and I headed home to put the kiddos down for the night and finish wrapping presents. Christmas morning was the first morning in weeks that Tate slept in past 8 AM....which actually made all of us run a little late for Christmas Morning church! Eric got up, took a shower and was out the door within minutes. I scrambled to get the kids to church on time. Afterwards, Michele came to our house for our annual ham Christmas dinner.....with our Christmas Eve tamales added in! :) YUMMY! On Sunday, Eric had two services and Bible class and after late service was over, we headed north to see family and friends for Christmas. Talk about crazy!! It was wonderful though....We are so blessed.

Christmas Cookies

2011-01-19T23:12:00.001-06:00

Tate's decorating favorites-SPRINKLES
My cookie
Tate's cookie-frosting and sprinkles galore!
His sweet little hands working hard to decorate
He loves his Christmas cookies!

Quinn's baptism

2011-01-19T23:07:00.002-06:00

Kevin and Meghan brought a cake from a bakery called Muddy's, located in Memphis. It was delicious!
The VS family with Quinn's sponsors: Kevin and Meghan Martinson and Brandon, Nikki, Jaxon, Lanie and Walker Witt
Our family
I love this picture-Tate and Quinn both looking at one camera, while Eric and I look at another! :) Figures!

Quinn's baptism was a wonderful and we are so blessed to have such wonderful friends that came to support us! :) Unfortunately, our families were not able to come down (bad weather and school schedules are to blame). However, our families were with us in spirit and in Quinn's baptismal gowns. Yes, I said gowns. My mother sent my baptismal gown and Eric's family has a family gown that is passed around from child to child. She managed to wear both! Don't ask me how, it's a long story ! :)

The Christmas Program

2011-01-19T23:00:00.002-06:00

My happy son!
Tate's favorite soldier

The cast and crew!

This was Tate's first time in the Christmas program at church. He practiced his songs all the time! It was interesting to watch, though, as he did great for the first half....the second half was another story. He and some of his friends decided it would be funny to play on the altar banister....Let's just say that it didn't go over so well with his mom...or his dad. Eventually, Eric had to go up and split Tate and his friends. The ECC Christmas program went much better!

Christmas Traditions

2011-01-19T22:53:00.002-06:00

Tate and the Conductor
At the Christmas Train
A beautiful Oklahoma view
Tate made friends with a dog at the Christmas Tree Farm
The family at the Christmas tree farm.....A tradition started while we were at the seminary with Aaron and Abby. We find a Christmas tree farm and cut down our own tree. While we do this, we also buy an ornament for each of the family members. However....the first few years, it was at least cold out....this year, it was 65 degrees and sunny!

A sneak peek

2011-01-19T22:46:00.001-06:00

Last year, we had Malisa from Morgan Street Studios take Tate's 2 year pictures and some family pictures. We loved her so much, we went back after Quinn was born. She did a great job! I'm SO excited to get the rest of the proofs back....Here's just a sneak peek at some of the pictures.

A couple more cute ones....

2011-01-19T22:36:00.002-06:00

Tate loves this frog!
Her little outfit for our family pictures
Tate holding his sister.....be still, my heart....
Her Juicy Couture onesie (I didn't even know that they made those) and one of my favorite bows
Here's another-how cute are her socks?!
I have to model a few of her little outfits and bows.....LOVE having a girl!

A couple of random Quinn/family pictures

2011-01-19T22:32:00.001-06:00

Heading home
Look how little
From her first photo shoot! :)
So precious
Givin' his sister some sweet kisses

Quinn's first visitors!

2011-01-19T22:16:00.004-06:00

My "Tulsa Mom" Michele and Quinn
My amazing friend Andrea and Quinn
Rosemary and Quinn
James and Quinn
Robin (who is pregnant with her first, a baby girl) and Miss Quinn
And Auntie Nikki! :)
Quinn's Auntie Suz! :)
Grandpa Gary and his granddaughter
Grandma Kerry, excited to hold her granddaughter.......

Our newest arrival: Quinn Elise Van Scharrel

2011-01-19T22:08:00.002-06:00

My babies
Tate's first look at "sister"
Momma and her baby girl
Our first good look at Quinn....our beautiful baby girl.....

Halloween

2011-01-19T22:00:00.005-06:00

Tate was Spiderman....Shocking, I know!!!!!
As per our tradition, we headed out with the Witt family to trick-or-treat in our old neighborhood. I hiked around, 39 weeks pregnant and Nikki hauled her youngest, Walker (Tate's best friend)....The guys stayed at Witts home and watched the football game....How fair is that?! :)

From L to R: Jaxon as T.O., Lanie as the Runaway Bride, Tate as Spiderman and Walker as Yoda.

Tate and Paige turn 3!

2011-01-19T21:48:00.007-06:00

Tate's favorite pancake-the Happy Face at IHOP
Tate's buddy Carter inhaled his cupcake.....(Ignore the flash reflection)
Tate's best bud Walker....also inhaling his cupcake
Tate and Paige were born one day apart and are in the same class at the ECC.....We celebrate their birthdays at school together. They are pretty cute together! :)
Tate's enjoying his cupcake....and growing a soul patch at the same time!
The Minnie cupcakes for Paige and Mickey cupcakes for Tate

Where does the time go?

2011-01-19T21:29:00.009-06:00

One of Tate's favorite birthday presents: A football helmet from Aaron and Abby....No, he doesn't actually need it...he just likes it
Another one of his favorite presents: A Spiderman shirt from Ron and Connie
His Spiderman birthday cake....Is he really 3 already?
Pumpkin painting at his party-a HUGE hit!
Tate and his Momma....Love this kid!
Tate and a few of his favorite playmates-James and Ivie.....

Pumpkin Patch...

2010-10-24T23:06:00.004-05:00

Good day off activity: carving pumpkins. Can you tell which one was free-hand? Yeah, me too.
Pumpkin guts. Yuck.
The kid loves his pumpkins.

Spiderman Birthday...

2010-10-24T22:59:00.004-05:00

At long last (though 2 weeks early), Tate's Spiderman Birthday party!
Time at the park with his friends, pumpkin decorating, and cake. It was a good day.

Camping w/ Tate

2010-09-30T22:57:00.004-05:00

These awesome fall days and nights gave us the idea to set up the tent for Tate and camp out at Wakefield State Park (a.k.a. our backyard). In hindsight, setup would have gone faster if we started while the sun was still up.
Tate was very excited to have a tent in the yard (and upset when it came down today).
Tate and his mom. She, being..."great with child"...opted to sleep indoors. Good call, considering the air mattress gradually lost air until I was basically sleeping on the ground.
Tate likes camping. He slept straight through the night. It was a little cool, but that just made him hibernate all the better. He's a happy camper (sorry, I couldn't resist).

More STL Pics...

2010-09-30T22:49:00.003-05:00

Tate at the Science Center.
Watching traffic on I-64 through the triangle. Never gets old.
The STL zoo had a baby giraffe. It was pretty cool, especially after all of Tulsa's giraffe issues. If you don't know what I mean, go to images.google.com and search "Tulsa giraffe." Unless you're squeamish; then don't.

The STL

2010-09-30T22:37:00.005-05:00

The pained look comes from the fact that Tate likes to steer by pulling my hair. He was a pretty good trooper and walked most of the way, though.
We got to see the chimps eating veggies; I made sure to point out to Tate that even monkeys eat their vegetables.
Tate by the penguins. I forgot how much I love this zoo. You could literally reach out and touch a penguin in the indoor habitat (that is, if there wasn't a guy watching to make sure you don't). As it was, the penguins were doing belly flops, so we got a little penguin water on us.
And of course, we had to take a choo-choo ride.

FL2...

2010-08-27T22:27:00.004-05:00

Tate loves the beach! So, it worked out that we planned a joint family vacation with the Witt's this year to the Florida panhandle. In case you're wondering: no sign of oil except for the anti-BP shirts in the souvenir stores, BP claims office in one strip mall, and cheaper rate we got on our rental house. Works for us!
Tate got to spend the whole week with some of his best friends in the world (he's the one on the right with the super-white hair): Walker, Lanie and Jackson.
Our little surfer boy. Tan skin from swimming a ton this summer to go with his bleached-out hair. The kid is a fish.
Tate and Walker: 4 months apart in age, used to live 4 houses apart (now about a mile), and pretty much best buds.

Accommodations...

2010-06-21T22:36:00.002-05:00

Did I mention that we had the ultimate "pastor hookup" for the wedding? The couple who owned this condo on the beach go to one friend's church in Ohio in the summer and Nate's church in Florida in the winter. All that added up to us getting to stay in a place where we were serenaded by waves hitting the flour-soft white beaches. Oh, yeah. I could get used to that.

Nate Gets Hitched

2010-06-21T22:28:00.003-05:00

Good times with college buddies 7 years after graduation. What's that? We should go on another baseball trip. Well, okay...
Tate and Dean were pretty much the only little kids there. The good news is, they carried the cool factor and brought all the right dance moves.
Now, there have been Concordia pictures taken in various settings: Nebraska, Kansas, Minnesota...none of those places had palm trees in the background, though.

Mickey's House

2010-06-21T22:21:00.003-05:00

I took this picture for the express purpose of posting it on this blog without my wife's permission.
And this picture I was fine with being on the blog, because I make such a fine pirate.
Despite the scowls for pictures, he really was having a good time. Really. No, really.

Florida.

2010-06-21T22:10:00.005-05:00

Nate and Jacqui's wedding was good enough reason for a trip to Florida, but how could we resist stretching it a couple extra days to see Mickey and Shamu?

We had one great day at each place. Tate was into it big-time.

I Go Airplane?

2010-06-21T22:06:00.002-05:00

Yeah, we have to pay for a seat for him now, but he's a good traveler. Can you tell he was excited?

Home. Run.

2010-05-25T07:32:00.002-05:00

So apparently T-ball wasn't enough of a challenge. Now, Tate wants us to pitch him the ball. The scary thing is that every once in a while he hits it. If the Twins or Cards were smart, they would use a draft pick on him now.

Slugger.

2010-05-14T20:23:00.002-05:00

He's got a small strike zone and a big swing. The kid's gonna be an OBPS machine (it's a baseball stat thing). The machine says things like, "Keep your eye on the ball!" and so does Tate. "Hey, Batter, Batter!"

Visitors

2010-05-13T17:31:00.002-05:00

And Kevin and Meghan came! We're waging a not-so-secret campaign to get them to move from Memphis to Tulsa; it's only a matter of time till we wear them down.

In order to woo them, we did lots of entertaining things like make them help us stage a garage sale. And we drug them around looking at houses in our mad dash to find one before we have to be out of this one. So that was fun.

Somehow they still like us anyway. We like it when they visit; we like to visit them too (also something we did in the 4 months we weren't updating our blog).

January 22 - May 13

2010-05-13T17:15:00.003-05:00

He's bigger. He talks more. He does more. He's more entertaining. What did you expect? It's been 4 months since we last posted.
But where was the public outcry? This kid is, after all, awesome. At least we think so.

Really, not much has happened in the past 4 months, except...

...Eric is no longer "Associate" Pastor. Just "Pastor." No adjectives needed.

...Tate's tonsils are gone...and his adenoids...and he's got new ear tubes...and he gets sick less now...and he now has an attachment to his "hospital bear."

...Kristen is expecting a baby due in November.

...We're outgrowing our house and interest rates are still low, so we listed our house.

...We sold our house.

...We bought a house and are closing and moving on June 1.

...Tate now has a T-ball set and a swing like Jeff Bagwell (look it up if you don't know who that is).

...Kristen and Eric went to New Orleans for a mission trip.

...Kristen went and hung out with a couple best friends from college in Nevada.

...We pulled a piano in a U-Haul trailer from...basically...Canada on the longest, shortest roadtrip to see family and friends ever.

...Having cut the aforementioned roadtrip short, Eric had 3 funerals in 2 days immediately after we got home from that trip.

...Kristen finished her 1st year of grad school.

...Kristen worked through Meningococcemia Meningitis outbreak at the PICU (sad deal).

...Tate is awesome on his bike now, except for when he flips over the handlebars, splitting his lip or skinning his nose in the process. He has a helmet now.

...A bunch of other stuff.

And we didn't update the blog once. Oops. Well, we're back. Hope you didn't give up on us!

No More Snow...

2010-01-22T21:43:00.002-06:00

Now that the weather is in the 60's again, I thought I'd post the pictures of some of the last remnants of our Christmas Eve snowstorm (gone by mid-Jan). Tate learned to throw snowballs. These things are important in raising a boy.

Little Lance Armstrong?

2010-01-14T12:47:00.002-06:00

What can I say? The boy is fast.

Bike Ride...

2010-01-14T12:31:00.003-06:00

We finally got a little warm weather, so Tate got the chance to take his new bicycle for a spin.

QB 1...

2010-01-02T14:30:00.002-06:00

He's better at catching than the video shows, but he has a better arm than hands at this point.

With that blonde hair, he looks like the second coming of Boomer Esiason.

Our Polite Child...

2010-01-02T14:16:00.002-06:00

Amazingly, Tate does have pretty good manners overall. Lots of "please's" and "thank you's."

Christmas Presents: the Train...

2010-01-02T13:57:00.003-06:00

For as long as these videos take to load, I sure hope someone actually watches them.

Here's Tate playing with his trains. And yes, I know it's sideways.

Christmas Video...

2010-01-02T13:42:00.002-06:00

For choo-choos: "Thank you, Santa."

More Christmas...

2009-12-30T22:25:00.008-06:00

Aaron and Abby sent presents with pictures of who they were for. For Tate, that apparently turned into a new fashion statement. Only he could pull it off.
Here Tate just unwrapped "The Little Engine That Could." Since Christmas, we have read this book 4 trillion times (give or take).
Nothing like the glow of a Christmas tree on a cold, snowy night.
Tate's new bike: the Toot Scoot. He loves it, because he thinks he's a big boy when he rides it.
Tate and Greg hanging out on Christmas Eve. Greg and his parents (Wes & Hillary) came over after braving the blizzard. We ate Mexican food...I think that's an Oklahoma thing to do on Christmas Eve.

Christmas Eve...

2009-12-30T22:13:00.004-06:00

White Christmas in Oklahoma? It was this year! We loved the snowstorm, but we hated the fact that church was cancelled on both Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. Something was missing, but it definitely wasn't snow; we had plenty of that!
We opened the door to let the dogs out to do their business, and this was the picture. They changed their minds when they saw the snow, but we "encouraged" them to venture out, anyway.
Beautiful.

Birthday 2.0 (Cont'd)

2009-11-03T21:16:00.006-06:00

The Adrian Peterson jersey from Grandpa and Grandma Gauffin was a hit for the Sooner fans.
Oh yes, the battle over his loyalties continues. Here's the OSU blaze orange. Go Pokes!
Hard to compete with the Bradford jersey, though.
Some of Tate's friends. Let them eat cake.

Birthday 2.0

2009-11-03T21:10:00.005-06:00

Last year's cake? Football field. This year's cake? Baseball. It was delicious.
Of course, Aaron and Abby had to continue the tradition of ice cream cakes the week before.
Year 2 improvement: Tate can now blow out his own candles.

Fall Festival and Halloween...

2009-11-03T21:02:00.004-06:00

When Tate gets mad, he grows another head that looks eerily similar to a well-known Sesame Street character.
Tate and the Witt kids at the "Boo Ha Ha" at Brookside.
Is this:

A. My wife

B. Tina Fey

C. Sarah Palin

Oktoberfest 2009...

2009-11-03T20:52:00.003-06:00

Beer? Goood. Brats? Gooood. Hanging with our friends, the Gehrke's? Goooooood.
My wife has a newfound appreciation for Germans who know how to party. After all, she married one.
It isn't just anywhere that you can see a chicken doing the chicken dance.

Pumpkin Patch...

2009-10-20T15:55:00.005-05:00

Places where city people go: the pumpkin patch. Tate is obsessed with them and likes to try to lift them.
Tate and his friend Kai were very happy, as long as they had pumpkins to hold.
The wagon ride, pulled by a John Deere tractor. Oh, yeah.
Little boy rule: if there is something to climb, you climb it and stand on top triumphantly.
Pedal power.

The Corn Maize...

2009-10-19T22:34:00.003-05:00

There were about 40 or so church people who went out in the country to the Corn Maize on a Sunday afternoon. Here Tate is jumping in a hay pit. Forget swingsets; I think we need one of these in the backyard...except that his eyes would constantly be red and watery.
We took along Lanie, who lives 5 doors down. Tate thinks all 3 of the kids in that family are pretty awesome and constantly wants to go to their house.
The cornbox: like a sandbox, except filled with corn. You can't go wrong with an idea like that!

Grant's Farm...Dry Edition

2009-10-19T22:28:00.004-05:00

The last time we tried Grant's Farm, it was Memorial weekend and raining...hard. This time it was cool but sunny. The great thing was that the animals were really around. We got within a few feet from the elk and the bison (and zebra, among other animals) as we drove through the nature preserve. Here's Tate with his sponsors in the beer garden....hey, wait a second! What kind of influence is that?!
And Tate learned a little something about bottle-feeding baby goats (a.k.a. kids?).

Back in the STL...

2009-10-19T22:19:00.003-05:00

So, we figured it was probably our turn to see Aaron and Abby again, plus we wanted to see one more Cardinals game before the end of the season. It was a quick trip, but a good one.
This is Tate enjoying the game while the Cards were still winning; after they blew a 6-1 lead and lost 12-6, he learned how to boo from the fans around him.
One little man and a couple of slightly larger men...

The World is His Sandbox...

2009-08-24T22:10:00.005-05:00

This picture was taken right after Tate kicked his mom out of her lawn chair. When the man wants to relax, the man wants to relax.

You're never too old to play in the sand.

Florida is kind of like Oklahoma, only with beautiful beaches, palm trees, and large bodies of water.

This single white male enjoys a nice glass of juice, fine dining on meals of mac 'n cheese, and long walks on the beach.

Tate is the short one.

Mickey's World...

2009-08-24T21:57:00.004-05:00

Even though I figured he was a little small to really enjoy the sensory-overload that is Disney World, we weakened and went for it. By this picture, you can tell that Tate made it through the fireworks at the end (with a nap at the hotel in between). He even finished that fruit bar without dropping it on the ground. What a big guy!

This was right before naptime and during/after a torrential downpour. Tate refused to wear a poncho and was soaked all the way through. Nothing a nap couldn't fix.

Yep. We were at Disney World, and the carousel was still the biggest attraction for Tate. Sea World...the Tulsa Zoo...Disney World...the carousel wins.

Know what's almost as fun as a carousel? A "choo choo." I have to admit, I enjoyed my second-ever day at Disney World more than my first; it's pretty neat to see it through the eyes of a less-than-two-year-old.

Shamu...

2009-08-09T19:30:00.003-05:00

So a really nice family from church had a timeshare they offered to let us stay at, so off we went to Florida. I think the appeal for Kristen was so Tate could see Sea World. He is a HUGE animal lover. Needless to say, he was totally into all the shows: the killer whales, dolphins, sea lions, etc. We both loved it, too.

Normally it's really hard to train a killer whale to walk on land, but Tate has a special touch with animals. We call him the "Shamu wisperer."

Here we are at the dolphin show. There were also some cool birds and crazy divers. There was a lot going on. Tate loved it.

Zoo Day...

2009-07-26T22:25:00.005-05:00

One carousel ride = not enough. Two carousel rides = not enough. But that's all he got, anyway.

Tate and his mom sticking out their tongues at me. I was so proud.

I know this one chopped my head off, but Tate quickly lost interest in having his picture taken. He was, after all, on a "choo choo," so that took precedent over pretty much everything.

A little boy and his monkey backpack (a.k.a. leash), fascinated with the elephants. They are definitely his favorite.

The men of the family making a beeline to see the elephants.

He's Up!

2009-07-26T22:21:00.002-05:00

Tate's usually pretty happy to see us in the morning.

It's always nice to know he missed his mom and dad. It's also nice when he waits until morning to let us know.

School Boy...

2009-07-26T22:19:00.000-05:00

He's such a little boy now. He likes to carry/drag his own backpack.

The Little Man...

2009-07-15T21:28:00.002-05:00

Ready for action.

Loving the beach (the water was frigid, though).

The Scenery...

2009-07-15T21:22:00.004-05:00

Okay, we're taking votes. Pick the one I should blow up and put on the wall of my office behind my desk. By the way, this was right by the lodge. Awesome.

The Family...

2009-07-15T21:11:00.005-05:00

Bampa.

The three of us.

Auntie Kendra and new Uncle Brett with Tate.

"Grandpa Grandpa" Earl and "Grandma Grandma" Fern made the trip; it was good to see "Grandma Grandma" Gen, too!

The Wedding...

2009-07-15T21:02:00.003-05:00

Kristen's sister Kendra got married last Saturday to her now-husband Brett. The site was Lutsen Resort on the north (almost-to-Canada) shore of Lake Superior. It was an awesome setting, as you'll see in some of the other pictures we'll post.

If you look in the grassy area just off the beach, that's where the wedding was set. The reception (the 3 B's: barbecue, bar, and bonfire) was on the beach. Even the weather was almost perfect: 75 and sunny.

Here is Kendra and her dad, Gary, walking her down the aisle. It was pretty cool that I got to perform the ceremony. That's something I'll always remember. Good time all around.

Back to School...

2009-07-15T20:54:00.002-05:00

In case we didn't mention it, Tate is back in "school" at the Early Childhood Center at church 3 days a week. Of course, every little boy needs a backpack. Since I refused to buy him anything with Sponge Bob, Thomas, Elmo, or anything else I can't stand to watch more than 30 straight minutes of on TV, the default was baseball. Besides, this one will still work in Kindergarten.
For all you Twins fans out there, this was a tough decision. We could either choose our favorite AL team with the best AL player in the game (Twins - Mauer) or our favorite NL team with the best NL player in the game (Cards - Pujols). That's a win-win, if you ask me.
Anyhow, Tate's a cool kid, and he likes his friends and teachers at school. Now you're informed.

Tate's Second 4th...

2009-07-07T21:42:00.003-05:00

In honor of America, we ate Mexican food at the Riverwalk then watched the fireworks. Tate, however, was totally disinterested in the fireworks. After all, he had a water bottle whose cap demanded to be screwed and unscrewed over and over. Duty calls.

Here is our tired little family. Since we kept him up late on Saturday, Tate has taken it upon himself to wake up early both Monday and Tuesday morning. Gotta love messing with a kid's schedule.

The infamous Tate Van Scharrel stare-down. You are no match.

Fun Outside...

2009-06-17T22:27:00.003-05:00

Tate loves the zoo. He loves the animals, but he really loves the train and the carousel.

Tate's mom likes to take him to the zoo. You can tell, because she's smiling.

Tate also has a sweet new pool with a slide. They've been making pools like this since his dad was his size. He loves the water.

On a related note, swimming pools this size are quickly heated to the temperature of bathwater in June in Oklahoma. I knew we should have lived in a neighborhood with a community pool.

Cousins...

2009-06-17T22:20:00.003-05:00

Henry and Georgia got along well. He should be more than ready when he gets a puppy for Christmas this year.

Tate and his cousin Henry playing with duplos. Tate was very glad Henry got to come down from South Dakota to play.

Henry, looking up to his dad.

Puddle jumping...

2009-05-27T22:30:00.003-05:00

Just a classic example of the Tate-man in action.

Carousel...

2009-05-27T22:14:00.002-05:00

Tate's a big fan.

Grant's Farm...

2009-05-27T22:08:00.002-05:00

It's a little dark, but that's a Budweiser clydesdale in the background.

We got caught in a downpour, but it was still a really cool place. Plus, there was free beer.

The STL Zoo...

2009-05-27T21:58:00.008-05:00

Coolest thing we saw? The hippos swimming around. Awesome.

The elephants were fascinating, too...

...as evidenced by the fact that we couldn't get Tate to look at the camera...

...no matter who held him.

This is Tate watching the Sea Lion show. They kept his attention for about 2 minutes, then we had to resort to M&M's to make it through the show. In fairness, it was naptime.

Cards 5, Royals 0

2009-05-27T21:49:00.005-05:00

Last year, we went to a game and the Phillies beat the Cardinals 21-2. This year's outcome was more enjoyable.

Tate and "No-wha" (Noah) - baseball fans.

Our family in the STL.

Bu-baaahls!!!

2009-05-27T21:44:00.003-05:00

Tate loves to blow bubbles. Actually, he loves to try to blow bubbles. Every once in a while, he actually gets a bubble out of the deal.

Big Guy, Big Hair...

2009-05-18T08:00:00.002-05:00

18 month stats:
Height - 35 inches (off the charts)
Weight - 25 lbs, 10 oz. (47th percentile)
Words - too many to count now
Post-bathtime hair - priceless

Woodward Park 2...

2009-04-26T20:33:00.003-05:00

It takes a special kid to be able to make a sweater-vest work. Mission accomplished.

Woodward Park...

2009-04-26T20:26:00.004-05:00

This look is usually reserved for either a cute girl...or a cookie. Definitely a cookie.

This is the steely determination of a future president.

Sometimes after a tough day at the office, you just have to loosen your tie and kick back a little.

Our Little Boy...

2009-04-26T20:24:00.000-05:00

We love this guy.

Easter Outfit...

2009-04-14T21:51:00.001-05:00

By the time this picture was taken, Tate was definitely ready to not be wearing a tie anymore, but we still think he was pretty handsome.

Tate's Swing...

2009-04-14T21:47:00.003-05:00

Right into your living room, here he comes.

We're still waiting on a swing set, but we have the swing. Right now, it's mounted on the deck.