RIP Richard (Eric’s grandpa)

Richard McCullough

Richard Hugh McCullough passed away on April 3, 2013.  He died peacefully in his sleep early Wednesday morning while holding the hand of his wife of 64 years, Hazel.

Richard was born on December 27, 1926, in Camden, New Jersey, as the fourth child of William and Annie McCullough.  He served his country honorably and bravely in World War II and the Korean War as a Navy mechanic.  He and Hazel Kovar were married on June 25, 1948.  Richard worked for the United States Postal Service for 30 years before his retirement in 1979.

He is preceded in death by two of his sons, Richard D. and Kenneth L.  He is survived by his wife, Hazel; his son, Michael; nine grandchildren; and 22 great-grand children, who would all love to have some doughnut holes at the coffee shop with him just one more time.

Visitation and Funeral Service

Visitation will be from 6:00-8:00 p.m., April 5, 2013,  at Amos Family Funeral Home in Shawnee.  Funeral services will be 1:30 p.m., Saturday, April 6, 2013, at Overland Park Christian Church at 75^th and Conser.   Graveside service will follow at Johnson County Memorial Gardens, Overland Park, Kansas.

Ornaments 2012

For the sake of record keeping, here are the ornaments that the boys received this year.  My Nikon is getting fixed so none of these pictures of very good.

Kenny:

Red and gold teardrop – from ornament exchange

Stuffed snowman – from my parents

Glass globe with a tree and cardinal inside it – from my parents

Holy Communion – from us

Green half circle with vintage Santa on it – from Eric’s mom and Don

Luke:

Snowman – from ornament exchange

First 5k – from us

Stuffed snowman – from my parents

Glass globe with snowman in it – from my parents

Green, half circle with vintage Santa on it – from Eric’s mom and Don

And speaking of my MIL and Don, they got engaged towards the beginning of December and waited until Christmas to tell everyone (so all the kids could be there for it).  Congratulations to them!

Things I’m lovin’

Here are just a few things that I’m loving right now:

1.  Starbuck’s Peppermint Hot Chocolate

Yum!  Even better, we had to wait in the drive through for 5 minutes the other day and they gave us our order for free.

2.  Dexter

I had three people, in just one week, tell me that I needed to watch this show.  I did and loved it.  It’s a little messed up (serial killer that only kills bad people) but different, in a good way.  I’m waiting to get season 2 from the library.

3.  Fork and Screen movies

What could be better than eating dinner while watching a movie in big, comfy seats?  And the food isn’t that bad.  I did make the mistake of ordering the fish the first time we went and it was definitely more difficult to eat in the dark.  Eric took me to the Fork and Screen showing of Twilight two weeks ago.  The beginning was so, so bad BUT the end completely made up for it.  It had a little twist that I did not see coming.  It was much better than the book.

I want to see the Abraham Lincoln and James Bond movies next.

4.  Beautiful Disaster by Jamie McGuire

One of my FB friends recommended it as a good read.  At first, I was kind of put off by the fact that it’s about college students but quickly got over it.  She is also writing it from the guy’s point of view (this one was from the girl’s) and it’s coming out in April.

I also read 50 Shades of Gray and I’m not sure what all the fuss is about (maybe it gets better in book #2 and #3).  If she mentioned biting her lip or her inner goddess one more time, I was going to lose it.

Next, I really want to read Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn.  I’m still #121 on the wait list at the library.

My book club is reading The Life of Pi for our January read and I really hope it’s good.

I would LOVE some more book recommendations.  I need a new, good author/series.

5.  Groupon

I’ve already bought three Christmas gifts off of Groupon.

6.  Ebates

It kills me when I forget to go through Ebates when ordering on-line

7.  Luke and Kenny’s excitement for Christmas

Luke has been talking about Christmas since September.  Even though we’ve had to remind him a few times that Christmas is about Jesus’s birth, and not presents, it’s still really cute.  I am really going to miss it when they no longer believe in Santa.  I’m actually a little surprised that Kenny still does.

8.  Longview Lake’s Christmas in the Park display

This is the second year that we’ve gone to it.  The display is huge and they just really do a good job.  We took my parents along this year and we decided to make it an annual thing.

9.  Indoor soccer

I love soccer in general but I really love watching the boys play indoor soccer right now.  I love how fast paced it is.  Kenny’s games are just fun to watch because the kids are all starting to get to that stage where they are really good.  His footwork is getting so good and the kid can seriously get the ball away from anyone.  Luke is fun to watch because he likes to be the goalie.  Kenny and Luke are so different in that regard, and it really shows their personalities.  I feel like Kenny doesn’t like to be goalie because when he gets scored on, he takes it personally and feels bad.  When Luke gets scored on, it doesn’t bother him and he says he didn’t have any help (with a smile on his face).

10.  Eric’s schedule

I can’t believe I forgot this one at first.  Eric is now working Monday-Friday 8:00-4:00 like normal people do, with holidays off.  Unless a promotional process comes up, he’ll do this for the next four years.

Congratulations Amanda and AJ

My SIL got married on October 6th.  It was a really, really fun weekend.  Welcome to the family A.J.!

What’s going on here…

Here’s just a quick update on what’s going on with us:

-  Eric and I went to Vegas for a whole week for ASCA’s World Clinic (for swimming coaches).  It was a lot of fun and we learned a ton.  We got to talk to Olympian Tyler McGill, see Phelps’s coach and listen to great speakers.  I took a Build a Pool class because we are really hoping to have our own facility sometime in the near future.  Hopefully I will have more news on that in the next few months to year.  A week was a long time in Vegas but we were lucky enough to have my parents take the boys Monday-Friday and then Eric’s mom took them Friday evening-Sunday night.  We walked the entire strip, went to the top of  the Eiffel Tower, saw an illusion show and played craps.  We did not come home big winners.

-  Our dogs developed not only pink eye but some gastrointestinal problems after being at dog place for a week.  It was not fun, not to mention an extra expense that we were not expecting to pay.

-  Kenny and Luke are both doing great at school.  Luke’s mid-term report card looked like this…

-  The boys fall sports are in full swing.  Kenny’s soccer actually started at the beginning of August and his football and Luke’s soccer didn’t start until mid-September.  It was nice to have it broken up a little.  Sporting KC used Kenny’s soccer team in a coaches’ clinic and it’s on You Tube.

-  My work is starting to pick up right now after a nice month lull in August.  Back in June, the owner of our team and I flew to Colorado to look at an infant aquatics program for babies as young as 6 months.  Non-walking babies learn how to float on their back if they were ever to fall into water and the walkers learn how to float and then swim to the side of the pool (or wherever they are).  Most people have seen the video of this.  It shows the baby in pajamas or clothes falling into a backyard pool and then floating safely.  I remember seeing it the first time and thinking someone should pick up the baby.  When we went to Colorado, we honestly sat there all day just watching baby after baby and it was AMAZING.  So amazing, the team has invested a ton of money to send one of our head coaches out there for 6 weeks to get trained.  I would like to get trained some day but I just can’t be gone for 6 weeks at this point in our life; not with the boys being so young and Eric’s schedule.

-  My SIL is getting married in less than 2 weeks!  It still feels like it should be a few months away.

-  Eric and I celebrated our 10th wedding anniversary on September 20th (but actually celebrated in Vegas).

I think that covers all the big things.  Now, off to do more work…

On the pontoon

We weren’t able to make it down to the Ozarks this summer, so we spent the day at Smithville Lake yesterday.  I couldn’t find anywhere in KC that rented out speed boats so we had to get a big pontoon.  And yes, this song kept going through my head:

We only lost 2 1 fishing rod (one was found wrapped around the anchor) and a pair of sunglasses, which wasn’t too bad.

4th of July 2012 pics

We spent the 4th at VillageFest and then had my parents over for KFC and fireworks.  The fourth of July may be one of my favorite holidays.

Happy Father’s Day 2012

Happy Father’s Day to Eric and my dad!

Thank you Pinterest for another cute idea.

Kenny’s 8th birthday (with family)

Memorial Day 2012

Today included:

- sleeping in

- lazy morning

- playing in the sprinkler

- tennis

- dinner with my family

Happy Easter 2012!

Our day went like this:

• Easter baskets at our house, along with an egg hunt

• Church with my family
• Easter baskets, egg hunt and a huge, delicious lunch with my parents

• Easter baskets, drinks and desserts with Eric’s family

I do also have a picture of the boys with the Easter bunny to put on here but it requires taking the computer upstairs to connect it to the printer/scanner.  Tomorrow, maybe?

Cell phone pics from 2011

I was going through my cell phone and found these pics that I never posted (and want to get on here).

Kenny and Luke playing RISK 

They are definitely my kids

Royals game in September

I swear Kenny was there but all of the pictures of him were with his friend JT (and I don’t want to put someone else’s child on here)

Luke sleeping with his shoes because he liked the lights on them

Camille with a huge stick stuck in her collar 

I have no idea how this happened but if she can get something caught in it (like here), she will.

Luke and his t-ball medal

Luke while eating at 75th Street Brewery

Kenny (and his medal) at his soccer banquet this fall

Christmas 2011

We started out a little worried about Christmas.  There was a bad stomach virus going around Kenny’s school  that we were praying we wouldn’t get.  We really didn’t want a repeat of Christmas 2009.  But, of course, Kenny got it on the 22nd.  We made it through the 23rd and 24th without anyone else having signs of getting sick so we celebrated with my family on Christmas Eve.

Getting ready for church:

Christmas Eve at my mom and dad’s house:

Christmas morning at our house: 

Santa may have forgotten to leave anything in the dogs’ stocking.  Oops.  We decided it was probably because they have been getting on our couch while we’re gone.  Luckily I had two bones for them in the cupboard that we were able to give them.

Christmas morning at my parents:

See the stockings in these pictures?  My Grandpa Bill and Grandma Dolly had one made for everyone back when I was little.  This year, my mom made ones for Kenny, Luke and Eric so that everyone now has one.  It took her a long time and they look great. 

Christmas Day with Eric’s mom, Amanda and AJ:

Remember how I said that we thought that we had escaped that stomach virus?  I ended up throwing up every hour on the hour Tuesday night and then Eric had a mild form of it.  I’m not going to say anything about Luke not getting it because I’m afraid I’ll jinx us:)  I’m just glad that it didn’t ruin our Christmas.  And I’m really hoping we didn’t pass it on to anyone else in the family.

Happy 4th birthday Mac!

Mac turned four last Saturday (December 3rd). 

I have to share this story while I’m talking about our dogs:

Apparently our dogs have something against the wise men in our Little People Nativity. 

Luke was playing with the set and when he was done he left two of the wise men standing on their heads.  They were on opposite sides and surrounded by the other figurines.  Camille walked up to the set, looked at it, pushed over the first wise man, looked at the second wise man and then pushed him over too.  Eric and I were cracking up.   

Then last night I found Camille chewing on one of them (which I saved just in the nick of time) and found that Mac had chewed off the top of the head of the other one.  We taped it back up but it will never be the same.

RIP Maddie

My parents had to put Maddie down on Saturday, only five months after Casey.  We all knew that Maddie wasn’t going to make it much longer.  She couldn’t see and was having a hard time getting around.  Then she stopped eating.  I am glad that my parents called me to let me know what was happening so I could be there.  They didn’t tell any of us about Casey until afterwards because they thought it would be easier on us.  It wasn’t. 

RIP my sweet little one.

Maddie, Kenny and Casey – Halloween 2004

Mike, Maddie, Casey and Billy – Christmas Eve 2010

4th of July pics

We celebrated the 4th a little differently this year.  We watched fireworks the night of the 3rd and then went to Village Fest and to my parents’ on the 4th. 

 

Father’s Day 2011

Eric was in Portland for his cousin’s wedding so we spent Father’s Day with my dad and at our church’s carnival.  It was a fun day but we definitely missed Eric.

Kenny made this book for my dad as part of his gift.

 

Meet your newest stars – Casey and Maddie

The “Easter Bunny” gave Kenny and Luke a groupon certificate to Name a Star Live.  I noticed that it was about to expire so the boys sat down and came up with names for their stars yesterday.  Kenny named his Casey and Luke named his Maddie. 

Casey’s Star Astronomical Coordinates:

Catalog Number:  4761-1558-1

Constellation:  Orion

Visual Magnitude Indicator:  11.8

Right Ascension:  5h 26m 58s

Declination:  -4 degrees 56′ 16″

Registration date:  June 21, 2011

Maddie’s Star Astronomical Coordinates:

Catalog Number:  4777-73-1

Constellation:  Orion

Visual Magnitude Indicator:  10.3

Right Ascension:  5h 53m 24s

Declination:  -4 degrees 56′ 14″

Registration date:  June 21, 2011

 

RIP Casey

My mom had to put sweet Casey to sleep yesterday.  We got Casey my senior year of high school (1996) and quickly fell in love with him.  He was such a great dog that we went out and bought Maddie a year later.  We are really going to miss him.

First swim meet 2011

Kenny had his first summer swim meet this morning.  The kids swam free and back.  Kenny got 3rd in his heat in free and 2nd in back. 

Happy 30th birthday to my brother Billy!