Camera happy

I'm going to let the pictures just speak for themselves...we're just a regular family having some family time and having fun while we're at it.






Except for this one: yes, Jacob is wearing a pink princess outfit and having a great time while he's at it. LOL. He'll grow out of it. :)

Belated Valentine's

Ryan called on Sunday and right before we hung up he asked if I got my flowers for Valentine's Day. "Uh, what flowers?" was my reply. He about hit the roof when he realized that the flowers he bought and paid for before he ever left last month never came. No phone call or anything from the shop (which is surprising since it's a really nice flower company). I ended up calling the next day and chewing some management out. Probably not the most lady like, but I was more peeved that I didn't get the little card he wrote on than the actual flowers. So I picked up my flowers yesterday (along with the card) and they are gorgeous. Evelyn has claimed them for her own, but they're on the table where they can get plenty of sunlight and I can admire them all day long.

Monkeys

bippity, boppity, boo!

Kids say the darndest things!

This evening Julia turned to me and randomly said : "Mom, you need to start working out again."

Me: (wondering where on earth this came from....especially since I'm wearing my smallest pair of jeans and they're very comfortable right now): "Uh, ok. Why?"

Julia: (smiling shyly--like she's embarrassed to say) "Well, your tummy is sticking out a little"

I didn't think so when I quickly checked, but I guess I'll be doing crunches before bed!!!! Kids are so honest sometimes...but now I know that I won't be gaining any weight while Ryan's gone! Not with my "pooched tummy"-o-meter over here!

UPDATE: So I did the crunches last night and my stomach looked better today--I even got a compliment at church. :)

The Surprise Call

So I was sitting at the dinner table about 10 minutes ago putting the remnants of the chicken into a ziploc bag when I looked at the time and realized that it's the time that Ryan would call--if he could. My hopes rose and then quickly dashed as I remembered that during Ry's last call on Tues, he said that he needed a new phone card cause his was about empty (I sent one to him but I highly doubt he got it yet). Well, it wasn't even two minutes later that my cell went off and it showed his area code. :) Apparently there is some church function going on this evening that the soldiers attended--and the members at the church handed over their cell phones so that the soldiers could each have about 5 minutes to call home.

Such a small thing...a phone call, but it is a lifeline for my family. Tonight is a wonderful reminder that the Lord is mindful of us--our wants, needs, desires. And lots of times, it's through His children that he answers prayers. I can't express enough the gratitude I'm feeling right now. Ryan sounded upbeat and in high spirits. He was able to speak to Julia for the first time since he left. She's still smiling about that. :)

I spy with my little eye....Ryan!

Here he is as they are preparing to get gased. :P The kids started cheering when they saw this picture..."that's my daddy! that's MY daddy!!!!"

I got a letter from Ryan today and on the back of the envelope was a link....this was the only pic I found him in. He looks great, huh? (In case you can't tell where he is...he's the third from the right in the front. He's looking off to the right).

UPDATE: Just so everyone knows (cause everyone has asked me!), the helmets are sitting on their rifles which are in between their legs (you can see it when the pic is bigger).

Evelyn's idea of a push-up

Today Evelyn and I were chilling out in the living room while Marcus took a nap and Jacob and Julia were at church (I'm still not quite over the stomach flu so I stayed home). Evelyn was being goofy and so I decided to catch a bit of it on camera...to me (with a bit of a swollen and very upset stomach) this just looks like it hurts! But kids are so resilient! (Again, you'll need to turn the volume waaaaay up to hear!).....

A Song for Daddy

Everyone was feeling especially silly one evening while missing Daddy. So I asked if they'd like to sing a song about him....here's what they came up with (it took a few practice runs so that Evelyn could learn the words):

(PSST! Turn your volume up high so you can hear!)



I also realized at this silly time that Marcus knows to call out "cheese!" whenever I whip out the camera...too bad he didn't know to do that a couple of weeks ago when we got our pix done! Oh well...it was fun this night!



Something else we do to lift the spirits when missing Daddy is to read his letters. Julia is reading the latest one from him to Evelyn...

Better size pix

Ok, I figured out how to post the pix so that you can actually SEE the people in it. Now you can really see how much of a ham Evelyn was during the session. :)

Second Letter!

What a great end to a truly horrible week (stomach flu)--I received my second letter of the week from Ryan today! He NEVER writes twice a week, there's never any time to! So what a wonderful surprise it was to open the mailbox and automatically see his letter there. :)
His letter was bursting with happiness and gratitude. He received four letters two days before Valentine's Day (two of those were the Valentine pix and letters the kids and I sent to him--a big thank you to whoever else is sending him mail!). He said that it really helped him get through this past week. In his words:

"Life here was starting to change in a positive direction and then I woke up from that dream."

Lol. They recently switched from RED phase (which is total control) to WHITE, which is supposed to be a little more relaxed. He says that it wasn't two days later and people were being lazy and constantly messing up again. It's very annoying and getting old so Ry talked to his Drill Sergeant to see what he could do to help motivate those that are around him (especially since he's in charge of them now). His Drill Sergeant said that he just needs to keep doing what he's already doing. Later on this same D.S. said, without mentioning names, that there are about five people who are the examples that everyone else needs to be like. It was a compliment to Ryan without actually saying it. :) I am sooooo proud of him!!!! He's been working so hard and it is really paying off--he's able to see results in himself and feel the appreciation from others (who actually care at least). :)

Platoon Guide

Today we received another letter from Ryan (what I consider by far the best Valentine's Day present since we've been married). He explains in his letter how he is now the Platoon Guide (an "honor and a curse"):

"I am next in line right after the Drill Sergeants. I am basically in charge of 58 soldiers. I have 4 Squad Leaders and 8 Team Leaders. I am in charge of always knowing where everyone is. At all times, I need to be aware of personel and weapons. I am also the one who gets to hear all the whining and complaining. Fun, huh? I never thought that 18-27 year olds could whine and complain constantly!.....It does have some nice bonuses though. I get some time to receive instruction by Drill Sergeants on a one and one basis. I am learning tons and soaking up everything I can. The Company Commander, who is a Captain, pulled me aside and told me to learn as much as I can now. Then he slapped me on the arm and said to keep it up! That made my day!"

He went on to say that he's been doing extra running since he received this lovely title and has been marching the platoon everywhere. He's been in charge of discipline situations also...things which he will be doing as an officer--great practice! Needless to say, I am soooooo proud of him! I know that he is able to step up to the job and do it wonderfully. I'm very excited for him. :)

On another note, he wrote that they practiced their IV placements. Ok, I think this is where I'd fail in the army....I grew up giving my dad insulin shots and I was just fine with that. Giving someone an IV is different. I could give my dad his shot in any spot that I chose in his upper arm. No big deal. With IV's you have to search and aim for a vein *shudders*. Not my cup of tea. And anyone who knows Ryan--it's definitely not his! He has a HUGE fear of needles. There was a time during our first year of marriage which I had to take him to the ER cause he completely dislocated his pinky. They had to give him a couple of shots in his finger to numb the area before setting it. Well, he broke out in a complete body sweat (you could see his entire sweaty body outline on the hospital bed after he got up--blech!). Then a year or so ago he had to update his shots while working at the hospital. He brought some OJ to help calm himself down. The nurse chatted away with him til he felt comfortable (all the while he was averting his eyes from his arm). Then she moved away to the other side of the room...he began to feel a bit queasy at this time and asked if she could just do it and get it over with. She just laughed and said that she had already done it (while they were talking). Oh he cracks me up! Anyway, back to his practicing giving IVs.....

"It was crazy! I was all prepared for the lightheadedness and cold sweats. I had someone who I have never met assigned to stick me and have me stick. We had some time to try to nervously talk and try to reassure each other that everything will be OK. He went first-he got the first stick but pulled the needle our before placing the catheder (sp?). That meant that he got a second chance to stck the other arm. The Drill Sergeant actually did the stick and my battle buddy finished setting up the IV. It wasn't bad...no cold sweats...no blacking out....just two sticks and that is it. Yeah me!......Then it was my time. I was more nervous about that. I got him on the first stick and I actually had a good time doing it. Twisted, huh? Maybe I am actually turning the corner!"

Is this the same man that I described before?! Not anymore! He has been growing in leaps and bounds these past weeks! We both know that it is through much prayer from both sides and lots of diligent work. I can hardly wait to see him next month and see this new, more confident him. It's so exciting and uplifting to read his letters and catch a glimpse of his life--he seems to be doing well and enjoying himself at the same time. I can feel his excitement and joy come through his written pages. It always saddens me to reach the end of his letters, but I can feel his love through them and it helps me to continue to feel close to him. I love this guy so much......

Extreme Makeover--my kitchen edition

My kitchen is getting a makeover by Glenn and myself. Well, actually, it's all Glenn's ideas and doing and I basically just ask how to help. He's helping do all the little things which add up which Ryan simply didn't have the time to do while going to school full time and working full time. In the end, it'll all really help with selling our house.

So here's Glenn scraping off the nasty popcorn junk off the ceiling near the dining room window. I can't stand that stuff! We ended up mudding that part to make it smooth and fill in some of the holes (and more pleasing to the eye).



A couple weeks ago Glenn showed up with a small container of spackle and told me to just go over all the spots that weren't smooth in the kitchen. Tonight we finally were able to use a wet sander and smooth it all down without all the dust. I'm never going to use a regular sander again!


When we got our canned lights put in, whoever put them in didn't do the job very well and left a bad spackling job. Glenn went in with a popcorn sprayer of some sort to fill it in. Well, we followed the directions on the can (said to use a box to fill in the hole and then just spray). Well, it sprayed everywhere! Filled the box and then splattered out of it in every direction--we were absolutely covered--but no one as much as him!


It was worth it though--as soon as that dries, you won't be able to tell that there was a job done there.


There was another spot around another canned light in the kitchen. He told me that I had to do the spraying while he held the box this time--he thought it wouldn't spray everywhere if he was holding the box and keeping it in. Well, I had the bird's eye view last time and saw how it splattered out of the box. See me turning the other way when I started spraying? Yeah, I knew what was coming....


He still got hit in the face while I got showered in my hair. By the time we were done we were covered head to foot in the junk. Nasty.

Afterwards, we got started on painting the ceiling. We used the cool ceiling paint that goes on purple and then dries white. I never knew how dark my ceilings were before! Or this paint is just seriously white! Whatever it is, I like it. Really brightens the room up.

I think next we're going to take all the trim off by the windows (the dark trim) and prime them (all along the floors too). Then we prime the walls with a hint of whatever color we're doing in the kitchen and then painting. We'll also do the laundry room doors too. I can't wait!

Valentine Pix

We decided to give Ryan a couple of pictures of the family for Valentine's Day. Here's what we had to work with:








I ended up getting a couple...do you think he'll like them? (and yes, I'm sending some out to everyone else too). :)

Update on Old Man River

Apparently Ryan has a new nickname? *shrugs shoulders* He may be old...but he's one of the fittest in his platoon of 60 some odd kids! He found out a week ago (or so) that he had the second highest PT score in his platoon. HA!

It sounds like he's gotten into a bunch of fun training. A repelling wall, crossing a one rope, two rope, and a three rope bridge--all about 50ft in the air. Ryan said that he didn't even blink...and this is the same guy who got stuck on our roof a few years ago and I had to call Meg to come over to coax him down--all cause of his fear of heights. Wow, he's come a long way! (I also ribbed him in my last letter that he now has no excuse to not put up Christmas lights on our house!).

He's been bayonet training which he called "interesting". I honestly have a hard time picturing him fighting (let alone even throwing a punch!). He said that he was hesitant at first since these moves were intended to kill or seriously injure the enemy. But the more he practiced the more he realized that these moves could save his life one day. After that thought, he didn't hold back anymore (I still have a hard time imagining that!).

He's also been doing some pugil fighting. His team won another ribbon because they won the most matches (and of course Ryan won his!). I think he gloated a bit cause his opponent was a bit bigger than he was.

As of 1-26 he received his first letter (and was on seventh heaven). I think it was a real boost to him to have some connection to home. (psst! A big thank you to whoever it is at St. John's who is passing out paper and having everyone write him a note. It's really appreciated!) He's hoping to see anyone that can make it to graduation. In his words--"I know I originally said that it wasn't a big deal. But I have changed my mind. This is a lot of hard work!" LOL. I don't know...sometimes (like today) I think that he has it easier...sometimes I'd like to go and scale a wall and let him try and potty train our 3 year old! ;)

He talked to some OCS soldiers at church last Sunday. They told him that things will still be tough in OCS but more relaxed at the same time. Cell phones, nights, and some weekends off--but still lots of PT and class room training (oh harsh). I'm excited about the cell phone part--I haven't talked to him in over two weeks! I know he has a phone card...but I'm guessing that it's his drill sergeants who aren't letting him doing the calling. :( Oh well...we'll be seeing him soon anyway! Yay!

I'm feeling Harry Potterish

123 Ways to Annoy, Harass, Confuse or Generally Scare Lord Voldemort

Sure-fire ways to get yourself killed, or at least Crucio'd round the block and back again


Started by Amanda Lack (stars_planets_clocks), and added to by countless others




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1. Ask him why he 'doesn't have such a cool scar?'

2. Laugh at him.

3. Wake him up by singing Beach Boys songs in his ear. 'Round, round, get around, I get around...'

4. Knit him things. Really hideous things.

5. Give him kangaroo-ears for a month.

6. Smile during Death Eater meetings and say you taught him everything he knows.

7. Chew bubblegum all the time. Should he address you, your only response will be a series of huge bubbles in quick succession, the last of which will burst everywhere and make a mess.

8. Dance the Funky Chicken.

9. Ask him when was the last time he took a bath.

10. Pat him on the head and give him flowers when his plans are foiled yet again.

11. If you ever need to say 'Like taking candy from a baby', be sure to add 'Of course, SOME of us might find that harder than others.' Stare pointedly at him.

12. Play 'knock-&-run' at his bedchamber door late at night.

13. Call him 'The-Man-Who-Let-the-Boy-Live.'

14. Ask why the Dark Mark couldn't look like something 'more socially acceptable?'

15. Insist that you have met chunks of cheese with more cunning plans than his.

16. Pinch him. Make sure he squeals.

17. Be cheerful.

18. When he tries to impress you with his powers, say 'Awwwww, lookit. Voldie's got a twiggle!'

19. Try to teach him to play a mouth organ.

20. Roll your eyes during plotting sessions and say things under your breath like 'You're the boss, boss' or 'It's your funeral.'

21. Greet him in the mornings with a sarcastic 'My sir, you look particularly menacing today.'

22. Taunt him about his middle name. 'Marvolo? What's that - a washing detergent?'

23. Keep a 'good-behaviour chart'. Award points and give out gold stars.

24. Magic-marker Potter-style glasses on him while he sleeps.

25. Apparate into and out of his room rapidly. Do this non-stop for an hour. *poof* there *poof* gone *poof* there...

26. Play cards with him. Tell him he has no poker-face and how does he expect to rule supreme without one?

27. Let off party-poppers in his face whenever the urge strikes you.

28. 'Did you even HAVE a girlfriend? Like, ever?'

29. Get a pair of finger puppets closely resembling himself and Harry Potter. Re-enact all of Harry's victories over him in a spectacularly childish way. Be sure to give them both squeaky voices.

30. Anytime he enters any room, insist on entering first and announcing him grandly.

31. In these announcements, fake a trumpet noise and give him an equally fake drumroll.

32. Exclaim sarcastically 'You're breakin' my little heart here, O Dark One' whenever he starts to talk of what caused him to become who he is.

33. Encourage him to 'think happy thoughts!'

34. Ask him to give you written summaries of his sinister plots for revenge and war. Correct his spelling.

35. Mock his choice of Quirrell as a 'host.'

36. Tell you think a yoga class could 'cure him of his wicked ways.'

37. Get the song 'Mr. Tambourine Man' stuck in his head.

38. If he's having evil-plotter's-block in one of his scheming sessions, 'Wingardium Leviosa' a light bulb to float above his head. Turn it on. Look offended when he gets angry and say you thought you were helping!

39. Tell him constantly to stop repressing his anger.

40. Buy him a stress ball.

41. Hint that he is only a character in a book and will never triumph.

42. Call him Tommy-boy.

43. If you're feeling gutsy, call him Voldie-poo.

44. Whack him in the arm and say 'mosquito' - every few minutes.

45. Say he 'looked better under the turban.'

46. Eat his pet snake. Offer him some.

47. Endeavour to teach him to steeple his fingers, lean back and say 'Eeeexcellent'.

48. Start drawing outlandish parallels between his life story and 'Star Wars'. Talk at great length.

49. Be generally in awe of him and never look away.

50. 'Imperio' his Death Eaters into a rousing chorus of 'All Things Bright And Beautiful.'

51. Shower him with confetti and rice, anytime you think he needs to make a 'grand entry.'

52. Paint all the Death Eater masks with bright colours and glitter.

53. Throw him a 'Carebears'-themed birthday party.

54. Tell him what Snape's really up to.

55. Politely exclaim now and again that you don't know how he can be so afraid of dear old Dumbles.

56. Sing 'California Dreamin' at the top of your lungs when he's trying to have an 'evil moment.'

57. Should you ever be eating with him - drum tunes with your cutlery, play with your food and blow bubbles in your chocolate milk.

58. Ask him to dance a polka with you.

59. Work cutesy phrases like 'pushing-up-daisies' and 'smooth-as-a-baby's-bottom' into conversation as much as possible.

60. Ask him if he's sure 'the whole evil-maniac-out-for-power-and-revenge thing isn't getting a bit old?'

61. Get him to play 'Twister' with you.

62. Tell him you know this great therapist in London....

63. Throw Tupperware parties. Insist he sit through them.

64. Tell him you've met plently of people more evil than he.

65. Hide his teddy bear. That ALWAYS makes him cry.

66. Get him a plant. Act mortally offended when he doesn't water it and it dies.

67. Steal, snap and bury his wand.

68. Tell him Lucius did it.

69. Give Rita Skeeter full knowledge of his whereabouts and contact details.

70. Remind him that he isn't even really alive.

71. Write him a theme song. Start singing it whenever he is about to do or say something particularly clever and nasty.

72. Offer to sacrifice Draco Malfoy 'to the cause.'

73. Insist on reading him bedtime stories. Include 'The Ugly Duckling.'

74. Make vague allusions to Harry Potter being his son.

75. When he's done something particularly nasty - cross your arms, waggle a finger and say 'Now now, do you really think Salazar would have approved of that?'

76. Ask him how he can possibly wish to harm a single hair on the head of 'that sweet, innocent, cute little boy.'

77. Tell him Wormtail has a crush on him.

78. Finish all your sentences with the words "in accordance with prophecy."

79. Leave disgusting and rotting dead things near him. Insist that it is 'Aromatherapy.'

80. Begin any question you ask him with 'Riddle me this!' Emphasis on Riddle.

81. Do not EVER act in the slightest way intimidated by him. Treat him as you would an eccentric aquaintance.

82. Cuddle him at random moments.

83. Sign him up for Little-League.

84. Ask him why he's afraid of a frail old man with a beard the size of a beehive and can't fight babies.

85. Throw biscuits at him. Constantly.

86. Tell him you think evil master plans of world domination are 'kind of girlie.'

87. Quote Argus Filch. Insist HE will one day rule the wizarding world.

88. Wonder aloud whether the name Voldemort commands as much respect as, say, Potter or Dumbledore.

89. Mimic everything he says in a sing-song voice.

90. Mimic everything he does with exaggerated limb-movements.

91. Write sonnets for him.

92. Insist he help you with the newspaper crossword every morning.

93. Follow a few paces behind him, spraying everything he touches with a can of disinfectant.

94. Tell people he's 'really just a big softie.'

95. Psychoanalyze him. Conclude that he is 'mildy depressed' and 'a bit of a control-freak.'

96. Mock his baldness.

97. Smile and say loudly 'Who loves you, Volders?' at inopportune moments. (Ie: another of his attempted 'evil moments')

98. Get him drunk.

99. Drag out a banjo at Death Eater revels and start playing 'Kumbayah.'

100. Let him catch you trying on Death Eater robes.

101. Be Harry Potter. Be alive.

102. As he's plotting dark deeds, pretend to cough and mutter things like 'Not gonna work, or 'stupid.'

103. Call him 'Champ' or 'Tiger.' Refer to yourself as 'Coach.'

104. Three words: Potter Puppet Pals.

105. Ask him where he gets his garlic-scented soap.

106. Ask him to dye Easter eggs with you.

107. ..at Christmas.

108. Make him dance in the rain with you.

109. Insist that this is to cleanse his soul.

110. "Accidentally" schedule him a him a haircut.

111. ..even though he's bald.

112. Be offended by everything he says.

113. When he gives you an order, stare at him blankly and drool.

114. Invite him to go streaking.

115. Kill Harry.

116. On the next Valentine's Day, decorate his lair.

117. ..make sure the decorations are pink and frilly.

118. Tell him that getting the same plastic surgeon as Michael Jackson was definitely a bad idea.

119. Paint his fingernails hot pink while he's sleeping, then place a permanent sticking charm on them so he can't remove the color.

120. Whenever you look at him cover your eyes with your hands and scream "IT BURNS!!!"

121. Bake him scar shaped cookies, but insist it wasn't purposeful.

122. Trade his black robes in for pink pajamas.

123. Insist that it's opposite day and paint a lightning bolt on his forehead.

Harry Potter vs. Mario Brothers

It's begun...I thought I had at least 4 more years, but perhaps not! Julia informed me today...well....take a look for yourself (thank goodness Ryan didn't hear it!).



And here are some pictures from this evening...just the kiddos being cute. (Yes, that's a lovely bruise on Mr. Marcus's forehead--he's growing and therefore falling every few steps. He fell earlier today and landed forehead first into the corner of the entrance into the hallway--OUCH!)

Potty training

So we were at the store first thing this morning (I changed Marcus's diaper when he woke up and then realized that I had used the very last wet wipe we had!). Evelyn spotted the one and only package of disney princess underwear hanging on the rack and it just happened to be her very size. I've been telling her for a while that I'll buy her princess underwear if she'd just pee and poop in the toilet (save me some wipes!). ;) Well, she promised and so we embarked on potty training today.




These are so cute, very much like the ones that Julia used when she was potty training. Disney princess for each day of the week. Well, it was all good for the peeing part. She went around 7 times on her own--always telling me when she felt the need to go (with no false alarms! I could get used to this!). The pooping....hmmm, not so much. It didn't help that she was having liquid poops (guh-ross!). After two accidents of that, we switched back to the diapers (this was half a day later--and she'll go right back into those cute panties when this liquid stuff is done and we get some solids going on). She still tells me when she needs to go potty--not poopy though. But not bad for her first day! Hurray for potty training!

Just hanging out on Sunday

Another Sunday come and gone...and guess what? Julia spiked a fever in the middle of sacrament meeting. Since Ryan has been gone we've made it for 1 Sunday in church! Is it crazy that he's been able to attend more than we have?! She has a temp of 100.9 as of this evening. No school for her tomorrow. So we just hung out this Sunday afternoon/evening. She was mainly on the couch in her fuzzy PJs while Jacob was on the wii (no surprise there). When he was done, he decided to play with Marcus on the couch. Next thing I know he's asking for me to take his picture. Then Evelyn wanted in on it. I thought it was rather cute (Marcus is a bit gross on his face...he had just finished eating one of my homemade chocolate chip cookies). And I was pleasantly surprised--Marcus kept his eyes open! He ALWAYS blinks when the flash goes off! And he's almost smiling! I love these pix!

Snow day

We finally got some good snow here and had a fun snow day. The kids played outside quite a bit...but I stayed inside with Marcus (it really was freezing!). But I wanted pictures so they lined up right outside the door where I could capture them all together. I let Marcus go out with them (he threw a fit when he realized everyone was going out except him) but he quickly realized that he didn't care too much for the cold, white stuff. :) Julia, Jacob, and Evelyn made a couple of snowmen and placed them on the trampoline. They're gone now (Evelyn about cried). And tomorrow we're supposed to have a high of about 70--that's Missouri weather for you!

Jacob's birthday

We had a small, quiet birthday celebration at our house for Jacob's birthday. In fact, I believe we celebrated it early so that GramMom could be there for it. She had called the week before asking what Jacob's interests were (aka "what would he like for his big day?"). I told her he loves Cars (the Disney movie) and he obviously is in love with the Wii. So what did she get? The Disney Cars Wii game.



The other kiddos wanted to check out their, I mean Jacob's new game. ;)



I of course read to him all the cool features on the back and to see what all the game entails. Racing, mini-games, and even special appearances from Mike Wazowski!



He has played this every single day since he's received it--thanks GramMom and Papa!



All these fun gifts came from GramMom and Papa--I actually haven't put together the cool gift that I bought for him (an incredible train set with accompanying train table). He still thinks that his birthday gift was having a fun night at Chuck E. Cheese together. :) He also received a really cool Cars gift (it came with 3 of his favorite cars!) from the Grandon family. He absolutely loves them--and surprisingly is willing to share (sometimes) with Marcus (whom already loves cars).

Peek-a-boo...I see Jon

http://www.kutv.com/mediacenter/local.aspx?videoid=32147@kutv.dayport.com&navCatId=5

For those of you who don't know, the big brown guy taking the pictures of the happy couple is my brother. :) (Yes, we really are related).