Van Cise Volleys

Birthday Dash 2012

2012-03-04T23:52:00.000-06:00

The time between New Years and Spring Break, January - March, always seems like a dash or a scramble. Maybe it's due in part because of having to "recover" from the Christmas holidays, maybe it's from having to get back into the pattern and pace of work and school. But for us it's also in part because Hannah and Patricks' birthdays come pretty quickly after Christmas and New Years and are also pretty close together. (They were born 12 months and 2 weeks apart.) Not to say we don't love celebrating them - we surely do, but there's always a bit of a deep breath when Spring Break is close and birthdays are behind us (or maybe it's the prospect of another vacation in front of us?).

This year's Birthday Dash was a lot of fun, though; don't think there's any complaining going on. With the New Year the kids started some new activities. Hannah is taking horseback riding lessons a couple times a month. Patrick has moved away from soccer and has taken up Tae Kwan Do. Both really enjoy these new activities and continue to enjoy Brownies, violin, and Cub Scouts.

In January, Patrick participated in his first Pinewood Derby. He took 3rd place in the Tiger Cub division and won the award for "Most Original" car. Hannah continues to enjoy being a part of "Spirit Squad" at school and would have cheered on the start of the 5K Fun Run at the school's Family Fun Day if it hadn't been rained out.

And of course there were the birthdays themselves. Both kids wanted parties with a small group of friends this year. It was a happy Dolphin theme for Hannah and an awesome Pokemon theme for Patrick. It's hard to believe Hannah is 8 now and Patrick is 7. They grow up so fast!

With Spring Break only a week away, there will surely be more stories and photos. Until then, enjoy these pictures!

Birthday Dash 2012

Happy Thanksmas 2011!

2012-01-07T18:17:00.000-06:00

It's been quite a busy fall and winter, full of school, team sports, and family adventure. Patrick started Cub Scouts in the Fall and he's been working his way towards his Tiger Scout badge. Hannah has moved from Daisy to Brownie scouts and is really enjoying it. (Anyone need Girl Scout cookies? It's that time of year...)

Another thing that seems to be becoming tradition is visiting with family over the week of Thanksgiving. You think "Sure, that would be called 'celebrating Thanksgiving.'" True. But we add a twist. Since we live so far from most of our family (at least 800 miles away from the nearest) we usually don't see them at both Thanksgiving and Christmas. So we've started to merge the holidays into Thanksmas. We've even started talking about the lore of Thanksmas, like when Santa Gobble comes to bring presents. It's a great time and a great way for us to celebrate with each other as much as we can.

This year another reason we needed to celebrate Thanksmas was that we took a family vacation over Christmas. Recall that Dad had to work pretty much non-stop over the summer. So we really didn't get a chance to all go on vacation together. So we just moved our summer vacation to the winter. We decided a couple years ago we'd do this and we wanted to do a big Disney vacation. So we saved up and this past Christmas we spent time at Disney World in Florida and went from there on a Disney Cruise in the Carribean. It was an excellent time and a great chance for us all to get away from Houston and spend time alone as a family. We had a great time!

And now we look ahead into 2012, wondering what is in store. No matter what we try to plan, we're sure God will entertain us with some unexpected turns in the road. Already this year the kids are trying some new things - Hannah is starting horesback ridingn lessons (I'm sure Grandma Van Cise and Aunt Carrie are thrilled) and Patrick is starting Tae Kwan Do instead of playing soccer. The kids will also be celebrating their 8th and 7th birthdays - growing so fast!

Don't worry, there will be pictures a plenty, probably in the April/Easter timeframe. Until then, here are photo albums of the Fall/Thanksmas and our Disney vacation. Enjoy!

Fall and Thanksmas 2011

Disney Vacation 2011

Summer's Over Already?

2011-10-01T21:48:00.002-05:00

Another summer is behind us. This year was crazy (aren't they all) but with a twist. Ed was the Lead Flight Director for the International Space Station this summer (May through September) and as such he pretty much lived at work and came home to sleep. Mom and the kids didn't see him much. During that time frame was also the STS-135 shuttle mission, which also kept Ed at work for long hours.

We knew in advance that it would likely be this way so we decided to try to keep to our summer routine as of late, but with a twist. For the last few summers we've been meeting up with the Millers - either in Tennessee or in Texas - to spend time together and to let all the cousins 'hang out.' This year, Amy and the kids drove up to Tennessee and spent some time there. Then both the Van Cises and the Millers drove up to Michigan for an escape away from the heat. They played in Frankenmuth and Muskegon and also spent some time visiting with Grandma and Grandpa Van Cise.

Everyone came back to Texas at the end of July. As the school year approached, so did the start of fall sports (can you call it "fall sports" when the temps are over 100 and there's a more than 30" shortage of rain?). Hannah is again cheering for the Clear Lake Space Raiders football team as a Clear Lake Satellite, but this year they're cheering for the flag football team. As this is Hannah's second year, she's also one of the Captains of the cheer squad. Patrick continues to enjoy playing soccer and improves with every practice and match. Hannah has also joined a new Girl Scout Troop and has started her first year of Brownies. Likewise, Patrick has joined Cub Scouts and is working on this Tiger Cub badge.

Over Labor Day weekend, the entire family flew up to Baltimore, Maryland. Ed's cousin, Tim Weiman, got married and Patrick was the ring bearer for the wedding. It was great to see the family, great weather, great fun and sightseeing, and great to be able to at least get a few days away from Houston together as a family for a small family vacation.

So yes, it was a busy summer that now, in hindsight, seems to have flown by pretty fast! The kids are really enjoying school - Hannah is now in 2nd grade and Patrick in 1st. I write this as we have the house windows open and the a/c turned off for the first time since March. It's great to have evening temperatures the drop below the 80 degree mark and daytime highs (at least today) that didn't go above 90. Hard to believe it's already October 1! Hopefully the weather will stick.

There are more adventures head, I'm sure. Until I write again, you can see some of the highlights from the summer in this photo album. Enjoy!

Summer 2011 Part 2

Cannon Ball!!

2011-07-03T19:44:00.000-05:00

Splish Splash, it's summer pool season! It's been a while since we've updated the blog. Since that's more often the case than not, maybe we should just call this our regular quarterly update?

It's mid summer now. Easter has come and gone, school has ended, and we've even gone through a full season of swim team. Amy's cousin Stephanie Hoppe and her family came to Houston to see the NCAA Final Four. We got a chance to have them over to the house and show them around NASA - it was good to see family and friends we hadn't seen in quite some time.

We had a good Easter (He Is Risen!), enjoyed our very first professional soccer game (the Houston Dynamo beat the DC United 4 to 1), wrapped up the soccer season for Patrick, and finished Kindergarten and First Grade. School was enjoyed by all and it's amazing how much both have learned over the year. Both Hannah and Patrick can't wait to start 1st and 2nd grade.

In May the kids joined and started swim team (the Clear Lake Stars) for the first time. Between daily practices most of May and June and day-long swim meets in June, it was quite a commitment. However the kids did extremely well and really enjoyed themselves. It was a lot of fun to watch the kids develop and grow as well.

The rest of the summer is still in front of us - time to visit with family and friends, enjoy some summer camps, and then all too soon get ready for school to start again.

Until the next quarterly update, here are some photos of the fun we've been having.

Summer 2011 Part 1

Where has the time gone - Winter 2011

2011-03-27T20:14:00.001-05:00

It's been so long I don't know if anyone out there still follows/reads these posts...(feel free to comment if you do)

This is where I create a plausible excuse for not having updated our blog in 4 months. Blame it on Snowpocalypse? Blame it on having too much fun? Blame it on forgetfulness? Blame it on lazy? Well, that last one might be closest to the truth but we'll go with fun.

You'll be relieved to know that I'm not going to go day-by-day in order to catch you up. You'll have to trust us that we've been having fun though. Christmas was a blast. We enjoyed time at home on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, then went to Tennessee to spend the week between Christmas and New Year's at the Millers.

In January we again went and saw Monster Jam. Does two years in a row make it a tradition? We also had a great time celebrating birthdays - Hannah is now 7 (in February) and Patrick is now 6 (in March). Can't believe it's gone so fast! We spent time at the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo, caught a hockey game, and had Aunt Sally and Aunt Bunny come visit us - as well as hosted a small Todd family reunion.

For some Spring Break fun and time away from Houston, we spent a couple days in Dallas. It was our first time and we enjoyed seeing the Dallas Zoo. Since we've been to the Gaylord Opryland resort in Nashville, we enjoyed looking around the Gaylord Texan resort in Dallas. For Christmas this year, Hannah's prime desire was an American Girl Doll - which she got, and named Elizabeth. At the Galleria in Dallas is the American Girl Doll Store and Bistro. (yes, really) So the ladies (Mom, Hannah, and Elizabeth) got all "dolled up" and went shopping. Hannah had gotten some gift cards to the store for her birthday, so it was a great way to use those birthday gifts. Mom had also made reservations for the three of them to enjoy tea together. They had a great time. Patrick and Dad, in the meantime, went to use Patrick's LEGO store gift cards at the Dallas LEGO store.

So we really have been having fun, and really - the kids have been in school, too. It's amazing that school is actually going to be winding up in a couple of months and then we'll be into the realm of summer break and vacation.

Speaking of that - who knows, it might not be until after the summer break that the next set of photos and stories is posted. You'll just have to wait and see! Until then, enjoy these photos!

Winter 2011

Merry Thanksmas!

2010-12-06T13:20:00.000-06:00

I'm sure November and December are crazy times for most families - and ours is no exception. I thought I'd pop in a quick blog post before Christmas to show what we've been up to since Halloween; and to make some room for the blog silence that will come between now and some time next January (or February) when I post our Christmas pictures.

Patrick finished his season of soccer just before Thanksgiving break. He had a great time, really enjoyed his team, and can't wait to play for Coach Robb again in the Spring.

For Thanksgiving break we drove up to Michigan to celebrate "Thanksmas" with Grandma and Grandpa Van Cise. Since we'll be celebrating Christmas break with Grandma and Grandpa Oczepek and the Millers, this allowed us to get some combo holiday time with all the family this year.

Our trip to Michigan went via Tennessee because Aunt Jenn had her gall bladder removed the week before Thanksgiving. Amy flew up to help the Millers out while Jenn was recovering and we all joined them the weekend before Thanksgiving. Thankfully the surgery went very well, as is her recovery.

Once in Michigan we had a great time in the (very cold) Michigan fall weather, got to experience "real" apple cider and cider donuts (not the stuff that's way too expensive at our local stores in Houston). We exchanged presents on Thanksgiving and enjoyed a great Thanksgiving dinner (hence, Thanksmas). It was great to see Aunt Carrie, Uncle Tyler, and cousin Blake too! We also ventured down to Frankenmuth - where Uncle Tyler experienced Bronner's for the very first time. (How can you live your whole life in Michigan and never been to Bronner's?)

After a great week with family and friends in Michigan we've since returned and decked our own halls, getting ready for Christmas. The weather isn't cold, that's for sure, but the decorations in the neighborhood do help us feel like it's that time of year.

Since we probably won't post anything until after New Year's, from our family to you and yours - Merry Christmas, thanks be to God for the gift of His Son, and Happy New Year!

Thanksmas 2010

Trips & Teams - Fall 2010

2010-11-11T23:23:00.001-06:00

This Fall has certainly been busy. Yeah; that's what I'll blame our lack of posting on - the business. Ok, poor excuse but maybe it's a little true?

As you would expect, the kids have been nose-to-the-grindstone with school. They continue to enjoy it (for the most part). We've also been busy with cheerleading and soccer. Hannah has basically finished her first season of cheerleading with the Clear Lake Satellites mini-pom squad. Patrick has his last soccer game this coming Saturday. They've both enjoyed their team sports and have really developed and grown over the course of the season.

Sadly, in the middle of September we had to make an unplanned trip to Michigan. While we love seeing Grandmas and Grandpas this time it was to attend the funeral of Amy's paternal grandfather. Edward Oczepek was a great man and loved by all who knew him.

We finished October with pumpkin "picking" (more like "selecting at the farmer's market"), attending the Wings Over Houston air show where we saw the Thunderbirds perform, and Trick Or Treating of course. Now that it's already November, we're looking forward to cooler weather and seeing lots of friends and family over the upcoming holidays.

We hope you and yours are having a good fall (or spring if you're below the equator)! Here are a few pictures to tide you over until our next blog update:

Trips & Teams - Fall 2010

What a Crazy August!

2010-09-03T05:08:00.001-05:00

This August was one for the record books! I think there's much we'd rather forget, or wish didn't happen, but it certainly was an adventure!

August is typically the "let's do a lot of fun family stuff together before school starts" month. That's what we had planned too, but it seems God had different ideas. On August 1, we were going to all go see the Astros play the Brewers at Minute Maid Park. It was NASA Day at the Astros! Fun, right? It would have been had the phone not rang at 5:30am. The night prior a pump on the Space Station broke - a really big problem and something Dad had to go into work to help the teams start working on. Being the awesome Mom that she is, Mom still took the kids to the Astros game and they had a great time.

Dad spent that whole first week of August at work (save a few hours at home for sleep) but at the end of the week he packed up for his trip to Guatemala (see other blog posts). That mission trip was a "spur of the moment" decision, made only 3 weeks prior. While Dad was down in Central America, Mom wrestled with a broken shift cable on the van (tow required) and then a flat tire on the car that she had to change. Couldn't just go use the van since it was at the same time getting repaired! That chaos aside, Mom also took the kids camping at a local state park over the weekend that Dad was coming back. Talk about an awesome Mom that can deal with almost any situation!

Once Dad got back (and they fixed the Station while he was gone), there was only just over a week left before school started! We did fill up that time, though! We got ready for Patrick's soccer season to start, started Hannah's cheerleading practices, met our teachers, and got ready for that big first day.

It's hard to believe Patrick's in Kindergarten now and Hannah's in first grade. They grow up so fast! We rounded out the month of August with Hannah cheering at her first football game and realizing (thankfully) that both kids love their teachers and love school.

We have no false hope that this fall will be quiet and uneventful but hopefully it'll be a bit tamer than August but still just as fun. We hope you enjoy some of our pictures from Crazy August!

Crazy August

Parents and Kids

2010-08-11T22:45:00.001-05:00

In our work in Guatemala we of course are in continuous contact with the people in the community where we are building houses. Most often this has been some of the local children in the community, but some parents as well. Today I took some time to observe the parents and the kids to see how things were or were not different from home.

First, the similarities. At the highest level, the parenthood mentality appears to be the same as back home. Parents want the very best that they can provide for their kids. I'm willing to bet that the parents here wish they could provide even more than they are able for their children, just like parents back home wish they could provide more - even when side-by-side comparisons of what each group of parents can provide is starkly different. I'm reminded of Matthew 7: 9-11, "'Which of you, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!'"

Further, parents are extremely proud of their children and what they can do. That knowing smile of a proud parent is just as easy to spot here as it is back in the States. The love these parents have for their children is also extremely obvious.

Of course children love toys. That's already a universal given. What's different is that I've observed here that the kids cherish their toys. I'm sure that much of this has to do with the poverty here and relative infrequency of getting anything new, let alone a new toy. Seeing kids playing with sticks on the road - or if they are lucky, a wooden wheel attached to the end of a stick - is not uncommon. Of course they love to play with their toys.

The most amazing parts to me, though, are two-fold. First, they will play with their "same old toys" for a long time, day after day instead of just 10 or 15 minutes and then the toy is "old." I have yet to hear an "I'm bored!" or "What can I do?" or "Mami, can I play the Wii?" The kids just cherish what they have. Secondly, they share their toys. Today one of our team members was handing out paper and crayons for the kids. There weren't enough to go around for everyone to have one. Sharing was required. Back home this could easily result in a fight, argument, grabbing, or something worse. Here, the kids simply shared - and enjoyed doing so - so that all could play with all the colors.

I'm not sure what to do with this observation. On one hand, you see kids truly happy with the very little they have and reflect on the "fights" and "I'm bored" calls at home and wish the kids back home would cherish all they have more completely. On the other hand, we parents are all similar in that we want to give all that we can to our children but still raise them to understand the need to cherish all God has given them - not just things but people and family as well.

Perhaps this dichotomy is one crux of the parental conundrum? Still working, still learning in Guatemala.

I leave you with a picture of 1 of the 4 house walls/windows/doors my team and I are building this week. They all get loaded onto a truck (that's the entire house in the photo) and taken to the foundation another of our teams has prepared and raise the walls at the home site.

Changing Perspectives

2010-08-10T21:35:00.003-05:00

People often ask me what I enjoy the most of my job working in Mission Control. My usual answer is that while I thoroughly enjoy working with the astronauts on the Space Station (I put people in space!), the most amazing part is looking at the video from our external cameras. I often comment on how these views continually reveal how fragile our planet is, give us a glimpse of the fact that we are a remote outpost in the vast darkness of space, and that you cannot see borders, conflict, or earthly problems from those cameras.

Photo credit @Astro_Wheels

After two days working in Gualan, Guatemala, I have come to realize that my admiration of the views and God's handiwork comes with a flaw. While it's true that you can't see borders, conflict, or troubles on Earth from these views, you also can't see the people. Over the course of the past few days I've come to be a good deal more appreciative of the billions of human beings that inhabit our oasis of a planet. My travels outside the US to date have all been to Europe and Canada, places that though foreign, have mostly similar incomes and lifestyles as the US.

Over these past few days in Gualan I have seen poverty the likes of which I have never seen before. The bare essentials for living are hard to come by at best, impossible to get for many. What is striking, however, is that the people we are coming in contact with are not bitter or angry. Of course they appreciate our helping them (there are no words to explain their gratitude), but they do not demand it, do not question "what took so long" or ask "why not help more?" Rather, they are happy for their lives, the existence that they do have, and the family they have to share their lives with.

I'm still working through understanding it, let alone conveying it in words, but I'm really amazed with the people here and I know that the things I am learning here (not just carpentry skills) will stay with me the rest of my life. So I'm still working on nailing down the "why am I here" in my head, but I know one thing for sure - those downlinked video views from space will strike me with even more amazement now. Now I will not only see the beauty of our planet and the vastness of the void that we're a part of, but also recognize that there are billions of people spread across our planet as the Station soars above it. Those people are living separate lives in separate cultures, but all connected in amazing manner that is incredibly difficult to describe but incredibly rewarding to be a part of.

Why Are We in Guatemala?

2010-08-08T18:46:00.007-05:00

Yesterday (Saturday) I joined up with a group of people from Gloria Dei Lutheran Church (our church) in Houston, TX, and a group from Gethsemane Lutheran Church in Tempe, Arizona. Together there are just over a dozen people. We flew from Houston to Guatemala City. I joined the group pretty late in the planning process - just three weeks ago. It was pretty spontaneous, especially for me. Thanks to God my wife urged me to go even though it would be most taxing on her, having to both worry about a husband she may or may not be able to stay in touch with plus having both kids for a week without any help from me (not that she gets much help from me when I a am home).

The premise of the trip was to go to Gualan, Guatemala, and build "houses" and while doing so, be an example of living life with Jesus every day. We're down here as a part of CALMS (Central American Lutheran Mission Society). Given the vague description, I didn't know what to expect. I got a bit of a hint today, though.

Today started with a church service at the local Lutheran church, which is affiliated with CALMS. It was Spanish language, of course (which I don't speak) but honestly, God's grace is pretty universal. We spoke a bit with Pastor Luis afterwards, saw the school, and I handed out some NASA photos that kids and parents alike seemed to enjoy. Thanks to Sam, one of our folks from Gloria Dei who grew up in Guatemala, for serving as our interpreter.

Back to the point - why are we here? This afternoon we toured the sites we'll be working at. We met a lady whose house we'll be building for her and her 4 daughters. She, like thousands others, lived along the river that runs through Gualan and had next to nothing (and her husband had died 6 years ago). On June 2, 2010, a Pacific Tropical Storm came across Guatemala and caused that river to flood to levels that are hard to imagine (45 feet above flood stage). Thinking of Hurricane Ike in Houston, the comparison would be that there would be no water lines along the businesses on the Strand in Galveston - because the waters would have been over the tops of the buildings.

This lady, like thousands of others, lost everything she had, including her home. Thankfully (a miracle!) the flood waters came in the morning when people were awake. Had it come at night, the locals say, thousands would have died. Instead, no one lost their life - but they lost all their belongings. The city of Gualan has donated 1,000 plots of land in an area known as "Los Limones" to anyone who lost their house during the flood - you just need to be able to put up some sort of shanty/house to "claim" your property. Most people have just that - a lean-to of some sort. That's where we and many other mission or charity groups come in, we're building real houses for these people. Don't think American style multi-bedroom home though. Think 600 sq. foot, single room sheds. But they're solid, have roofs, and should last for about 5 years. Way more house than many have at the moment.

So why are we here - to help rebuild lives. Why am I here? Well, still working on trying to figure out what's in store for me in all this. If nothing else, I know I'm going to sweat A LOT, work hard, and hope to contribute just a little to making someone's life a little better. I'll try to post photos if and when I can. They'll all be in this photo album.

Gualan, Guatemala, Mission Trip

Summer Adventures 2010

2010-08-06T14:54:00.000-05:00

Well, it's been an incredibly busy and fun summer. So of course our blogging has been non-existent. Not to buck a trend, here's a real quick post just to say that we actually did take photos. Click the link below to see them; the captions do a good job describing what we've been up to. Can't believe we're less than 20 days away from school starting! Hannah will be in 1st grade and Patrick in Kindergarten. They grow up so fast!

The Final Weeks of School

2010-06-11T22:14:00.006-05:00

It's hard to believe it but the school year has ended and the craziness of summer vacation has begun. We've already been camping at Lake Livingston and Mom and the kids had a week long blast at Camp Happy. Next week is Vacation Bible School and then trips to visit cousins in Tennessee and grandparents in Michigan. Before we know it, it'll be time for school again! At this pace, I hope we survive the summer (especially Mom - she's the one that makes this all possible).

Wherever we go, a camera comes with, of course. Enjoy these photos of Patrick's final days of school, our trip to the Zoo, a trip to Houston National Cemetery for their Memorial Day ceremony, and our trip to Lake Livingston, which not only included our first time tent camping as a family but our first ever Powwow!

Have a great summer everyone!

The Final Weeks of School

Wait, what happened to Spring?

2010-05-23T16:46:00.004-05:00

See, I knew summer had come too quickly... We had a fun spring, too, I just forgot to put up some photos about it! Looking back on it, I think Spring 2010 was a season of Texas history. The photo album (which I actually put together in March but never posted) has Hannah's history project, the kids riding ponies at a fair at Johnson Space Center, and photos from our little trip out to Washington-on-the-Brazos.

Ok, it's out of order but we enjoyed our Spring as much as our "last spring." :)

Spring, Crazy Spring, 2010

Where's the time gone?

2010-05-23T01:42:00.002-05:00

It's hard to believe how fast time always seems to go by in the spring. There are so many birthdays in the first part of the year, then Easter, and then seemingly immediately we're into the run to the end of the school year!

As I write this, Patrick will be in his last week of school next week. Hannah will be done soon as well. It's hard to believe that we're about to have kids heading into First Grader and Kindergarten. But let's not start planning for the fall just yet, that's way too fast! We've had a fun last couple of months, with some unexpected "fun" popping up now and again as well.

This summer will be full of adventure - time spent visiting family in Tennessee and Michigan. We'll get to drive up to Michigan and spend some time with Grandma and Grandpas V & O this summer. We'll also spend time with the Millers and even drag them back to Texas with us. We'll surely post photos of those adventures. Until then, here's a small photo album of what we've been up to the past couple of months.

Summer Already?

Winter 2010 - Gone Already?

2010-03-13T03:17:00.002-06:00

As usual, the months of January through March have come and flown past. We've been to Monster Jam, celebrated two birthdays, been to the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo, taken field trips, and so much more - plus had some time to have fun while doing nothing.

As usual, the pictures capture our fun better than my words, so here are some albums of what we've been doing.

Monster Jam 2010

2010-02-19T00:41:00.002-06:00

It's been a crazy busy January and February at our house, but it's all been pretty boring. No fancy trips or cruises or anything like that this year. :( That's not to say we haven't had any fun, though. In January Dad and Patrick went to Reliant Stadium to see the monster trucks at Monster Jam! We even had pit passes so got to see the trucks up close. Mom and Hannah spent some girl time shopping as well, it was a nice break from the routine.

The kids birthdays are upon us now (Hannah, Feb 17; Patrick, March 4). It's hard to believe they'll be 6 & 5! Expect more pictures and video from the birthdays. We're also looking forward to hearing about Aunt Carrie's delivery of cousin Blake! Blake's scheduled to make his appearance this weekend, so keep Carrie and Tyler in your prayers!

Until we hear that good news, enjoy a couple of videos from Monster Jam:

Merry Christmas!

2009-12-30T08:14:00.002-06:00

As December draws to a close it's time to post a few photos and a quick update. We had an awesome December that really stretched our family's flexibility. Dad's crazy work schedule has ramped up with odd hours for the first time in a long time. As we got used to that again, we still got in a lot of fun activities to wrap up the year, such as Patrick's "Christmas Sing" at preschool and Hannah's "Show Day" at her gymnastics class.

December came and went in a hurry, though, and Christmas was upon us. This year Grandma and Grandpa Van Cise came to spend the week of Christmas with us. We had a fantastic time. Thank you so much, Grandma and Grandpa. We all enjoyed spending time with each other as well as enjoying our new gifts. You'll see some of them in the photos linked below, including our new Nintendo Wii. Hannah has turned out to be an excellent Wii Bowler!

The week after Christmas, Grandma and Grandpa left but Aunt Jenn, Uncle Randy, Clarissa, and Natalie came to spend the week of New Years with us and Grandma and Grandpa Oczepek arrive today. It's going to be another really fun week with family! Update and photos to follow soon, I'm sure.

To all of you, we hope you had a very Merry Christmas and have a wonderful New Year in 2010. As you think about New Years resolutions (like me thinking about the upcoming "Slimathon"), keep 2 Corinthians 4:16 in mind,

"Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day." (NIV)

Christmas 2009

Happy Fall Y'All!!

2009-12-12T19:27:00.004-06:00

Since we're only weeks before Christmas it seems like we ought to post a quick update and photos of what we've been up to this fall. It's certainly been pretty busy and hectic around here. The first part of the Fall was spent figuring out a new routine with Hannah in Kindergarten - all day "real" school! Patrick is also in preschool three days a week. Both kids still absolutely love school.

This Thanksgiving we opted to take a "local" vacation by going to San Antonio. We had fun at Sea World and also saw some downtown favorites like the Alamo and the Riverwalk. We also enjoyed time at home, visiting the Houston Zoo and putting out our Christmas decorations.

This year we're going to have Ed's parents as well as Amy's sister's family and parents in town over the holidays. It's going to be a lot of fun to celebrate the holidays in Texas this year!

So until we have some Christmas photos to post (which if you know us may not show up until Easter), here are some Fall photos. To get you into the Christmas spirit, here is also a movie of the kids singing their rendition of "Frosty the Snowman" - listen for the corndog nose!

Thanksgiving 2009

Happy Halloween!

2009-11-01T20:13:00.003-06:00

We had a lot of fun leading up to our Trick-Or-Treating on Halloween this year. Hannah dressed up as a Dog, Patrick as the Transformer "Bumblebee" and the kids even got Mom and Dad to dress up as a Flower and Cowboy. The weather was wonderful and we had a great time all day. Below are some pictures of the week of Halloween.

Halloween 2009

The Monster Mash comes home

2009-10-17T08:45:00.002-05:00

Happy Halloween from our family and Flat Stanley, who's visiting us from Clarissa's class in Columbia, TN.

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Another First Day

2009-08-31T20:32:00.004-05:00

Last week Patrick had to go through a week where Hannah went to school and he didn't. For a boy who loves to be first in everything, including the first to have his pajamas on, his patience was tried daily when Hannah was the first to go to school and he had to wait a week before he could go to his.

Today was his big day though. He started his first day in 4 year old Preschool at Clear Lake Presbyterian Church. All summer he's been looking forward to starting school and seeing his friends again. His first day was a great one and he jumped right in. In fact, Mom says he almost pushed some other kids out of the way so he could get into the classroom to play with his friends. Mrs. Dunn and Mrs. Fields are going to have their hands full this year - 11 boys and 5 girls - but they are all smiles so far.

Patrick is ready to head back into school for the first time since May.

One more picture and then we'll go see your friends.

"Ok, Owen, we're going to play trains - this is what you're doing to do."

Patrick, you're an amazing gift from God. Now we just need to work on agreeing that it's ok that Hannah starts school each day before you do (8am vs. 8:30).

"You Can Leave Now"

2009-08-25T19:01:00.006-05:00

No streams of tears. No drawn-out hugs. No extended waves. Nope, from Hannah it was "You can leave now," when Mom took her to her classroom. In fact, Amy had to convince Hannah that she could actually come with her to her classroom; she'd have been content with Mom leaving her at the door.

Hannah's excitement stayed with her all day. She had a wonderful, exciting first day of school and can't wait to go back. Tomorrow adds even more fun - she's going to buy her lunch at the cafeteria.

We just need to get used to cheering "Go Thunderbirds!" (PS, Dad's ecstatic to learn that the school colors for Clear Lake City Elementary are Blue and Gold. Go Blue!)

Dressed and ready to go.

Practicing her "Bye Mom!"

Welcome back - for the first time, in our case.

At her desk, ready to start the day.

Kindergarten Already?

2009-08-24T19:40:00.003-05:00

It's true, our little girl starts Kindergarten tomorrow. It's so hard to believe that she's already five years old and ready to head to full day public school.

Today we went into the school, met her teacher, Ms. Landry, got her school supplies set up, and made sure we were all ready for the big day tomorrow. Something that's really exciting is that two of Hannah's classmates from Preschool last year will also be in her class, including her best friend Bridget. So while there's a lot of new this year, there's some familiarity to help as well.

Here's a photo of Hannah in front of the sign at her new school.

And I also put together a quick (cheesy?) video of Hannah from Septembers past. Amazing how fast they grow!

I can see!

2009-08-20T18:43:00.003-05:00

With Dad's terrible vision genes we knew it was inevitable but it's sort of sad to see it coming so soon. Our little Hannah now has her first pair of glasses. Still, you have to admit, she's pretty cute!

Luckily she's (so far) excited to have them and as soon as she put them on she said, "Wow, now I can see all the way down there! (down the aisle)" Now we just have to teach her how to take care of them and not lose them!