RIP Poppy Ray

I am way behind on my posting lately. I meant to get this up on Poppy Ray's birthday -- August 14. Poppy you are greatly missed by everyone. We know you are looking down on us and smiling most likely with a cigar in your mouth, a fishing pole in one hand and your middle finger extended on the other. Love ya.

Lake Adventure

I am a little late in getting this up, but as they say....better late than never. The family recently went down to Pomme de Terre lake to visit Tara's Dad and Stepmom over the 4th of July weekend. This is always a big weekend for us because July 5 is our oldest son's birthday. Ryan loves to go the lake because we always get to do fun stuff...and this time around it was no different. We had a blast. All I can say is that Tara is an absolute trooper because these weekends are definitely slanted towards the "guy" activities. We went to the farm and did some target shooting with rifles. We went to the dirt track races on Saturday night at the Lucas Oil Race Track (one of the best dirt tracks in the country). And then we also hit the lake to do some water skiing. Believe it or not both of the boys got up on skis and had an absolute blast. Connor never really got all the way up, but for being 4 1/2 years old that's not too darn bad. Ryan was popping up out of the water like a cork and just having a blast. Can't wait to go back.

Royals -- Cardinals Game

We spent the evening at Kaufman stadium tonight with our friends the Lewis's -- Casey, Debra and Brigham. We had a lot of fun. The Royals won in an entertaining game 5-2. Connor was exhausted by the end of the game....we kept him going with regular doses of Cotton Candy, Gum and Kettle Korn...nice diet huh. But the boys had fun and loved the fireworks. We are already talking about heading out to another game sometime soon.

Vacation Wrap Up

Whew...all I can say is we are more tired now than when we left. How often do you hear that though. We did a lot, but it was fun and well worth the money and time. We had a blast. One of the most memorable and coolest things of the trip is that we got to watch the Space Shuttle Discovery launch from the balcony of our condo in Daytona....I have to say that was pretty cool. Check out the new slide show for some of the photos from our trip.

Orlando...It's a wrap

Well we spent 4 fun filled days in Orlando and have since moved onto Daytona Beach. We had a great time in Orlando and we were very happy with our decision to spend time at Universal instead of Disney World. The boys had an absolute blast and want to come back again once they have finished the upcoming Harry Potter exhibit -- due to open next year sometime. And after Connor has grown to a point he can ride more of the roller coasters. We hung out at poolside at the condo each morning and then moved onto either Islands of Adventure or Universal Studios each afternoon so it worked out great. The "favorite" ride was The Amazing Adventures of Spiderman ride...very cool simulator that showed the web slinger going after Doc Oc and his crew. Other favorites were the "Revenge of the Mummy" roller coaster (indoor), this was Ryan's top because he could actually ride it. Cliff, Dixie and I all loved the Dueling Dragons and Incredible Hulk roller coasters. I liked the Dueling Dragons because it was actually 2 coasters in one and it is the type that your feet dangle from...very aggressive and fun. Connor loved the Men In Black ride because he got to shoot aliens...I have to admit it was pretty cool. The Jurassic Park river ride is one not to miss either -- you will have to ask Tara about that one some time. Well have to run. Will post more on Daytona later, but have to tell you that Ryan loves the beach - he is already becoming a boogie boarding pro.

Orlando Day 1

Lots and lots of fun today. We spent the whole morning at the pool, then grabbed a quick bite to eat back at the condo and headed for Universal Studios. The boys were a couple of troopers today. They swam hard and then stuck it out at Universal until almost 8PM.

Universal is a pretty cool place. Lots of fun rides and characters for the boys to see. We started at Islands of Adventure today with plans to hit the other park tomorrow. As you can see from the picture here the boys got to meet the Grinch -- they thought that was pretty cool. Cliff, Dixie and I had a lot of fun riding some of the big coasters....the Incredible Hulk ride is pretty awesome and the Dueling Dragons are a lot of fun too. If Ryan had only been about 2 inches taller he could have joined us...maybe in the next couple of years. All in all the best ride of the day was the Amazing Spiderman Adventure -- it utilizes 3D technology and it was just very cool. You felt like you were right there in the thick of the action. Well that is all for today....more tomorrow.

First Flight

Well the first flight went well as evidenced by the picture of Connor. That was until we started the descent. We came to find out pretty quickly that the decreasing air pressure really bothered Connor's ears. That's OK...we made it and everything went well on flight two as well. We are now in Orlando and enjoying some fun in the sun . We spent the morning pool side and now we are heading to Universal Studios for some action. Be back later.....

Vacation Time

Well, we are officially on vacation now. We head for Orlando, FL in the morning. 4 days and nights in Orlando and then 4 days and nights in Daytona Beach. It should be fun. This is our first trip with the boys and we are looking forward to it. We were originally going to do Disney, but we changed our mind and settled on Universal because we thought the boys would have more fun with the characters at Universal -- Spiderman, Jimmy Neutron, Spongebob, etc. vs. Mickey Mouse, Donald Duck and the princesses. No contest there.

We will be updating the blog during the trip.

Big Daddy Slick

Ryan at his first communion looking like he is ready to take on the world. Can you say Lady Killer?

Working on Blog

Excuse the odd margins as I am working on the layout right now.

Proud Moments as a Parent

We had a big event this weekend...one that makes you sit back as a parent and realize that your kids are growing up right before your very eyes. My oldes son Ryan, had his first communion this weekend. I can't believe this little guy is growing up so fast. There he was in front of the entire church dressed up in a suit and tie and beaming from ear to ear. He looked great and was just as happy as a clam. We had a fantastic day with a large number of our family who attended the service and then came back to the house for a bar-b-que. We could not have asked for a nicer day for things and it ended up being great. I was proud to see how grown up my son is becoming. Proud, but a bit sad realizing that Ryan is not going to be a little kid for long.

One for the memory books

After I got home from playing softball tonight I sat down on the couch to visit with Tara, and she told me a story that is one we will be writing down to remember. Connor was in the shower and Tara was helping Ryan on the computer when she heard Connor say "Mommy". She told Connor to wait a minute but he was being persistant. So finally she walked into the bathroom and saw him sitting on the floor of the shower with his legs crossed and his hands folded in a prayer position. He looked up and said "I want Poppy to come back to me." Poppy Ray passed away on January 14, 2008 and he is never far from our thoughts. But to hear the boys talk about him really melts your heart. Of course Connor was not done....he went on to say that he wanted Poppy to bring lots of toys and happy meals. The mind of a 4 year old...oh to go back to that time and experience those thoughts again.

5K Finish

Well I ran my first 5K since I was about the same age as Austin (the boy that i ran with). I have to say that it actually was fun. A family friend, Sean Ahearn, was running the Olathe Marathon and his 11 year-old son Austin wanted to run the 5K. They asked if I would be willing to run with him and I jumped right in. I really enjoyed it. We finished in 36 minutes. Not too bad considering Austin is only 11. It gave me a chance to get out and run "early" in the morning. And believe it or not it felt good. I actually gave up the chance to play in a softball tournament to run the 5K. Who knows....maybe more will be in my future someday.

My Inner Geek

My inner geek is ready to come out on Friday night, April 4. Why you might ask...well it is the start of the last season for BSG -- Battlestar Galactica for the uninitiated. In my opinion it is one of the absolute best shows on television today. I know, I know, I hear it all the time -- "You like that sci-fi crap?" Well in a nutshell, yes I do, but BSG is the show that truly breaks away from the sci-fi mold. This show can stand on its own up against the big boys. This show tackles real issues and real life scenarios -- genocide, suicide bombings, cloning, bio-weapons and other heavy issues. At the same time it peels back the layers on the characters, none of which are without their flaws. There is a real human element to the show. I am convinced that had Tara given it a chance in the beginning it would be one of her favorites as well....I just could not get her past the fact that it was on the Sci-Fi channel. For anyone interested I encourage you to catch up on the last three seasons by watching the following clip "What the Frak is going on".

Hello World

I am just now catching up on things, but I wanted to give a big hello and welcome to the world to my new niece...Ava Bliss Yokley. Ava was born on March 4. She weighed into the world at 6 pounds, 10 ounces, and measured 18 inches. She has black hair, 10 fingers, 10 toes, and is all healthy baby girl. And as you can see she is a beautiful baby. The proud parents are my sister, Christy and my brother-in-law Brian.

The Toothfairy Strikes Back

As we were sitting at the dinner table, Ryan told his Mom that his tooth felt funny and that he thought it was coming out...sure enough, it did not make it through the night. Ryan, with a little help from Dad, pulled his right front tooth out. And now we are left with a gap that you could drive a truck through. We have our own version of a Halloween Jack-o-lantern on our hands. All Ryan could say was "my teeth don't touch".

Introducing the Olathe Kneeshaw Clan

As an initial entry point for DK's Korner, I thought I would introduce the most important people in my life -- Tara, Ryan, Connor and our newest edition, Abbygirl's Little Kricket, or Abby for short.

I figure it is important for you to meet the group since this is typically going to be the target topic for my blog. In short the boys keep us busy and on the run all the time. I can probably fill blog after blog entry with stories of the boys. Their quotes or "kidisms" will make for great fodder.

Ryan is at a great age right now as he is starting to get into new things. He has all of a sudden has decided that he wants to start playing the guitar, where that has come from I am not sure. Come to think of it, it could be either American Idol or Guitar Heroes. This should prove interesting. Baseball is still his sport of choice and we are getting rolling with our first season of "kid-pitch" baseball now.

Connor is a feisty four year old who is learning how to push every boundary here at home. He is not afraid to challenge Tara or me. It is enough to drive us batty. He loves cartoons, just like almost every four year old. Spongebob Square Pants, Little Bear and Avatar are at the top of the heap right now. Connor is our creative one. He loves to do art projects and play with play doh and the like.

Tara is working as a chiropractic assistant and marketing manager for Mills Chiropractic and Wellness Center here in Olathe. She loves working with the patients and has really taken to the world of patient care and wellness. She still loves gardening, baking, shopping, talking on the phone to her friends and family, but most importantly she loves hanging out with me and the kids. And of course I would be remiss if I did not mention her love of our new puppy, Abby. You never would have guessed Tara would become a "dog person", but Abby has converted her.

I work for a major telecommunications company headquartered in Overland Park, KS. I am sure most people can figure that one out. I am a manager in the Communications department where I am responsible for managing the intranet program and business operations support activities for communications tools and technology. In my "spare" time (yeah right) I enjoy coaching Ryan's baseball team and playing competitive tournament softball. I also love to hang out an play with Abby. I enjoy taking her out for runs in the evening.

Abby is our black Labrador Retriever. We have had her for a year now as we got her last Easter as a gift for the boys. She has definitely been a blessing. She is so much fun and is an absolute love bug. Tara and I comment about the fact that we don't know what we would do without her now. She has definitely become a member of the family.

Well there you have it...not the most exciting entry ever, but enough to introduce you to the Olathe Kneeshaws. More to come in the near future.