Down a Few

8 weeks ago, work started the weight loss competition and 4 of us in the shop got a team together.  Well last Thursday we weighed in and lost 86 pounds together and we are waiting for the results to be tallied.  Personally, I lost 27 pounds and am proud of myself.  Just watching what I eat and smaller portions sizes was all I did.  I hope I can keep it off now even though I did eat good this weekend(celebrating).  Another good thing is that I was able to wear my suit to Blayne's Confirmation and I haven't worn it in 10 years.

Now a week after the weigh-in the "Baby Back Ribs",our team, has won the contest and are still reigning champs! (4 years ago the maintenance team won the contest) We each go a $50 gift card for Dick's Sporting Goods. Congrats to my "Baby Back Ribs" team!!

Confirmation

A couple of weeks ago was my godson Blayne's confirmation.  I was his sponsor and I had hoped he was prepared for the big day.  He had picked St. Maximilian Kobe as his saint and this was a saint that I knew little about. Blayne told me about him months before and I googled St. Maximilian Kobe before going to the celebration.  Blayne was nervous about meeting the bishop and the questions that might be ask of him.  When we got to church, the kids and their sponsors gathered in the parish hall and waited patiently for the bishop to come and talk to us.  When the bishop came over, he talked to the young adults explained that he would ask questions to them in church and they would give the answer or simply say "Bishop, I do not know the answer."  The mass celebration was beautiful and full of singing.  The bishop's homily was very good and included the questions to the young adults receiving confirmation.  The questions were very difficult and most did not know the answers.  The bishop is a very intelligent man and knew alot about every saint.  After mass, there was a reception and a chance to shake the bishop's hand.  The nervousness in the room was now gone and everyone had smiles on their faces.  I can compare the experience to the Pentecost.  How the apostles were scared and fearful before the Holy Spirit; and after' they were relieved and confident to spread the word to all people!  What a wonderful day!!

Blayne and Godparents

My Kid's picture of the Bishop



15 YEARS

This lastThursday marked a milestone for my wife and I.  We were able to put up with each other for 15 years.  I love more now than I ever did before.  We have accomplished so much.  We have 3 wonderful kids, family and friends who love us, and a roof over our heads.  In our 15 years we have had our ups and downs(seems like more downs than ups) but with our love and God's grace we were able to over come any challenges that came our way.  I love you, Brenda, and here's to the next 50+ years.

Brenda surprised me this weekend by having the kids stay at the Hancock's and Grandma and Grandpa's for the whole weekend.  We had the weekend to ourselves.  We did go to Montana Mike's and to see a movie(American Reunion) on Friday night.  Saturday we cleaned the house a little, went to resale shops, and that evening we DJed at the Sager wedding together.  Sunday after church, we went to Hovey's to eat and after Brenda's boy scout meeting will go out to get our children.  It seems like we may have not planned to do alot this past weekend but the fact we did not have rush around to go anywhere.  We were able to take our own sweet time doing things.  It is good to do this every once in a while.

                                                  LOVE YOU LOTS, BRENDA!!!

Caden's tubes

On Tuesday of last week, Caden had tubes put in his ears.  He has had trouble hearing and fluid behind the eardrums. 

Caden and his friend after surgery!

Everything went OK and in a few days maybe I won't have to yell at him anymore(ha ha)

Easter weekend pics

He doesn't look happy

These are pic to go along with my previous post about Colin's fight with the wire.  He made it through the painful week of not being able to play or run.  Sometimes the pain of not being able to do something is more than the physical pain itself.  He's doing great now that the week is over.


Easter weekend pics:

Caden and his search for the eggs with his cousins.

Kendra and Colin and cousins waiting for Grandma to say GO

so they can hunt eggs.

Looking for the not so easy to find eggs!



The kids got plenty of candy and played with their cousins.  There was 4-square being played and kites being flown after the Easter meal at Grandpa and Grandma Kocher's house.  Luckily there was no school the next day because they would have been grumpy.  And don't worry the Easter bunny did find our house and did hide eggs in our back yard.  Another Easter day successfully came and gone.

Colin's collision

Thursday evening, Colin was at Gavin's ball practice playing with Maddox.  While chasing a ball on the tennis courts, he clotheslined himself on a wire holding a net.  He doesn't remember much of the details after that but he had bruises and a goosegg on the back of his head.  We kept an eye on him thruout the night.  The next day we had the doctor look at him and he said he had a mild concussion.  No activity or PE for a week.  What are we going to do with the boy??  He is slowly getting back to normal but it is going to be hard to keep him from running or playing 4-square for a whole week.  Pictures will come later when I get them off the camera. 

Spring Here Already??

I can't believe and worried about the weather we are having now.  Above normal temps and record highs for this time of year.  I can expect the pollen season will be horrible and my sinuses are going to be bad.  But like my grandpa always said " Not much we can do about it".  A lot of good is coming from it: kids outside playing, furnace is not running, and flowers are blooming.  We are getting a lot of compliments on our tulips in front of the house. 

The tulips have been there for the last 7 years and always look good every year. We will be keeping  an eye out for the rose trees when they start blooming.  They always look wonderful too.

  Now that I got my blogging caught up I have to do another spring time favorite   MOWING!!!

Enjoy the spring!!!

Week of the Birthday

  The past week was very busy and I was down in the back on top of that.  My back is alot better now and I am still babying it.  Like I put in the title, last wednesday was my birthday and I am creeping closer to that 40 year old mark.  It was a good birthday.  We ate at the Ole Tyme Steakhouse and the kids talked to the waiter to bring out a dessert with a sparkler lit in it.  I think the kids were amazed at it in it's glory.  It was a wonderful family outing.
  Saturday was 4-H shooting sports but after that I took the kids Geocaching.  For those that don't know what that is I will explain.  First you go on www.geocaching.com and pick coordinates for a cache near you.(they explain it on the website).  Insert the coordinates into a GPS and follow the GPS to where it leads you.  It should lead you to a box or canister hidden with trinkets and a log book to sign.  To the kids it was like treasure hunting.  We found six caches that afternoon and they did not want to stop.  This is a go way to get out and enjoy nature.  Other than gas money and a GPS, it is cheap entertainment and the kids really enjoyed it.  Now they want to go every waking moment.  Future Indiana Jones's!!!

Very First Find!

Another cache bites the dust.

Pinewood Derby Races

Well this was the big day for Colin's Cub Scout Pinewood derby race.  He picked the design of Perry the platypus (imagine that).  He did most of the work on it and I thought he did a great job.  I probably pushed him to try and get it perfect then realized just let him do the best he can.  Looks just like a platypus!! 

This was one of the heats he was in.  As I was helping with the races, I took pictures.

The last picture shows his car (third lane over) flying down the track.  He races 4 times and came in first two of the times.  A computer was used to time the races and calculate the winners.  It also figures the speed and one of Colin's speed was 127 MPH.  Now that is fast!!!

GOOD JOB COLIN !!!!!!



Rock climbing

Two weekends ago, the family went to Terre Haute shopping and while at the mall they had free rock climbing for kids.  The boys were all about it but Kendra was skeptical.  We convinced her just to try it and to go as high as she felt comfortable.  Caden got too high and got upset until we told him to let go and the cable let him down slow.  Colin got to a point, he could not climb past, close to the top and had to come down because he was getting tired.  They all tried it and we are proud of them for that. Here's the pics.

New look!

Well, when you are in the Hair Club for Men club, you know the beginning of March means no more full beard look. I usually start growing my beard out Oct. 1st and end it Mar. 1st. This year I decided to not to get rid of my beard completely. The guys at work have been talking about the "pork chop" look of the 70's. They convinced me to try that look. I didn't want to get rid of my goatee so I combined the look. Trust me, I researched images of "chops" on the net and was reluctant to shave my beard. After I was finished, it wasn't that bad of a look. I also had positive remarks about it at work. (Unless people were just nice about it) Scroll down and take a look. Feel free to post any comments!!!

One good looking guy?



Where Have I Been?

   Sorry, I've not been posting lately.  I would like to say that I've been busy with working last weekend and odd and end stuff going on, but I just didn't have much to say.  It's been a long week, Kendra's been sick running temp so she missed school all week.  Colin's been bored with nothing to do, and Caden's sensory disorder seemed to have came back.  Lucky us.
   I did get a chance to start working on Lucky's (our demon dog) doghouse.  It is the doghouse from the RMH's Christmas float.  It is a Snoopy style house, and I have been trying to insulate it and putting a metal roof on it.  When it is completed and you see it from the Pizza Hut parking lot, it will make you think that Lucky will have a 2 story mansion.  Knowing my luck she won't even use it.
   Lent started this week, so may the fasting begin.  Not eating between meals is one of my goals this Lenten season.  The other, that I might find a little tougher, is adding more daily personal prayer.  It is easy on weekends to remember to pray but during the week it will be hard to skew off the "normal" routine of my life.  Not only pray when I need to but also pray when I don't have to.  I think this will be a wonderful challenge for me and a practice that I hope will remain after Lent.
  This weekend was good.  I took Colin to Shooting Sports, went bowling with the Kocher Brother Construction, Inc. team, and went on a date with my loving wife.(Thanks to my sister Jenny and family for having the last minute babysitting service.)
  Date night was good for the both of us.  Went out to the steakhouse to eat, then a friend's pole barn for shuffleboard and conversation.  Which reminds me to question any road directions from a certain Kilpatrick couple unless you want to go to the river bottoms.(a "T" road should be in the shape of a letter "T")It was good laughs by all.
   Well that about all I have to say at this time, but I did change the music.  I hope you enjoy it and hope you will not have to wait so long for the next post.

My Love!

Happy Valentine's Day to my one and only darling wife.   I think back to 1996 at the Old Mill Inn in Newton.  How it was snowing just a little and "Oh Yeah" I proposed to her. One of the greatest times of my life.  I had to trick her, the weekend before, to go to Terre Haute to get the ring without her knowing. An easy task for evil genius like me.  16 years later, I wouldn't trade her for anyone.  She takes care of me when I am sick and whiny.  She supports me when I go to all my meetings.  She makes me laugh when I feel blue.  She understands when I have bad day at work.  She is my soul mate and best friend in the world.  (I would show a pic of her right now, but that would just embarrass her.)  I know I don't tell her I love her as much as I should,  I don't seem to appreciate what she does around the house,  and that I am not romantic ... at....all.  Deep down I love her with all my heart and can only try to do better.

BRENDA

I LOVE YOU!

HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY

When the girls are gone, the boys will play!!!

   It's Saturday, and my two girls went to Evansville with their friends, Ginder and Ginder's daughter for some girl time.  I know Kendra had some gift certificates to use and it was like money just burning a hole in her pocket.  About early afternoon, I received a pic of what the girls were doing and it was obvious they were having fun.

Two Hot Chickie's!!!



   Meanwhile on the home front, my young men are causing damage on their own.  First of all, they have been playing in their awesome sized tent(it took up a quarter of the room).  They have played everything from Perry the Platypus to ghost hunting in that tent.

Yes, my youngest does not have a shirt on.  It doesn't matter that it is 20 degree outside and the house is set at 68 degrees, he kept saying he is hot and it has been off all day.  At one point both boys had their shirts off.  Also while in the tent; they built a tower.  Colin had to get a picture of it and Caden had to pose for it.

Right after lunch,  the boys put on a puppet show for me.  They made their own puppets and created their own script.  It was full of song and suspense.  Just sorry Mom and Kendra missed the premiere.  Maybe they will catch it later on DVD.









Well between playing with the boys and tiding the house; I did take time to blog.  I also showed the boys some of the Superbowl commercials on YouTube.  They like the M&M commercial and Doritos commercials.  We had to go back a few years to see the Darth Vader kid commercial again.  It's amazing what commercials kids will remember. 

Until next time, ROCK ON!!!

Break out the Guitars

Recent events in the area has reminded me of my guitar lessons back in grade school.  I have played my guitar a few times in the past several years, but playing has always been on the back burner.  A few years back my brother, brother-in-law, and I got together and played around but I mainly played Bass guitar.  Well this week I got my guitar out and started to play again.  It's like riding a bike.  I doubt I will start a band but I can always make as much noise.  I got online and started looking for song chords.  The kids showed some interest so I showed them a few chords and told them they have to practice, practice, and practice.  Who knows in a month maybe I will have a partner or two to play with?  Hopfully I can keep my interest going.
Keep the Beat!

Weekend pics

Business Tycoon!!



Limbo Winner!

Colin makes it look easy!

Busy weekend

Just what I like in a weekend: Busy.  Had plenty of boring stuff to do like laundry, dishes, and cleaning house; but still had time for fun.  Saturday we were able to go to the St. Joe skating party and burn up some energy that I don't ever seem to have enough of.  Caden ended up winning limbo and everyone had plenty of pizza to eat.  After the party the 2 boys went to their friends' houses.  Kendra wanted so much go to or have a friend come over.  I ended up being her "girl" friend for the afternoon.  We played "Pass the Pig" and "Monopoly".  I was impressed with how she played Monopoly.  She tried hard to not go bankrupt and beat me.  Let's just say neither of us lost.  An excellent supper of turkey and mashed potatoes were served later; and Dorn's showed up to drop off Caden.  They stayed and ate with us; and visited for a while.
  Sunday we went to church.  Kendra and Colin had to serve and once again they did a good job.  Got home did some more boring stuff.  Made lunch from leftovers and laid down with Caden for a little while.  At 3, the two older kids went with me to my volleyball game.  They said I tend to fall alot and are glad that I wear knee pads(so do I).  Five games later and a lost match we headed home.  Later that night, we watched the Super Bowl halftime show and the second half of the game.  All the good commercials must have been played during the first half and the halftime show wasn't up to my expectation for a Madonna show.  Not much of a football fan so I assume the best team won?!?
  Once again I say it was a busy weekend; but I think "busy" is turning into "normal".  If kids are the main reason for "busy" I wouldn't have it any other way!!!

Keep up with the Beat!!!

Health Nut??

  What I am eating has taken on a new meaning for me.  A couple of weeks ago,  RMH wanted the employees to take a health assessment test provided by our insurance company.  I consider myself halfway fit, always room for improvement.  Some of the questions they ask help me realize that I may need to change some of my eating habits.  What do they mean 5 to 6 servings of fruit and veggies a day??  I also know why my brother and his wife trim off alot of fat when we butcher.  The test also said that it wouldn't hurt to lose a few pounds.  It seems I am getting enough sleep but I need to exercise more.  And if the test wasn't enough to wake me up, having a gout attack last week opened my eyes.  I figured that I am getting too much protein in my diet like eating way to much meats and no fruit and veggies at most meals.  Gout may not be the most amount of pain for a person to have; but it is enough to consider changing his lifestyle.
  It's been about a week now; and I have added more fruits and veggies into my diet(at least 1 serving at each meal) and sticking to the proper servings of meat.  My uncle keeps me in check at lunch time and Brenda watches me at supper time.  It is not as hard as I thought it would be.  The gout attack ran it's normal course and I hope the next attack will not happen for a long time.  I also plan on increasing my activities to stay fit.  Then maybe in 6 months, if I dare, I will take the test again and see if my scores go up.
  Keep up with the Beat!!!

Skating Party Revisited

Yes, Caden got to go to his rescheduled skating party.  Last week it was canceled due to owners not showing up.  Kidzone decided to have it a week later and all was well.  They had a good turn out of children and they were all ready to skate whether they knew how or not.  Kendra and Colin are old pros so they got skates on and took off.  Caden's maybe third time skating? so still new at it.  I had the workers tighten the wheels on his skates starting out.  Tried to teach him the "waddling like a penguin" trick I used to teach the other kids.  Caden is a little young to get that concept but he did good trying.  After about an hour, I had his wheels loosened so he would learn more balance plus he was trying to roll forward with wheels that wouldn't roll.  He at one point rolled a wheel completely off the skate and had to get a new pair.  He fell several times and I'm sure his butt is sore but he kept getting up and trying again.  At one point he was trying to skate backwards like his old man was (quite the funny sight).  I worked a little with Kendra and Colin on skating backwards and they tried it but realized it causes more falls than they wanted.  Of course there were snacks and video games .(Try convincing a child that we are there to skate not to play video games.)  After about 2 hours I think the kids(and me)were ready to go home.  Now we can't wait until the St. Joe School skating party!!

Two high speed skaters

Snack time buddies

4-H Shooting Sports

Saturday morning, Kendra, Colin, and I went to 4-H Shooting Sports. It is a 4-H program to teach kids how to safely handle and use bow and arrows and guns. It also builds knowledge and self-confidence. I help teach the archery discipline of the program. Brother-in-law Chad teaches the shotgun discipline and the program also has an air rifle/rifle portion. His two boys also participate in the program. The kids can choose which discipline they want to or do all three. When we started, Colin was all about it but Kendra was reluctant to try it. After she tried archery and air rifle, she loves it. Colin does them both and last time tried out the shotgun so I think he is hooked. The best thing I like about the program is that we teach safety foremost. I know that if the kids happen to be exposed to a bow or gun they will be responsible around them. Since I am teaching archery I only got pictures of them shooting the bow. I am quite proud of how well they do shooting and they are happy to be shooting also.

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Look at that form!

He's ready for a deer!!