Ginger Bread Christmas Party

A couple years my Mom put on a great Christmas party for our family and it involved making Ginger Bread Houses. It was a lot of fun. Jenn thought it would be fun to do that with some friends and neighbors this year and we had a blast. Ava in particular really enjoyed making her creations and was a big helper in building my Frank Lloyd Wright style ginger bread house. Here are some pics from the evening and the full story board on Flickr.

Merry Christmas!

Happy Halloween

Ava got this whole Halloween thing down last night. She had a great time being a Lady Bug and getting candy from the neighbors. We made an attempt to dress Buster up as a Squirrel and put Bennett in a Pumpkin costume. It was quite a feat to get the pictures I got, but it was a fun night for all of us!

Bennett J. Gardner

Born Oct. 13, 2009. 8lbs 2oz.

Here are some first photos of our little guy. He is sleeping a lot and I just hope he brings that habit home with him. It was pretty funny, when we brought Ava in to see him, I think she thought he was a fake doll or something. We had Bennett 'give' her an Elmo Doll as a little present, she loved it. More pics to come.
Thanks for all the kind texts, e-mails and prayers.

Study Abroad-Marseille, France 2009

To answer the question I have been getting all last week...France was awesome. The three weeks spent were incredible. Judging by the pictures, one would guess that it was pure vacation, and when we weren't in class from 9am-5pm, it was. However, it was an experience that was definitely worth doing. The entire three weeks was an intense session of school and culture. I also met some really cool people, class mates and the French alike. I could make this post go on for pages, but instead I'll give the 30 second version and if anyone is interested in anything further, let me know.

The highlights of the schooling were:
A visit to Euromediterranee Marseille where we learned about one of the largest urban renewal projects in Eur ope.
Had guest lectures and visits from some multi-national companies located in Marseille.
Eurocopter
Gemalto
CMA CGM
L'Occitane

Saw one of the largest nuclear power sites in the world (Didn't really see it--it is getting built still)
Had classes at the EuroMed School of Management on Global Capital Markets, International Management, and guest lectures from Prof.'s from all over Europe on a variety of topics.

The tourist stuff included, the beach, food, concerts, St. Tropez, Cannes, Monaco, hiking and swimming.

I feel very lucky to have gone and fortunate enough to have a supportive family to allow me to do this. I have narrowed down the 818 pictures I took to about 390 and uploaded them to my Flickr page. I hope you enjoy them.

The Coast

Lighthouse, originally uploaded by Keltose.

This post is a little late, but I had to get it up before it gets too late. Dad, Robyn and Hayden came up for a week and Hayden for weekend. It was a fun time of fishing, chilling and the beach. The pictures say all the other thousands of words so check it out. here.

I loved this book when I was little...

And am super stoked for this to come out this year. According to IMDB it comes out October 16th. So, I have a little while. I enjoyed this trailer though.

Now, Here is some really good news!!!

Here's the card Jenn gives me.
Classic.

More news to come, but it looks like Ava will be a big sister come October 20th!

Hawaiian Cruise...Not a bad start for 2009

Well, the much anticipated Hawaiian Cruise came and went, but it was a blast. I still can't believe we did and saw so much. We went with Jenn's parents, and they kept saying we make them feel young again, which means we wore them out each day, but we had a great time and were glad they let us join in on their vacation. The only mishap was me putting my phone in my swimsuit pocket and then going out in the ocean. I guess I deserve it for reading e-mails on the beach.

Ava was hilarious with everybody on the ship. I think every person got a wave or two from her. She had a great time until we set her down on the sand at the beach. Apparently if it's not soft and fluffy, it isn't for her.

I tried to take a lot of pictures, so I hope they tell a good story. Here a few favorites and the storyboard here.