Down, Down, Down

Two major items that I have been watching this week have both been going down. The bad news: the market! The good news: gas prices! Thankfully, Tracey and I have a long time until we plan to retire. Although we are not going to look, we know the value of our investments have dropped significantly. However, contrary to popular belief, you do not actually lose any money until you sell, which we will not do for many years. By then, it will be recovered and have had many years of gains. In the meantime, we will continue investing each month as we are buying at a major bargain right now. Yeah! As for the gas, I think it will go down a little more, but our friends at OPEC will get greedy again and artifically reduce the supply. This will send the prices back up. It will be nice when someday we will no longer depend on their oil.

On a less financial note, Kyle and I are racing tomorrow at the GVSU Homecoming 5K and kid's fun run! It will be fun. I am pretty sure Cam and Dria will be racing too. Stay tuned for updates.

And finally, Kyle had another soccer game on Monday where he scored two more goals!!! He continues to impress us with his soccer moves!

Catch Up

I forgot to post that we all went to our first Coopersville High School football game two Fridays ago. It was homecoming. We really had a great time. Kyle was engaged with the game while Clara was entertained by the cheerleaders and the popcorn! The Broncos have a great team and kicked Sparta's butt. It was fun. And, it was cool to see how many people Kyle and Clara knew from school. I was amazed how many friends and teachers stopped to say hi and give the kids hugs. Both Tracey and I commented how friendly the people were at the game. We love living here! I think we are going to try and get back for at least one more home game.


Clara's feeding therapy is going well. She is enjoying it and she is starting to touch more foods. In fact, she is now eating waffles and french fries (not together - gross).


We ordered a new vehicle. It is a 2009 Toyota Rav4 and it will be in sometime this fall. We decided that it is time to retire the 2001 Tribute (130K+ miles). It has been a great car, but it is really starting to show it's wear and tear. And, with the dependence we have on the cars and the miles we drive, we don't want to be in a situation where we are uncertain if it will have an issue. Tracey is excited about the colors and the options, and I am excited about the 270 HP V6! We were originally looking for a hybrid SUV, but the RAV4 actually gets nearly as good and in some cases better MPG (26). By the way, do you know anyone looking for a used car? :)


That's all for now. Have a great week!

Attention Holiday Shoppers . . . . .

I started my Christmas shopping this week! I know it's only October 1st, but if I don't start now, I will be overwhelmed and stressed during the month of December. The wrapping alone seems to take me forever. Plus, I like to shop early and avoid the crowds. Has anyone else started their Christmas shopping yet, or am I the only one?

The only problem with starting so early is I don't know eveyone I am buying for yet. We typically do drawings for the nieces and nephews and that hasn't happened yet. So, please don't be surprised if you get an email from me soon asking if you want to draw names . . . . . . and yes, in October! Is anyone else interested in doing this soon?

Ultimately, I love to shop and this gives me a reason to do so. :) Plus, I really enjoy shopping for all the kids. Toys these days are so much fun!

P.S. - Only 84 more shopping days, folks. :)

Mr. Mom

Sorry we haven't posted in awhile. We have been super busy with Kyle's soccer, Clara's feeding therapy, work, training, and maintaining the house. It has gotten to the point where I find myself mowing the lawn in the dark. Thank goodness for lights on my John Deere!

Tonight, Tracey had an event at work, so Kyle, Clara, and I went to Kyle's soccer game. They are so much fun. Kyle had a few break aways near the end of the game and scored his second goal in two games! He told me that he "faked the goalie out!"

I will post more soon, but I have to give the kids a bath and get them to bed. Enjoy the photos.

First Soccer Game

Last night was Kyle's first fall soccer game. It was a blast! Kyle started the game in goal, which he doesn't care for. After about 10 minutes in goal he was moved to forward and quickly scored his first team's goal! He was so excited that he ran to the sidelines and jumped into my arms. I was so proud!!! After that he was put on defense. His team won!

As you can see by the team shot, Kyle is #1! And, he is still one of the shortest on the team. Thankfully, he has grown 3 inches since April. We suspect he will be catching up soon. And, it doesn't seem to affect his play at all.

Soccer Time

Tomorrow, Kyle has his first fall soccer game. He has had two practices so far. Since the game is at 6pm, my understanding is that it is being played "under the lights!" This will be exciting! Today, we worked on some goal scoring drills and are both excited to see if it pays off tomorrow. Kyle has grown a few inches since last season and can certainly kick the ball a lot harder. It will be interesting to see how he compares to the spring season.

Grand Rapids Bridge Run

Yesterday, was the Grand Rapids Bridge Run. This is a 10 mile run that is one of Tracey's favorites. As a spectator, I like it too as it is easy to get around with my bike and Burley. We park at GVSU and ride the entire 10 mile course, stopping to cheer mommy on along the way. And, we do have a few opportunities to play at various playgrounds along the course.

The weather was perfect and Tracey did a fantastic job! She has been training throughout the summer for this run followed by the Grand Rapids Half Marathon coming up in a few weeks. As you can tell by the pictures she makes it look easy. Whenever we saw her she was smiling and waving to us. Of course, she only makes it look easy - it is hard work. She was pretty tired afterwards and sore today. She was moving a little slower than normal today, but did have us all join her on a walk throughout the neighborhood so she could rack up some steps. She is participating in another "step challenge" where the participants wear pedometers and compete to see who gets the most steps over a specified time. She is always one of the top participants and even won the latest event in her office.