Music Hath Charms...

What better way to "soothe the savage beast" than with a little music? Harrison loves listening to music - especially on my iPod. Most of the time he is very careful with it so I'm happy to share it with him. He was trying to hide in this picture, but I was a little too fast for him. I enjoy it when he listens to music because he always entertains us with his singing.

Some of his favorite songs are the "church songs" he sings in church on Sunday and Wednesday as well as songs he has heard in movies, such as "Cars" and "High School Musical". His favorite song is "In You" by MercyMe.

Outdoor Activities - for everyone

The Moore family has enjoyed the nice weather the past few nights by playing outside as much as possible. Thanks to Amy and Delmar, we have a nice little screened in area on the deck that we've put to use playing games. Last night, the game of choice was the Thomas the Tank Engine "Station Celebration" card game. Harrison won 2 games and Mom won one. Dad, I'm sorry to say, was not able to obtain a victory but there's always next time.



From the card game, Harrison moved on to baseball in the backyard. He's getting pretty good at throwing the ball up and hitting it!



Finally, the evening was rounded out with Harrison and Dad shooting some hoops. Harrison is getting very good a basketball and is even attending YMCA Basketball Camp this week and next.

Poetry in Motion

Ahhhh...the things we do for our children! I don't know how many times Harrison has asked me to get on the trampoline with him. AND, I finally did it two nights ago. Please note how I actually DID get a little air between me and the trampoline - those of you who know me best also know this was quite a feat for me! Even though I was a little sore the next day, Harrison and I had a GREAT time!



And, because I was such a good sport, he even rewarded me with a little kiss:

Happy Birthday, Emily!!!

Our little Emily turned 6 years old on June 13. Her mom and dad had a Hello Kitty party for her at the park. Harrison had a great time - as usual. He always has fun with Emily! And, what could be better than a sunny day at the playground along with a birthday party.

We all had a great time...thanks, Emily, for letting us share your day!

Here's Emily with her cake:



Harrison wishing Emily a happy birthday:

The party crowd:

The Man Who Knew Too Much

Sometimes you meet people who make a lasting impression on you. One such person I've met is Jim Kerns. I had the great pleasure of working with Jim during my time at Corporate in the Property & Casualty Underwriting Department. You know how some people know a LOT about a few things and some people know just a LITTLE about a lot of things? Well, Jim actually knows a LOT about a LOT of things...which is really entertaining at times! If you want to know a good restaurant in just about any city in the US or if you need to know anything about the history of pretty much everything in the world, Jim is the man to see!

I had a great time working with you, Jim! I'll keep you in mind when I need to know...well, anything!

Talking to Grandma

Harrison couldn't wait to tell Grandma that we bought a new van...because it's JUST LIKE GRANDMA's (except it's the same color as Emily's)! We bought a 2006 Chrysler Town and Country minivan and Harrison is so excited for the next trip to KY. He wanted to let Grandma know we'd be bringing it so she would know who we were when we pulled into the driveway. He also said 3 or 4o times yesterday, "I just can't believe we bought a van like Grandma's."

Personally, I'm just glad my boys have something more dependable to drive in than the 1992 Ford Explorer. (Sorry, Chris, you knew I had to say it!)

Dinner Date 2

Harrison had another dinner date last Saturday night (June 7th). This time, he dined with Lilly Black. Harrison and Lilly are shown here as they were just beginning to enjoy their fine cuisine - Chicken McNuggets and Apple Dippers from McDonald's. A wonderful time was had by all!

When the Cats are Away...

Nothing says friendship like a pool party. And we sure had a great one in Delmar and Amy's pool while they were on vacation. Oh, and I should mention, this is a brand new pool so we were the first ones to get in it! Thanks, Amy & Delmar for letting us "christen" your pool.


I should also add that I took a poll of the kiddos to gauge the popularity factor of the pool. I'll let the pictures tell the results:


Finally, no pool party would be complete without resting on the deck with some refreshing beverages and good conversation. Since Delmar and Amy also have a new screened-in deck, we made sure it didn't get neglected from any lack of use while they were out of town:

Our special thanks to the Sandages for a delightful time...we love and miss you TERRIBLY!!!

The Moores and the Blacks

A Big Pain in the Backside!

Well, the thing we hoped most would NOT happened actually did happen this past weekend. Last March, Chris went through a terrible week with a peri-rectal abscess. After a CT scan and colonoscopy, we then met with a surgeon who lanced the abscess - in his office...without anesthesia. Needless to say, it was the most excruciating pain Chris has ever had. And, we were told there was a 50-50 chance it would come back again...not the best odds.

So, this past Saturday I took Chris to the ER because the abscess did come back. They gave him injections of pain reliever and antibiotics and we met with the surgeon again yesterday. Again, the surgeon gave us the option of treating him there at the office (to which Chris very quickly said NO) or going to the hospital for surgery.

This morning at 5:30, Chris, Harrison and I headed for St. Joseph Hospital. Chris went into surgery at 7:00 and was released a little after 9:00. Harrison and I agreed that it seemed much later than that - why is it that hospital time moves so-o-o-o-o slowly!

Chris is now home healing and I'll be with him through the day tomorrow. We pray this will be the last time he has to go through this, but we still know there is the possibility that it could happen again. My personal opinion (which I shared with Chris yesterday) is that the Enemy gives us these situations to make us question God. But, we show our faith when we use it as another opportunity to praise God and seek His comfort and love - which is exactly what we ALL did through the weekend, yesterday and today.

Since we don't know what the future holds here, we all ask for your prayers as well - prayers for Chris's healing and comfort and patience for our whole family. We can and will weather this storm!

(Oh, and I'm sure you are all please to see that I'm NOT sharing pictures in this blog!) God bless you all!