Our fan-tabulous friends, Andy and Andrea, love MAGGIANO's too!

They stole all of the leftovers and thought we wouldn't notice. Sneaky!

Lucas Oil Stadium

The boys and I spent part of Saturday at the Colt's new stadium. There was a High School Invitational this weekend, and we got to watch a couple of the games. What a thrill it must have been for those kids that got to play on the new field! I know it was fun for us just to be there. The kids thought it was cool to get to sit in the front row anywhere in the building we wanted - and so we tried out all of the seats. Well, almost. We walked all over the place and explored. R is still complaining today about his feet hurting.

Lucas oil stadium is awesome!

Tummy yum-yums

Yum! Here's a pic of a small part of our dinner at Maggiano's tonight. I know you're jealous! Beef medallions w/mashed potatoes and deep fried onions. We also had Chicken Marsala, Mushroom and Veal Ravioli, salads, stuffed mushrooms, fried zucchini, and more. If you haven't been there, you've got to try the family style dinners - with family or friends. If you need some more friends to go with you, call me!

We have crazy, great friends!

This is Bryan with his beautiful wife, Chanel. They live right around the corner, and have been so good to us that they actually come over and play euchre with us every once in a while! (They also introduced us to the game "Cornhole" - which our friends Dan and Mare didn't believe was a real game, but I promise it is! )

Anyhoo - A big thank you goes out to Chanel and Mark - they are horrified when Bryan and I start on a roll - we love to joke around, we both know WAY too many lyrics from obscure 80's songs, and we both get WAY too much joy out of singing the lyrics out loud. Thank you to our spouses for putting up with us! We're "Too legit, too legit to quit!"

Here are our dear friends, Paul and Nellie, with their youngest daughter, S. She's our sweet little God Daughter, and she is Sooooo cute. (See rest of blog for more recent pic.) This pic is from her baptism, which was a little while ago, but it's a good pic of P and N, so here it is. They have 4 girls, and they are all as beautiful as their mother. BTW - when we hang out in Vegas with them, we leave the kiddos at home with their grandparents. (A big TY to them, too!)

The sport of champions...or ladies and gentlemen...whatever.

Golf. Wow! After years and years, (boy, am I SO old!) golf is still my favorite sport. Of course, football has become a close second, but golf remains at the top of the list.

Here's an example of how beautiful Indiana can be in the fall. Mark and our friend, Bryan, and I went out last fall to enjoy the scenery and try to survive "The Fort" - a fantastic course on the NE side of Indy. It reminds me a lot of the course I grew up playing - challenging and incredibly gorgeous.
Have you ever noticed how hard it is to look good with a hat on? Oh my - at least, how hard it is to look good after you take the hat off? Really...the hat totally messes up your hair - and gives you a crazy ring around your head - and there's nothing you can do about it until you take a shower and start from scratch. *sigh*

It's so sad. So sad. I love the beautiful fall colors in the background of this pic - while standing on the tee of some crazy hole after Mark got stuck in a sand trap and could barely get out. We were laughing so hard at how badly he was stuck in the side of the trap - part of his ball was in the sand, and part was embedded in the long grass on the edge of the trap. He had to pop the ball up immediately to give it any chance of getting on the short grass - and it took a few tries - maybe 4 or 5, I was laughing too hard to remember. *giggle* I can hardly wait until the next "Fall Courtney Classic"!

Mork and Mindy

Am I the only one in the world that was excited to see a Mork and Mindy mini-marathon on WGN the other night? If the Cubbies have the night off, then what better alternative to watching them win could there be? I know! Mork and Mindy rocks!

Well, I admitted to my friends at work this morning that I watched it last night. When they asked me what time it was on, I told them I didn't know b/c I had it on my DVR. That's when the real teasing began.

Am I a dork just because I felt "Mork and Mindy" to be DVR - worthy?

Max the Wonder Dog

This is Max - he's my sweet, fluffy little

dog. So cute! My fluffy little dog! (Imagine me saying that while rough-housing with him after I've been at work all day.)

If you've ever been to my house, you've had him in your lap. He refuses to be ignored and refuses to play with any ball except the one he put under the couch and can't get out by himself. He's a cute, fluffy, crazy little dog, but I do love him.

When J was a little over a year, my best friend and I went to the mall and went into the puppy store. In principal I think the mall is not the place to get a dog, but that's where Max was - and when I held him, he fell asleep curled up in my arms.

I'm a sucker for cuddles, so my friend got him for me as a birthday present! Every time he poops or vomits on the floor, as every good dog has to do occasionally, my wonderful husband reminds me: "Three times you asked, and three times I said no. Look what YOUR dog just did." Max is a Bishon Frise, and that breed is supposed to live about 15 years. Max is 6, so in Mark's mind we only have to endure about 9 more years of dog ownership. Secretly, Mark loves him, he just won't admit it out loud. To anyone. Or even to himself.

Wave pool

I have to add this one, too. We picked Mandalay Bay for the pool - for the sandy beach and the lazy river they have there...which is incredible. If you go to Vegas and like the pool scene, I HIGHLY recommend it.
Anyway - we picked that hotel just for the lazy river and all, and the boys rarely went in it. Mandalay Bay has this wave pool that never stops - it has giant waves about every 4 minutes or so. John was just tall enough to be in there - in fact, the lifeguards put a wristband on him so that he wouldn't get measured over and over - and both kids LOVED it in there. We got to the pool at 10 AM and left at 5:00 only because there was lightning in the distance and the guards made everyone get out of the pool. The boys went on the lazy river about 3 times and explored the other pools a little bit, but I'm sure they spent at least 4 hours in that wave pool. Looks like fun, doesn't it?

Swimming! Finally swimming!

The biggest accomplishment of our summer was that the boys learned to swim. Ever since they were little, they've hated getting their face wet - even in the shower. We tried swim lessons about a year ago and I don't remember them ever letting go of the wall. But, we started this summer with lessons at the High School nearby, and they did a lot better. R even tried floating on his back, although he would never let go of the instructor completely. He latched on to the girl's pinky finger like it was a lifeline!

Then,a new waterpark opened in the next town and we went there one day - the thrill of the new pool and the lure of the lazy river got the boys going. With the help of some goggles to make R a bit more brave, both boys started jumping in. Into my arms, mind you, but jumping in nonetheless. Soon they were going underwater, and trying new things. We also spent a Sunday afternoon on a boat on Geist Reservoir with some friends, and the boys got to swim around in life jackets for a couple of hours.

Imagine just 6 weeks ago the kids wouldn't get in water past their knees...and now look at them! I'm so proud!

Here lizard, lizard!

What is the fascination with the lizard, scorpion and snake in the Las Vegas Airport? Every time we pass them the boys beg to get their picture taken with them. I finally gave in. Imagine if the lizard were real! R and J could have been it's lunch!

VBS 2008

VBS was like, 6 weeks ago, but I just got this picture and I can't resist the chance to embarass R by posting a pic of us together. I just got this one from

the totally awesome Gina, who coordinated the chaos that is
VBS. We had about 275 kids and tons of volunteers that all

worked together to pull off an incredible time! I had fun

dressing up as a mis-matched "professor" all week. You can

see one of my less ridiculous outfits here. At least everything works on a black and white theme. I can't say as much for the rest of the week. Friday was a leg-warmer day, for example. I did like the glasses tho - should I keep them?

Mandalay Bay

If you haven't been here yet, what are you waiting for? It's absolutely beautiful!

Mom and Dad's 40th celebration

Mark's parents have been married FORTY YEARS! Wow! They are a great couple, and a lot of fun to be with. To celebrate, Mark and our family came to AZ, and Mark's brother and his family came up from Phoenix to Mom and Dad's house to celebrate. We had a hard time getting a good family picture, so this is what you get.

In fact, this is probably the small period of time that we were best behaved. The whole family got involved in some silly game of punching each other and eventually the grown ups and the two oldest kids settled into a crazy game of Catch-Phrase. If you haven't played it, I HIGHLY recommend it! Ask Mark's Dad about the rap he sang!

Hoover Dam

We've driven over the Hoover Dam about 10 times when on our way to Mark's Parent's house. Finally, 5 years after we first drove over it, we got out. Mark was being like Clark Griswald, trying to get us out of there ASAP so we could stick to our schedule. We drove as close as possible to the edge and parked, and then got out for just enough time to snap this picture. Then we were back in the car to fight traffic again. Eventually we'll take the "Dam" tour - but not until the kids are old enough to appreciate the humor in it.

School is back in session!

R isn't happy about it, but J sure is glad to be back in school! Both boys got awesome teachers, and J is so excited that he's planning out his wardrobe every day! He saved his favorite Cubbies T-shirt for today so that he could wear it when he had lunch with his teacher.

R is in the GT class and he's actually volunteering to read when he gets home. He may be complaining on the outside about having to go to school, but it seems like he's happier than he's willing to admit.

I'm back to work at the school, and our class is lots of fun. We have 8 kids in our room, most have Autism, and so every day is a little different than the day before. Our room is in the same hallway as J's, so whenever I see him (which happens at least 4 times/day) he motions me over and gives me a hug and a kiss. He's 7...2nd grade...I know it won't last long, and I treasure every moment I can get.

Our beautiful God Daughter

A couple of weeks ago, our sweet little God Daughter came (with her parents, too!) and stayed with us while her Mom and Dad went to a wedding. She's the youngest of 4 girls, and she had a great time playing with my 2 boys, and me! It was so much fun to listen to her talking and to play with her. She's growing up so fast, as - of course - they all do, right?

J loves the wave pool!
XOXO, Beth

How do I make this pic stand up straight???

Here's Mark relaxing at Mandalay Bay...the Boys love the wave pool!
XOXO, Beth

Guess who!

To be fair to my sweet husband...

I have to post a couple of my kid pics...just to be fair to my hubby. If you missed his, check them out. Can you guess which one is of me in Kindergarten? I cut my own bangs on the day before to get ready for the picture. Don't I look awesome? Yeah, I thought so.

For most kids, on their 16th birthday, they dream of getting a fancy new car with a big bow on top like in those Lexus commercials, right? Not me - I got the bikini with Mickey Mouse flip-flops posted in the paper! Cars last a few years, but embrassment like that lasts a lifetime!

Kiddos

R loves to play chess...

From J's expression you can tell that the other guy might as well just give up now.





A beautiful summer day and the boys are hamming it up!


This kid loves sports. Watch any baseball or football game with him and you can turn off the sound - he's bound to be a sportscaster b/c he loves to give everyone in the room the play by play!

My sweet husband

Mark wanted me to change the pictures I had posted of him. No more awkward High School poses...just cute little Mark!

He's going to kill me when he sees this!

Family pic Nov 2006

Family picture - cute, right? Of course I am. Oh, I mean, the boys are! *blush* Target does a great job, don't they?

Starbucks loophole

Okay, so we've got these friends, Paul and Nellie, and they ROCK! They are our youngest son's Godparents, just because they are so cool. Long story - another time...back to Starbucks.

So yesterday, we were in Vegas, gambling at the Monte Carlo - we'd just eaten this huge steak dinner at "Brand." Which sounds like a cool place, right? They had velvet on the walls in the bathroom stalls - is that sanitary? Seriously?

Anyway - so we've just eaten this huge meal with 9 dollar side dishes - who has two thumbs and just paid 9 dollars for a baked potato? This gal! I digress... We've just eaten this huge meal and we're all, "I'm stuffed and sleepy" so we go to the Starbucks. Nellie and I order normal drinks, but Paul ordered a triple shot of expresso. WELL, that would be, like, 8 dollars or something crazy, but here's the thing. Paul and Nellie can get away with anything... Paul instead orders some kind of blended drink that comes with 2 shots of expresso, then adds an extra 3 shots, and tells them, "hold the milk, hold the ice." Bam. 5 shots of expresso for like, 4 bucks. Genius.

Oh, and then - Nellie wants to learn craps, but the only tables open at 1 am are 10 dollar minimums. That's too much for us - just learning and all, so Nellie sweet talks the guys into letting us play for $5 instead. Who else could get that to happen??? I don't know. We had a really cool guy named Ricardo - who should have retired a few years ago and has the age spots to show for it - He blew kisses on our dice for me every time I threw. Uh, yeah...I lost $200 in about an hour and so we hit McDonalds.

Have you ever stood outside of a Vegas McDonalds at 5AM waiting for it to open so you can get breakfast? Yeah- a first for me, and I'm not proud of it. But the OJ was really good!

Here we go!

Okay, Nellie put me up to this...thanks, Helen Marie!

She's all, "You'd be good at it" and I'm all, "whatever, Nellie...I'll look into it." So, here we go!