Thomas the Tank Engine

Last Friday we took Harris and Elliott to see Thomas in Calera. We were a little nervous that there would be bad weather, but we got lucky. We got to ride Thomas and get our picture with Sir Topham Hat and play with all the Thomas trains ever made. After we did most of the activities, we decided to let the kids get a toy. This is where Heidi and I learned a big lesson. We took turns walking with kids letting them decide what they wanted. They each picked out what we thought they wanted, but little did we know that what Elliott got was not really what he wanted. What he really wanted was what Harris got! So for the rest of the afternoon Elliott pouted because he wanted the train Harris got. It was actually funny (aside from the whining) because Elliott wouldn’t look at anyone and when you called his name he would cover his eyes with his arm. Too bad I didn’t get any pictures, it was funny!

Riding the train


Us and Sir Topham Hat!


Harris and Elliott really enjoyed the music

On the way home (holding the train everybody wanted)

How do you explain this to a 4 year old?

Well… I knew this was coming, but I wasn’t sure when it would happen and really didn’t know how to explain it. Last Saturday or Sunday night, Harris was saying his prayers and He asked how Greg was feeling. (He had only been around Greg a couple of times, but he heard Heidi and me talking about him a lot lately.) I was really caught off guard and didn’t know what to say. So I told Harris that Greg was feeling a lot better because he was in Heaven. When I told him this, he looked like he was going to cry (which in turn got me a little upset). I was trying to think of something to say quickly when Harris smiled and said “I know why Greg went to Heaven”. I was really surprised to hear this, so I let him explain. He said, “Greg went to Heaven to take care of Eddie (our dog that died a couple of years).” So naturally this really made it easy to explain to a 4 year old without going into too many details. I said “Yea, I think you’re right Greg is in Heaven taking care of Eddie” and I explained to Harris that Greg was a Veterinarian and he really did take care of dogs.

So after a few minutes of uneasiness, Harris smiled and said that he was happy that Greg was feeling better and that he was in Heaven taking care of Eddie.

Whew….I’m glad Harris explained that to himself cause I don’t know what I would have said.

Have you ever met a 4 year old Paleontologist?

Well I haven’t met one, but two. Lou and I took Joseph and Harris “fossil hunting” a few weeks ago. We went out to an old reclaimed strip mine and walked around. We had a good time getting out and it was amazing what types of fossils we found (according to Joseph and Harris). Here are a few pics from the adventure. I didn’t think to take any pictures our finds. I’ll have to do that next time. They are already asking to go again.

Easter 2008

Easter this year was great as it always is, a little rushed trying to get everywhere on time, but great nonetheless. We went to my parent’s house first to eat lunch and hunt eggs. Then we went to Heidi’s Granny’s house for the ‘Great Easter Egg Hunt’ with all the cousins. All in all I think we all ate too much, but everyone had a good time. Here are a few pictures from the day

Greg Allen Green (1975-2008)

There are so many things I could say about Greg, I don’t know where to start. There are many stories that could be told about Greg. Greg was just a great person! The main thing I will always remember about Greg is how positive he was and the good things he always had to say about everyone. And when he said these things, he was always so honest and genuine about it.

I guess I will leave it at this, He was one of my best friends and I will always miss him.



Here are a few pictures that I was able to find, some are from Lou. Check back later as I am trying to find more.