Dylan Turns 3!

I can still hardly believe it, but in January Dylan turned 3 years old! He celebrated with a homemade cake made by his Dad. When Jake was 3, I made his cake and we had to nickname it the San Andreas Fault cake because of the crate down the middle...guess I've been demoted :) He loved his birthday hat and rarely took it off that day.

Dylan had a small family party and then met up with a couple of his friends at Chuck E. Cheese for some birthday fun. His favorite present by far was his new scooter. After watching his brother whiz around the driveway enough times, he's thrilled to finally be able to chase after him! Until the weather gets warmer, we'll have to settle for laps around the kitchen island :)

It's a Hockey Night in Charlotte

Dylan got a new set of hockey sticks and nets for Christmas and could not wait to get out in the driveway and give it a try. He's really got the stance down in this adorable picture :)

We also like to take in at least one Charlotte Checkers hockey game each year. Last year we took Jake and all he remembered was blood on the ice from the fights! This year we got to see a little bit more action...and well, Dylan just kind of eats his way through these events...popcorn, pizza, ice cream...but we all had a great time!

Family Trip to Charleston

Brian and I have lived in Charlotte for almost 15 years now and had still never been to Charleston. So right after Christmas, we decided to go with Brian's parents and take a family visit. It was a truly amazing visit and has us really wanting to go back for a romantic weekend :)

We were able to pack a lot of activity into just a few days. One of our favorite things was the carriage ride through town...we got to see all those wonderful homes you always see pictures of and hear all the great history behind them. And the food was incredible of course. We were also able to spend almost an entire day visiting an old Charleston plantation. Even in the winter time it is still amazing to see. We took a nature tram ride, toured the gardens and even went through a huge maze of bushes. The boys also enjoyed the petting zoo, although one goat seemed to have it out for Dylan!!

We had also heard great things about the Festival of Lights, surrounding a lake in the area. It was absolutely spectacular, just driving through the park looking at all the lights. But we were also able to park and roast marshmallows, take a train ride, and shop a little. It is definitely a must see and we are already anxious to go back again.

Perry's Race for the Cure

We recently participated in the Race for the Cure with my parents in Charlotte. We have done this race several times and this year, my Mom is celebrating 18 years since having breast cancer. She has been healthy and cancer free and we are constantly grateful for that.

The boys enjoyed all of the free goodies at the pavilion and the kids bounce house. They both ran in the kids 50-yard dash too. But my favorite part is always when they honor the survivors by giving each woman a balloon for every year that she has been cancer free. Jake and Dylan helped their Grandma hold her 18 pink balloons this year and then release them all into the sky. It was very memorable!

Brian and Lisa go to Vegas Baby!

Well...we finally made it to Las Vegas and we had such a wonderful time. We've heard so many people talk about being there, but you truly do need to see it to believe it! We stayed at the Excalibur, mainly so we could be on the Strip and it made getting around very easy. We spent several night at Mandalay Bay since it was close, even going up top to Mix nightclub one night and looking out over the Strip :)

I even had some Lady Luck, winning several times at roulette. It was my first time, but I had a system (playing birthdays, anniversaries and old sports jersey numbers) and we ended up winning. It was nice to get a free margarita or glass of wine while we played too!

We spent most of our time checking out the amazing hotels with Bellagio and MGM being our favorites...we did not see a show, but did see lots of the free entertainment and had some great meals. We were shocked, though when we went to a nightclub on a Wednesday night, ordered two drinks that cost $23 and then when we hit the dance floor, they turned on the lights and said "We're closing!" I thought Vegas was the city that never sleeps :)

Lisa's Brother Inducted into the BHS Hall of Fame

My brother, Jeff, was recently honored by the Boardman High School Booster Association and inducted into the Athletic Hall of Fame. My entire family is so proud of him, as he was an excellent baseball and football player while in high school. Even though I was not able to make it to the banquet, my parents recorded the speech he gave at the banquet. Those of you who know Jeff, know that public speaking is not his favorite thing in the world to do, but he literally had the best speech of the evening, very humbly recalling our families' experience with BHS sports and his gratitude to my parents for all that they have done for us.

Jeff and my parents also quite shamelessly were lobbying for my induction into the Hall of Fame, but apparently the "Spartan Spirit" award that I received in high school didn't impress people much!

See pics from earlier months

Blogger stores the stories by month, so be sure to look to the left for pics from earlier months. You can also click on any picture to see it larger.

- Lisa