I thought that a nice, 'newsy' (as my Grandma says) blog would be a great and green way to send out our holiday wishes and cheer to all this season.
I'm sure that you all recognize us in Grandma and Poppop's living room, but as some of you haven't seen the boys in awhile, I'll identify all. From left is Nick (15 1/2) with our dog, Oreo, Rick, Hess (17 1/2) with Rick's dog, Bear, Jonny (Dad or Poppop), Judy (Mom or Grandma), Me and Bobby. We all had a great Christmas day, dining on prime rib and tons of fabulous sides. We all pushed back from the table happy and a few pounds heavier! Perfect time to make some big new years' resolutions! A very special present from Gigi, the Hess trucks, were a big hit!
The week before Christmas, we had a great visit from Bob's youngest brother, Brian. The only way it could have been better was if he was able to bring his fiance, Kyra, with him. We had to share him with others for the first few days, but after he was unable to take the trip home due to the blizzard in Seattle, we got to have him bunk with us exclusively! The boys really appreciated the extra time to kick back and hang with 'Unkie Brain'!
Alas, we had to let him get on the plane to return to Kyra on Christmas day. We met up with his dad, Lee at our favorite restaurant, Dinah's in Westchester. Nothing like a German apple pancake to make a few guys happy!As usual, the Blankenships are busy, busy, busy on the soccer pitch. With Hess being a senior and co-captain of the Varsity team, and Nick burning up the goal as the Frosh/Soph goalie, we find ourselves watchin' a whole bunch of soccer!
To the left is Hess at the Marina tourney. See the snow in our mountains! Last Saturday morning's game was very chilly for us, upper 30's. Today, the 29th was a different story~ it was beautiful and about 70. That's California for you!
This picture below is Nick saving his second out of 4 in penalty kicks to win a game at the Marina tournament. Of course it took the talented shooters of Los Al to put away the p.k.'s for us, and Nick's saves earned him a dogpile (below) and the sweet taste of victory!
Not only are we busy watching our boys on the soccer field, we also got to see the my cousin, Lori, and her family, Greg, Beth and Timmy in Torrance at Timmy's AYSO allstar tournament! Timmy's the adorable blond below!
Lori, Greg and Beth were going to a party that night in San Diego, not knowing if Timmy would get to go or Beth would have to babysit. We couldn't let the opportunity pass us by, so Nick asked if Tim could spend the night with us. We also thought it'd be easier on all if we brought Chip with us too. At the time, I was pretty sure that Oreo would be good with the puppy, but it never crossed my mind that Chip may have never met a cat! Well, Oliver has always enjoyed the dogs that stop by the house. Chip, however, is a Lousiana hound. Hearing a low growl in the kitchen, I saw Chip staring into the darkened hall. Around the corner poked Oliver's head. Seemingly unaware of the danger he was in, he sauntered out into the kitchen. Grabbing Chip's collar in mid lunge, Oliver has no idea how lucky he was! The evening was spent playing our favorite board game, Quinto, and keeping an eye on the two animals who were hyper aware of each other just feet away. We made it safely through the night, Chip closed in with his buddy, Tim, on the futon in the den. We all were able to spend some great time together during Tim's final game the next morning and after for a bit of brunch. This holiday is just flying by!
Besides all the soccer, Bob's still plugging away at HREM and I'm working full time at CSULB and taking my first graduate level class this spring, Instructional Communication. I'll fill you in on that later~ I have this week off, so I'm busy trying to convert the den from the game room back to a study. Not too sure where the games will end up, but I know I'll need the space for my work. Boys are back to school next week too, and we'll have Varsity's first pasta party here. We'll follow up with the Frosh/Soph party a few weeks later, prior to the semester start.
Sending all our love to all our relatives and friends. Much happiness to all in the New Year! I'm feeling good about 2009!
Chris, Bob, Hess and Nick
