Happy Halloween!!!

Happy Third Blogoversary!!

Congratulations to everyone who entered the contest! It was fun. Before I announce the winners, first some stats:

Compare the range from when the contest started, Aug 8, 2007 till today to the same 83 days prior to the contest.

Highest number of hits on a day: 21 (this was actually on the Oct 29, which was not technically part of the contest.) The highest number of hits during the contest was 19. Prior number: 17

1,873 Pageviews
Previous: 884 (+111.88%)

689 Visits
Previous: 402 (+71.39%)

00:03:33 Avg. Time on Site
Previous: 00:02:11 (+62.66%)

Drum roll....The much anticipated video


Finally, with approximately 192 points, the winner is Derek! Molli came in a close second with 142 points. I would like to point out that had it not been for the treehouse posts, from what I can figure, Molli would have won by 2 points. So as you can see, it was a very good contest. Josh and Mom tried. They tied for third place with bonus points.

The prizes:

Derek: A kickstand for his bike
Molli: A gift certificate for Pei Wei
Josh and Mom: The glory of coming in third. Just kidding. I haven’t decided yet what your prize is.

I hope everyone had fun and continues to post often. I like seeing what everyone is up to!

Edited to add: Although the date on this post says Oct 30, I posted it on Oct 31 and the time zone is Central. I will have to change that.

:)

This is my new little guy. People have asked if my bike is jealous. I'd like to think not, that she is happy for me and to have a bit of a break, but maybe...Maybe I'll be too scared to drive and she'll get just as much work as before.

Hopefully I will have better pictures than stock photos coming soon, but I BUSY!

Come visit and see for yourself!

In case you care about that sort of thing:

Honda Civic 4dr EX
General Info
Body Style Sedan
Doors 4
Seating Capacity 5
Safety
Airbag: Driver Yes
Airbag: Passenger Yes
Airbag: Side Yes
Airbag: Head Yes
Airbag: Knee No
Airbag: Rear No
Child Door Locks Standard
Child Seat Anchors Standard
Integrated Child Seat Not Available
Alarm System Not Available
Engine Immobilizer Standard
Crash Test
Driver Front 5
Passenger Front 5
Front Side 4
Rear Side 5
Rollover Rating 4
PowerTrain
Standard Engine 4-Cyl. 1.8L VTEC
Cylinders 4
Displacement 18.0
Bore x Stroke Bore: 3.19, Stroke: 3.44
Compression Ratio 10.5 to 1
Total Number Valves 16
Horsepower 140.00 @ 6300.00
Torque 128.00 @ 4300.00
Max Eng. Speed 6800.0 (RPM)
Transmission 5 Speed Manual
EPA City 30
EPA Hwy 38
Dimensions
Head Room Front: 38.1 In., Rear: 36.7 In.
Leg Room Front: 42.2 In., Rear: 34.6 In.
Shoulder Rm Front: 53.6 In., Rear: 52.3 In.
EPA Passenger 88.4 In.
EPA Trunk or Cargo 12.0 Cubic Feet
EPA Total Interior
Features
2W Anti-Lock Brakes Not Available
4W Anti-Lock Brakes Standard/Optional
Front Air Conditioning Standard/Optional
Front & Rear Air Conditioning Not Available
Cruise Control Standard/Optional
AM/FM Radio Standard/Optional
Cassette Not Available
Compact Disc Standard/Optional
CD Changer Not Available
Premium Radio Not Available
DVD Entertainment System Not Available
Cup Holder Standard/Optional
Leather Not Available
Navigation System Not Available
Privacy Glass Not Available
Hands Free Phone Not Available
Power Locks Standard/Optional
Power Outlets Standard/Optional
Power Mirrors Standard/Optional
Remote Mirrors Not Available
Power Seat Not Available
Dual Power Seats Not Available
Folding Rear Seat Standard/Optional
Moon Roof Standard/Optional
Sun Roof Not Available
Remote Keyless Entry Standard/Optional
Luggage Rack Not Available
Rear Window Defroster Standard/Optional
Tilt Wheel Standard/Optional
Tachometer Standard/Optional
Traction Control Not Available
Power Windows Standard/Optional
Upgraded Wheels Not Available
Specifications
Wheel Base 106.3 In.
Overall Length 176.7 In.
Width 69.0 In.
Height 56.5 In.
Curb Weight 2738.0 Lbs.
Tires / Wheel Size P205/55HR16
Rear Tires / Wheel Size
Wheel Type Alloy
Turning Radius 35.4
Brakes: Front ABS, Disc
Brakes: Rear ABS, Disc
Fuel Capacity 13.2 Gallons
Axle Ratio 4.29:1

Re: SHOOT

Plus, in this case, second place is a LOT better than third.

SHOOT!!

I meant to try to make a comeback last night by posting a bunch of pictures... but alas, I forgot. I guess 2nd place is better than 7th. :(

Contest Ending Soon...

Today is the last day for posts...The winner will be announced next Wednesday.

Halloween Preview

We had our first preliminary trick or treating event (we'll have the zoo boo and then the actual night of Halloween as well). Katie is Belle and Mary is Dorothy. They were very excited to dress up. Gabrielle was Aurora (Sleeping Beauty).

Matching Leotards

Katie and Mary now have matching leotards. Hard to believe we've gone this long without them matching.

Contest Reminder

The contest ends on Oct 25. Entries will be allowed that day. Submit your final posts! Only a few days left!!!

Feeding the Giraffes

The Detroit Zoo has started a program where you can feed the giraffes (for money, obviously). It's pretty pfun. Mary was a little intimidated. No, really.

First Cookie

Well, Alina had her first cookie today.... a chocolate chip one!!! It's a real progression! She REALLY liked it!

Joch

Finally...... a couple of pictures of Joch.....

Libby's jacket and hat/ Pumpkin patch with Lawson

Here are the cute hat and jacket that Libby crocheted for Alina. There are also some booties, but I will take pictures of those later.

At the pumpkin patch

You can hardly see where she is, she blends in so well. :)

It was hard to get her to look up because she was so interested in sticking dirt and hay in her mouth. She thought that was very fun.

More dirt and hay

Lawson REALLY blends in...

And more dirt and hay

Licking a pumpkin

And even more hay.

Remember this mess?

Marco sent me the pictures of the blanket. Since you were all there helping and cheering me on, I thought you'd like to see what it looks like on his bed. Just as ugly as it was in person. :) But that's what he wanted.

Rolling over

I finally got it on video!

Fun with the Nogas

Here are some pictures from our house in the last month or so.

Jay and I spent 3 days doing this when we got the GI virus that almost sent Alina to the hospital. We also spent quite a bit of time on or over the toilet, but I didn't get any pictures of that.




Here is Alina in one of her cute outfits.




































Here she is in one of the shirts Aunt Rhoda sent to her - very cute! Her hair also fits into little pony tails on the top of her head that I think are very cute. :)








And here are the highly requested pictures from the birthday party. Kaleb turned 1, so I wanted to get some pictures of the 2 of them together. I'm pretty sure she's teething as is evidenced by the drool that covers her entire shirt.

At first he kept trying to kiss her on the cheek, but I couldn't get my camera to snap during it!









Not quite a kiss...









I kept trying...










Finally! I got a picture of him kissing her! Wait - why did she start SCREAMING right after the flash went off? Oh - he wasn't kissing her after all this time!

Close up... I guess if it was going to happen, at least I got a picture of it!






If you look very closely you can see the bite marks, still present a few days later. Poor little girl! :(


Here are some pictures of Alina's first time swinging.


































And a video. I accidentally took it sideways and didn't really think about that.

Firearms/Range Exercise

This is the range where we shot guns last week. There were 5 little stalls. They are building a new one, so you may not be impressed with the facilities. You'd be right.


This is my target with the Glock, the first of the guns we used. After the first 15, we changed the magazine. I was getting a little bored. Then I did a few more and he said, "You're going to the right." I told him I couldn't see very well and asked him where I was shooting. He said I was a little low and to the right, over by the under arm. My last 2 shots was almost on the 5! (He told me; I trust him. :))


Some info on the guns, if you care about that sort of thing.


This was my target with the shotgun.


And finally the shotgun itself. Pretty fun night! :)

PS 9 days left of the contest!!

July 4 Cont'd

Gabriella won the prize for the best dessert at the party! It was truly DELICIOUS!