Ellernet Blog

Spring Sleep Over

2009-04-19T17:49:00-07:00

Bailey and Margaret had a great time with a sleep over this weekend. There was minimal drama/tears and maximum fun. :)

Bailey's Lego House

2009-04-19T17:29:00-07:00

Sorry I haven't posted much lately. Been hooked into the facebook stuff. Anyway, here is a video of Bailey showing off the Lego house she built.

Christmas 2008 - Finally

2009-01-24T16:39:00-07:00

I've been remiss in adding stuff to the blog of late. Sorry about that. Anyway, here are pictures - finally - of our Christmas morning / afternoon. We had a very nice Christmas - Bailey is really learning to use her new laptop quite well already. We hope everyone had a great Christmas as well.

Hail to the Redskins

2008-11-10T16:28:00-07:00

We were tailgating in the parking lot before the Pittsburgh game and the Redskins Marching band came by and I got it on video. Troy and Pete were able to join us - and we had a great time even though Pete is a Steeler's fan. Just wish the game would have been better from the Redskin's point of view.

Happy Halloween

2008-10-31T17:45:00-07:00

We had a great Halloween. We carved a jack-o-lantern (video below), then we went trick-or-treating. Bailey got a nice haul of candy that she can take with her to Nannie's house thankfully. Halloween 2007 Halloween 2006

Dinner Art

2008-10-19T08:28:00-07:00

Bubba, Bailey and I went to dinner Saturday night with our friend Rick. Bailey likes the Green Turtle because it has lots of TV's - which is the same reason I like it. She was very good and drew a portrait of us all while waiting on dinner to come.

The Bailey Boogie

2008-10-18T10:32:00-07:00

This video is from last weekend's Redskin's game. Bailey was trying her best to get on the jumbo-tron TV at the stadium.

The Fair Came and Went

2008-10-01T09:06:00-07:00

I've been so busy interviewing and job hunting that I really haven't posted much lately. Hopefully, that process will be over soon - more later on that. Anyway, Bailey, Bubba and I went to the fair a couple of weeks ago when it was here. We had a great time - here are a few pictures:

Slideshow

2008-08-26T08:43:00-07:00

Here is a neat little video I made using a service called Animoto. They allow you to create short (free), unique slide shows of your pictures OR you can pay to have full length slide shows created from your pics (for fee). If you like it and want to give it a try, use this code: cjqonybx and you will get $5 off.

Wii Excitement

2008-08-08T06:05:00-07:00

Here's a video of us having fun playing Bailey's new Wii.

More Birthday Excitement

2008-08-06T07:50:00-07:00

We had a birthday cake and then went to play putt putt. Kevin even got to drive the race cars.

Happy Birthday Bailey!!

2008-08-05T11:47:00-07:00

Well Bailey is taking a nap now. She got worn out on the beach today playing with her boogie board. She is having a great seventh birthday so far. After she wakes up we are planning to go play putt-putt and ride go-carts. Then we are having hotdogs and hamburgers and cake and ice cream. And maybe after that we will go see the wild horses. All in all - a pretty fun birthday if you ask me. :)

Bailey and Bubba Swimming

2008-08-04T14:02:00-07:00

Here is a video of Bubba giving Bailey some swimming instructions.

Outer Banks Vacation - Sunday

2008-08-03T11:21:00-07:00

We are on vacation at the Outer Banks in Corolla this week. It is so nice here. The house we are staying is so nice - pool, hot tub, etc. Plus, Bailey is celebrating her seventh birthday this week so we let her open some presents last night. She got a Wii and a bunch of games and we have all been having a blast with it. Bubba and I were worn out from bowling, boxing and tennis last night (all on the Wii). Bailey and Bubba are skiing right now as I type. :) Here are a few pictures:

Hershey Park

2008-06-11T06:37:00-07:00

A week ago, Bailey and I went to Hershey Park with the Brownies. We had a great time - she slightly more than me I think :) They have a really neat water park that all the girls just loved. Bailey especially loved the giant bucket of water. We also took the (hokey) tour of the chocolate factory and, of course, we had to get some chocolate treats. I'm not sure who was more worn out at the end of the day - her or me.

Wild West Day

2008-06-05T16:28:00-07:00

So Bailey was a little cowgirl at school last Friday. They had Western Day so she wore her overalls and cowboy hat. She looked cute so I snapped a couple pictures...

Memorial Day 2008 - Cont.

2008-06-04T09:49:00-07:00

Here are some more pictures from the Memorial Day Beach trip in NC.

Memorial Day, 2008

2008-05-28T10:57:00-07:00

Once again, Bailey and I made our annual trip to North Carolina to the beach for Memorial Day weekend. Bailey had a great time catching up with all of her friends and meeting little Miss Macy for the first time. We had a great time even though it rained on Saturday for most of the day. Sunday was great. For fun, here are some links to some recent Memorial Day trips: 2007, 2006 Day 3, 2006 Day 2, 2006 Day 1 I have some more pics that I will try to post tomorrow.

Happy Mother's Day

2008-05-09T18:10:00-07:00

From Steve & Bailey....

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Fun at the Sock Hop

2008-03-07T17:31:00-07:00

Bailey's Brownie troop and a few other Brownie and Daisy troops had a sock hop this evening. I could tell they were going to have a blast. They all had on cute little poodle skirts. Here are a few pictures.

Happy Early St. Patrick's Day

2008-03-04T16:56:00-07:00

Sorry for the repeat JibJab's but this one was too good to pass up.

Don't send a lame eCard. Try JibJab Sendables!

Who Knew We Could Break Dance

2008-02-16T09:50:00-07:00

Bailey and I were playing around on JibJab this morning. She loved this one and picked out the dancers. :-)

Don't send a lame eCard. Try JibJab Sendables!

We don't Need No Stinking Ice!

2008-02-13T09:05:00-07:00

So, more ice overnight and this morning. It is pretty but it is a mess. No school again today (they were out yesterday for election day). So, Bailey is having fun this morning singing Karaoke. For me the first hour or so was cute and fun. Now, I think it is time that I find her something else to do. Anyway, here are some pictures from this morning and below is a video of Bailey singing Karaoke.

I bet you can't spell SUPEREROGATORY

2008-02-06T18:34:00-07:00

Well, you can now that I told you how. Anyway, Bailey and I want to give a big congratulations to my niece and Bailey's cousin Alex who came in second in the 2008 Davidson County Schools Spelling Bee... That left Alex Sprouse from Northwest Elementary and Callan at the start of Round 11. They went head to head spelling words like dichromatism, fulguration, neossology and ornithophilous correctly until round 14. Alex spelled supererogatory incorrectly. Callan had to spell the missed word correctly and also vicinage. ... Alex, the runner-up, received $100 from NewBridge Bank and a gift certificate to Barnes and Noble. Read Full Article... Way to go Alex!!

Ice Skating Fun

2008-02-04T19:09:00-07:00

We had a great time with the Brownies this Sunday Ice Skating at Skate Frederick. Bailey picked up on a lot faster than I did. I'm just glad I didn't fall and break my neck. Needless to say, we did not stray far from the rail. Here's a few pictures and videos:

Happy Birthday

2008-01-27T14:05:00-07:00

Happy birthday to Alex and Bubba. They are so happy, they decided to dance:

Don't send a lame Holiday eCard. Try JibJab Sendables!

Where in the World?

2008-01-09T19:51:00-07:00

Bailey's first grade class is studying "Maps and Globes" and has requested that folks send postcards to the school. They will locate where the postcard was mailed from and locate it on the map and then display the cards on a bulletin board in the classroom. If you canhelp her with this, contact me via email and I will send you the school address, etc.

Christmas Pictures

2008-01-04T12:19:00-07:00

Finally got around to pulling the pictures from Christmas off my camera. What can I say - been busy with the new job. We had a great Christmas in NC at Neenee and Pawpaw's. Santa brought Bailey what she wanted - Karaoke! She is already pretty good at some of the songs - particularly "Sweet Caroline" and "Play that Funky Music". I will get some video of her singing soon. I also have some videos from Christmas that I will try to get online over the weekend.

Snowball Fight

2007-12-23T17:27:00-07:00

See if you can tell who the participants of this snowball fight are.

Don't send a lame Holiday eCard. Try JibJab Sendables!

Henny Penny

2007-12-22T08:32:00-07:00

Bailey had the lead role in her class play. Take a look:

Merry Christmas!

2007-12-21T20:57:00-07:00

From my little reindeer to yours, Merry Christmas!!

Fun in the Snow

2007-12-05T19:26:00-07:00

So we got a couple inches of snow today and Bailey got out of school a couple hours early. So, when she got home, she really wanted to go play in the snow - so we went out in it for a little while. She got to play on her sled a little, make some snow angels, that kind of stuff. Take a look...

The Nutcracker at Glen Echo

2007-12-03T18:30:00-07:00

This past weekend, Bailey and I went with her Brownie troop to see a puppet show at the puppet co. playhouse at Glen Echo Park near Washington DC. It was a production of the Nutcracker and it was very well done - very entertaining. She - and I - thoroughly enjoyed it. Afterwards, the kids got to ask questions of the actors and puppeteers. Here is a preview of the show.

Thanksgiving 2007

2007-12-02T11:24:00-07:00

Bailey and I went to NC for Thanksgiving this year. It was great to see everyone - especially Spencer and his girlfriend Sarah. Unfortunately, Bubba had to work so he wasn't there.

Bailey's pre-Thanksgiving trip to NJ

2007-12-02T09:57:00-07:00

Bailey got to spend a weekend in New Jersey with Nannie and Grandpa. By all accounts, she had a great time. Here are a few pics (sorry it has taken so long to get them posted).

Laura's Pictures of Bailey

2007-11-12T18:13:00-07:00

Bailey and I went over to Bob and Laura's the other night for dinner and to watch the Redskin's game. While we were there, Bailey had a great time playing in their front yard - here are a few pictures that Laura snapped of her while she was playing:

Halloween 2007

2007-11-11T18:26:00-07:00

Finally getting around to posting our Halloween pictures. I know I promised some of you a week ago that I'd put these up. Anyway, we had a great Halloween. Bailey helped carve the pumpkin and painted one up that looked really nice. We went trick-or-treating in the Spring Ridge neighborhood - it was very nice and Bailey got quite a haul of candy (of course I did not help her eat any of it). By the way, thanks to everyone who purchased a calendar from Bailey's Brownie troop. We have not received them yet, but will get them delivered to you as soon as we get them.

Bailey's Community Helper Speech

2007-10-01T19:46:00-07:00

Bailey had to write and give a speech at school this week to her class. She did great! She wrote the entire speech herself and with a little practice was giving it very well also. We practiced in front of the web cam - here is a glimpse...

Clowning around at the Fair

2007-09-19T19:06:00-07:00

Bailey and I went over to the fair this evening to have dinner and ride a few rides. Bailey had a hot dog and I had a crabcake sandwich (very good choice). We also had ice cream for dessert. mmmm

Fair Week

2007-09-17T17:27:00-07:00

The Great Frederick Fair started this past Friday. This is always a fun time of year for Bailey and me. Since we live so close, we get free passes and can go over to the fair whenever we want - Bailey for the rides and cotton candy - me for the food. Here are a few pictures and videos from this past Saturday. Bailey had a great time on the rides... (I will put some more videos up on youtube - http://www.youtube.com/emanncsu)

That Stubborn Tooth

2007-09-11T19:32:00-07:00

Finally! At long last! Bailey's first tooth is out. It has been hanging on by the thinnest of threads for the past couple days and this evening she finally let me pull it. She was so excited that she made about 5 or 6 phone calls to tell everyone she could think of that it didn't hurt nearly as bad as she thought it was going to. Here is a before video and an after picture:

Dance Camp

2007-08-10T16:01:00-07:00

Bailey has been at a dance camp at the YMCA this week. Their recital was today. Check out the videos below - I particularly like the "Car Wash" dance. :)

Happy Birthday!!

2007-08-07T17:06:00-07:00

Bailey had a great sixth birthday. She and some of her friends celebrated at My Gym. I think they all had a great time. And, Eric made a cool SpongeBob birthday cake that was a big hit. Thanks to everyone who attended.

Bailey has a Tree Climbing Buddy

2007-07-23T19:26:00-07:00

So, Troy and Susan came up from Raleigh this past weekend. Bailey really did enjoy their visit. Not that I didn't, but Bailey finally found someone who would climb her tree with her. She had a great time with Susan. We walked up to the new 5-guys restaurant Saturday for lunch. We went to a few places Saturday night, but I guess you could say we had dinner at Isabella's. I only wish I would have remembered to take more pictures.

Boat Ride on the Bay

2007-07-14T16:18:00-07:00

Last Sunday, Bubba took us on a boat ride to get some lunch at Harborside Restaurant in Ocean City. It was a nice day. Bailey and I both took a few pictures and a video:

Crabs at Bahama Mama's

2007-07-13T16:54:00-07:00

We had a great time last weekend eating crabs at Bahama Mama's. Bailey can really whack a crab as seen below. I think she likes hammering them more than eating them.

Bailey,Oh Bailey

2007-07-12T17:21:00-07:00

Ever had to deal with a kid who would not eat what you wanted them to? Check out this funny - but oh so true - entry on The Last Morsel (by Bailey's Nannie). Cute...

Swimming in OC

2007-07-08T11:39:00-07:00

Here are some pictures and a video of Bailey doing her favorite vacation activity:

Mini Golf in OC

2007-07-05T22:32:00-07:00

Bailey and I are spending a few days in Ocean City this week. So far, we've had a great time in the pool, at the beach, and at Jolly Rogers (except we got caught in a rain storm). We also played mini-golf last night - here are a few picture and a couple videos:

Wagon Ride

2007-06-23T11:54:00-07:00

Pawpaw gave the girls a ride in his new wagon last weekend. He took them on a grand tour of the horse pasture.

Father's Day in NC

2007-06-19T19:41:00-07:00

Bubba, Bailey and I went to North Carolina this past weekend for Father's Day and to drop Bailey off for a week at Neenee and Pawpaw's. It is really quiet around here now, but she is having a great time. She told me that she has been swimming with Aunt Patti and Uncle Tom, she's been playing the piano with Aunt Patti, she went to the Children's Museum with Neenee and Pawpaw, she got to ride in the wagon, and she played games all mornign with Neenee (on the floor). Sound like fun to me. Here is a nice picture of Bailey I took this weekend (Click for full-size).

Here are some more pictures from the weekend. I have a couple videos to that I'll post soon.

My Kindergarten Graduate

2007-06-15T16:23:00-07:00

Congratulations to Bailey who officially graduated kindergarten today and is now in First Grade!! (Can you believe it?)

Digging Castles in the Sand

2007-06-13T06:58:00-07:00

Oops, I meant to say Digging a Big Hole in the Sand. Kenneth, Brandon, Tom and Troy built quite the hole, an engineering marvel - complete with its own irrigation system (until the tunnel got washed away). Take a look at the videos below and I think you will agree. (I have a ton more of these videos documenting fully the effort (and lack thereof) it took to build this. I'll post them soon)

Memorial Day Videos - Take Two

2007-06-07T19:10:00-07:00

Here are some more videos mainly of the kids playing in the sand and surf. These are from the first full day we were at the beach. I have another set from the second day that I'll post next week some time.

Memorial Day Videos

2007-06-06T20:32:00-07:00

Here's the first video I was able to upload. I'll try to get some more up soon.

Memorial Day Beach Trip, 2007: more pics

2007-06-06T20:09:00-07:00

Here are some more pictures I took while in NC over Memorial Day. I have some videos too, that I will post when I get a chance to get them uploaded to YouTube.

Memorial Day Beach Trip, 2007

2007-05-31T16:14:00-07:00

Once again, we had a great beach trip to Emerald Isle, NC. The weather could not have been nicer. It is so nice to see old friends and to just relax and not think about work for a few days. I'm already looking forward to next year. (More pictures and video coming soon)

A Day in DC - part deux

2007-05-18T06:17:00-07:00

Here are some more videos I took of our day in DC. I especially like Bailey's strange little dance in the Air & Space museum. :)

A Day in DC

2007-05-17T11:07:00-07:00

Here are some pictures from our day in DC a few weeks ago when Troy & Susan were visiting. We had a great - but tiring - time in DC. We took the Metro down and back which was also fun for the kids. We visited the Natural History Museum and the Air & Space Museum. I have some videos that I will post when I get another minute.

Fun on Friday

2007-05-08T19:28:00-07:00

Troy and Susan and their kids Brandon and Caitlyn came up from Raleigh for a visit this past weekend. They got here Friday evening. The girls had a great time climbing my cherry tree and playing in the yard. Brandon loved playing my XBox. We ended up walking downtown to La Paz Mexican Restaurant for dinner and had some ice cream at the new Ben & Jerry's on Carroll Creek. Was a really nice evening.

Fun on the Dock

2007-04-30T19:39:00-07:00

Bailey, Roy and I went to Ocean City this weekend. Roy needed to get his boat in the water and we wanted to just get away for a weekend. We had a nice, quiet time. Here are a few pictures and some videos from Saturday night:

Ballerina Update

2007-02-25T20:27:00-07:00

Bailey had her final ballet class on Friday. I know I sound like the proud parent, but she really was the best kid in the class. It is amazing how much she picked up in only 6 classes. Take a look:

My Little Ballerina

2007-01-25T06:58:00-07:00

So Bailey started her new ballet class last week. It was fun to watch - a bit like herding cats to get all of the girls to pay attention at the same time. :)

Happy Birthday Kevin

2007-01-04T18:45:00-07:00

Kevin sure did like his birthday cake. (I must admit - I liked it too).

And, here he is opening his birthday / Christmas present.

New Years Eve Celebration

2007-01-04T18:00:00-07:00

So, Bailey, Bubba, Moose and me had our own little New Years Eve party this year. We had a great time - a nice dinner, some TV and games. Bailey also got to open some great Christmas gifts from Bubba as you can see below. And to top it off - she got to stay up until midnight and watch the ball drop on TV for the first time. She was so excited!! Although she crashed in a hurry once midnight hit. :)

Over the River and Through the Woods and Down the Interstate

2007-01-03T19:08:00-07:00

We celebrated Christmas at my parent's place in North Carolina this year. We had a great time as you can see by the pictures below. All the kids got great toys and gadgets, the food (7) was (layer) great (cookies) as usual, and, of course, we played trivial pursuit and scrabble. :) I have some good videos of the kids opening presents that I will try to upload tomorrow.

Christmas Eve Sunrise

2007-01-03T19:01:00-07:00

I thought these pictures came out nice - you can see the steam coming off the pond at my parent's place in North Carolina. If anyone would like a high-res version of any of these, just let me know.

Merry Christmas

2006-12-21T18:53:00-07:00

From Bailey & me....

Thanksgiving Pics - redo

2006-12-21T18:05:00-07:00

So, I've been having a lot of server problems and that caused me to lose the Thanksgiving picture post I put up a few days ago. So here it is again. Here are the videos I took over Thanksgiving in case you missed them.

A Few Videos from Thanksgiving

2006-12-02T14:22:00-07:00

Here are a few videos I took while we were home in North Carolina over Thanksgiving. I have a bunch of pictures too, that I will post soon.

Halloween Princess

2006-10-31T21:43:00-07:00

Here a couple of pictures of our little Halloween Princess. She had a great time trick-or-treating. She got a nice little stash of candy too.

Meagan and Bailey

2006-10-20T18:22:00-07:00

Bob sent me this picture a month or so ago and I've been meaning to put it up ever since. He took this picture while we were at Topsail Island over Memrial Day. Don't they look too cute?

Fun at the Fair - Videos

2006-09-21T10:39:00-07:00

Here is a video of Bailey going through an obstacle course ride at the fair. This is her favorite ride. She would ride it over and over again (and has) if she could.

The rocking boat was a lot of fun too.

Fun at the Fair

2006-09-21T09:33:00-07:00

Bailey and I walked accross to the fair this evening. We had dinner and rode some rides. It was carload night so it was really crowded. We saw Laura & Bob and some other friends. Here are a few pictures I took while we were there. I have a few videos that I will post later.

Grammy Time?

2006-09-17T22:31:00-07:00

Here's some great singing by Bailey. She is singing her favorite song - Live Like You were Dying by her favorite singer - Tim McGraw. Maybe not the most in tune rendition, but she gets an A for effort. :)

Labor Day

2006-09-17T12:48:00-07:00

Bubba, Bailey and I went to Ocean City for Labor Day weekend. We had a great time. Here are a few pictures from the day that Bailey and I went down to Jolly Rogers to ride some rides.

First Day of School

2006-09-08T23:24:00-07:00

Here are some pictures from Bailey's first day of school. SHe's got a new outfit on that Nannie gave her to wear. She loved it. She was so excited to ride the bus and go to her first day of kindergarten.

Nats v. Rockies

2006-06-19T20:37:00-07:00

There was a lot of offense in this game and the Nats ended up losing 14-8. But we had a great time nonetheless.