The answer is...

C. They were riding a virtual reality roller coaster.

Hudson and Landon loved riding this thing. They rode it 5 times in a row and wanted to ride it more, but we cut them off.

Hudson's 5th Birthday

Here are some photos of Hudson's 5th birthday party. Some stories below:






Hudson's birthday was a lot of fun. He received some great gifts and we ate some great cake. Two of Hudson's gifts produced a lot of fun the day before his birthday. His gift from Daddy was $10 and Saturday afternoon to spend together and spend how he wanted. Then, Papa and Grandma sent him $20 (and made Daddy feel cheap) along with $5 to spend on Landon.

Rick and Hudson went to the Mall where there are two toy stores. Hudson had asked Landon what he wanted for his gift, and set out to find him a semi truck first. He didn't find anything satisfactory at the first store, so he and Rick moved to the second store. He found a tanker truck which he was sure Landon would love. He made sure that it was less than $5 and went up to pay for it first.

He then looked around for something for him. He found a set of trucks and construction signs, etc. that he liked. He held on to it and checked out all of the other options (to his father's delight) before deciding to buy that choice.

He had had his eye on a flatbed semi at Target and so when he and Rick left the store where he's bought the first gift, the conferred on what to do next. First, they reviewed the available remaining funds: $18. Rick asked what he wanted to do with it and he (again to his parent's delight) pulled out $10 and said he wanted to save it (see funny quote later that resulted from this). He decided to play next, then go to Target for the flatbed truck. The mall's play area was closed, so they proceeded to Target.

At Target, Hudson searched for the flatbed truck, but they didn't have it anymore. But then he found a packaged set of toys that included that flatbed semi along with several other trucks. He decided he wanted that (to his father's chagrin) and asked how much it cost. It was $20. He had $8. Rick carefully, and fearfully, explained that he only had $8 and that to get that he'd either have to spend the money he wanted to save or return the other toy he'd bought. Hudson quickly said, "No, I'll get something else," put it down, and looked around for something he could get with $8 and he was very happy with what he got.

Funny Hudson Quote
On the way home from the above trip, Rick asked Hudson about the money he was saving:
"What are you saving your money for, pal?"
"I'm saving up so I can buy a trash truck when I'm 18 and get my commercial driver's license."


Here is this week's photographic quiz: What are Hudson and Landon doing below?

a. Testing out new massage chairs
b. Showing off their new "side-by-side" bunks
c. Riding a virtual reality roller coaster
d. In time out chairs for fighting over a toy

Vote by clicking "comments."

And the answer is...

B. Hudson stood his ground and they kept him there as they should have. They thought he was part of the older age group. All but the obligatory contrarian, Brad, got it correct.

He sounds a little suspicious now, like his daddy was, that they might try that trick again. He told Rick that he didn't like the aftercare program. When asked why, he said, "What if they try to put me on a bus?" He seems to now be more confident that they won't.

Hope you all like the new format - we know it's a bit obnoxious but at least it's colorful. Note some new features: In the left-hand sidebar you'll now see a poll question and some links to other sites/blogs. If you have a blog, please give us the address in the comments and we'll add.

Take Me Out to the Ballgame...

Keaton likes his "Ultrasaucer"

Kathryn likes to keep the boys' hair longer, but when it's long they get wild bedhead:

Hudson loves to hold and play with his little brother:

At the Diamondbacks game:



Hudson and Keaton did a reading program at our local library and "read" enough books to each earn a ticket to an Arizona Diamondbacks game. We all went on Labor Day. We won't talk about the game itself, but the family had a good time.

Funny/Smart Hudson Quote:
Rick often does a "word of the day" with Hudson. He had just finished the word of the day (spry) when Hudson said:
"Daddy, I have a word of the day for you: Coalesce"

Hudson's remarkable memory
Hudson was talking about his upcoming birthday and Rick and Kathryn suggested that Landon would be giving him a gift. To this Hudson said:
"Landon, you'll be able to give me a present. You can go to the store and pick something out for me. Just like last year when you got me the drums and instruments." [And he remembered correctly]

Quiz
Hudson's pre-K school ends at 3:15 which is right in the middle of Landon's nap, so he stays for the aftercare program until 4:15. While at the aftercare program his second day of school, the supervising teachers [high school girls] announced, "OK, everyone line up to get on the bus." Hudson went up to the teacher and said, "I'm not supposed to go on a bus, my Mommy is coming to pick me up." The teacher said, "No, everyone is supposed to get on the bus now, so line up."

What did Hudson do?
a. Cried
b. Stood his ground and insisted that he not get on the bus
c. Ran to hide out of the teachers' view until they left
d. Got on the bus

Final Quiz Answers

OK - we don't think we can make it any easier, so we will simply congratulate those with the most correct answers:

Grandma
Papa
Heather
Bonnie
Cassandra
Brad Irving

All of you got exactly 33% (1 correct)!

It seems that nearly everyone thought Landon was the crier the first day of Hudson's school; only Heather, Bonnie, and Cassandra recognized that mothers always cry the first time they drop their child off at school. Kathryn even paged Rick at work right after the drop-off to report that "Hudson is fine, but his mother is crying and barely holding it together..."

Your guesses at Keaton's percentiles were pretty evenly split. It turns out he's a tall, skinny guy: 98th percentile for height and 19th percentile for weight. It makes for entertaining clothing as he either has to wear "flood pants" or ones that fall off of him. Oh well, we're used to pants falling off our boys by now.

We love you all and will have a new quiz and update coming this weekend.

Keaton and his Mommy


Why buy toys??? Hudson and Landon playing with boxes after a delivery:

Quiz Answers...

Congratulations to...NO ONE! Sorry, we have to admit the quiz was too hard. No one got all three correct. No one got two correct. Only two people got one correct.

OK - we're not really going to put up the answers, we're going to redo the questions but make it more realistic on the possible answers. But first a Hudson quote...

Landon's other parent:
Landon wanted to play with the toy Hudson was playing with. Hudson said:
"Landon, you need to learn that you'll only have a happy life if you are thankful for what you have instead of focusing on what you don't have."

1. On Hudson's first day of school on his own, only one member of our family cried. Who was it?
a. Hudson
b. Kathryn
c. Landon

2. Keaton had his 6-month check-up and had all his measurements. His length was in what percentile (meaning he's longer than what percentage of 6 month-old boys)?
a. 98th percentile
b. 73rd percentile
c. 44th percentile

3. Keaton's weight was in what percentile?
a. 77th percentile
b. 19th percentile

Back by popular interest...

Since there was such a big response to last week's quiz, we're bringing a new quiz this week (see below). But first, an update...

The house report: We continue to have a lot of traffic from potential buyers (we have about 2 showings per week) but no offers. One potential buyer from Chicago is coming back for a second visit when they return in a few weeks. There is apparently at least one other home on their "second look" list, so we'll just have to see. Our new house is coming along. They are working on interior paint this week. The doors and baseboards are in as well. The front doors are not stained yet. They anticipate starting to install cabinets the week after the holiday.

The kids: Hudson started pre-K at Scottsdale Christian Academy this week. He goes for three afternoons per week (Tuesday-Thursday). He seems to really like it so far and Thursday said he wanted to read some books to Rick because they got him excited to read. He sat down and read six books to Rick (only partially actually reading accurately but trying hard). Landon really wants to go to school too and tried to convince Kathryn to drop him off by saying, "Me four-and-a-half!" (referring to age) because she had previously told him he would start school when he was four-and-a-half. He's still quite a ham. Keaton is doing well and has started eating fruits, vegetables, and cereal. He seems to enjoy real food. He also turns out to have double ear infections this week. He had a cold and just hadn't seemed to get over it. Rick thought he was faking it for attention but it turns out he had a legit explanation.

Rick and Kathryn: We're getting old so nothing really new!

On Thursday, our recurring backyard visitor showed up again and came closer to the house than ever:


Yep, that's the bobcat and that's our patio that his feet are resting on. He spent most of the afternoon in the backyard, just hanging out. We didn't have any rabbits eating our landscaping at all that day.


Here's Hudson and Landon ready to head in for Hudson's first day of school (siblings and parents were invited for the first day):



Here's Hudson showing off his traffic pattern set up on his city-scape rug. If you look closely you may be able to notice that all of the cars are in their proper lanes:



Whenever Rick mows the lawn, Hudson always helps with his lawnmower and pushes it the whole time Rick is moving:



Here's Kathryn and her youngest boy:



When Landon eats brownies, he's not allowed to wear a shirt. Here he is showing off his muscles:


And now, this week's quiz (click on "comment" below to vote). We'll post the answers this weekend and congratulate whomever gets all the questions correct:

1. On Hudson's first day of school on his own, only one member of our family cried. Who was it?
a. Hudson
b. Kathryn
c. Landon
d. Rick
e. Keaton

2. Keaton had his 6-month check-up and had all his measurements. His length was in what percentile (meaning he's longer than what percentage of 6 month-old boys)?
a. 98th percentile
b. 90th percentile
c. 73rd percentile
d. 52nd percentile
e. 44th percentile

3. Keaton's weight was in what percentile?
a. 97th percentile
b. 77th percentile
c. 51st percentile
d. 36th percentile
e. 19th percentile

Good luck!!!

Answers to the kid-matching photos

And the answer is...

A. Hudson


B. Landon


C. Keaton


Congratulations to the following who got them all correct!!:
-Grandma
-Callie
-Cassandra
-Bonnie
-Rachel and Hannah
-Cara
-Eddie, Donnie, and Cathy


One new photo of what our kitchen counter looks like on Saturday mornings now when we're making waffles:

Quiz Time

Smart Hudson Quote:

The whole family was in the kitchen and Keaton, who was a little under the weather, had started babbling and kept going for quite a while.
Hudson: "Man, Keaton is verbose today."

Quiz: Identify which Gray boy is in each photo...

A.



B.



C.

Click on "Comment" to submit your answers. The correct answers will follow in a couple of days along with cudos for anyone who gets all three correct!

Early August Update

Hello World! Keaton August 2007

------------------------------------------------------------------------------
All is well with the Gray family. Not a lot of big news but a few stories...

Hudson Funny/Smart Quote:
Hudson had colored streets (black asphalt, yellow lane dots, etc.) on several sheets of paper and then asked Rick to drive cars on it with him. Hudson put his motorhome down on the left lane; Rick put his Hummer down on the right lane.
Hudson: "You're in the wrong lane, Daddy."
Rick: "No, you're in the wrong lane, Hudson."
[Hudson looks down at the street and pauses]
Hudson: "No, we're in England."
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


Photographic Deja-vu:
Landon - August 2007 (Age 2 years, 5 months)


Hudson - August 2005 (Age 2 years, 10 months)


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Funny Landon Story

Kathryn put Landon to bed for his nap. Landon asked for milk in his sippy cup for his nap, but Kathryn explained that she didn't want him to have milk sitting out of the refrigerator for three hours while he slept. He wasn't happy about that. Kathryn put him in bed, water sippy cup at his bedside, and headed into the playroom with Rick and Hudson. They heard Landon's door open and close, so Kathryn went to investigate.

She found that he was in his room, silent, with the door closed. When she looked outside the door in the hallway, this is what she found:



He had opened the door, in protest had thrown out the water sippy cup, closed the door, and went back to bed.

Michigan Trip Update

Smart Hudson Quote

Hudson and Landon were racing trucks up and down the hallways. On one trip, Hudson's truck hit a rug and stopped, but Hudson didn't. He toppled over the top head-first.

Kathryn: "Whoa! I guess that was an example of...hmmmm...velocity, huh?"
Hudson: "No, that was inertia!"

Funny Hudson Quote #1

Hudson: "Landon, what do you want to be when you grow up?"
Landon: "Trash truck..."
Hudson: "A trash truck driver?"
Landon: "Yes."
Hudson: "Yea, I want to be a trash truck driver, a semi-truck driver, or a fire-fighter. But you have to go to school first. First you go to kindergarten, then you go to school for a lot of years, and then, when you're pretty old - like about 17 or 18 - you go to college. Then you can get a real job."

Funny Hudson Quote #2

Landon: "My tummy hurts."
Hudson: "Oh, I'm sorry. You should try to poop - have you pooped today?"

Well, we've had an exciting couple of weeks. Rick, Hudson, Landon, and Keaton went to visit the boy's grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, great aunts, great uncles, and more. The trip went well overall. The boys were terrific on the plane trips and even put up with three legs to the trip on the way to Michigan (Phoenix to Memphis to Detroit to Saginaw). The hitch came once arrived in Saginaw. None of the three car seats made it, so it took nearly two hours to make it out of the airport with three car seats from the airline. Also, a compartment on Hudson's Hummer suitcase (the hood) had been knocked over during the trip and all of his underwear and his swimsuit had fallen out in some cargo hold along the way. So after driving two hours to Gaylord, everyone stopped at Wal Mart at 2:30 a.m. so Rick could buy underwear and swim trunks for the next day. And once they got to Grandma and Papa's, Rick found that the huge can of powdered infant formula he'd packed in the suitcase had popped open and coated all of the clothes in a thin film of powder.

Once settled in, though, they had a great visit. The Oppers spent the whole week, the Harmons were there for a few days as were Marci and Tori, the Maxons were out most days/nights, and the Southwells were around many of the days too. Hudson and Landon loved playing with their cousins. Callie, Cassandra, and Tori spent a lot of time holding Keaton. Caleb taught Hudson how to shoot a BB rifle. Hudson managed to coerce both Cassandra and Caleb into driving trucks 1/4 mile down a dirt road through mud puddles. They all did a lot of construction projects with Lego's, Lincoln logs, and dominoes. All three boys hung out with Papa and Grandma but, not surprisingly, Hudson managed to sleep between them every night. Landon was addicted to four-wheeler rides on the ranch (often with Callie) and to swinging on the swing with his cousins.

The Oppers also took us to their cottage where Hudson and Landon were able to play on the beach and build sandcastles and were taken on a motorboat ride by Uncle Steve.

And on the last night of the trip, Rick attended his 20th high-school reunion (yes, he's that old). He had a chance to catch up with many high school friends.

The trip back started eventfully as they received notice the flight was cancelled the night before leaving and they were rescheduled on a late flight with a four hour layover, but Rick was able to get them on a flight from a different airport (that was actually a shorter drive) that got them back to Phoenix at the same time originally planned. So in the end, the cancellation allowed an extra hour of sleep and the same arrival time so it was a blessing! Again, the boys all did very well on the trip home.

Kathryn had a busy Mommy repreive week while her boys were in Michigan. She scouted out some decorating stuff for the new house, got some of the necessary hardware ordered, and, oh yea, had a spa day!

As luck (or something) would have it, there was not a single showing of our house the week Kathryn was home alone with house all tidy. As soon as the four boys hit, there were seven showings in the subsequent week. Still no offers, though...

Here are some highlight photos from Michigan:

Picture-less update

We have been waiting to download some new photos to put up an update, but since we're slow to do so, we thought we'd at least start with a written update on what's been going on. We'll add the photos later.

Rick and Kathryn are doing well. Rick has new residents coming in to begin surgery training on July 1st and so has been doing a lot of orientation. Kathryn is masterfully juggling a 5 person household while keeping the house in condition for buyers and real estate agents who drop in on short notice. Continue to pray for God's timing and buyers for our home. It's been on the market for about 10 weeks now. We've had at least 20-25 showings, three second visits, and one offer that was withdrawn. One of our neighbors just sold their home for a reduced offer that we think is about our asking price but their home is about 100 square feet larger than ours, so we are considering a reduction in asking price. Pray for the wisdom to figure out the best approach.

Hudson is doing great. He's a really fun boy. He did Vacation Bible Experience (apparantly they don't call is "school" anymore) last week and really enjoyed it. He continues to amaze us with his sharp memory (see quote below). He has really taken to our neighbor's 8 year-old boy, Josh Swain and they like to hang out with each other. Landon is also doing great. He is hilarious; he always seems to find a way to make the family laugh - often by putting strange items on his head. His speech and language have really taken off and he likes to talk on the phone now. Landon is doing well also. He seems to smile every time someone talks to him (maybe we don't talk to him often enough!). Hudson loves him to death and will spend up to 20 minutes at a time sitting there talking to him and playing with him. He had his 4 month checkup and continues to grow in length (90th percentile) but has slimmed down in weight (20th percentile). He still weighs 2 pounds more than Hudson did at that age, but actually a little less than pudgy-cheeked Landon did. His pediatrician also commented that his head was quite large and asked Kathryn, "Does his father have a big head?" You can insert your own puchlines here.

Hudson Memory Quote:
We had the Swains over for dinner about a month ago. When they came, Hudson and Landon each received a hotwheels car from them. This week, Hudson and Landon broke into an argument about who gave Landon his car: Landon claimed it was Zac and Hudson claimed it was Josh. Josh had given Hudson his car. Rick, not knowing what happened but thinking that it was most logical that the Swain boys had each brought one car to give to them told Hudson that he may not be remembering correctly and that Josh probably have him his car and Zac gave Landon the other one. To which Hudson replied:

"No. The Swains came in and Josh stopped in the entryway with the red Ferrari in his right hand and the yellow Ferrari in his left. He handed the red Ferrari to me and then the yellow Ferrari to Landon. Zac was not carrying any cars, just a pool towel."

Debate Ended